8 Ups And 9 Downs From WWE WrestleMania 31

8. Way Past His Prime

When WWE shook up its announce teams a few months ago, it was a strange thing to not see or hear Jerry €œThe King€ Lawler on Raw. After all, he€™s been a constant voice on WWE€™s flagship program for nearly all of Raw€™s run. But his absence has only magnified what many fans have known for the past few years: Lawler has reached a point in his career where he should be put out to pasture. That fact was on full display during WrestleMania, with Lawler€™s bad jokes (€œIt€™s a good thing the Divas aren€™t mind-readers. If they were, I€™d get slapped.€), silly observations and high-pitched yelling detracting from the event rather than adding to it. The King will forever receive and deserve a great deal of respect from fans, but it€™s reached the point where tradition has to give way to progress. There are plenty of better color men in waiting €“ Booker T, William Regal, Corey Graves. It€™s time to give them a chance.
Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.