10 Most Successful Outsiders In WWE History
2. Jerry The King Lawler
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 Kaufmans 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 fathers 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, Lawlers in-ring work in WWE is only a footnote in his illustrious run in wrestling. Its 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.