WWE Announces Futures of Jerry “The King” Lawler and Booker T

It was reported late last night that WWE would be changing up their commentary teams, following the historic WWE Draft. Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton Monday will now be handling the duties for “Raw,” while Mauro Ranallo, JBL and David Otunga will be on commentary for “SmackDown Live.”

Absent from both of these teams was Jerry “The King” Lawler, who had been a member of the “Smackdown” announce team since January of 2015, and a regular commentator for over 20 years. WWE.com released the following statement, announcing Lawler’s new role, as well as providing an update on Booker T:

UPDATE: In addition to the commentary booth updates on Raw, SmackDown Live and more, WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Jerry “The King” Lawler will bring their decades of experience in sports-entertainment to recurring Pre-Shows and Kickoffs as key analysts, among other names still to be announced. Stay with WWE.com for additional updates.

Lawler was recently suspended by WWE after he was arrested on a domestic assault charge. However, the charges were dropped two weeks later, and “The King” was reinstated immediately.

Editor’s Note:

This is a perfect role for Lawler. Although he has been a member of the commentary team for two decades, I feel that he was starting to lose touch with the product, and was not connecting with the current generation of fans. Having him appear only on the WWE Network is a great way for him to not only keep his legacy going, but also to stay fresh in the minds of the hardcore fans who remember him when he was at the pinnacle of his announcing career.

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