page_title: Jerry Lawler
section_title: Heart attack incident
hierarchical_section_title: Jerry Lawler / Professional wrestling career / Return to WWF/E (2001–present) / Heart attack incident
caption_attribution_description: John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Michael Cole and Jerry "The King" Lawler commentating at ringside at Raw on January 27, 2014.
context_page_description: Jerry O'Neil Lawler, better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, is an American color commentator and professional wrestler. Lawler is currently signed to WWE.
  Prior to joining WWE in 1992, he wrestled in numerous territories, winning numerous championships, including many World Heavyweight Championships, throughout his career. Lawler is a one-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion and a three-time WCWA World Heavyweight Champion, making him a four-time world champion in AWA and WCWA. He unified the titles by defeating Kerry Von Erich at Superclash III, forming the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, a championship which he held 28 times. He is also known for his feud with comedian Andy Kaufman and he portrayed himself in the 1999 film Man on the Moon. Lawler has held more recognized championships than any professional wrestler in history, though he has never won any championships in WWE having wrestled sporadically whilst primarily providing color commentary, since joining the company. In 2007, Lawler was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
context_section_description: On September 10, 2012 during Raw at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, not long after defeating Punk and Dolph Ziggler in a tag-team match with Randy Orton, Lawler legitimately collapsed at the announcers table while Kane and Daniel Bryan competed against Titus O'Neal and Darren Young. Cole continued to call that match alone, as well as the next match, before WWE (through Cole) announced the medical situation with Lawler. The remaining matches on the show went ahead as scheduled but without commentary and updates on Jerry's condition were provided by Cole. At the end of the broadcast, it was announced that he had received CPR, but was breathing independently and reacting to stimulation. Doctors said that Lawler was clinically dead for almost 30 minutes. It was later confirmed on WWE.com that Lawler had suffered a heart attack. On September 11, 2012, he underwent an angioplasty to improve blood flow to his heart. On September 12, 2012, Lawler was reported to be slowly being eased off sedation, his ventilator removed. He was able to blink, nod, and squeeze with his hands, and that same day, the results of several CT scans showed no signs of brain damage. By September 17, Lawler had returned to his home in Memphis. During Lawler's hospital stay, it was determined that his heart attack was not caused by a blocked artery, but was instead an unexplained cardiac arrest. Lawler was soon medically cleared to continue wrestling.
  It was announced on October 29 that Lawler would return to WWE on the November 12 episode of Raw. He continued his rivalry with Punk after his emotional return was interrupted by Punk and Paul Heyman, who re-enacted his heart attack. Lawler continued to favor Punk's opponents, hoping that Punk would lose the WWE Championship, which he eventually did to The Rock at the Royal Rumble much to Lawler's delight.
  On the March 17, 2014 episode of Raw, Lawler was blamed by Kane for allowing fans to enter the ring the previous week in Memphis as part of Daniel Bryan's Occupy RAW Movement. He was forced in the ring by The Shield but The Shield instead attacked Kane.
caption: Lawler (right) commentating on Raw with John "Bradshaw" Layfield (left) and Michael Cole (center) in January 2014
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