It's been a while since we've seen WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler calling the action on RAW, and he's now claimed that it could be the result of controversial comments he made about former 24/7 Champion Akira Tozawa. As you may recall, an April 2020 episode of the Monday night show saw Lawler refer to one of Tozawa's moves as a "ramen noodle moonsault."
There was an immediate negative response on social media, with many describing it as a racist comment proving the legendary wrestler and announcer is out of touch with today's audience.
Lawler defended himself during a recent virtual signing with K & S WrestleFest...when he used a fake Japanese accent whole talking about Mr. Fuji. "I gotta be careful though. This is so crazy. Just saying Mr. Fuji, if you’re trying to use a Japanese [accent], that’ll get you in trouble today. I mean that actually happened to me. That’s probably why I’m not on RAW right now."
Explaining that he thought the comment was funny and that it stemmed from him thinking Bryon Saxton and Mauro Ranallo make up names for wrestling moves, Lawler asked: "What is racist about that? I thought it was funny, that’s a ridiculous name, right? And all of a sudden, the internet blows up. ‘Oh, King’s a racist,’ and even Tozawa, the next week, comes back [to tell him], ‘It’s nothing racist, I eat ramen noodles every week.’ The next week I wasn’t on RAW anymore."
Honestly, this isn't the strongest defence, and Lawler does, unfortunately, seem horribly out of touch (especially if the names of newer wrestling moves leave him so confused and baffled). Whether WWE will do business with him again remains to be seen, but these comments are unlikely to help matters.