Friend Encounters: Jerry Lawler and Scott Romer

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities. 

Scott Romer is a legendary wrestling photographer. He has had an amazing career and is still at it.

His book When It Was: My Life on Both Sides of the Camera should be on every wrestling fan's shelf. Even if you aren't a wrestling fan, you'll enjoy stories of presidents, heads of state, U.S. Supreme Court justices, athletes, movie stars and more.

Scott still appears at wrestling conventions selling his book and talking wrestling. He can talk wrestling with the best of them, because he has met pretty much everyone. Did I mention he is the son-in-law of Dick the Bruiser? That's just one of so many fascinating stories in his book.

Although wrestling is the backdrop, this book is the story of a man who had a drream as a youngster and made it happen. It's a great read, with the wrestling stuff being a bonus.

I usually see Scott a couple times a year. One of those times was last year at SICW FanFest where Romer took the picture with Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler. I see two kings in that picture.

Look for Scott's book at When It Was. If you see him at a convention, stop by to talk a bit of wrestling.

Jerry Lawler and Scott Romer in St. Louis, MO-May 2025.

Jerry Lawler at Squared Circle Expo

The King is coming to Squared Circle Expo. That would be the King of wrestling, Jerry Lawler.

Lawler will join about 60 other wrestling stars and legends in the two day SCX. In addition to the huge lineup of wrestling stars (or royalty), there are panels, Q&As, photo ops, a full wrestling card and so much more.

It is a well-organized and run event by four great friends. Every year it gets better and bigger. This year promises to top all. That is a credit to the hard work and dedication of the organizers. They aren't a nameless corporation. They are four wrestling fans who know how to run a fantastic convention.

Lawler is a well-seasoned convention veteran. Having met him several times at various conventions, the King is always great with the fans. I look forward to seeing him again this year.

SCX runs April 25-26 at the Wyndham in Indianapolis. Tickets are welling fast, but there are still a bunch left. Get yours today.

Check squaredcirclex.com for updates and scheduling on SCX V. See you there!.

Jerry Lawler and me in New York, NY-October 2021.

Jerry "The King" Lawler at C2E2 2017

Jerry "The King" Lawler got his start in pro wrestling through his art work. He sent his drawings of wrestlers to his local wrestling company. Eventually, it led t a regular role for him. More importantly, it also led to an in-ring career.

Lawler has had an amazing 50+ years in wrestling, but he hasn't strayed from his art either. I always wondered why Lawler used his talents to make a book. Thanks to Michael Kingston of Headlocked Comic, Lawler found a great home for his artistic creations.

Kingston's Headlocked is a realistic comic novel based on the world of wrestling. It is Kingston's dream and passion and Lawler joined him as the cover artist.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Lawler several times, most of which were at Headlocked's booth at comic cons, including C2E2 and New York Comic Con. Both guys are always absolutely great.

Meeting a legend like Lawler is cool. Having him recognize me from several meetings is surreal. I have followed Lawler's career for decades and my 15 year old inside of me can't believe I am standing next to The King, holding his crown.

Go to NewYorkComicCon.com for more info and updates. Check back here for my recurring coverage.

Jerry Lawler and me in Chicago, IL-April 2017.

Friend Encounters: Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross and Michael Kingston

Friend Encounters is a weekly series featuring friends meeting celebrities.

When does a person become a celebrity? Perhaps I should ask Michael Kingston. Over the last several years, Michael Michael has become a celebrity.

Several years ago, Michael started Headlocked, a realistic comic about wrestling. Not satisfied with wrestling comics of the day, Michael set out to produce a wrestling comic which was more like the real world of wrestling. Other comics had wrestlers with super human or super natural powers. Michael felt wrestling was interesting enough on its own and wanted to expose that world to readers. Headlocked was born and Michael has been entertaining readers ever since.

Wrestlers and the wrestling community quickly started getting on the Headlocked bandwagon. Jerry "The King" Lawler did cover art and many other wrestlers contributed along the way.

When Michael goes to comic cons, the Headlocked booth always has a roster of legendary wrestlers. At New York Comic Con, Rob Van Dam, Katie Forbes, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast crew, Jerry "The King" Lawler and Jim Ross all appeared at his booth. That lineup is a wrestling convention in itself.

Then there was Michael, right in the middle of it all, with many Headlocked issues on his resume. Michael's achievements clearly have vaulted him onto a different level. Before all of this started, Michael was a bright guy with a dream. Now he is an accomplished author surrounded by wrestling legends. At some point, Michael has joined the wrestling legend category.

You don't have to be an actual wrestler to be in that club. Referees, announcers and others are wrestling celebrities. Creators are in that group, too. Michael is creating wrestling history.

Celebrity or not, Michael is a great guy. He alsways has time for a quick chat and update and he always has a lot going on. Success and celebdom couldn't happen to a better guy. He deserves all the success he has.

Check HeadlockedComic.com for all the latest news. Check NewYorkComicCon.com for updates and scheduling on NYCC.

Jerry Lawler, Michael Kingston and Jim Ross in New York, NY-October 2021.

Jerry "The King" Lawler at C2E2 2017

C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo) is coming to McCormick Place March 22-24. As I look forward to C2E2I share some of my favorite moments over the years there.

When I was younger, I mostly knew of Jerry "The King" Lawler through wrestling magazines. Lawler wrestled mostly in the south. He would occasionally wrestle in Texas (with the Von Erichs) or in the AWA (in Minnesota). Lawler wrestled mostly in companies that were not televised nationally.

Of course, Lawler gained some national exposure from his feud with Andy Kaufman. As entertaining as that was, it was not Lawler's best work in the ring.

Much later in his career, Lawler joined the WWF/E as an active wrestler. He had some big matches and feuds, but he was a bit past his prime. His best work in the WWE came while announcing. The man was gold on the mic.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Lawler several times. He was a class act. Lawler is a combination of old school and new era. He has the mindset and personality of the older wresting legends, but he is capable of fitting in with the new generation of wrestlers and fans. Plus, anytime I can pose with a crown, I will!

At C2E2 2017, Lawler and writer Michael Kingston were kind enough to do a Johngy's Beat promo, which is at Jerry Lawler and Michael Kingston Love Johngy's Beat. Go to HeadlockedComic.com for more info on this pair and their comic projects. Also, go to C2E2.com for more info, including the guest list.

Jerry Lawler and me in Chicago, IL-April 2017.

Jerry Lawler Loves Johngy's Beat

When you create a wrestling comic as good as Headlocked, you get to hang around wrestlers as good as Jerry "The King" Lawler.  Such is the case of Michael Kingston, the very, talented creator of Headlocked, a wrestling comic series about wrestling!

I make the distinction that it is about wrestling, because that was the genesis of the Headlocked series.  Kingston was tired of "wrestling" comics only being minimally about wrestling.  He solved his own problem with the creation of Headlocked and it has been picking up support ever since.

Enter Lawler, who signed on early on to be the permanent cover artist.  Lawler has accompanied Kingston to many promotional events, such as the recent C2E2, where I had the pleasure of interviewing Kingston.

You can watch that interview at On the Beat With Michael Kingston.  Check out HeadlockedComic.com for more info and updates.  Also follow Headlocked on Facebook and Headlocked on twitter.

Lawler doesn't just support Kingston and Headlocked.  He supports Johngy's Beat and so does Kingston.  They were kind enough to do a promo vdeo for the Beat.

Thank you to Lawler and Kingston for their time and consideration.  Than you to C2E2 for always granting me extra access.

All Hail the King Lawler

Jerry Lawler was one of the first pro wrestlers to gain mainstream notoriety.  His feud with comic Andy Kaufman and appearances on The David Letterman Show exposed Lawler to a big new audience.

Back in the pre-cable days, I had heard of Lawler, but had only seen him on some syndicated wrestling shows.  I heard a lot about "the King," however.  He was like royalty in the Memphis area (hence the King).  He did not wrestle for the major companies at the time, but his connection with Kaufman changed all of that.

To this day, it is still debated as to the legitimacy of their feud.  It is one of the very few wrestling mysteries left.  The business has been exposed and shown to the mass audience.  The Kaufman-Lawler feud though stands apart from all else.

Eventually, Lawler made his way to the WWE.  He was nearing the end of his in-ring career though.  He would never win a WWE title.  He did become a very popular announcer for the WWE.

We met Lawler at C2E2, where he was helping promote Headlocked, a comic book series for which he did some of the cover artwork.  The multi-talented Lawler is also a very accomplished artist.

I always say that comic cons are great places to meet wrestlers.  While they draw good crowds, the lines are nowhere near as long as when they do wrestling shows.  Because of the number of other celebrity guests, prices are usually much better, too.

For his part, Lawler was great with the fans.  He patiently and willingly got into conversations about virtually every part of his career.  If I had stayed next to him the entire day, I probably would have heard eevery good story he had.  I still wouldn't know the whole Kaufman story though!

Matt Parker, Jerry Lawler and me in Chicago, IL-April 2014.

The King, Big Money and Johngy

Jerry "The King" Lawler has had a fascinating wrestling career.  He has held over 150 titles in his 40+ years in the ring, although many of those titles were won in the Memphis area or at least in the south, where Lawler ruled, title or not.
Lawler achieved some mainstream notoriety many years ago when he was involved in a much-publicized feud with the late comedian Andy Kaufman.  There is some debate whether the feud was legit or staged.  Honestly, it is hard to tell and I really don't know.
Lawler had a heart attack on live television earlier this year.  Fortunately, he has made a complete recovery.  Actually he looked fantastic when Matt and I saw him at a PCW wrestling event.
Lawler brought his crown and Matt got to hold it for the picture.  I still think Matt should have gone for it, by putting the crown on his head.  Now that would have been a cool photo.  Still, I am pretty sure this is the only photo I have ever posted featuring a (non-beauty pageant ) crown.

Jerry Lawler, Matt Parker and me in Midlothian, IL-Spring 2013.

Friendly Encounters

This is a regular series featuring friends who have met celebs.

Previous to his recent reports on Legends of the Ring, when we last saw Josh Watko, he was meeting the Icon Sting.  Today, Josh is going to tell us about meeting the King, Jerry Lawler.  Before we get to that though, I'll give a little update on Josh.
Josh's website is JW's Wrestling Memorabilia. and it is full of great wrestling stuff.  Josh covers autograph signings, live events and products (new and old).  He also writes wrestling opinion pieces and other interesting posts.  Josh is gaining exposure and is already widely known within the wrestling circle.
I have asked him to share some wrestling stories and he has contributed one about meeting Mike McGuirk, Mae Young and the previously mentioned meeting with Sting.  Finally, here are Josh's thoughts on Jerry Lawler.
Back in 2001, it was Jerry Lawler's name on the marquee that got me to attend my first independent wrestling show.  Ten years and many meetings with The King later, I once again encountered the WWE Hall of Famer at a show for the very same promotion.  Although many stars fill IWC's annual Night of Legends show, it was clear that Jerry was the draw of the night.
The King, despite his often rotten in-ring character from years past, is one of the most fan-friendly wrestlers of all time.  He always has time for a word, a handshake and of course, photos and autographs.  A friend of mine even asked why his legendary piledriver did not come into play at his recent match at WrestleMania.  (The answer:It was discussed but ultimately shot down by the WWE.)

Lawler also has one of the most beautiful signatures I've ever seen.  I've always felt that this may be due to The King being an accomplished artist.  If you have paid attention to the announcer segments on Raw in recent years, you may have seen Jerry's shirt which includes a large facsimile of his exquisite John Hancock!
As always, I appreciate Josh sharing his experiences.  I like his insight.  As a longtime autograph collector, I can appreciate his insight about Lawler's signature.  If you have any interest in wrestling or even if you just want to check out some interesting things, give a look to Josh's site.

John Watko and Jerry Lawler in Elizabeth, PA-May 2011.