Jerry Lawler Wants Another WrestleMania Match
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler joined The Bump recently to discuss the ten year anniversary of his WrestleMania match with Michael Cole. Lawler, who had never wrestled at WrestleMania prior to this bout, and revealed that he thought the opportunity had passed him by.
"Honestly, I had been in the WWE so long, I didn't even think there'd be a first WrestleMania match for me," Lawler said. "When I first started in WWE in 1992 I wrestled for a while and then the commentary position came open. Then I did a bit of both. I really thought the chance to have a Mania match had passed by.
"But then this rivalry with Michael Cole developed. They came to me and said they thought it would be great if we had the match at WrestleMania."
Lawler also touched on the involvement of Stone Cold Steve Austin as referee. The King still isn't sure how Austin wound up in the match, but he was happy he was there.
"I still don't remember exactly how Stone Cold became the special referee," Lawler said. "I don't know if it was Vince's idea or if I suggested it. Either way it worked out perfectly.
"Who would've thought, especially me, that I'd be in a WrestleMania match and Steve Austin would be a part of that match. It was great. I really wish in hindsight we had involved him more actually, especially with Jack Swagger at ringside."
Lawler admitted that he is proud of the match. But he made it clear that there's still one career rival that tops out ahead of Michael Cole.
"A lot of people don't know that I wrestled Andy Kaufman more than just that one time," Lawler said. "He put out a bounty on my head. He came back and we wrestled each other in mixed tags and all sorts of things.
"So I'd have to say, as far as being difficult, Andy Kaufman was more difficult than Michael Cole."
Now in his 70s, Lawler's career has begun to wind down. Even still, he would like one last match at the biggest show of them all.
"I still hope to get another WrestleMania match under belt," Lawler said. "I'd still like to get one more in before I call it quits."
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