(NewsReady.com) – WWE fans spent years listening to commentary from Jerry “The King” Lawler and Jim “JR” Ross as they watched matches on television. The duo was the soundtrack of professional wrestling for years, and sometimes “The King” would get into the ring himself. Sadly, Lawler suffered a major health setback recently.
On February 6, 73-year-old Lawler suffered a medical emergency while in his Florida home. He was taken to a Fort Myers hospital, where he reportedly underwent surgery. The wrestling legend was in the intensive care unit for a couple of days. A February 8 post on his Twitter account revealed he had limited speech. WWE icon Jimmy “The Mouth of the South” Hart is seen visiting with his longtime friend and fellow Memphis native.
Update on Jerry: After suffering a massive Stroke Monday. He is now recovering in a Fort Myers, FL hospital. His speech is limited, but with rehabilitation will regain a full recovery. He thanks everyone for the continued prayers and will be back in the near future. pic.twitter.com/2Ge4XuKVr4
— Jerry Lawler (@JerryLawler) February 8, 2023
A day later, on February 9, the Twitter account posted another update, revealing doctors moved Lawler out of the ICU. It went on to say he was being moved to his Florida home to continue outpatient rehabilitation to improve his cognitive and speech abilities.
Jerry is out of ICU & will return to his Florida home for outpatient rehab for his limited speech & cognitive skills. Doctors hopeful for full recovery & Jerry is looking forward to returning to his fans very soon. -Lauryn #LongLiveTheKing pic.twitter.com/6yOUnOLGkI
— Jerry Lawler (@JerryLawler) February 9, 2023
Lawler wasn’t just a wrestling commentator during his career; he was one of the most decorated wrestlers in history. The WWE Hall of Famer was American Wrestling Association (AWA) Southern Heavyweight Champion 58 times, AWA Heavyweight Champion one time, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Southern Heavyweight Champion 10 times, and the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) Unified World Heavyweight Champion 28 times.
The wrestling icon was also involved in one of the greatest feuds of all time. Lawler and actor Andy Kaufman would often fight one another. According to reports, “The King” didn’t like that Kaufman would wrestle women. One time, Lawler performed a piledriver on the actor and reportedly caused a neck injury. However, later reports indicated the feud was just a storyline.
In 2012, Lawler suffered a heart attack during WWE Raw. He was reportedly clinically dead for 30 minutes before he was revived.
Copyright 2023, NewsReady.com
