Mar 08 2025 94 mins
Step into the chaotic, cigarette-smoke haze of 80s and 90s late-night TV, where David Letterman turned his desk into a wrestling ring and hosted the most unhinged showdowns in pop culture history. This podcast isn’t just a trip down memory lane—it’s a time machine to the era when Andre the Giant’s laughter shook studio ceilings, Mr. T’s gold chains clashed with Letterman’s sarcasm, and Andy Kaufman’s psychotic feud with Jerry “The King” Lawler spilled from the squared circle to live national television.
Hosted by a pop-culture historian with a VHS obsession, "Late Night Collision" unearths the raw, uncensored stories behind these iconic interviews. Hear how Andre’s legendary charisma (and appetite) bulldozed Letterman’s script, why Mr. T’s "I pity the fool" rage nearly derailed the show, and the backstage chaos when Kaufman and Lawler turned a “comedy bit” into a blood feud that blurred reality and kayfabe forever. With never-before-heard audio from crew members, wrestlers, and comedians, this deep dive exposes how these collisions redefined wrestling’s place in mainstream media—and why Letterman’s couch became the danger zone for egos and elbow drops.
From Kaufman’s infamous slap to Lawler’s "piledriver heard ‘round the world," this podcast is a love letter to the moment wrestling hijacked late-night TV. Press play and relive the chaos—no commercial breaks, no apologies, just the glorious car crash of spandex, sweat, and sarcasm.
Hosted by a pop-culture historian with a VHS obsession, "Late Night Collision" unearths the raw, uncensored stories behind these iconic interviews. Hear how Andre’s legendary charisma (and appetite) bulldozed Letterman’s script, why Mr. T’s "I pity the fool" rage nearly derailed the show, and the backstage chaos when Kaufman and Lawler turned a “comedy bit” into a blood feud that blurred reality and kayfabe forever. With never-before-heard audio from crew members, wrestlers, and comedians, this deep dive exposes how these collisions redefined wrestling’s place in mainstream media—and why Letterman’s couch became the danger zone for egos and elbow drops.
From Kaufman’s infamous slap to Lawler’s "piledriver heard ‘round the world," this podcast is a love letter to the moment wrestling hijacked late-night TV. Press play and relive the chaos—no commercial breaks, no apologies, just the glorious car crash of spandex, sweat, and sarcasm.