Moolah and Richter would soon headline a wrestling special known as The Brawl to End It All. But a sudden dip into feminism was on the way. It was surprising for WWE to use its women's division as a showcase for this story, as that portion of the roster had long been ignored. The rivals needed proxies.Īlbano chose The Fabulous Moolah, a hard-nosed grappler who won the NWA World Women's Championship in 1956. Lauper went with Richter, a rising talent in neon blue spandex.

Lauper was no wrestler, and Albano had long moved away from in-ring competition. She flipped over a table and smacked Albano about the head with her purse.Īnd in classic wrestling tradition, this momentary animosity ballooned into a full-fledged feud. When he followed that up with a barrage of insults, Lauper snapped. He talked about how his part in the video was key to its popularity, even claiming to have written the lyrics. This time, though, it was Lauper who dished out the violence.Īlbano appeared and tried to take credit for the success of Lauper's song. Wrestling fans were used to seeing chaos erupt with Piper at the center. The fiery brawler nearly always got into fights with his guests, verbal and/or physical. What looked to be a simple promotional interview quickly unraveled. Lauper appeared in a 'Piper's Pit' segment on Championship Wrestling in June 1984 to discuss her 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' video. Lauper agreed to plug McMahon's spandex-filled circus when she appeared on Johnny Carson's shows, as she noted in her autobiography. McMahon played her music videos at his events. Wolff convinced his colorful client to cross-promote with wrestling. Little did WWE fans know, that cameo would be the catalyst for a high-profile rivalry.Īfter Albano visited Lauper's world, the singer returned the favor.

Lauper responded with a hammerlock, pinning him against the wall. Lauper wrote in her memoir, 'Originally, they wanted the wrestler Gorgeous George to be in the video, but I said, 'No, Captain Lou's the one.''Īlbano scolded her in the video. He and Lauper invited Albano to appear in one of the pop star's music videos. The captain of the squared circle played Lauper's father in 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun,' one of the biggest hits of her career.

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