Blake Lawler, grandson of WWE star Jerry 'The King' Lawler, builds own legacy in wrestling, classroom

As the grandson of WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler and the son of the late wrestler Brian Christopher Lawler, Blake Lawler is a descendant of wrestling royalty.

But the 5-foot-4, 135-pound senior said his inspiration for the sport came from a different family connection.

"What inspired me wasn’t really my granddad or my dad, who were both in the WWE. Really it was more my stepdad and stepbrother," Blake Lawler said. "They both went to Christian Brothers and wrestled here and I wanted to continue that tradition of CBHS wrestling."

He enjoys watching sports in his free time and is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Memphis Grizzlies. But he said he doesn't watch pro wrestling and doesn't have a close relationship with his grandfather. 

He gravitated toward the sport in middle school, watching his stepbrother, Tucker Shaw, compete for Christian Brothers. He joined the Christian Brothers wrestling team as a freshman and has been on it ever since. 

"He kind of downplays his wrestling a bit, but he’s a great wrestler. I don’t think he realizes how great he can be," coach Derek Harrison said. "He’s beaten two state medalists this season. He would be a hammer on almost any other team in the whole state. He’s in a tough boat here with us being one of the best year-in and year-out."

Christian Brothers finished runner-up in the Division II state duals tournament last weekend and is hosting the Division II West individual region meet this weekend. Harrison said Lawler will be entered in the event as an alternate.  

Jerry Lawler said that he's been following Blake from afar and that he's proud of his accomplishments. He said he regrets not having a closer relationship with his grandson. 

"It’s really cool to see the wrestling thing. What it makes me think of is how proud his dad would have been of him," Jerry Lawler said of Brian Lawler, who died in 2018. "We're certainly proud of him as well, but Brian, that would have just made his life to know that Blake was sort of following in the footsteps."

But Blake Lawler doesn't see his journey that way. He said he's focused on blazing his own trail and making his own name. 

"I want to be my own person," he said. "Everybody sees my name is Blake Lawler and thinks I’m exactly like Jerry because I wrestle, but that’s not why I wrestle. I want to create my own path."

He also excels in the classroom, scoring a perfect 36 on the ACT last May. 

"He was taking classes freshman year that I'm taking now, so it's always interesting seeing what he's taking," said teammate Evan Anthony, a junior. "I remember he came in and got a 35 on his ACT the first time and was thinking about not taking it again and we all kind of convinced him to study a little bit more. Next time he walks through and misses one question on the whole test. It was awesome."

Blake Lawler said he plans to study biomedical engineering and wants to go to medical school.

"I don’t know what type of doctor yet," he said. "When you go to medical school and go through rounds and see all the different professions, that’s how I would know what I want to do. But I just know that I want to be a medical doctor and help people out."

He said he was inspired to pursue a career in the medical field by his mother, who is a nurse, and his stepfather, who is a psychiatrist. 

He listed Rhodes College, Vanderbilt, Christian Brothers University, Alabama and Arkansas as schools he's considering

"His academic accomplishments speak for themselves. He’s just a great, well-rounded person. He’s kindhearted," Harrison said. "I can trust him with anything. He's always getting it done in the classroom and there's never been a time on the track or in the wrestling room where he hasn't done exactly what I’ve asked of him."