WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler, who spent years as an announcer during their televised events, is currently recovering after suffering a stroke at his home. The 73-year-old is currently recovering at a Florida hospital following emergency surgery.
Memphis TV station Action News 5 was the first to report the story. According to PWInsider, the incident occurred on Monday at Lawler’s Fort Myers home.
Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer has reported that Lawler suffered “a blood blockage” on the right side of his brain, saying that was unable to speak and “has no feeling on the right side of his body.”
WMC-TV chief meteorologist Dave Brown, a longtime friend of Lawler’s, told the Memphis Commercial Appeal that he is “very optimistic that he’s eventually going to recover.”
Lawler, who last appeared as an announcer with WWE in 2020, recently made an appearance on their Raw XXX celebration last month as well as on the Royal Rumble Kickoff show.
The legendary Memphis wrestler has had multiple health-related issues over the years, including suffering a heart attack on-air during a September 2012 episode of Raw. He also suffered a previous stroke in 2018.
Lawler has also courted controversy many times during his career. In 2016, after he and his fiancee were arrested on a misdemeanor domestic assault-bodily harm charge, he was dropped from the WWE commentary team, though he would later return at various points through 2020.
Despite his health issues, the 73-year-old is still performing in the independent circuit. His most recent match took place on January 21 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Lawler, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007, remains signed to WWE.
