WWE RAW: Jerry Lawler should be removed for his racist commentary

Jerry “The King” Lawler had another bigoted moment on commentary during the Apr. 13 edition of WWE RAW. Here’s why his comments are so damaging and why WWE should remove Lawler from commentary (if not the company).

Jerry “The King” Lawler is a legend in the business, a true Hall of Famer whose impact may not be as well known thanks to the overshadowing presence of Hulkamania about a decade after Lawler’s heyday. Then again, maybe his impact is being forgotten (like a certain stable that just debuted on SmackDown) because of his atrocious history on commentary.

I’m not here to discuss his overtly misogynistic remarks that were ill-conceived even in the “Attitude Era” of the late ’90s. I’m not even here to discuss his body-shaming from even a decade ago, like this cringeworthy scene with Vickie Guerrero.

I’m here to discuss Lawler’s casual and sometimes overt racism and why he should be dismissed from commentary (possibly 20 years too late).

Take Monday’s episode of RAW, for example:

Akira Tozawa hit a running senton off of the ring apron and onto Austin Theory at ringside. Instead of calling it a running senton (which it was), Lawler decided to try to be funny and called it the “ramen noodle moonsault.”

You know, because Tozawa’s Japanese?

While it’s expected that wrestling-based sites picked up on the story, even Forbes has an article that not only highlights the backlash to Lawler’s commentary, but questions why Lawler was even present in the first place. Remember, he is squarely in the most at-risk group to COVID-19, a concern he dismissed on his podcast saying he wasn’t going to hole himself up in his house.

The above is just the most recent example of his racist commentary. For one, it wasn’t even a moonsault, but more seriously, this kind of reference does more harm than good. How?

It continually signals to everyone that as much as we tout our country and society for being diverse and welcoming (well, certain parts of the country and society), everyone who isn’t White must be othered in some way.

For all we know, maybe Tozawa hates ramen. Just because he’s Japanese doesn’t mean he eats ramen or sushi (which I’ll get to later).

I mean, it’s not like we are calling anything Theory does (and I’m still not quite sold on him beyond being a bigger, less charismatic Finn Balor) the “stuffed crust suplex” or “stale white bread TKO,” are we?

(Side note: if Jim Cornette is defending you on this comment, particularly considering his most recent stint on commentary ending because of a racist starvation joke, you’re definitely wrong.)

That is a trivial analogy, but also points to just how casual racism (and other oppression) can be. With White people, an individual represents just that individual, but with people of color/women/non-hetero and non-binary folk, they tend to represent the entire community, mostly unwillingly.

I’ve gone into detail on just how disheartening, frustrating, and outright violent being an Asian/Asian American wrestling fan can be. It was just over 20 years ago we had the unfortunate KaiEnTai/Val Venis segment below, after all.

20 years is not a long time, but yes, things have improved.

Lawler has only set that back through his commentary.

He’s referred to Kairi Sane as looking like “day-old sushi.” I don’t think he would say this about any non-Asian/Japanese wrestlers even though I know far too many White people who view sushi as an essential part of their diet. (For the record, I hate sushi and any uncooked seafood.)

It doesn’t stop there with Sane and her Kabuki Warriors partner, Asuka. He also referred to them in the past as “Kabuki Warrior #1” and “Kabuki Warrior #2.” It’s not like Sane and Asuka have completely different aesthetics, body types, presentations, demeanor, gear, in-ring style, etc., right?

Beyond Japanese wrestlers, Lawler just cannot help himself when it comes to making racist “jokes” on-air. Recently with the Street Profits, he mentioned that Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford were drinking Kool-Aid out their red cups. If they were, cool; maybe Lawler should have mentioned how he knew.

If they weren’t (and they most like weren’t), then he busted out Kool-Aid because, you know, Black people! I guess non-Black folk have never partaken in that sweet, sweet sugary nectar that is Kool-Aid.

As noted in this article, during an Ahmed Johnson match, Lawler reportedly said that the most common words heard in Johnson’s neighborhood growing up were, “You have the right to remain silent.” To put his racist commentary into context, Johnson’s short heyday was in the mid to late ’90s.

I’m not a masochist, so I refuse to go back and listen to anything he might have said about Cryme Tyme.

What about Latinos? Well, a recent example is Lawler calling Humberto Carrillo, who is Mexican, a “jumping bean” because of Mexican jumping beans. Creative.

Listen to him with any match involving the Lucha House Party only to shake your head in embarrassment a minimum of five times.

If you want to bridge his misogynistic and racist commentary together, pay attention to his comments during women’s matches with a woman/women of color, or a segment/match involving a woman of color. Be prepared; I warned you.

Again, he is still a legend and Hall of Famer with many accomplishments and long-reaching impact on the business. He is just not suited for commentary (maybe never was) particularly in a more socially-conscious society.

A positive byproduct (besides the boost in PR that WWE sorely needs right now) is that it would open the door for newer, more diverse voices on commentary. While Nigel McGuinness and Beth Phoenix are doing well on NXT, I’m thinking about more announcers of color.

After all, Byron Saxton was given the chance to learn and grow, and he is the best pure babyface announcer in WWE. However, the fact of the matter is he is one of the few announcers of color who was given the space to falter and grow. David Otunga was given the space to a lesser extent, though I think he played his role well.

I know they’ve both discussed how they want to continue as in-ring performers, but both Dio Maddin and Mansoor have impressed when given the opportunity on commentary. Yes, Maddin’s tenure on RAW started a bit rocky, but he really found his niche and character prior to Brock Lesnar giving him an F5 through the announce table, writing him off of television.

Mansoor brings a positive energy and youthful exuberance more reminiscent of a child watching something he loves. I do not say that in any demeaning sense; one reason I’ve enjoyed Cody on commentary in AEW is he has that same sort of enthusiasm for the art.

Looking at ring announcers/backstage interviewers, there are a few people I would like to see at least given the space to try like Phoenix, McGuinness, and Corey Graves. I’m also keeping in mind WWE may be hesitant to try after Renee Young’s (self-admittedly) less than stellar time on commentary.

Kayla Braxton may be a great option. She does well as a backstage interviewer, and is tremendous as host of The Bump. Her positivity and charisma is infectious, and she seems to make everyone around her more comfortable as a result. Would it work? Maybe, but we won’t know unless she’s given a chance.

How about NXT ring announcer Alicia Taylor? She is great, and did you know she’s also a drummer? That’s a unique energy she could bring, and also explains how she was able to rock out with “The Bugez,” Rik Bugez.

Would a returning JoJo be interested in commentary? Why not ask?

This doesn’t mean they would be put on RAW immediately, either. I am imagining “learning the ropes” on NXT or at the PC.

This could also be a chance for WWE to look at their pipeline in commentators and see how they can improve their diversity in race, gender, sexuality, etc. so they don’t have to continually turn to legends of the past.

In what has been a terrible week of public relations for WWE, one thing they could do to recoup some positive coverage is remove Lawler from commentary for another racist line. This would open up space for new and different voices that could possibly bring unique perspectives to how we watch wrestling. One can only hope.