7 WWE Suspensions Nobody Saw Coming

6. Jerry Lawler (2016)

Rey Mysterio 2009
WWE.com

Part of the promotion since 1993, Jerry 'The King' Lawler hasn't always seen eye-to-eye with WWE management. Nonetheless, he's become part of the furniture in the organisation, even if pockets of fans have occasionally called for him to be removed from the announce desk. When he was a sugar-coated babyface commentator, that was understandable.

Since the turn of the year, however, Lawler has returned to form. Rekindling the magic of years gone by, he's become much more of a heel persona when on announce duties, and - for the most part - it's worked well. His jokes may be dated, but there's something endearing about the way Jerry delivers his verbal performances.

On June 17, 2016, the shocking announcement was made that Lawler had been suspended by WWE. Domestic abuse was at the centre of the storm, with the legendary wrestler and commentator being arrested along with his young girlfriend Lauryn McBride.

WWE's simple statement said that the company have "zero tolerance" for matters related to domestic abuse. Lawler has been suspended indefinitely, which is a sad state of affairs, but not something anyone could see coming.

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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.