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Former AWA champ Jerry 'The King' Lawler suffers heart attack on live WWE broadcast

Jerry Lawler, who once held the AWA championship for Verne Gagne's Minnesota-based pro wrestling promotion, suffered a heart attack Monday night while ring announcing during the WWE "Raw" program.
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Jerry Lawler, who once held the AWA championship for Verne Gagne's Minnesota-based pro wrestling promotion, suffered a heart attack Monday night while ring announcing during the WWE "Raw"program.

The three-hour show was airing from Montreal, with Lawler at ringside. During one of the matches, witnesses say Lawler slumped over, and was soon taken from the arena to a Montreal hospital, where he was reported in stable condition Tuesday.

A YouTube video, taken by a fan at the arena, shows what happened:

Lawler's on-air partner, Michael Cole, looked visibly shaken during the broadcast, reminding viewers that Lawler's absence was not part of the "entertainment," meaning it was not a scripted wrestling "angle."

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