6. The Kat Gets Her Claws Clipped
The real life wife of Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, Stacy ‘The Kat’ Carter was no stranger to controversy during her short run with the WWF of the early 21st century.
Running high from its successes in the Attitude Era, WWF would sign Carter on Lawler’s recommendation when short of good hands on their women’s roster. Carter was uninterested in wrestling, but the WWF of 1999 only required that their female talent look good in a bikini and do whatever was asked of them, something The Kat, as she would later be known, had no problem with.
Racy storylines, poolside photo shoots, even actual, deliberate pay-per-view nudity – Carter would do it all. No wardrobe malfunctions for Mrs. Lawler. The Kat reveled in her television persona, and despite her lack of ability, was booked in genuine matches (albeit heavily gimmicked catfights masquerading as pro wrestling).
Her attitude backstage, however, was constantly problematic. Lawler was the company’s top colour commentator, capable of promoting his favourites on live television with only a slight change of phrasing, and his backstage pull was such that Carter would find herself pushed from the beginning. The hotshotting went straight to her head, and from all reports The Kat was uncontrollable and rude.
Constantly butting heads with creative and the rest of the female roster backstage, Carter must have felt that she was untouchable. This would prove not to be the case, when her storyline over nudity and censorship with the hot Right To Censor heel stable was abruptly terminated in February 2001… followed by her own termination shortly afterwards, WWF officials deciding that her poor attitude and unprofessional behaviour would only get worse, and to cut their losses.
The hapless Lawler, caught between a rock and a hard place, felt that he had no choice but to support his wife, and left the company with her. However, the couple would separate in July of that year, and Lawler would return to his old job with WWF in November.
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