10 Wrestlers Who Went To War With Vince McMahon

9. Jerry Lawler

Vince McMahon Bret Hart
WWE

Jerry Lawler left WWE in 2001 in protest over his wife's firing.

According to Lawler's incendiary interview with Bill Apter in the immediate aftermath, the 'King' was feeling conspiratorial. It was communicated to him that The Kat was proving increasingly difficult to work with, citing a negative backstage attitude, but love, being blind, compelled him to reach for his own truth. Lawler reckoned that Kat's firing was engineered to force him to follow. This seems incredible in hindsight, since Lawler was at the top of his game as a piss-funny breast enthusiast and not a tired old man so cringeworthy that you can hear the awkwardness in his colleagues.

Vince had a genius military strategy to dampen this volatile situation and retrieve his man without also rehiring his missus. All he had to do was...wait a couple of months there...maybe one or two more...hey presto!: Lawler realised she was over 30, and they separated later that year.

Who won?

McMahon got his man back in no time, and Lawler got to scream "Puppies!" at a horde of younger models, thereby soothing the pain of his separation.

Let's call it a draw, pal!

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!