On July 28, 1982, the audience of Late Night with David Letterman witnessed a moment of television that felt dangerously unscripted. Andy Kaufman, the eccentric star of the sitcom Taxi , sat wearing a neck brace, looking disheveled and paranoid. Beside him sat Jerry “The King” Lawler, the muscular, crown-wearing wrestling icon of Memphis, Tennessee. The interview devolved rapidly. Lawler, seemingly fed up with Kaufman’s insults, stood up and delivered a stiff open-hand slap that knocked Kaufman out of his chair and off the stage. A chaotic, profanity-laced tirade from Kaufman followed, forcing the network to censor the broadcast.

For decades, the public believed this animosity was real. They believed the “Intergender Wrestling Champion” and the “King of Memphis” genuinely despised one

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