Great Neck, New York, a suburban enclave on the North Shore of Long Island -- known to have inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby -- boasts a surprising and multifaceted legacy in the world of professional wrestling. While the town is often associated with affluence and the arts, it also shares connections with several pivotal figures whose work has had a lasting impact on the wrestling industry. From celebrity crossovers and wrestling-adjacent performances to anecdotal inspirations for wrestling personas, Great Neck has served as both a literal and figurative home to some of wrestling's most enduring influences.
One of the most direct ties between Great Neck and professional wrestling is through the legendary Andy Kaufman, who spent part of his youth in the town. Kaufman, a boundary-pushing comedian and performance artist, is widely credited with creating the first high-profile celebrity storyline in mainstream wrestling. His infamous feud with Jerry "The King" Lawler in the early 1980s, where he declared himself the "Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion," blurred the lines between fiction and reality. This angle, immortalized in the film Man On The Moon, was a precursor to WWE’s later use of celebrities at events like WrestleMania, and helped establish wrestling as a blend of athleticism and entertainment.
Great Neck is also linked to Francis Ford Coppola, the acclaimed director of The Godfather. While Coppola himself has not been known to be associated with wrestling, his casting of Lenny Montana as Luca Brasi forged an unexpected connection. Montana, who brought a menacing presence to the screen, was a former professional wrestler before transitioning into acting. He was also reportedly a real-life bodyguard for mob boss Joe Colombo. Montana’s casting helped infuse The Godfather with authenticity, and his wrestling background lent credibility to the physicality of his performance. In turn, The Godfather's influence on pop culture -- including wrestling gimmicks that borrowed from mob iconography -- is undeniable.
Adding another layer to this web of influence is Talia Shire, Coppola’s sister, who portrayed Adrian in the Rocky film series. These films helped popularize underdog stories and gritty, working-class heroism -- narratives often mirrored in wrestling storylines. Perhaps most notably, Rocky III featured Hulk Hogan as "Thunderlips," a flamboyant wrestler whose cameo in the movie helped catapult Hogan into the mainstream consciousness. Shire’s involvement in the franchise indirectly contributed to wrestling’s pop culture explosion in the 1980s; Shire is notably the mother of actor/musician Jason Schwartzman and musician/director Robert Schwartzman.
Actor Paul Newman, another notable Great Neck resident, is said to have inspired former WWE and WCW Champion Kevin Nash. According to Nash, the moniker “Big Sexy” was chosen in part because of Newman's timeless cool and rugged charisma -- qualities Nash admired and wanted to channel in his own wrestling persona.
Taken together, Great Neck’s ties to professional wrestling are woven through some of the sport’s most iconic cultural intersections—celebrity involvement, cinematic influence, and character development. From Kaufman’s genre-defying performances to Coppola’s casting of a real-life wrestler, and from Rocky’s indirect boost to Hogan’s career to Newman’s influence on "Big Sexy" Kevin Nash, the town’s contributions are as varied as they are significant. In its quiet, arts-focused way, Great Neck has helped lay the cultural foundation for wrestling’s rise as a global entertainment powerhouse.
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on June 6, 2025.