Jerry “The King” Lawler has a street sign with his name on it in Memphis.
A ceremony was held Thursday, August 20, at the intersection of Homer Street and Given Avenue, near Treadwell Middle School, where the WWE Hall of Famer’s honorary street renaming was unveiled. The crowd chanted “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” as the portion of Homer Street was formally dedicated as Jerry Lawler Street.
Lawler picked the location himself. It’s the same stretch he walked as a kid on his way to Treadwell High School, and he pointed out the nearby baseball and football fields while reflecting on growing up in the neighborhood.
“There were so many memories on this street,” Lawler said.
Lawler’s son Kevin, Jimmy Hart, longtime Memphis broadcaster Dave Brown and local political figures were among those in attendance.
“He got some breaks, but he made his own breaks,” Brown said of Lawler.
The Memphis City Council approved the honorary renaming during a June 9 meeting, with the resolution passing unanimously as part of the consent agenda. No ceremony date was set at the time.
Lawler, 76, broke into the wrestling business in 1970 and became the face of the Memphis territory as both a top star and promoter during the Continental Wrestling Association and United States Wrestling Association days. He’s a WWE Hall of Famer who spent decades as the promotion’s lead color commentator.
