Wrestling icon Jerry "The King" Lawler appears to have been dethroned at WWE, with reports circulating that the company has not renewed his broadcast contract and his existing deal expired at the start of 2024; however, he maintains a Legends contract which retains some association between him and WWE for merchandising and other project uses, CageSideSeats reported.

Despite an illustrious career that began with WWE in 1992, the 74-year-old Memphis wrestling legend's on-screen presence waned after he was taken off the commentary table in August 2020 and suffered a stroke in 2023, although his occasional appearances, such as a crowd greeting in March during WWE Smackdown at FedExForum, received enthusiastic responses Mike Johnson of Action News 5 shared this insight.

Lawler himself has recently been upbeat about his health status during a virtual signing event, indicating he was dealing with "some minor difficulties" from last year's stroke but asserting that overall, his "health is great," according to an update he provided to CageSideSeats.

A source within WWE expressed to SEScoops that Lawler's exit signals deeper changes within the organization with the informant saying, "The old company is dead. People can say they hate Vince [McMahon] and Kevin [Dunn] all they want, and they’d be right to do so, but certain people would have been taken care of. Lawler would have been one, but this isn’t the old WWE," suggesting that under new leadership, longstanding loyalties might not guarantee job security as they once did.

Lawler, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007 and whose last match for the company was in 2012, remains an enduring figure in wrestling history – even as his future with WWE seems largely relegated to a nostalgic role, his legacy as a commentator and performer remains inseparable from the sport's tapestry, despite a clear shift in WWE's strategic direction under its new management known as TKO, following Vince McMahon's resignation.