In the ring or out, Jerry Lawler's always a champion ladies' man. Every Monday night he dons his famous crown and becomes "The King," the giggly, gal-loving announcer who takes great pleasure in ogling the many sexy WWE Divas on Raw. And when fans are looking for a break from the usual testosterone-soaked matches, that's when the King enters the ring. Need a ref for a wet T-shirt contest? A pillow fight? A battle of babes clad in evening gowns? Vince McMahon knows whom to call. "There are some parts of my job that are just beyond wonderful," Lawler tells Playboy.com with a laugh.

Could anything be sexier than a body slam from a barely-dressed Diva? A visit to the Playboy mansion ain't half bad. "We were there with Sable filming a segment for Raw," Lawler recalls, "and I was sitting in the famous Grotto with a bunch of Playmates. I had to be on my best behavior, but it was still quite a thrill." After his recent stint as a Celebrity Guest Photographer, we quizzed Jerry on what else royally thrills him, as well as type of woman fit to be the King's valet.

1. Has a WWE Diva ever flashed you in the ring?

Jerry Lawler: One time [former WWE Diva] The Kat got completely topless after she won a big match. She was involved in a little venture called the Right to Nudity. There was a group of very prudish wrestlers on the show called the Right to Censor, and they were trying to stamp out all the objectionable things that were going on in the WWE at the time, and Kat started up this other organization to rival them. The first match she had was an evening gown match, where you wrestle until one or the other combatant got stripped to her bra and panties. She won the match, but she got stripped down anyway. Then Kat announced to the crowd that she never wears underwear and the WWE had forced her to wear some that night. And boy, she just dropped her bra right there. And there was nudity on a WWE pay-per-view show for the very first time. It was just a quick flash shot, but it was great. The Kat had puppies and she showed 'em to the world.

2. Speaking of puppies, where'd you come up with that term?

JL: Actually, I wish I could take credit for it. But the very first time it was ever uttered on a WWE TV show was by a wrestler named the Road Dogg. He was in the ring with a very good-looking diva named Debra, who later married Stone Cold Steve Austin. They were having a shouting match about something, and he said, "Show me those puppies." And I said, "Yeah, show me those puppies!" Now it's just part of the WWE lingo. They have puppies T-shirts and all sorts of things.

3. Do the women in the crowd ever flash -- er, show you their puppies?

JL: Sometimes that's the greatest part about being in the ring. We just did a show in Providence, Rhode Island, and we got three puppy shots before we even got on the air, which was great. Although sometimes you get flashed by some puppies that you'd rather not see. They're more like mongrels.

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Photo: Chad Doering