On episode five of Jerry Lawler’s “Dinner With The King” podcast, he was asked about the “social media uproar” over JBL. Here’s what he had to say:
“I’m a JBL fan. Here’s the thing about JBL. You gotta know the guy. And if you don’t get an opportunity to really know JBL, you can be offended, and because he does…(the phone rang at this point). Back to JBL. To me, this is all just…JBL is a funny guy and he’s a big guy and he’s boisterous, and he comes across as sometimes crude and loud and that sort of thing. But you gotta know him. That’s just JBL.
He’s old-school enough that a lot of the things he still does, just doesn’t happen anymore. And I think we talked about this on one of the podcasts, because down in Memphis when I started, when people started…ribs, and jokes, and ribs in the locker room were just a normal thing you put up with, or you had fun doing, and it was not to be taken serious or anything like that. But JBL is a holdover of that kind of wrestler.
I mean, you know everything that JBL does or says, to him, is a rib. It’s not meant to be taken serious. But unfortunately, in these days and times, a lot of people, if you don’t know the guy, you will wind up taking some of the things serious and you can, you know maybe be hurtful, or hurt somebody’s feelings. But I promise you. That’s just John. He’s just the kind of guy…you know you take everything he says with a grain of salt. His commentary, and he’s like the same character in catering or anytime you run into him. I have a lot of respect for him, I like John. I’ve never had one minute’s problem with him. But you gotta know John.
You gotta know…there are a lot of guys who are totally different. “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant comes to mind. When you put “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant in front of the TV screen he’s, you know “Wooo brother! I’m ‘Handsome’ Jimmy from Memphis Tennesse” but off camera…he’s over here chilling. But JBL is the same way on-and-off camera. He’s loud. He’s boisterous. He seems arrogant. And sometimes obnoxious, but that’s just him. That’s just his character, and he’s just that way.
I think in these days of social media, where everybody has a voice…everything you say, anything you say is going to offend somebody, somewhere. And now, that somebody, somewhere, has a voice through Twitter or social media that they can complain, and say ‘Oh, I’m offended.’ And I think that’s what happened here with JBL. It’s getting blown way out of proportion, and no harm was meant. So that’s my take on the whole thing, hopefully, it will all blow over.”
Lawler also lamented about the politically correct times that we’re “forced to live in now.”
He finished off the segment by announcing that it is “Absolutely” too extreme to ask for JBL’s job, and that he can’t imagine him losing it “over something like this.”
To listen to the interview, click here. The JBL talk starts around 14:30.
Andrew’s Analysis: Huh. So it seems the problem isn’t that JBL is a bully, but that Mauro Ranallo didn’t know JBL well enough? Apparently, Justin Roberts, Palmer Cannon, The Miz and quite a few others just needed to know the guy better too. What a bunch of unintentional misunderstands! Lawler seems to either be trying to be a good company man for Vince McMahon, or genuinely thinks everyone is too sensitive and needs to lighten up. Either way, he came off really poorly here.
So basically JBL is just an asshole and everyone should just accept his being an asshole, rather than expect him to act like a grownup and treat people respectfully. I guess Lawler’s fine with sexual harassment too then? “That’s just the way I am, I didn’t mean any harm when I asked the secretary to take her top off.”