Remember When Cyndi Lauper Put a Bow on Her WWF Stint With an Appearance at the First Wrestlemania in 1985?

These days, we take for granted that celebrities from all corners of pop culture are likely to show up at high-profile professional wrestling events. But that wouldn’t have been the case without a few trailblazers in that department, one of whom was the legendary singer Cyndi Lauper.

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Lauper used wrestling’s growing popularity to boost her own at the start of her career. And then she returned the favor by giving her star quality to several wrestling events, including the first ever Wrestlemania.

The Captain and the Pop Star

Cyndi Lauper was far from a sure thing when she released her debut solo album, She’s So Unusual, in 1983. She had been the lead singer for a band (Blue Angel) that had fallen apart without much success. On top of that, her voice and her look stood way apart from other female pop stars of the era.

When her first single, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”, was released, pop radio didn’t initially take to it. Lauper later said that she received feedback that many considered her voice too high. But she had an ace in the hole in a video that earned a ton of airplay at MTV, which eventually helped the song reach No. 2 in 1984.

One thing that helped the video stand out was the presence of Lou Albano, recognizable to wrestling fans as one of the top managers in the World Wrestling Federation. Lauper and Albano had met on a flight when she was still in Blue Angel. Soon enough, that friendship would pay even more dividends.

In Wrestling’s Corner

By 1984, Lauper was one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. David Wolf, her boyfriend and manager at the time, was a huge wrestling fan. He reached out to the WWF to see what Lauper might be able to do for the organization.

The initial storyline for Lauper featured her and her actual friend Albano feuding when “Captain Lou” claimed that he deserved credit for the singer’s success. Lauper was enlisted as manager to a female wrestler Wendi Richter, who won the women’s crown with Lauper’s assistance at a 1984 event, notably broadcast on MTV, over The Fabulous Moolah, managed by Albano.

Lauper continued her role as Richter’s manager for another year or so. After losing the title, Richter gained a rematch opportunity at Wrestlemania in 1985, the first-ever iteration of what would become the signature event of the WWF (now the WWE).

A Mutually Beneficial Relationship

Meanwhile, Lauper’s celebrity helped pull others into the mix. Mr. T, then at the height of his popularity, also appeared at Wrestlemania in a storyline that was initially connected to Lauper’s. The event was a monumental success, spearheading the massive rise of pro wrestling in the second half of the 80s.

It should be noted that Lauper didn’t take any “falls” while making these appearances. She usually did little more than stand outside the ring and occasionally hit opposing wrestlers with a purse. But just her being there, giving a kind of musical legitimacy to the proceedings, meant a lot.

After Wrestlemania, where Richter regained her title with Lauper’s assistance, Cyndi pulled back from her appearances. But she remains one of the first who saw the potential in wrestling as a promotional tool. And wrestling benefited as well from her stardom in a fascinating quid pro quo relationship.

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