IT'S GOOD TO BE THE KING...SOMETIMES

Pitted against the bruising power of Hulk Hogan's autobiography, "King" Jerry Lawler's story is a weak sister. Lawler, of course, has the wrestling credential to go with his "title," but for sheer storytelling ability he's down for the count. Perhaps it's his overly affable "aw-shucks" tone that feels false, a "butter-won't-melt-in-my-mouth" persona that shields a savvy marketer and breaker of reputations, headlocks, and bones. The "King" does dish satisfyingly on his notorious Andy Kaufman era, spilling behind-the-scenes secrets and fond memories of the "spoof-a-thon" created by the two men. Yet his tall tales of the earliest days of his career are mawkish, at best. D.J.B.
(c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 04]