10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (May 5)

7. Taz Didn't Like Jerry Lawler's Commentary During The 1997 ECW Invasion

Paul Heyman ECW Jerry Lawler WWE Raw invasion 1997

Long before ECW was drafted in to help save a flagging WCW 'Invasion' of the WWF in 2001, the Paul Heyman-led extreme group infiltrated Monday Night Raw in 1997.

Jerry Lawler was booked to bash ECW as a loyal WWF soldier, but his words didn't sit well with Taz. The then-ECW headliner believed the announcer was genuine in his bashing of what he dubbed 'Extremely Crappy Wrestling' and took issue with Lawler's repeated on-air burials.

Lawler confronted those claims during a Q&A session on his 'Dinner With The King' podcast, and said he actually thinks that heat with Taz continues to this day. The pair haven't sat down to discuss their issues either, meaning the 'King' believes Taz still harbours some resentment towards him for simply playing an anti-ECW character on television almost 20 years ago.

It's important to note that whilst Lawler did bash ECW, he also put Tommy Dreamer over on the promotion's Hardcore Heaven '97 pay-per-view.

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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.