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As advertised, Jerry "The King" Lawler made his return to WWE at the SmackDown tapings this past Tuesday night (Oct. 16, 2012) in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. Interestingly enough, though, his interview with Michael Cole was done as a WWE.com exclusive.
That doesn't mean it won't air on SmackDown this Friday night on SyFy but the company wanted to once again get out in front of it and release the interview before television. I wonder if that's a habit that will continue, what with the Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz Intercontinental championship match having its results spoiled the night before the match aired on Main Event on Ion Television.
Either way, here's what Lawler had to say in his interview with Cole:
"It's not very often that I'm at a loss for words -- I know you never are -- but I really don't know how to express my gratitude and the appreciation that I feel right now for my city, Memphis, Tennessee. Thank you so much. I realize just how lucky I really am to be standing here tonight with you once again here in Memphis.
"I have a lot of people to thank. Believe it or not, one of them is standing right here next to me, Michael Cole, the first guy I guess to really realize something was wrong and get the whole process started of basically saving my life and Michael, I appreciate that.
"In the back, there's a gentleman, who is a WWE company doctor, his name is Mike Sampson. And truly, I can tell you without his efforts that night in Montreal, I would not be standing here. He literally saved my life. Thank you, Mike.
"I feel fantastic. I guess if you have to have a heart attack, I had probably as good a result as anybody can have. The doctors say that there is minimal scarring and damage and that I should have a full recovery. To be perfectly honest with you, other than my scratchy voice, I feel like I'm fully recovered right now. I really am looking forward to getting back to Monday Night Raw and making your life miserable once again, Michael Cole."
You can watch the interview below, at least for as long as it lasts on YouTube. It's also available on WWE.com right here.