The Steve Austin Show

Episode: Jerry "The King" Lawler Part One – SAS CLASSIC
Date: September 16, 2025
Host: Steve Austin
Guest: Jerry "The King" Lawler
Location: Hollywood, CA

Episode Overview

In this classic episode, Steve Austin welcomes legendary wrestling icon Jerry "The King" Lawler for an in-depth, wide-ranging conversation. Together, they delve into the gritty realities of the wrestling business—past and present—highlighting financial wisdom, territory struggles, iconic promos, behind-the-scenes stories, Lawler’s Batmobile obsession, the evolution of kayfabe, and Lawler’s harrowing on-air heart attack. The tone is candid, nostalgic, and laced with humor, capturing a lively, honest exchange between two veterans who fundamentally shaped modern professional wrestling.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Kicking Things Off: Car Talk & Frugality

• Steve’s “Frugal Sombitch” Story (00:19–04:44):
  • Austin opens with his car troubles and laments being too cheap to replace his specialty tires:
    • “Me being the cheap sombitch that I am, the person that likes to save money because there’s still plenty of tread on my tire.” (00:37)
  • Mo Darwich joins the banter, comparing mechanics to “bad dentists.”
  • The conversation shifts to the importance of saving money in wrestling—a theme that recurs throughout the episode.

2. DDP Yoga & Living Healthy on the Road

• Yoga Banter (02:58–04:44):
  • Austin quizzes Mo about DDP Yoga, delivered with DDP’s signature self-promotion.
  • Lawler interjects, and Austin notes the challenge even he found it to be:
    • “Make no mistake about it. I did his workout with him, and it kicked my ass.” (04:08)

3. Jerry Lawler’s Batmobile (His “Crazy” Purchase)

• Lawler’s Batmobile Acquisition (04:44–10:15):
  • Lawler reveals he recently bought an exact replica of the iconic 1966 Batmobile:
    • “If you remember back from 1966, the old Adam West TV show, Batman... it’s an exact replica.” (05:03)
  • Details how he negotiated the deal after seeing the car at a convention and meeting its builder.
  • Talk of wrestling’s lack of pensions or benefits prompts them both to stress the importance of saving:
    • “It’s not what you make, it’s what you save.” (Lawler quoting Jackie Fargo, 10:05)

4. The Wrestling Business: Payoffs, Poverty, and Survival

• Living Cash-Only and Early Struggles (10:15–14:59):
  • Austin and Lawler recall the mentality of paying cash for homes to protect themselves from industry instability:
    • “Back in the day, the thing to do when you had enough to buy a house, you paid cash money for it... when you bought something, you paid cash.” (10:15)
  • Lawler recollects earning “$1,000 a week” as the career benchmark back then:
    • “If you ever made a thousand-dollar week... you knew you had made it.” (11:41)
  • Both reminisce about tiny paychecks—sometimes $15–$20 per night—barely covering gas.

5. The Infamous Tennessee Territory & Learning the Hard Way

• Low Pay, High Risk (12:25–15:38):
  • Stories about Jerry Jarrett, Nick Goulis (infamous for bad payoffs), and the tough business environment.
  • Austin’s tale about challenging his “$100-a-night guarantee” in Evansville and being told:
    • “Steve, the territory’s down... if you gotta go down the road, I understand.” (14:20)
  • Both highlight the precariousness of wrestling territories in the pre-national era.

6. Kayfabe, Exposes, and Protecting the Business

• Stossel, Schultz, and Media Exposes (19:57–24:07 & 22:13):
  • Lawler recounts the culture around “protecting” wrestling’s legitimacy—discussing Dr. D. David Schultz slapping John Stossel:
    • “He slapped him right in the ear and I guess broke John Stossel’s eardrum...” (20:33)
  • Reflections on the outrage over various TV exposes (Geraldo Rivera, et al.):
    • “I can remember being furious about certain things... I just looked at it as, hey, you know what? Don’t these guys have anything better to do than to go out and just intentionally try to damage somebody’s business or somebody’s livelihood?” (22:58)

7. Dirt Sheets and the Information Underground

• Leaking Info and Locker Room Paranoia (24:07–26:11):
  • Austin and Lawler discuss the early days of wrestling newsletters (“dirt sheets”), secrecy, and how wrestlers reacted.
  • Lawler:
    • “Everybody, you know, close to the business would just hit the ceiling... It all had to come from the boys.” (24:58)
  • Story of Eddie Gilbert being suspected of leaking info and the unique mentor/mentee dynamic in Memphis.

8. Pain, Pills, and the Toll of the Road

• Drug Use in Wrestling (29:06–34:16):
  • Lawler candidly discusses Eddie Gilbert’s death, Somas, and how wrestlers didn’t see muscle relaxers as “drugs.”
    • “You could not get any one of those guys to say, oh yeah, I’m on drugs because they have Soma... You feel like you’re invincible.” (28:55)
  • Lawler’s own lifelong “Straight Edge” path:
    • “Never in my life, had a sip, not even a taste of beer, wine, whiskey, any alcohol, never taken any drugs...” (32:01)
    • “I was Straight Edge before CM Punk.” (31:49)
  • Emphasizes that clean living contributed to his health and career longevity.

9. Lawler’s Routine and Avoiding the Party Life

• Post-Match Rituals (36:01–37:30):
  • Instead of partying, Lawler drove home listening to Cleveland Indians baseball, fast food in tow:
    • “I would jump in my car immediately... tune in the Cleveland Indians baseball game... drink a Diet Coke... and listen all the way home.” (36:18)
  • His friends were outside the wrestling business, and he avoided bars and clubs.

10. Lawler’s Heart Attack on Live Television

• Heart Attack on Raw (37:30–45:34):
  • Lawler recounts his cardiac arrest during the September 10, 2012 episode of WWE Raw:
    • “It was as if I’m watching that match and I blink my eyes, and when I open them again, I was in the hospital with a ventilator down my throat...” (39:12)
    • He cites trauma from Dolph Ziggler’s diving elbows as a possible trigger and describes waking up with no memory of the incident.
    • Praises the WWE ringside doctor and paramedics who performed relentless CPR:
      • “They worked on me and gave me CPR for 20 straight minutes until they finally hit me with the defibrillator... seven times before they got my heart started again.” (40:38)
    • Lawler feels fully recovered and eager to wrestle again:
      • “Absolutely feel 100%. As a matter of fact, I want to go in and sit down with Vince and say, hey, I want to come back and do something on the show...” (45:18)

11. Lawler’s Philosophy and Promo Artistry

• On Commentary and Promos (45:43–59:34):
  • Lawler did not set out to be a commentator; he was brought in after Randy Savage’s abrupt WCW departure.
  • Advocacy for quick wit and storytelling in promos:
    • “All I can do, I can just look back and think of the guys... that’s who I tried to emulate. The main one was my mentor, Jackie Fargo...” (48:46)
    • “Personal issues draw money.” (Lawler quoting a sign in Jerry Jarrett’s office, 49:52)
  • Austin lauds Lawler as one of the best promo guys:
    • “I always put you in the top five because of the way you could break down a story, lay out the situation, talk about your guy, put him over, sell the situation, the title at stake or whatever. I always thought you got a hell of a promo.” (48:06)
  • Lawler extols Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes, The Rock, and Austin himself as promo greats.
  • Preparation: Lawler wrote bullet points and full promos, often rehearsing them:
    • “I would sit down and I would write out my interviews on Friday night... and sometimes practice it in a mirror...” (57:29)
    • Critiques scripted promos today—calls for authenticity and believing your words.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Saving:

  • Lawler: “It’s not what you make, it’s what you save.” (10:05)

• On Suffering in the Territories:

  • Lawler: “Those payoffs barely cover your gas and expenses to get to and from the town. You’re almost wrestling for nothing.” (13:30)

• On Kayfabe and Exposes:

  • Austin: “It’d be like you’re going and blowing the lid off all David Copperfield stuff, but doing it in a condescending manner... Always chat my ass.” (24:07)

• On Lawler’s Heart Attack:

  • Lawler: “I blinked my eyes, and when I opened them again, I was in the hospital with a ventilator down my throat...it was two days later.” (39:12)

• Personal Issues Draw Money:

  • Lawler: “He had a big sign hanging in his office that said, ‘Personal issues draw money.’” (49:52)

• On Being “Straight Edge Before Punk”:

  • Lawler: “That’s absolutely right. I mean, I like to tell people nowadays, you know, I was, what do they call it, Straight Edge, way before CM Punk.” (31:49)

• On Great Promos:

  • Lawler: “My, maybe my all time favorite was Terry Funk...Terry Funk’s interviews were personal. They were hilarious...” (52:38–53:47)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:19–04:44: Steve’s car trouble & frugality
• 04:44–10:15: Lawler’s Batmobile story & wrestling finances
• 10:15–14:59: Early wrestling business struggles and saving strategies
• 19:57–22:13: Dr. D. David Schultz & John Stossel incident
• 22:13–24:07: Media exposes, kayfabe, and wrestling secrecy
• 24:07–26:11: Dirt sheets, locker room paranoia, Eddie Gilbert story
• 29:06–34:16: Painkillers, Eddie Gilbert’s death, Lawler’s “straight edge” living
• 37:30–45:34: Lawler’s WWE heart attack: minute-by-minute account and aftermath
• 45:43–57:29: Commentating, promo philosophy, best talkers, and storytelling
• 57:29–59:34: Promo preparation, the problem with scripted promos
• 59:34–end: Reflections on changing promo culture, the need for authenticity

Summary

This episode shines as much for its behind-the-scenes candor as for its reverent nostalgia. Steve Austin and Jerry Lawler swap stories of hard lessons and triumphs, echoing a mutual respect for the authenticity and grit that defined their era. Fans get a roadmap to the old-school wrestler’s mentality, a primer on promo mastery, and an intimate account of surviving beyond-the-ring threats. Lawler’s wit and Austin’s rolling banter create a must-listen, loaded with hard-won lessons and classic wrestling lore.