10 Times WWE Wrestlers FINALLY Broke Character (And Why)

7. Jerry Lawler Gets Real

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WWE

Lawler himself had carved his reputation as a slick-talking heel wrestler-meets-announcer since joining the company in 1993. His constant criticism of Bret Hart's family was the foundation of their long-running feud, and 'King' didn't shirk confrontation behind the desk on comms either.

One fateful night changed his character forever too.

At Over The Edge 1999, Owen Hart fell from the rafters into the ring. The stunt gone wrong shocked everybody, but Jim Ross and Jerry had the unfortunate task of trying to plod on with the pay-per-view regardless. Eventually, they had to stare down the camera and announce that Owen had died.

This marked a first for Lawler. He wasn't the heel 'King' here, and he wasn't going to interrupt Ross with some witty jokes or banter. Both he and his peer solemnly broke the awful news and didn't even try to retain any sense of characterisation. They were real people, which was a first for Jerry in the WWF.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.