10 Wrestlers Who Came Crawling Back To WWE

3. Jerry Lawler

Jerry Lawler
WWE

Jerry Lawler did a very honourable thing in 2001.

As not a lot of sentences on wrestling websites probably start with those seven words too often, it's perhaps worth dwelling on them here. Upon learning that his real life wife Stacy 'The Kat' Carter was to be released, he upped and left with her.

The two were in very different positions in the company at the time, and perhaps Lawler believed that a move away from the prestigious Monday Night Raw broadcast booth alongside Jim Ross would convince Vince McMahon to change his mind. When he didn't, 'The King' was well and truly without his crown.

Things got worse that year. As the relationship between Carter and Lawler dissolved, the one between Ross and newly-hired commentary replacement Paul Heyman re-blossomed and things looked bleak for the Memphis icon's return prospect.

McMahon and his inner circle obviously missed 'The King's squealing musings - when a Survivor Series loss for Heyman's alliance necessitated Heyman on-screen firing in November, Jerry was jetted straight back in with all former ills forgiven.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.