Quotable King

The previous two articles looked at some interesting one-liners and other dialogue in the territory that at various times from 1975 until 1989 was run by Nick Gulas, Roy Welch and Jerry Jarrett. Purposely, one individual, Jerry Lawler, was left out of those two articles because of his own proclivity to be quotable.

Some consider Lawler to be one of the greatest interviews in professional wrestling history. Some discount him because of their own dislike of Lawler or the style of pro wrestling the territory promoted. It though is hard to argue with Lawler's longevity as Lawler remained the one constant performer in the area from the 1970s into the new millennium. While some of those years have been lean years at the gate, many of them were very good years and most all those years revolved around Lawler as the top attraction. This means his ability to communicate to the fans what needed to be communicated was vital to any success that might be achieved.

Following in the footsteps of area wrestling legends Sputnik Monroe and Jackie Fargo, Jerry Lawler made an initial splash as a bad guy. As Lawler grew into the role and in the business, his smarmy, smart-aleck delivery angered fans. A 1974 feud with Fargo would lead to Lawler kicking up his heel persona a notch as he battled Fargo over the unofficial title of 'The King of Memphis'. Lawler's attitude as a heel though attracted some fans as his humor and delivery made him likable in a certain way hard for fans who usually cheered for the good guys to fully comprehend. Over time, Lawler would become a fan favorite and would become more popular than he ever was disliked as a bad guy.

While the business evolved over time, Lawler's ability to communicate effectively and clearly with the area's fan base, combined with the credibility he earned in doing so, were major reasons the promotion was active for so long. What follows is a sampling of Jerry Lawler's one-liners and dialogues in the Memphis territory from the mid 1970s through 1989.  (NOTE: Due to the great volume of tremendous dialogue what follows is a mere example of Lawler's promo ability and is in no way intended to be the end-all, be-all list of superior Lawler dialogue.)

The Heel King

Jerry Lawler, 1980:

"These people aren't stupid. (Points to crowd) Take a look at 'em. Well, wait a minute, these are stupid."

Jerry Lawler, 1979:

"Lance, why don't you go home? Your cage is probably cleaned out by now."

Nick Gulas and Jerry Lawler, promoting a 1976 Chattanooga house show:

Gulas:   "Tonight at the Memorial Auditorium you're in store for  one of the best cards we've signed for Chattanooga in many months headlined with one of the best NWA Southern heavyweight championship matches signed for Chattanooga as I said in many months when Jerry Lawler returns here after a long absence. He's the NWA Southern heavyweight champion. He's been signed to go against the former North American heavyweight champion, Cowboy Frankie Laine, who's undefeated right here in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Cowboy Frankie Laine demanded this match with Jerry Lawler.  More...