The Story from the Mouth of Jerry the King Lawler, obviously this was about getting Lawler out of his position without ruining the Vince's image
PostPosted:Fri Mar 02, 2001 3:43 am
<div style='font: 12pt Modern; text-align: left; '>I walked in with JR and Bruce Pritchard and we all sat down. I said, "you wanted to see me JR?" And he said "King, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to say..." I was totally confused, and asked him what he meant. He said, "Vince has decided that he doesn’t want to go any further with the Kat’s angle, and subsequently he wants me to give her her release today."
I couldn’t believe my ears..."why? Did he give you any reason?" I asked, and JR said, "Vince said the writers or ‘creative’ felt Stacy was hard to work with and didn’t have the right attitude and that if she was featured any more and became any bigger she would be impossible to control." I thought this had to be some kind of a joke...I said, "when did Vince tell you this?" And JR said, "as soon as he arrived at 2:30 Vince told me to release Stacy". So sometime between the production meeting ending at 2pm with Vince saying Stacy was being featured in the show and 2:30 when JR arrived the decision was made to fire Stacy with neither she nor i being at the arena at the time. I was in shock! I said to JR, "if someone doesn’t like Stacy’s attitude shouldn’t you sit down with Stacy and say "your attitude is becoming a problem and we need to address it or there could be serious consequences"? And JR just said that this was Vince’s decision and he was just delivering the unpleasant message. Then JR asked me if I wanted to be the one to tell Stacy she was fired or did I want him to do it. I said, "I’ll tell her, while we’re on our way to Memphis!" JR said. "What do you mean?" And I said, "this is bullshit, JR, there’s no problem with Stacy’s attitude, I know that.... But if you guys want her gone then I’m gone too." JR said, "King, I wish you wouldn’t do this." I said, "what would you do JR? If the shoe were on the other foot and they were firing Jan for no reason? Would you stay?" And JR said "probably not". I said. "Well I’m not either, and you know me well enough to know that I would react this way and so does Vince, so I can only figure you guys want me to leave as well!"
At that point I started gathering my briefcase and suitcase and JR said, "What will you do, King?" I said, "I can be on another channel next Monday night if i want to, but right now, all I know I’m going to do is go get Stacy and go to Memphis." With that, I left the room and went downstairs to find Stacy. Stacy was in the ladies locker room and when she came out I pulled her to the side and said simply, "JR just told me that you’ve been fired, so I told him I quit, so get your stuff and let’s go home." Stacy smiled at me and said, "you’re kidding, right?" I had to watch the expression on my wife’s face as I told her, "no, I’m serious, let’s go." Stacy was stunned. She just had a blank look on her face as she stumbled back into the locker room to get her stuff.
About a million things were running through my mind as I tried to make sense of this situation, but as hard as I tried I couldn’t figure it out. One of my best friends in the WWF is Kevin Dunn. He is the producer of raw and Smackdown and he is a genius. He is also, actually my boss in the WWF as he is the head of the television department. He works in the control truck in the back of the arenas pushing the buttons and calling the shots that make the shows the success they are. Kevin and I have been close friends over the eight years that I have been in the WWF and I have confided in him about many things. I immediately wondered if Kevin knew of Vince’s decision. In about 3 minutes, Stacy emerged from her dressing room with her things and we went out the back of the building toward the control truck. Stacy and I went up the steps and into the truck where Kevin was sitting. When he turned and saw Stacy and I, I knew immediately that he already was aware of what had happened. I could tell from the look on his face that he was upset. It was the first time I had ever seen him look helpless. Kevin is always in control, but I could tell there was nothing he could do about this situation. He tried to reassure Stacy and me that maybe things could be worked out.
From there, Stacy and I went to Vince’s office. He was on the phone. He looked up and saw me waiting and motioned that he would be with us in a minute. A few minutes later, Vince was off the phone and Stacy and I sat down in front of Vince. Stacy spoke first and said "Vince, what have I done that was so bad that I’m being fired?" Vince said, "Well, I’m really not aware of all of it, it’s more of a talent relations issue." I said, "JR said that the writers said there was a problem with Stacy’s attitude, if that’s the case, why didn’t someone tell her or me that there was a problem so it could be addressed before this?" Vince said, "someone should have." I said, "well, no one did..." Vince said, "well, they should have." And I said, ‘well, no one did!" And Vince said..."that’s bad then" I said, "and I think it’s bad that she’s being let go without being told that and so I’m leaving with her...you had to know I would leave with her Vince," Vince said, "I hoped you wouldn’t" I said, "well, I’ve got to."
At that point Vince just looked at me and said, "well, King, I want to thank you for all you’ve done for us here and all the hard work you’ve put in for the WWF. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty for us here and I thank you." With that, he reached out and shook my hand and I turned, and Stacy and I left his office and the building. It was all over that quickly...on the way out of the building I almost expected someone to come up to me and say with a smile, "what a rib!" And that this would all be some kind of sick joke or something. But that didn’t happen. It wasn’t a joke. It was the real thing.</div>
I couldn’t believe my ears..."why? Did he give you any reason?" I asked, and JR said, "Vince said the writers or ‘creative’ felt Stacy was hard to work with and didn’t have the right attitude and that if she was featured any more and became any bigger she would be impossible to control." I thought this had to be some kind of a joke...I said, "when did Vince tell you this?" And JR said, "as soon as he arrived at 2:30 Vince told me to release Stacy". So sometime between the production meeting ending at 2pm with Vince saying Stacy was being featured in the show and 2:30 when JR arrived the decision was made to fire Stacy with neither she nor i being at the arena at the time. I was in shock! I said to JR, "if someone doesn’t like Stacy’s attitude shouldn’t you sit down with Stacy and say "your attitude is becoming a problem and we need to address it or there could be serious consequences"? And JR just said that this was Vince’s decision and he was just delivering the unpleasant message. Then JR asked me if I wanted to be the one to tell Stacy she was fired or did I want him to do it. I said, "I’ll tell her, while we’re on our way to Memphis!" JR said. "What do you mean?" And I said, "this is bullshit, JR, there’s no problem with Stacy’s attitude, I know that.... But if you guys want her gone then I’m gone too." JR said, "King, I wish you wouldn’t do this." I said, "what would you do JR? If the shoe were on the other foot and they were firing Jan for no reason? Would you stay?" And JR said "probably not". I said. "Well I’m not either, and you know me well enough to know that I would react this way and so does Vince, so I can only figure you guys want me to leave as well!"
At that point I started gathering my briefcase and suitcase and JR said, "What will you do, King?" I said, "I can be on another channel next Monday night if i want to, but right now, all I know I’m going to do is go get Stacy and go to Memphis." With that, I left the room and went downstairs to find Stacy. Stacy was in the ladies locker room and when she came out I pulled her to the side and said simply, "JR just told me that you’ve been fired, so I told him I quit, so get your stuff and let’s go home." Stacy smiled at me and said, "you’re kidding, right?" I had to watch the expression on my wife’s face as I told her, "no, I’m serious, let’s go." Stacy was stunned. She just had a blank look on her face as she stumbled back into the locker room to get her stuff.
About a million things were running through my mind as I tried to make sense of this situation, but as hard as I tried I couldn’t figure it out. One of my best friends in the WWF is Kevin Dunn. He is the producer of raw and Smackdown and he is a genius. He is also, actually my boss in the WWF as he is the head of the television department. He works in the control truck in the back of the arenas pushing the buttons and calling the shots that make the shows the success they are. Kevin and I have been close friends over the eight years that I have been in the WWF and I have confided in him about many things. I immediately wondered if Kevin knew of Vince’s decision. In about 3 minutes, Stacy emerged from her dressing room with her things and we went out the back of the building toward the control truck. Stacy and I went up the steps and into the truck where Kevin was sitting. When he turned and saw Stacy and I, I knew immediately that he already was aware of what had happened. I could tell from the look on his face that he was upset. It was the first time I had ever seen him look helpless. Kevin is always in control, but I could tell there was nothing he could do about this situation. He tried to reassure Stacy and me that maybe things could be worked out.
From there, Stacy and I went to Vince’s office. He was on the phone. He looked up and saw me waiting and motioned that he would be with us in a minute. A few minutes later, Vince was off the phone and Stacy and I sat down in front of Vince. Stacy spoke first and said "Vince, what have I done that was so bad that I’m being fired?" Vince said, "Well, I’m really not aware of all of it, it’s more of a talent relations issue." I said, "JR said that the writers said there was a problem with Stacy’s attitude, if that’s the case, why didn’t someone tell her or me that there was a problem so it could be addressed before this?" Vince said, "someone should have." I said, "well, no one did..." Vince said, "well, they should have." And I said, ‘well, no one did!" And Vince said..."that’s bad then" I said, "and I think it’s bad that she’s being let go without being told that and so I’m leaving with her...you had to know I would leave with her Vince," Vince said, "I hoped you wouldn’t" I said, "well, I’ve got to."
At that point Vince just looked at me and said, "well, King, I want to thank you for all you’ve done for us here and all the hard work you’ve put in for the WWF. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty for us here and I thank you." With that, he reached out and shook my hand and I turned, and Stacy and I left his office and the building. It was all over that quickly...on the way out of the building I almost expected someone to come up to me and say with a smile, "what a rib!" And that this would all be some kind of sick joke or something. But that didn’t happen. It wasn’t a joke. It was the real thing.</div>