It's Good to Be the King...Sometimes

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Life
Review: "It's Good To Be The King...Sometimes" is the autobiography of legendary wrestling personality Jerry "The King" Lawler. For fans of wrestling or biographies Lawler's got a lot of stories to share and does not disappoint.

For longtime wrestling fans Lawler takes a sweeping view back across his life and gives you the lowdown on just about everything from his childhood, his multiple marriages, his family, his hobbies and interests and - of course, his life in wrestling. Among the things he shares with the reader are:

1. His interest in art and how it kept him out of Vietnam

2. His time spent as a radio DJ

3. How he broke into the wrestling business with in the Tennessee territory

4. How he met each of his wives

5. His connection to "The King" Elvis Presley

6. TONS of road stories with guys like Jackie Fargo, Jerry Jarrett and Sam Bass

7. The REAL story of his infamous feud with Andy Kauffman and his later filming of "Man on the Moon"

8. A few stories about his time in the WWE

9. The Story Behind the firing of the "Kat" and his divorce from Stacy Carter

10. His running for Memphis Mayor

11. Some of his "Ring Rat" stories (oh boy...)

THE COOL STUFF

If you're a Lawler fan you'll definitely love the stories King has to share (he's got a lot of them). The book reads very much like a sit down chat with a friend as Lawler doesn't hold much back. For old school wrestling fans his stories of the old Memphis territory are the real gems in this book. For WWE fans Lawler really doesn't share too much about his WWE experiences (he does cover his Bret feud and that's about it really) that most long-time WWE fans already know about. A comic at heart Lawler does spice the book out with a bunch of his one-liners he'll use of commentary which was pretty funny.

THE VERDICT

If you love bios Lawler's a good one for you. You come away from the book knowing the guy's poured his heart out to you (kudos to him for being able to open up his heart about all his failed marriages). You get some nice stories about art, music, wrestling, life on the road, a bunch of good one liners and some pretty nasty tales about all the ladies he's met over the years. Yup, this one's got it all.

Highly Recommended

Total Pages: 384
Total Read Time: About 9 hours over 6 nights

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Life
Review: "It's Good To Be The King...Sometimes" is the autobiography of legendary wrestling personality Jerry "The King" Lawler. For fans of wrestling or biographies Lawler's got a lot of stories to share and does not disappoint.

For longtime wrestling fans Lawler takes a sweeping view back across his life and gives you the lowdown on just about everything from his childhood, his multiple marriages, his family, his hobbies and interests and - of course, his life in wrestling. Among the things he shares with the reader are:

1.His interest in art and how it kept him out of Vietnam

2.His time spent as a radio DJ

3.How he broke into the wrestling business with in the Tennessee territory

4.How he met each of his wives

5.His connection to "The King" Elvis Presley

6.TONS of road stories with guys like Jackie Fargo, Jerry Jarrett and Sam Bass

7.The REAL story of his infamous feud with Andy Kauffman and his later filming of "Man on the Moon"

8.A few stories about his time in the WWE

9.The Story Behind the firing of the "Kat" and his divorce from Stacy Carter

10.His running for Memphis Mayor

11.Some of his "Ring Rat" stories (oh boy...)

THE COOL STUFF

If you're a Lawler fan you'll definitely love the stories King has to share (he's got a lot of them). The book reads very much like a sit down chat with a friend as Lawler doesn't hold much back. For old school wrestling fans his stories of the old Memphis territory are the real gems in this book. For WWE fans Lawler really doesn't share too much about his WWE experiences (he does cover his Bret feud and that's about it really) that most long-time WWE fans already know about. A comic at heart Lawler does spice the book out with a bunch of his one-liners he'll use of commentary which was pretty funny.

THE VERDICT

If you love bios Lawler's a good one for you. You come away from the book knowing the guy's poured his heart out to you (kudos to him for being able to open up his heart about all his failed marriages). You get some nice stories about art, music, wrestling, life on the road, a bunch of good one liners and some pretty nasty tales about all the ladies he's met over the years. Yup, this one's got it all.

Highly Recommended

Total Pages: 384
Total Read Time: About 9 hours over 6 nights

Rating:
Summary: Lawler is the king
Review: "It's good to be king...Somtimes" is a must for wrestling fans. I personally disagree with the Editorial Reviews. I don't think it was slackly written. In order to appreciate Lawler's book, I believe you must have some knowledge of the business or have watched wrestling to enjoy his book in any sence.

I personally enjoy reading stories about how wrestlers made it into the business. The wrestling business makes the wrestlers seem larger than life, but the trust is they are just like everyone else, human! Everyone makes mistakes in their life, no ones perfect, so as far as the Editorial Reviews go Lawler may have "cheated" on his first two wives, but like I said everyone makes mistakes, right or wrong?

I think that Lawler did a good job of writting his book, and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys wrestling. The book was filled with the famous Lawler punch lines and pranks that he has pulled. It was funny and I really enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: Good book, but ...
Review: ... definitely not for kids. "The King" comes across as a sex addict, especially in a certain chapter. Otherwise, it is a very well-written book.The saddest part in the story was the way Stacy left him and how it tore him to pieces emotionally. I still do recommend this book (it was better-written, in my honest opinion, than Roddy Piper's book), but not for anyone under 17 or 18 because of Jerry's extensive details about his sexual escapades.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: Although I have not read the entire book, from what I have read I LOVE THIS BOOK! I own Mick Foley's 1st book, The Rock's book, Chyna's book, and Hulk Hogan's book. I have paritally read Chyna's book, but nothing compares to Jerry's book. I have been a fan in the wrestling world for almost 15 years and I love finding out about my favorite wrestlers lives. Jerry's book is very informative and I guess I just don't know enough words to describe how much I like his book. He really goes in depth with everything he talks about. I highly recomend this book to any wrestling fan!

Rating:
Summary: A Good Read...Sometimes
Review: As someone that grew up watching Memphis wrestling, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Is it an in-depth history with lots of information on dates, ratings, attendance records...no? At the same time, Lawler buries nobody (he mentions "ego" issues between him and Bill Dundee but doesn't state who is at fault; never criticizes Austin Idol - who blackmailed the Memphis promotion on the pay-off of the famous cage hair versus hair match and had a frequent no-show problem). Lawler does come across as sexist and as a bad husband/father, the latter two he owns up too.

Lawler does a good job of explaining how he got into the wrestling business, the importance of "selling," (I hope every active wrestler reads that section), and talks about some of the stars/gimmicks created in Memphis (Fabulous Ones, Kimala, Rock and Roll Express). Not a lot of in-depth discussion about many of the wrestlers (very little about people like Tommy Rich, Eddie Gilbert, Dutch Mantell, Jim Cornette, etc.). He does give high praise to Handsome Jimmy Valient and talks at length about working with Andy Kaufman - which sounded like it was much better than working with Jim Carrey or Roddy Piper.

If you didn't see Memphis wrestling during the late '70s/early '80s, it's probably impossible to understand how huge wrestling was and what a star Jerry Lawler was in the community. This book, while probably not providing a lot of new information to wrestling historians, is an easy read/enjoyable trip through memory lane.

Thanks for all the great memories, Jerry.

Rating:
Summary: ****1/2 for a very good book
Review: Before I begin, my advice for all the graders of this book is that your reviews should be based on the quality of the book and how the story is written rather than your judge of his character... people are interested in the book, not your opinion of Lawler, I think the brass at Amazon.com would agree on that.

"It's Good to Be the King... sometimes" (Pocket Books, 384 pages) is one of the greatest wrestling books regarding pro wrestling that I have ever read, it would certainly rank in my favorite top five of all pro wrestling autobiographies. Unlike Hulk Hogan's book, there was very little censoring, just the story as it should be told. Jerry "the King" Lawler is one of the greatest wrestlers of all times because of his amazing run in the Memphis territory only rivaled in history by Jackie Fargo, his historic run as a booker with Jerry Jarrett, and the infamous feud with Andy Kaufman in the 80s. The thing that's different about Lawler than any other legend is that he is still prominent in the business; he is still on national TV every week.

The book pulls no punches either, when it comes to his personal life, which is a story all in it's own. Lawler recounts his personal experiences with three wives, several lawsuits, and battles with himself... outside of the ring. This book will also not disappoint the old school fans, as Lawler spends a great deal of time discussing the old days, prior to his peak, during his peak, and after his peak through such feuds as Terry Funk, Andy Kaufman, a great deal about Tojo Yamamoto and Jackie Fargo, most recently Bret Hart, and his announce position nowadays.

Lawler's stories about being a wrestler, being a child, and being a veteran of the business are well-told and do not attempt to alter history or bloat figures for self-gain and Lawler remembered things surprisingly well. The last several chapters of the book are far from anti-climatic but are very sad in retrospect. Lawler's addiction with young women and the pathetic nature of these latter years of his life are recounted in personal ways with few details hidden. All done without Lawler attempting to paint himself as a character worthy of pity or begging to be allowed time to wallow in his own self-pity yet not lazy enough to seem apathetic, simply telling it like it is really... any reader can appreciate his style.

Regarding pictures and illustrations, this book is way ahead of the game, page after page will include many old pictures with people from Lawler's life and infamous wrestlers. A special bonus comes at the beginning of every chapter with Lawler's own exhibition of his greatest wrestling-related illustrations. The middle of the book, as is customary with WWE books, contains several pages of color photos.

This book does what it is supposed to do and does it in a style that Lawler is to be admired for. If you do not want to take a trip down memory lane for quite a while, however, this is not the book for you, but after all, this is a book about all of Lawler's career, not just as an announcer.

Rating:
Summary: A must for fans of Memphis wrestling
Review: For the average reader, please note the Publisher's Weekly Review. It is on target for a reader who is not familiar with Lawler or Memphis Wrestling.

But if you ever tuned into Mid-South or Championship Wrestling in the 1970s or 1980s and enjoyed Lawler and his schtick, you'll find this book and interesting and fun stroll down memory

I would not consider myself a wrestling fan today, but growing up around Memphis, it's hard to avoid the exploits of "The King."

Lawler is shamless, and the book is not for kids, but he comes off much more humble than one might believe from watching his exploits.

Rating:
Summary: Tommy Tittle
Review: From very humble beginnings to the man today in the WWE. A very good book to read for wrestling fans and non-wrestling fans alike. Jerry Lawler is a man who has the best of things in life and the absolute worst things in life. And he tells in a way that only he can tell it. I definitely recommend this book to all readers.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Book
Review: I am a big fan of the WWE and of The King. I've been following him since he was in Memphis, though only through magazines since I grew up in California. I thought this book was going to be a fun read, which it was. But I didn't know how out there The King was going to put himself emotionally. Bad father. Bad Husband. BAD divorces. I couldn't put this book down, it was a great read. This isn't some ghost written, egotistical book about some wrestler. This is a real inside look at wrestling and at the life of a really interesting performer. Wrestling may be phony, but The King is REAL.