Memphis, Tennessee names street after Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler

A ceremony was held in Memphis, Tennessee today as Jerry “The King” Lawler received a special honor.

After being approved by the city council back in June, a portion of Homer Street in Memphis was officially renamed to “Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler Street” today (August 20). A ceremony was held at Treadwell High School, with Lawler, his son Kevin, Jimmy Hart, legendary Memphis announcer Dave Brown, and local political figures among those in attendance.

“He got some breaks, but he made his own breaks. And he grew to become not only good in Memphis, he became the king of Memphis,” Brown said about Lawler. “Then he became the king of wrestling. And that’s where he is right now — the king of wrestling. He was local. He was regional. He was national. And he’s international. They had some matches in Saudi Arabia several years ago, and Jerry was one of the wrestlers they specifically requested be a part of that show in Saudi Arabia.”

Lawler said he has “so many memories” of this specific street and remembers playing on its baseball and football fields when he was younger.

As the face of Memphis wrestling, Lawler starred in the ring and was a booker and co-owner during the territory era. Action 5 News, which aired Memphis wrestling at the height of Lawler’s fame, has some video of today’s ceremony.

The 76-year-old Lawler remains a celebrity in Memphis and, during the street renaming ceremony, was credited for being someone who never forgot where he came from. He once ran for mayor of Memphis and has had businesses in the city.

Lawler attended WrestleCon’s convention in Minneapolis this month with his friend and former WWE broadcast partner Jim Ross. Despite having suffered multiple strokes, Lawler said — perhaps jokingly — in December 2025 that he hasn’t put the thought of one more match out of his mind.

Jerry “The King” Lawler Street naming ceremony —