Newspaper Ad Shows Lafayette Used To Take Wrestling Way Too Seriously

I'm sure you've heard someone at some point say, "Pro wrestling is fake." (Author's note: It's not fake; it's predetermined.) While even the most ardent of wrestling fans now understand and appreciate that it's all a work, there was a time when people who watch wrestling on TV and/or in their local arena believed what was happening in the ring was legitimate.

Sometimes, they believed in kayfabe a little too much. Exhibit A: This clipping from one of Lafayette's newspapers, presumably The Daily Advertiser.

This image has been making the rounds in a Facebook wrestling fan group called The Mothership, a forum for fans of the 6:05 Superpodcast. In it, attorney Bill Lambert asks for witnesses to an incident on September 5, 1985, between Kimala the Ugandan Giant and an unknown female to come forward. That incident happened in the Lafayette Municipal Auditorium--now known as the Heymann Center.

We can only imagine why a spectator would want to attack General Skandor Akbar's charge. Maybe Kimala and Akbar launched an attack on their opponent that night much like the one they laid upon a rookie Shawn Michaels back in the day.

Our crack research staff looked up the Mid-South Wrestling results for Thursday, September 5, 1985, but we found nothing. We saw that the night before, Mid-South ran a show at the Rapides Parish Coliseum in Alexandria. That show's main event featured then NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair defending against "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. However, there was no mention of Kimala (or "Kamala," as the name would later be spelled).

The West Main Street address listed is still a law office. The phone number, though, is disconnected. As for attorney Bill Lambert, we're unsure of his whereabouts.

We do know Kimala's whereabouts. The man behind the gimmick is James "Sugar Bear" Harris. He's fallen on some hard times as of late, losing both of his legs to diabetes and nearly having his house seized until fellow wrestling Chris Jericho paid off the more-than-$12,000 tax bill.

The question remains: Did you witness the incident between the wrestler "Kimala" and the lady spectator following the wrestling matches on Thursday, September 5, 1985 at the Lafayette Municipal Auditorium? If you did, tell us!