10 Most Successful Outsiders In WWE History

2. Jerry €œThe King€ Lawler

jerry lawler
WWE.com

Arguably the most influential man in wrestling throughout the 1970s, Jerry Lawler ruled the Memphis, Tennessee territory with an iron fist. The man became such a beloved good guy that he eventually ran for mayor of the city and received a decent percentage of the votes, despite no political background. He owned his own restaurant that promoted the upcoming wrestling events. He even had a say in the creation of popular gimmicks for others, including Kamala. Once Elvis Presley died, Jerry Lawler officially became the King of Memphis.

While Vince McMahon, Sr. wanted nothing to do with Andy Kaufman€™s harebrained idea of inter-gender wrestling up in New York for the then-WWWF, Lawler recognized the benefits of the quirky idea (with the help of legendary wrestling journalist Bill Apter) and ran with it, making headline news across the world by feuding with the Taxi star. Perhaps it was this that jarred respect for the King from the younger Vince, who obtained his father€™s promotion and began his own rendition of sports entertainment over serious wrestling contests. Lawler was brought into the company in 1992 as, of all things, a bad guy - and boy, did he thrive.

Getting his own foot in his mouth at the hands of Bret Hart may have been the highlight of his WWF wrestling career; needless to say, Lawler€™s in-ring work in WWE is only a footnote in his illustrious run in wrestling. It€™s what he brought to the presentation of the WWF, all the while remaining the King and a babyface in Memphis, that makes him so integral to the WWF during its most popular strides in company history. He and Ross were the team - the voicefor an entire generation of fans, and both were outsiders to the brand.

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David McCutcheon is an American freelance journalist and writing consultant. Over the course of sixteen years, he has written for the likes of IGN, Future US, GamesRadar, PlayStation Magazine, Shout! Factory, and many others in the fields of video games, movies, and more. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife. You can find him on Twitter @ZoopSoul.