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It will be Lauper's first appearance for the company since the mid-1980s when at the time one of the biggest stars in music, she was instrumental in the initial popularity of the Rock N' Wrestling connection through her relationship with the late Captain Lou Albano.
Albano and Lauper met on a flight from Puerto Rico back to New York City and struck up a friendship. This led to Albano, who had done some promotional work with rock band NRBQ, playing Lauper's father in the hit video "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", which led to Albano claiming to be her manager on Piper's Pit.
Lauper appeared on the Pit to clear the air, with Albano, playing heel talking down to Lauper and playing a sexist pig. This led to a match where Albano managed WWF Women's champion The Fabulous Moolah against Lauper's charge Wendi Richter, broadcast on MTV as the "Brawl to End It All."
MTV was just breaking out as a hip and new popular cable network and Lauper was one of the biggest pop stars of the era. The special helped put WWF on the map, getting the celebrity rub from the unique storyline. Richter won the title and without exaggeration, was easily the #2 star in the WWF during that era behind Hogan in terms of popularity thanks to the Lauper connection.
Albano soon turned babyface to align with Lauper, setting the stage for the pair to raise a ton of money for different charities.
Of course, when something works in wrestling, there has to be a sequel and there was. On 12/28/84, Lauper announced that she an Albano would become the co-chairs for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. At the same time, Dick Clark, on behalf of WWF, awarded Lauper with an award as well. Anyone who was a wrestling fan knew this wasn't going to end well and well, it didn't.
Roddy Piper, the top heel in the company who at the time was tearing apart the "Rock and Wrestling Connection", crashed the party and smashed the award over Albano's head and went after Lauper. Hulk Hogan hit the scene to make the save, setting up "The War To Settle the Score."
That MTV special ended up setting the stage for Wrestlemania 1 as Richter lost the Women's title to Moolah charge Leilani Kai. This set up a rematch at the first Mania with Kai dropping the belt.
Lauper would quietly depart shortly after Wrestlemania. The circumstances were never publicly disclosed and she always spoke highly of the business, particularly Albano who she loved greatly - she would go on to write the foreword to his 2008 autobiography. In the foreword, Lauper noted that Albano, upon hearing of an experience where 10,000 fans began booing Cyndi while opening for the Kinks in Massachusetts, advised her that it didn't matter because whether they were booing or cheering, because she had them reacting passionately.
"Hate and love, in a way, are the same emotion," Lauper recalled Albano advised her. "When you have everyone hating you so loud and all at once, that is great."
Albano would go on to appear in four Lauper videos.
Post-Lauper, Richter would be tricked into losing the belt in a legitimate screwjob to a Masked Spider Lady, who was unmasked as Moolah after legitimately pinning her to the mat for the belt. There had been issued between the two sides after Richter refused to sign a new contract when the company requested it. She would leave WWF and wasn't seen again until she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, where she praised Lauper during her acceptance speech.
A number of WWF personalities from 80s era including Piper, Albano, Freddie Blassie, Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik appearing in Lauper's video "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" from the classic 1985 Steven Spielberg/Richard Donner film. Lauper also produced the initial Wrestling Album (under the name Mona Flambe).
While Lauper never did any other angles or programs in pro wrestling after departing WWF, she did reunite with Roddy Piper during a commercial for a 1980s themed Trivial Pursuit board game.
Lauper, who lives in New York City, doesn't have far to travel as Raw is being broadcast from the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island.
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