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Although WWE is a promotion which has pushed the philosophy of putting smiles on faces and making the world a better place, it is a company which has been through some dark times and has had a lot of toxicity. There are several stories that have cropped up over the years which have made people’s toes curl, as at times, the backstage area of not only WWE but everywhere in the professional wrestling business can be a nasty place to be. One of the worst stories which has emerged over the years concerns Jerry “The King” Lawler, and when he joined WWE in 1992.
Jerry Lawler’s Reputation In Memphis Could Have Led To His Awful WWE Welcome
Jerry Lawler is someone who came into WWE with a reputation already established. Lawler was a huge name in the Memphis territory (back when professional wrestling was far more territorial), with him being a big name outside WWE with several championships and all-time great feuds already. When it comes to mistreatment backstage, it feels as though stories often come out about rookies and new stars like The Miz, for example, who was kicked out of the locker room and made to change elsewhere.
When it comes to Lawler, it may come as a surprise to learn that he was the victim of an awful welcome by fellow superstars, but it was his reputation that seemed to be the reason for this all happening. As mentioned, Lawler was a big name in the Memphis area, but he wasn’t just an in-ring talent - he was also a top promoter. In 1977, Lawler joined up with Jerry Jarrett (the father of Jeff Jarrett) to establish the Continental Wrestling Association, which quickly emerged as a top promotion in the area.
During that time, the CWA was winning all the wrestling wars in the Mid-South, with Lawler not only being a head of the promotion, but also getting pushed as a top name. Lawler would notably feud with the likes of Andy Kaufman during his time with the CWA, breaking into more mainstream culture as they appeared on David Letterman, and revolutionizing the Mid-Southern territory.
Lawler had worked with a lot of different individuals during his time with the CWA, and other promotions too, with plenty of those being in WWE at the time Lawler signed up with the company. As Lawler was not only a wrestler but a promoter and booker, he had been the man partly responsible when it came to pushing certain stars and even letting names go at times, with the territories often being a conveyor belt when it came to featuring certain talent, leading to people coming and going. This was likely a big part as to why he was targeted, largely due to his name value and reputation, and as a matter of revenge.
Jerry Lawler Was Given A Warm (And Smelly) Welcome As Someone Pooped In His Crown
After signing with WWE, things seemed to initially be going well - that was until Lawler was met by long-time friend Jimmy Hart in the corridor before heading into the locker room. Lawler explained on “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s podcast, the Broken Skull Sessions, that Hart said “King, don’t go in there… Someone took a crap in your crown.” And sure enough, when Lawler went into the locker room and found his crown, someone had defecated inside.
Lawler’s immediate response to this wasn’t to cause a scene, as he instead went to Vince McMahon and offered to leave WWE in order to avoid causing any issues or having a repeat of incidents like this. However, McMahon dissuaded him from leaving, and ensured it wouldn’t happen again. Whilst there have been conflicting details, it was reported that a memo went out to all talent, telling people to not let one go in Lawler’s crown.
No One Has Come Forward To Admit To Defecating Inside Jerry Lawler’s Crown
In terms of the culprit, this remains to be up in the air, as once again conflicting stories have emerged over time. Names such as Steve Keirn and The Undertaker have been thrown around as potential offenders, but it has never truly been made clear who the guilty party truly was. “Ribs” and other “receipts” went around a lot during this period, as that was very much the culture of the backstage area, with the likes of Davey Boy Smith and Mr. Perfect dishing out pranks in awful taste.
Thankfully for Lawler, things eased for him during his time in WWE, where he eventually rose up the ranks as not only a performer, but as a commentator too, becoming one of the voices of the Attitude Era during his role alongside Jim Ross. Unfortunately, there are too many stories of disgusting things happening in the WWE locker room, and they will likely keep emerging over the years too.