Jerry "The King" Lawler Reveals Why He's Not Thrilled With The WWE King Of The Ring Tournament
After yet the latest hiatus of the event, the King of the Ring has been revived yet again by WWE. The tournament returns for the first time since 2015 as it is set to begin tonight on RAW.
Some of the greatest Superstars in WWE history have won past editions including Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Booker T and the recently deceased Harley Race. Many of the past winners have even adopted king gimmicks after winning such as Booker T becoming King Booker and Randy Savage becoming the Macho King.
But someone who has had "King" in his name throughout essentially his entire career is Jerry "The King" Lawler. The King isn't thrilled with the idea of The King of the Ring returning as it, in part, infringes upon his gimmick as he told Wrestling Inc's Andy Malnoske.
"When they had the very first King of the Ring tournament, that's what made me show up in the WWE because I was a little PO'd about it, and I still am to be honest with you. It's so easy to win a couple of matches and slide a crown on yourself and call yourself the King of the Ring. I've been doing this 49 years to earn this crown right here [shows off his crown]," said Lawler.
"For them to have a one-night or two-night tournament to crown a king, I'm not too crazy about it. But they use it as an opportunity to promote somebody and put somebody in the spotlight which, in that respect, I understand so I can't be too upset about it.
"I promised them that I wouldn't go in the ring and spoil the coronation of the new king."
The King of the Ring preliminary matches will take place on both RAW and SmackDown with the finals being held at Clash of Champions.
Our full interview with Jerry "The King" Lawler will be available later this week.
#WWE Hall of Famer @JerryLawler talks return of #KingOfTheRing, how he truly feels and why @BretHart is now safe. Full interview soon on @WrestlingInc.com. @RajGiri_303 @WIncRebel @HeelDoors @smFISHMAN pic.twitter.com/OKp4TNH0ld
? Andy Malnoske (@18SportsAndy) August 19, 2019