Jerry Lawler Interview – talks to Memphis radio station about domestic arrest, night at jail, WWE future, fiancee’s claims to police, Monday’s court appearance, more

The day after being released from Shelby County Jail following a domestic violence incident, Jerry Lawler talked to Memphis sports radio show Cerrito Live about what happened.

Most notably, Lawler said he was not actually placed in a jail cell after being booked around 1:00 a.m. Friday morning. Lawler said he hung out with the jail staff during a mandatory “cooling off period” after he and his fiancee, Lauryn McBride, were taken to jail due to police being called to his home.

“Fortunately, I never actually had to go to jail. I guess that’s one of the good things about being somewhat of a celebrity is I never actually got locked up. I sat out with the policemen and jailers and watch everyone else be processed. It was like watching a movie play out for 12 hours,” Lawler said.

Lawler said he believes the “shouting match” and “argument” between them was a private matter until she called 911 and hung up, making it a public matter since the police respond to any 911 hang-up call.

Lawler said the main issue was drinking was involved, not by Lawler, who does not drink. He said he felt like Lauryn was in no condition to drive after a night out watching the NBA Finals with friends.

Lawler said he tried to stop Lauryn from leaving the house in her car, things turned physical, the 911 call was placed, and police came to the home. Lawler claimed that no one had scratches or physical marks from the incident.

“Lauryn was trying to leave and I thought she had too much drink, and I wasn’t going to let her leave. So, she said, ‘Well, I’ll call the police and they’ll let me leave. So, she dialed 911 and hung up,” Lawler said before downplaying the physical aspect of the incident.

“It was just a situation where she and I got into a shouting match. There were no marks on anybody, nobody got hit, nobody got hurt at all. Both the guys said this is more of a domestic dispute than domestic violence.”

Lawler said there are new laws in Tennessee where they still had to be jailed on the incident. “It was a regrettable situation,” Lawler said. “But, with the media the way they are, everything just gets blown way out of proportion. It was just a situation where in the privacy of our own home, it got blown into a worldwide incident.”

Lawler also addressed why Lauryn told the police things such as Lawler telling her to shoot herself. “During that whole conversation with the police, things were said that didn’t happen. And, things were said that were not meant. That’s why they said this is a he-said, she-said situation.”

Lawler said he has not talked to Lauryn since they were released from jail on Friday. He said they had to sign a document saying they will not have contact with each other until they go to court, which takes place on Monday.

“It’s a mandatory court appearance. That’s when everything will be resolved,” Lawler said.

Lawler also talked about the process of WWE suspending him. Lawler said he called Mark Carrano, the head of talent relations, as he was being taken to Shelby County Jail to tell him what happened. Lawler said he then found out about WWE’s decision to suspend him through the media after being booked at the local jail.

Lawler said WWE’s stance is to come down hard on someone if he/she is convicted of domestic violence, and Lawler said he feels confident that neither party will be convicted in this case. “Hopefully once this thing gets resolved in court, if all the charges are dismissed, it will be like it didn’t even happen. Maybe the suspension will be lifted. I don’t know, but that’s a question that will probably be answered after Monday,” Lawler said.

As for the future of his relationship with Lauryn, Lawler said he still loves Lauryn and still plans to marry her.

Lawler closed the interview by saying his biggest regret about the incident is generating bad press for WWE. “I’ve been nothing but proud to work for those guys for 20+ years and I just regret that this one little incident gave them any little negative publicity. That’s the last thing I would want to happen, you know.”