Although the New Generation Era is often frowned upon when discussing the varying periods of WWE history, it still provided a handful of key highlights. The rise of new main eventers such as Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, an increased emphasis on in-ring quality, and some of the character work displayed, to name a few, made the era bearable.
A notable rivalry from the time was that of Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler. Beginning at the 1993 King of the Ring pay-per-view when Lawler interrupted ‘The Hitman’ while he was being crowned King, their feud concluded – on-screen at least – with an infamous Kiss My Foot match that saw Hart defeat ‘The King’ at King of the Ring 1995.
“I Just Enjoyed That So Much” – Jerry Lawler On Bret Hart Feud
Appearing alongside Hart on a recent Table For 3 broadcast on the WWE Network, Jerry Lawler stated how he believes his rivalry opposite ‘The Excellence of Execution’ was the pinnacle of his WWE career. Specifically, Lawler noted the aforementioned Kiss My Foot match as a highlight of his time working opposite Bret Hart:
“To me, the greatest thing I’ve been involved with here in the WWE was our [speaking to Bret Hart] rivalry. [The] ‘Kiss My Foot’ match, and all the things that led up to that match. I just enjoyed that so much.”
WWE Hall of Famer Kane, who was the third and final guest on this Table For 3, was also part of the rivalry, portraying the role of evil dentist Isaac Yankem, D.D.S. The real Glenn Jacobs later became the Fake Diesel in 1996 prior to debuting his legendary Kane persona at Badd Blood 1997.
Beginning his WWE career in December 1992 as a broadcaster for the Superstars program, Jerry Lawler enjoyed subsequent feuds with The Miz, Tazz, and Doink The Clown, before a cardiac arrest suffered during a live Monday Night Raw episode in September 2012 ruled him out of any further competition in the sports entertainment giant.