Jerry Lawler Talks Candidly with the NY Post to Promote the 2013 Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 29 — Lawler Discusses The Next Big Star, The Shield vs. Nexus, More

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Jerry “The King” Lawler spoke to the NY Post in an in-depth interview that promoted this Sunday’s 2013 Royal Rumble PPV as well as WrestleMania 29 in April, which will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Lawler also spoke about who he thinks is the next big star in WWE and how he feels about The Shield vs. Nexus:

Lawler on the next big star in WWE:

“When you look at the roster that we have right now, Ryback has come basically out of nowhere to become a major force right now in such a short time. Of course CM Punk, he’s really surprised me with the longevity that he has had. I know Punk is a very talented guy, a tremendous talker and adding Paul Heyman into the mix has made him into somebody that has really, I think he’ll even admit it, come further along than he ever thought he would and had more longevity than anybody thought he would. Heck, there may be no stopping CM Punk on that deal.”

Lawler on what may happen at the Royal Rumble:

“I definitely think The Rock can beat Punk for the title but will The Rock beat Punk for the title, that’s another question.

My own personal, I don’t want to say dream scenario, but I think all fans sit there and try and figure out what’s next or what they would like to see happen, I would like to see The Rock and Cena again for the WWE title. I could envision Cena winning the Rumble and The Rock beating Punk and then the two of them at Wrestlemania for the classic rematch. That first time around was so good. I know Cena would give his right arm to have that match again.

… I do know that they had contacted Rikishi but he had a prior commitment that he could not get out of. My son Brian told me that it was just a commitment he literally could not get out of even though he really wanted to. There are going to be some great names who will be there though.”

Lawler on The Shield vs. Nexus:

“I think that what they’ve done with those guys and the way they have been presented has been very good in making a fast impact. I think now their characters need to be a little more developed, in other words, let’s see a little more about these guys as individuals. You can of course still keep them as a unit but you can also hear more from them.

I’m a firm believer that if a guy doesn’t get the opportunity to talk every week that there’s only a certain point he is going to get to. A guy has to be given the opportunity to talk one way or the other and that’s going to make or break a guy. I feel like those guys will be able to do that, but I think we need to hear more from them to get to the next level.

… They’re all interesting characters. Ambrose reminds me of the Joker from Batman. The Heath Ledger one. It’s almost like I can just see that he’s got that kind of personality that people associated with that villain and he could go places with it. That’s why I think they need to change them up a little bit.”

CB is an Editor for Pulse Wrestling and an original member of the Inside Pulse writing team covering the spectrum of pop culture including pro wrestling, sports, movies, music, radio and television.