WWE Hall Of Famer Leaves Company: “The Old Company Is Dead”

A WWE favourite has left the company.

As reported by Mike Johnson of PWInsider, Jerry Lawler is no longer under contract with WWE. The report notes that “WWE quietly declined” to offer the Hall of Famer a new deal.

Lawler hadn’t been a regular on television for some time, and it’s believed his contract ended in early 2024.

Johnson added that news of Lawler’s departure was met with surprise, with one source noting that under Vince McMahon the veteran would have always “been taken care of,” but added that this is a “new era.” The same person claimed the “old company is dead” before stating:

“People can say they hate Vince [McMahon] and Kevin [Dunn] all they want, and they’d be right to do so, but certain people would have been taken care of. Lawler would have been one, but this isn’t the old WWE. Howard Finkel, God bless him, wouldn’t have had a job for life here anymore, either.”

The Memphis veteran suffered a serious stroke in 2023, finally ending his in-ring career, but Jerry Lawler recently revealed he’s doing “great” health-wise.

UPDATE: Mike Johnson has since tweeted that WWE clarified Lawler’s status noting it was his broadcasting contract that wasn’t picked up, and he remains under a legends deal.

How Long Had Jerry Lawler Been With WWE?

By the time Jerry Lawler arrived in the WWF in 1992, he was already considered a legend thanks to his exploits in his home territory of Memphis. During the early 80s, Lawler’s feud with Andy Kaufman rubber-stamped his place in history, while launching himself into the mainstream

Although Lawler wrestled in WWE he’s best known for his time at the commentary desk alongside Jim Ross with the pair acting as the soundtrack to the Attitude Era. Aside from a brief period in 2001 when he walked out in a row over the treatment of his then-wife, Lawler worked regularly with WWE for over three decades, famously suffering a heart attack while on the air in 2012.

Despite his health problems, Lawler repeatedly returned to television and continued to wrestle on the independent scene into his 70s.