Why did Jerry Lawler leave the WWE in 2001?

[@fhb3]

The E fired The King's then-wife "The Kat", and he walked out right alongside her. How did she show her appreciation? She cheated on him and left him.

[@MW-cx3sb]

Women in a nutshell

[@BANGITSME87]

Look at the incels in here lol

[@codyjohnson8959]

@Paul Vu these days, those days or any days for that matter. Anything bad they do is considered empowering now 🤣

[@chrisprad8325]

@@codyjohnson8959 found another incel

[@Sharimuffin]

She was cheating on him even when she was still in the wwf, she just got caught when they left the company and we’re around eachother more..

[@crashb133]

Imagine the boss saying "I have no control over her being fired" like what?

[@M613M]

His return after the Invasion was over was pretty epic. Paul Heyman being dragged away as King enters the arena triumphantly.

[@Eric-wu7bp]

JR: There is a God, the King is Back!

[@tinjos8306]

Wow. Don't ever try to pull a power play on Vince I guess.

[@allenleavell2847]

King left WWE because they were firing Stacy just for Stacy to end up leaving him right after that... Go figure

[@timbartschwolfman]

I wish King was apart of the Invasion Storyline

[@mikechristiansen8285]

It honestly worked better with Heyman being there. And King was back literally the day after the Invasion angle ended. Makes you wonder if the whole thing was just a work to have Heyman there to add tension to the commentary team and then run the angle they did where Vince fires him, JR kicks his ass and then King comes back.

[@D1Fring]

@@mikechristiansen8285 not only that, but I think Heyman was damn good on commentary that whole time

[@Ragingdevil99]

And Paul Heyman is just funny on his commentary side with ECW and WWE in 2001.

[@johnreeveswilliamson7228]

Tim Bartsch would have been hard though as King would have been WWF and so was JR so they needed an WCW/ECW Alliance commentator.

[@bobjob66]

From beginning to end it was better with out the King...it was also great with with Heyman being able to tell the story on commentary.

[@matthewpenrose142]

17 years later vince is like "we totally got you king!"

[@guitarhero918]

The filter on the background of this video makes Cole and Jerry look 100 years old

[@MrChisleblast]

They got the Deadpool filter

[@GAmbrose]

They look like burn victims.

[@MattHelmSA]

Ok..thought my mushies kicked

[@davidstevens3934]

Vince was mad to break up Jerry and JR's partnership. The commentary is 50% of what makes the quality of the show and they were the best.

[@pieterschwartz5521]

A true legend, and what a great man

[@benrichards399]

do u have another clip on how he came back to the wwe?

[@madhatter8508]

There was nowhere else to go, and his wife cheated on him and divorced him.

[@CaliforniaDreamin.]

Guarantee you it was Stephanie McMahon - listen to Terri Runnels interview when she was released.

[@CaliforniaDreamin.]

After hearing a shoot interview from Terri about Stephanie McMahon causing her release... I have a strong suspicion The Kat was being a little too rowdy with guys backstage and Stephanie didn't like it. Stephanie was also doing a lot for creative at that time. Such a shame stephanie pushed out so many great female talents. Chyna, Kat, Tori, Terri, B.B etc.

[@superlex611]

What's does Stephanie had to do with it ?

[@CaliforniaDreamin.]

alex kanyima She was not a fan of a lot of the girls - especially ones that created drama like the kat

[@atifqavi2054]

Heard the same thing about Christy Hemme. Christy was very flirty with the boys and Stephanie was having none of it and behind her firing.

[@CrazyStevo]

@@atifqavi2054 Yup Stephanie McMahon Has Always Been a Punk Ass Little Bitch ‼️‼️‼️

[@aut0mat1c11]

@@CrazyStevo bruh?

[@Ragingdevil99]

So that’s true, he left WWE in 2001 because Stacy got fired from Vince McMahon and he wanted to leave with her as a *FIRED* Commentator.

[@christianedwards4476]

Vince is cold as ice

[@dr.alexander7039]

King missed Austin’s entire heel run in 2001.

[@YousefTube]

About that remember the night he return he didn't recognize the alliance theme for Steve Austin when it's played he says "Now What?" clearly nobody told him a lot has change

[@hermonymusofsparta]

Good for him

[@merman93]

I guess that’s how it was in the business at that time. Absolutely admirable of what the King did for Kat though. Vince had to have been expecting that was a possibility though, and was prepared to just stick out his hand and say thanks for all you’ve done. Was it ever revealed who actually did make that decision? J.R., Vince or creative?

[@josereyes1148]

come on of course it was vince. like creative is going to fire somone and the owner of the company is going to be left clueless. vince was just a coward because it was kings wife.

[@NoahESmith-bn5vi]

Jose Reyes said it best of course it was Vince. He was always the one that fired people and got a hard on for doing it. I really think the respect Jim Ross has for King ( he said before Jerry is like my brother) had nothing to do with the decision.

[@superlex611]

@@SteveHolsten why ?

[@superlex611]

@@SteveHolsten but Kat did'nt have a attitude

[@superlex611]

@@SteveHolsten no I didn't know and The King did'nt notice

[@matthewalkman386]

There are many stories that make Vince look like a coward. Just little bits and pieces of stories you can put together that make him look like a pathetic two-faced little weasel.

[@IAmAHeater]

Well he is

[@michaelgaddum]

vince was lying that he dont know about it when he is the boss i smell BULLSHITT

[@I41535D]

Michael Gaddum who the fuck fire Stacy ? The accountants lol like they tell Vince fire him/her, don’t travel host wwe in New York only

[@Cameron_611]

And yet Stacy “The Kat” Carter left Jerry “The King” Lawler and he missed out on one of the most important WrestleManias ever and the Invasion angle despite the latter being in poor quality. Paul Heyman and Jim Ross (despite their history together) was a poor man’s Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon. Thus,making his leave very pointless.

[@TheRageaholic]

Wrestlemania 17 was the beginning of the end. And marks need to stop praising it and inflating its importance.

[@NishikiOyabun]

@@TheRageaholic no that wrestlemania will forever be praised nobody cares about its importance to whatever you talking about

[@apark02]

A few months after his son, Brian Christopher, was also fired.

[@connordripps7528]

So what I get from this whole thing is that Vince basically lied to Jerry about giving Stacy (The Kat as she was known as) her release and he didn't have the guts to tell Lawler face to face. Creative's idea my ass.

[@superlex611]

What ? So disrespectful

[@musicbyjdk]

Paul Heyman spilled the tea about this on the first week of March episode of Raw

[@josealejandre9699]

The thumbnail makes it look like they have chemical burns on their face

[@bryantobin9792]

and stacy LET the King walk... she should of said no you get your job back im nothing here anyway

[@superlex611]

But what could Jerry do ?

[@DarKKnightt07]

Well he was her husband at the time, she wanted him to support her.

[@moneymantwin1267]

@@DarKKnightt07 yeah but do you get his point kat know she’s wasn’t gonna settle down king was doing everything to that woman happy yet she still lied and cheated

[@DarKKnightt07]

This makes me think that Vince purposely fired Stacy Carter (the Kat) to get Lawler to leave the company. After king left, Heyman became a big star in the "invasion" storyline. If the king was there during the "invasion" storyline, he would have made it hard because his character hated ecw. I think wwe got him outta the way so they do that storyline without any problems.

[@t-gotitanup9386]

That's a really good point cause Jerry Lawler in real life Hated ECW

[@HustleMagnets]

Being from memphis I can tell u that is far from truth. Lawler simply walked out bc his girl got fired

[@Parlimant_Strifey]

that could have made good heat though. A classic Bobby Heenan style take from the King, be more like OG WWF King instead of commentary King.

[@samsmith8725]

Jerry Lawler looks like the THING in this picture

[@thegooseman90]

If Vince didn't play nice with Bret Hart did King really think he could've put one over him of all people?

[@HustleMagnets]

Little do people know jerry lawler basically helped bounce mcmahon build wwf

[@vastyandrews2631]

Wow this is what they announced when it happened, i didn't realize it was true

[@BernardMarx95]

Cruel business.

[@kevinpayton2664]

RKOFAN24 The wrestling business is very cutthroat.

[@michaelyoung9628]

What was Vince suppose to do? You said that you quit. Why would you think that he was going asked you to stay?

[@YousefTube]

The same day The King return Mick Foley quit you know what Vince told him "take care Mick, good luck and have a nice day"

[@malarucoon]

Whoever did this photo is making the king and cole look like they just spent the last 20 years on a hot beach under the sun without any hydration.

[@AmaDominiCanes]

Vince made the right move as a businessman as much as I love King. If you show your employees that sort of thing works more will try it.

[@freedom2084]

There are shoot interviews that have wrestlers saying that the cat was sleeping around with one of the dupps tag team at the time. Soon later the cat left him. Then the king came back to wwe

[@jessyleppert2]

1992 was when you debuted

[@rumtuckskatter]

Vince McMahon is the one person who disliked this video.

[@chaswickswhite5736]

Because of Paul Heyman

[@kayandaeddings4803]

Chaswicks White don’t remind me. Couldn’t stand Paul Heyman for all of those months. But I still watched. But I was so glad when the alliance lost and the king came back the next night. For some reason, I can’t stand Paul Heyman‘s voice. The king on the other hand, he was entertaining and really funny. Him and JR is the best in commentary just like the late Bobby Heenan and the lake gorilla monsoon.

[@_Brennus]

Perhaps it was Lawler they wanted to get rid of, so they fired his wife in order to get him to quit.

[@noahintahlequahsmithh5303]

I remember this. Jerry Lawler did commentary on part of No Way Out 2001 and then all of a sudden it was Taz. I think The King is better with Jim Ross then Paul Heyman. Paul can be good at times but he has a voice and an attitude you don't want to hear the whole show. Or at least I didn't. Jerry and Jim had a comical relationship on commentary. But Paul Heyman just seemed to make Jim Ross mad. They just didn't go together as well. Now with Michael Cole Paul was better but with Jim it was Jerry. I was actually surprised that Jim Ross had anything good to say about Heyman because he always seemed to piss him off. But Paul can be annoying. I will never forget a match between HHH and Undertaker and Paul talked the whole match about Brock Lesnar. It was so annoying.

[@boodattigerbait]

Heck I know as a damn mark not to play hardball with Vince

[@rayecoone5889]

interesting story!

[@davidescanio2929]

there's footage of Jerry walking in the lobby of whatever hotel they stayed at WM 12 w the Kat heard he likes them young i wonder how old she was then🤔

[@TheWWEfanatic93]

Why did they not talk to their union about being fired for no reason given? You can't just drop someone for no reason, how did Vince get away with that?

[@TheWWEfanatic93]

995sean Anybody can pay into a union in a workplace. It might not be a company firm but there are private ones that you can pay into.

[@superlex611]

@@TheWWEfanatic93 it depends on the communication

[@TheWWEfanatic93]

@@superlex611 There is always communication available if you pay into a private union.

[@superlex611]

@@TheWWEfanatic93 but what is the big deal of The Kat being released and The King is follow her to ?

[@TheWWEfanatic93]

@@superlex611Because the kat should have claimed unfair dismissal. King went on his own account but the kat was fired with little reasoning.

[@rubenlopez9137]

Jerry you the best I stop watching WWE because they are a bunch of screw up they going down soon they don't know want they doing I been watching WWE since they were born too bad they suck love you Jerry you are a legend thank you for all your service.

[@ddramos956]

That's fucked up. Vince cowered and acted like he didn't know what was going on in his own company?! Laughable! For as much as his kids and triple H say that Vince ALWAYS has something to do with everything that happened in the WWE, then and now, it's hard to believe that he wouldn't know why that had happened.

[@draconian45]

Good for Vince McMahon for not falling for that power play by Lawler.

[@bryantobin9792]

Kat shoiuld have never been in WWE so good on Vince to say fuck you jerry. If Jerry had his way Kat would be womens champ have feuds with lita, trish etc... cmonnnnnn

[@kevinpayton2664]

He would return on the night after Survivor Series that year.

[@connordripps7528]

Kevin Payton exactly. Good thing too. Even though Paul Heyman and JR meshed well together, it was good to bring Lawler back after being fired from the WWE in February of that year.

[@kevinpayton2664]

Connor Dripps I agree. The Invasion storyline had run its course and plus The King and JR were a great team anyway.

[@connordripps7528]

Kevin Payton yup. It's sorta sad that JR's gone and so is Lawler. They always had the fans emotionally involved in the product, they kept you on the edge of your seat, and they always kept you up to date on what was going on, whether it was someone getting jumped in the back or whatnot. It was always fun to watch JR and Jerry Lawler call the matches.

[@kevinpayton2664]

Connor Dripps They were a huge part of why the Attitude Era was so successful.

[@connordripps7528]

Kevin Payton mhm. It's not the same anymore.

[@timmypaxton4844]

Ifyoudrivedownsesamestreetwillyouendupinmrrogersneighborhood

[@TheBestPrevail]

To be honest, if I was Vince, I would probably have done the same thing.

[@adjuster57]

Never ever, never never, EVER, bring your wife or your girlfriend into YOUR wrestling business. It never works, and will always end in a breakup.

[@allengriggs4778]

That goes with any type of work relationship whether it's wife or girlfriend that never work out great

[@moneymantwin1267]

King was kinda foolish for leaving with Kat should’ve focus on his money but it’s blessing in disguise cuz I wouldn’t be for a heel king putting over wcw such a shame tho he didn’t call wm17

[@Thex-W.I.T.C.H.-xMaster]

People give McMahon too much credit for being some kinda genius. That’s a goddamn shame because he’s never been a genius... if he hadn’t had the roster in 1996 to 2001 that he had he wouldn’t even be on TV today... Bishoff would be.... running WCW.

[@Thex-W.I.T.C.H.-xMaster]

That’s why today people see just how OUT OF TOUCH McMahon really is and was even during the Attitude era and Ruthless Aggression era.

[@HustleMagnets]

Vince had the roster he had because of jerry lawler....look it up. Uswa wrestling.

[@wafe107]

How did she show her appreciation? She cheated on him and left him.

[@aye_its_karate6169]

Jerry in the thumbnail is looking like The Thing from Fantastic Four😂😂 wtf🤣🤣

[@hereallyfast]

Vince is cold lmao

[@FlixCreEightR]

Never put anyone before your career. Relationship's come and go. No one takes my career or passion away. Number #1 reason, why I don't date.

[@WWFX-PACTV]

So you want to die alone???

[@diluted8]

Bargaining with Satan is a lose, lose

[@gabrielguzman6018]

And yet king went back......

[@jessedeleon4123]

Gabriel Guzman you look at everything that they did to JR and he always came back.

[@KB-hh8rt]

There was no other options back then that paid the way Vince did.

[@you-5-iver804]

One answer: MISS KITTYYYYY / THE KAT

[@RossiLCFC1993]

Glad he walked out cause Paul Heyman and JR were amazing on commentary and WM 17 was the best WM of all time and the king wasn’t on commentary thank god

[@I41535D]

Damm Stacy Keilber??

[@spookynookie]

No Stacy Carter Aka The Kat Jerry Lawler ex Wife

[@meld1817]

Todays wwe is equal to todays nba

[@michaelharris1616]

U fired yourself he fired her. Bye

[@Ijustinsultedyou]

The more important question is why did he come back. During his absence, that was some of the best commentary I ever heard

[@KohlDayvhis]

Right lol, I love JR & The King, but I just got to this point in my re-watch and I’m loving the Heyman-JR and Tazz-Michael Cole combos.

[@Ijustinsultedyou]

@@KohlDayvhis Jerry Lawler was a sideshow clown and nothing more. He reminded me of a sleazy dirty old man walking around in tights cracking jokes that everyone rolls their eyes when they hear.