Three weeks after suffering a heart attack while announcing at a WWE event in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Jerry "The King" Lawler wants to get back in the ring.
"I honestly think I could go into the ring and wrestle right now. That's how normal I feel," the 62-year-old said to ESPN.com in an interview. "I know it wouldn't be wise to do that. But I'm improving on a daily basis."
Lawler considers himself very lucky following the ordeal.
"For this kind of heart attack, only one out of 260 people survive. My girlfriend told me that on the way to the hospital they thought I was dead but they were still working on me and eventually shocked me seven times. It is a real comeback. People were asking me whether I saw bright lights and saw relatives who have passed. No, I didn't see any of that. Michael Cole said that's because I was heading in the opposite direction!"
Lawler's voice is still raspy from having a ventilator in his throat, but otherwise feels fine.
"I'm probably doing better than expected. I broke my leg in the 1980s and I was out of the ring for a year. That was painful and agonizing. The funny thing about this heart attack is I didn't even realize it was happening. I just passed out. I didn't have any excruciating pain. When I woke up three days later, the only soreness I had was in the chest from all the compressions they were giving me to revive me."
WWE has a Raw show in Nashville, Tennessee on Oct. 15 and a SmackDown show in Memphis on Oct. 16. When asked whether he will be on hand for the events, he said, "I would like to. I know because of my voice that I would sound horrible on the air. It's a few weeks away, so I honestly think I could; I'm so thankful for the fact that I feel good at this time."