That’s why he’s still wearing, I don’t know if it’s a neck brace or a flea collar.” Lawler scoffed in response, accusing Kaufman of being desperate for attention: “He did it all for publicity. At one point, Kaufman asked Lawler for an apology. “I think when Andy was born, his father wanted a boy and his mother wanted a girl, and they were both satisfied,” Lawler quipped, one of several barbs thrown Kaufman’s way.įor his part, Kaufman remained soft-spoken in the early parts of the interview, suggesting he was simply “playing bad-guy wrestler” before their infamous match. He was still wearing a neck brace when the two appeared on Letterman. The comedian was taken out in an ambulance, but it was all for show. Their famous Apmatch remains legendary – a wildly entertaining bout that saw Lawler pile-drive Kaufman to the mat twice. Behind the scenes, the two were friends and collaborators but to the public, they were rivals, with Kaufman regularly taunting the brawny wrestler and his Memphis hometown. Sure enough, Lawler was up for the challenge. Apter suggested Kaufman get in contact with Lawler, explaining that he and the Mid-Southern Wrestling promotion team would “ do anything for shock value.”Īpter later argued that this was the “start of what we know as sports entertainment today.” Kaufman then sought the advice of Bill Apter, a wrestling journalist whom he’d befriended while performing the inter-gender wrestling routine. Kaufman approached Vince McMahon of the former World Wrestling Federation but was turned down. He wanted to bring the act to a mainstream wrestling circuit. Part of Kaufman’s schtick was wrestling women, proclaiming himself the “Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion of the World” and offering a $1,000 prize to any woman who could pin him down. The scripted performances, unique storylines and extreme personalities all appealed to his unique sense of humor. Kaufman had earned fame via his distinctive standup material and portrayal of Latka on the hit sitcom Taxi then surprised fans by becoming a wrestler. Things got weird – and memorable – on the July 28, 1982, episode of Late Night With David Letterman when professional wrestler Jerry “The King” Lawler slapped comedian Andy Kaufman.
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