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Today, Kamala is mostly a forgotten name for wrestling fans, but those who were around during the 80s and 90s know how terrifying The Ugandan Giant was for everyone. Kidnapped from his village in Africa, he was a purported cannibal. Kamala was a popular heel figure and feuded with many big babyfaces during his time such as Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. His feud with Andre the Giant was a hit in wrestling territories. But right from their first match, things were sour between these two wrestlers. One time, Kamala even pulled a gun on the WWE Hall of Famer backstage.
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A Miscommunication Led To A Fistfight During Their First Match
Kamala talked about this story in multiple interviews that during his first match with Andre the Giant in 1983, the referee told him the wrong spot and when Kamala went to cover Andre he kicked out so hard that Kamala stood up (and he was 410 lbs) and then the latter called him a “dumb son of a b**ch.” Kamala didn't like that and punched Andre a few times in the ring.
The next night, he and Andre were supposed to work another match in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Backstage, Kamala went up to him with his .357 Magnum concealed in his pocket and struck his finger on Andre’s nose, and said, “Andre let me tell you one thing, the longest day you live don’t you ever f**k with me like that no more.” Kamala then told him he’d “kill him.” Andre replied “I’m sorry, boss. I don’t think.” He later started carrying a gun when wrestling Andre to protect himself.
According to Kamala, Andre “thought it was awesome and very brave to stand up for myself like I did” and later helped him get more bookings. There’s also this legend that Andre used the N-word at him, which lead to Kamala flashing a gun at him. Many fans had this theory that Kamala changed the story a bit to save Andre’s reputation. Andre did have a reputation for throwing racial slurs at wrestlers backstage. One time, Bad News Brown even challenged him during a Japan tour when he heard him throw some racial slurs on the bus. Brown asked Andre to get off the bus and fight him, but the latter refused. He challenged him again later, but Andre blew him off again.
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Kamala And Andre The Giant Later Became Good Friends
After that backstage incident, Kamala said that he and Andre never had another problem working with each other. They worked with each other for the next two weeks straight in the Oklahoma territory. He admitted that Andre was hard to work with for others but with him, The Giant ended up being “real good to work with.” In fact, Andre was the reason Vince McMahon brought Kamala to WWE. They became good friends in real life and according to Kamala, Andre had a lot of respect for him which he why he took a body slam from him in Mid-South Wrestling.
This incident with Andre the Giant was one of the few times that Kamala was ever involved in a backstage issue or some sort of controversy. No one ever said a bad thing about him in his decades-long career. Jim Ross probably said it the best that Kamala “was the kind of guy you had nightmares about. But out of the ring, you couldn't find a more beautiful person."
