Andy Kaufman To Be Inducted Into WWE Hall Of Fame

This Day in Wrestling History

Jerry Lawler and Andy Kaufman were on the Late Night Show with David Letterman. Lawler and Kaufman started yelling at each other. Lawler started pushing Kaufman and Kaufman was cussing him out, which led to Andy Kaufman walking off the set. The incident made headlines everywhere and basically gave huge publicity to the two men. We later found out that it was all a work and that they were friends.


July 29, 1982

Kaufman and "The King": 30 Years Later

Andy Kaufman insisted he was never a comedian — he was a performance artist, and his legendary rivalry with the "King of Memphis, Jerry Lawler, was as close to a masterpiece as sports-entertainment has ever seen. Sports-entertainment had never before so prominently featured an actor at Kaufman’s degree of fame, and his involvement paved the way for celebrities in rings for decades to come.

In 1982, Kaufman was one of the most controversial actors in show business, starring as the lovable Latka Gravas on the sitcom “Taxi,” and having appeared on polarizing “Saturday Night Live” segments. But Andy always had been fascinated by the world of professional wrestling, and through an odd turn of events, he ended up entangled in one the industry’s most bitter rivalries with WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler. Their conflict escalated from local Memphis, Tenn., television to an infamous duel on the July 28th edition of “Late Night with David Letterman,” solidifying its place in not only the annals of wrestling history, but also all of pop culture. One day after the historic 1,000th episode of Raw, WWE Classics sat down with Jerry Lawler to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this other important moment in television history...More?

source: wwe.com

This Day in Wrestling History

Andy Kaufman dies of kidney failure due to large cell carcinoma in Los Angeles, California. Kaufman is best known in the wrestling world for his 1982 match with Jerry Lawler at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee, and subsequent expletive-laden appearance with Lawler on the Late Show with David Letterman.
May 16, 1984

This Day in Wrestling History

Rodrick James "Jess" McMahon, grandfather of wrestling mogul Vince McMahon, promotes a boxing match between Jess Willard and Jack Johnson in Havana, Cuba.
April 5, 1915

Happy Birthday to Diamond Dallas Page
April 5, 1949

Andy Kaufman met Jerry Lawler in a Grudge Match at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis Tennessee.
April 5, 1982

This Day in Wrestling History

Jerry Lawler and Andy Kaufman were on the Late Night Show with David Letterman. Lawler and Kaufman started yelling at each other. Lawler started pushing Kaufman and Kaufman was cussing him out, which led to Andy Kaufman walking off the set. The incident made headlines everywhere and basically gave huge publicity to the two men. We later found out that it was all a work and that they were friends.


July 29, 1982

This Day in Wrestling History

Andy Kaufman dies of kidney failure due to large cell carcinoma in Los Angeles, California. Kaufman is best known in the wrestling world for his 1982 match with Jerry Lawler at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee, and subsequent expletive-laden appearance with Lawler on the Late Show with David Letterman.
May 16, 1984

This Day in Wrestling History

Rodrick James "Jess" McMahon, grandfather of wrestling mogul Vince McMahon, promotes a boxing match between Jess Willard and Jack Johnson in Havana, Cuba.
April 5, 1915

Happy Birthday to Diamond Dallas Page
April 5, 1949

Andy Kaufman met Jerry Lawler in a Grudge Match at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis Tennessee.
April 5, 1982

Jerry Lawler Makes Prestigious Television History List

The infamous David Letterman segment that saw WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler slap the late Andy Kaufman during their feud was named the 30th Greatest Moment in Television history in the new issue of The Hollywood Reporter.
The list of the 80 Greatest Moments was compiled as part of the publication's 80th Anniversary.

The segment is described as "Performance art at its finest."

The Lawler vs. Kaufman incident actually placed higher than Elvis Presley's debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, the debut of the first music video, The OJ Simpson chase and the Fall of the Berlin Wall, among other moments in televised history.

source: pwinsider.com

This Day in Wrestling History - Kaufman vs. Lawler

Jerry Lawler and Andy Kaufman were on the Late Night Show with David Letterman. Lawler and Kaufman started yelling at each other. Lawler started pushing Kaufman and Kaufman was cussing him out, which led to Andy Kaufman walking off the set. The incident made headlines everywhere and basically gave huge publicity to the two men. We later found out that it was all a work and that they were friends.


July 29, 1982

This Day in Wrestling History

Andy Kaufman dies of kidney failure due to large cell carcinoma in Los Angeles, California. Kaufman is best known in the wrestling world for his 1982 match with Jerry Lawler at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tennessee, and subsequent expletive-laden appearance with Lawler on the Late Show with David Letterman.
May 16, 1984