https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1f2_01URYQ Where: Late Night With David Letterman Date: July 1982 This one is an all-time classic. Andy Kaufman loved professional wrestling, and he held true to that by keeping its secrets. This was during an era when many people still thought wrestling was real, but many others were starting to openly question it. Kaufman was a provocateur, who loved playing the heel, and when he tangled with the beloved Jerry Lawler down in Memphis, Kaufman found himself the recipient of a broken neck courtesy of a piledriver. Afterwards, as seen in this famous clip from the David Letterman show, Kaufman demanded an apology and Lawler, fed up with the victim act, slapped Kaufman right across the face. Kaufman then went bananas, cursing like a sailor before throwing a cup of coffee at the wrestler. It is regularly cited as one of the famous moments in television history. Lawler, for his part, never told anyone that it was a work until long after Kaufman was dead. We know now that the two of them had a great amount of respect and fondness for one another so great, in fact, that Kaufman referred to Lawler as Mr. Lawler whenever they came into contact (even if the King was belting him across the chops).
Kevin is an AP English Language teacher and freelance writer from Queens, NY. His focus is on American pop culture and American issues. He wrote a weekly column for Complex called "Throwback Thursdays," which spotlighted video games and trends from previous console generations. Kevin has also been published in VIBE, Salon, PopMatters, Joystiq, and Racialicious. Follow him on Twitter to learn more.