"It wasn't orchestrated" - Wrestling journalist believes there is real heat between Will Smith and Chris Rock? [Exclusive]
Legendary wrestling journalist Bill Apter recently gave his thoughts on Will Smith's controversial slap at the recent Oscars event. Smith slapped actor/comedian Chris Rock after the latter made an insensitive joke aimed at his wife.
On the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's Top Story, the legendary journalist gave his take on the incident while comparing it to an iconic moment between Jerry Lawler and Andy Kaufman.
"The Chris Rock/Will Smith thing, we can't compare this. One was a perfectly orchestrated wrestling angle. This, unfortunately, in my opinion, was not staged. It wasn't orchestrated. The two of them - Chris Rock and Will Smith - have been trading barbs for a long time on social media," Apter said. (from 2:00-4:16)
Will Smith just punched Chris Rock and told him "keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth" https://t.co/1f1ytdbMRv
The incident from the Oscars was the biggest talking point to come out of this year's show. Will Smith later won the 'Best Actor' award for his role in the film King Richard.
Smith has since apologized for his actions during the show. While it wasn't scripted, it certainly seemed like it could have been a part of a wrestling angle.
Apter compared Will Smith's slap to an incident involving Jerry Lawler and Andy Kaufman
Apter has been a part of the media industry for decades. While commenting on the incident, he compared it to another iconic fight between two celebrities. The journalist was there during an infamous encounter between comedian Andy Kaufman and WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler.
Kaufman made a name for himself in intergender wrestling back in the early 1980s and was a guest on The David Letterman Show one night along with Lawler. After a brief, heated conversation, Lawler ended up hitting Kaufman. It led to one of the most controversial moments in wrestling history.
"I introduced them to each other, put the key in the ignition. They took it from there. That was so perfectly orchestrated that no one, not even the wrestlers in Memphis, knew that it was real or not. I was there behind the cameras, at the Letterman Show, with PWI editor Craig Peters and we photographed the whole Letterman thing with 'the slap.' We never knew it was coming. We really didn't. Didn't find out until afterwards at the hotel. I walked into Jerry Lawler's room. He and his wife, Paula, at the time, were sitting on the corner of the bed and someone opened the door. We looked behind the door and it was Andy. He looked and he said 'whatta ya think?' I said "oh my God!! We had no clue," Apter said. (From 2:00-4:16)
The incident blurred the lines between reality and scripted moments and has been debated for decades since it happened.
What are your thoughts on Apter's comments? What do you think about the incident between Smith and Rock? Give your thoughts in the comments section below!