Jerry Lawler Signs New Deal With WWE
Jerry Lawler has reportedly agreed and put pen to paper on a fresh deal with WWE, according to PWInsider.com (H/T WrestlingNews.co).
The King's old deal is reported to have been set to expire at the end of 2021 yet it appears he will be staying with the promotion for the foreseeable future, though there's nothing on the details of his contract just yet.
Related: Jerry Lawler Vs Jake Roberts & 9 Other Controversial Moments of WWE's New Generation Era
Lawler, one of the most popular voices in wrestling, debuted on the WWE roster as a wrestler in 1993 before becoming an announcer and pairing up with the legendary Jim Ross, who is now with AEW.
The 72-year-old still wrestles on the independent scene from time to time.
Noodles Got Jerry Lawler In Hot Water
Jerry hasn't been part of the broadcast team on Raw for over a year-and-a-half and, back in October, said he believed it's because of comments he made about Akira Tozawa last April. The statement came during a match between Tozawa and Austin Theory, after the former performed a cannonball off the apron. Lawler called the move a "ramen noodle moonsault," earning himself some backlash.
“I gotta be careful though. This is so crazy. Just saying Mr. Fuji, if you’re trying to use a Japanese [accent], that’ll get you in trouble today, I mean that actually happened to me. That’s probably why I’m not on Raw right now," he said during a virtual signing with K & S WrestleFest.
Lawler explained he made the mistake because he thought Mauro Ranallo was making names up as he went along when the pair were working on voiceovers for WWE 2K Battlegrounds. He ended up making one up for Tozawa's move in jest.
“What is racist about that? I thought it was funny, that’s a ridiculous name, right? And all of a sudden, the internet blows up," he added. "‘Oh, King’s a racist,’ and even Tozawa, the next week, comes back [to tell him], ‘It’s nothing racist, I eat ramen noodles every week.’ The next week I wasn’t on Raw anymore. I don’t know if that’s what happened but anyway, you gotta be very careful. So I should probably not say Mr. Fuji [with an accent].”
