Andy Kaufman in the WWE HoF

[Pay Per Ghost]

Before we go any further, do watch this:

[YOUTUBE]PmHCx8lCl8Y[/YOUTUBE]​

My first viewing and I lol'd at those Lawler jokes that he has belted out over the years doing commentary on Raw.



Now I'm not even gonna bring up the 'Drew is there!' argument for the celebrity wing. I don't need to. Andy Kaufman had a good angle with Lawler in Memphis Wrestling that received wide national attention post the Letterman interview. The repercussions for keeping kayfabe resulted in them never being called back on the show but they got what they needed, a lotta eyeballs on their product.

I remember Jim Ross, commending Kaufman, how he got 'IT' about the business. How to work the people and convey a storyline convincingly. And those promos by Kaufman are really good. Topped off with that slap and that great Kaufman promo in the end for good measure.

The extra in the end is Lawler throwing fire in Kaufman's face, and that little tid-bit from the forgotten Jerry Lawler Show.

I've made a case right? Kaufman with Lawler created a moment and a mainstream moment at that. This is before Mania, before Starrcade (if I have my math right) and it has stood out as one of the most iconic moments for wrestling.



So....Kaufman for HoF?

 

[The Butcher]

Back in February, in the Celebrity HoF Induction thread that was made at the time, I made this suggestion:

This class is very alive in comparison with most past classes. This would be the first class since 2005 without a posthumous induction, so instead of breaking the streak, I say let's get Andy Kaufman in there.

Clearly I'm all for it. Even prior to his feud with Lawler, Kaufman was the first (and to my knowledge only) Intergender wrestling champion. Andy clearly loved and respected the business, and he was a part of an all-time great angle. He's a shoo-in in my book.

 

[closet_fan]

He should have been one of the first to be in the HOF for the sheer fact that he did something no one will ever be able to do:

Make an entertainer mix it up with a wrestler and have everyone think it's truly real. Plus have it as main stream as it was. No one, even Vince, will EVER be able to do that.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

One of the only celebrities that I think actually deserves to be in the HoF, honestly. Kauffman got national coverage for wrestling with that angle, and both he and Lawler played it to the hilt.

 

[STFU Donnie]

Just to add to the chorus in support of Kaufman:

It's one thing to induct a Cyndi Lauper, Mr. T, Dennis Rodman, and Mike Tyson. They truly did help wrestling and I fully agree with their induction. I'm even for a Pete Rose, Bob Uecker, Hugh Jackman, etc as they came in and actually participated, becoming characters, even if it was just for a night or two. Where I draw the line is celebrities who just showed up to plug whatever else they were doing, basically using wrestling to advertise themselves to the audience.

Now having said all of that I believe there are two celebrities who should have been inducted 1 and 2. Two guys who both brought attention to wrestling and actually participated in the show long before it became mainstream and even cool to do so, long before an audience of millions could be reached on a single show. Number 1 is Muhammad Ali and Number 2 is Andy Kaufman.

Now for all we know Ali and Kaufman's family were asked and declined, so I'm not attacking WWE for the oversight. But in my mind Ali and Kaufman should have been the 1st and 2nd celebrity inductions.

 

[Blade]

In terms of celebrities who should be going into the HoF, Kaufman should be there already. But, from what I know, what Kaufman did in the wrestling industry still divides wrestlers to this day. I know there are many who believe he took the idea of being a heel to a whole new level, Lawler included. But at the same time, there are some who believe he had no business in the ring. He was making wrestling look stupid, not only because of wrestling with women, but simply because he couldn't put on a professional wrestling match.

With that said, Andy Kaufman still doesn't get enough credit for all he did for the entertainment industry, let alone the wrestling industry, so I think this would be some nice recognition. Lawler has said in interviews that Mcmahon was a fan of what Kaufman was doing in Memphis, so I'd say we will see Andy in there someday.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

This is a no brainer, not so much as because of what Kaufman accomplished but more so on what the HoF is. The precedent is there for just about anyone to get inducted for any reason. The bar on the celebrity side and some would argue wrestler side is pretty low. It's a Hall with no front door and not much rhyme or reason for each chosen induction. When is Vanna White getting in?

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to PaperGhostopolis again.

Andy Kaufman has to be in the HoF. If you're going to induct the likes of Drew Carey for a two minute appearance in the Royal Rumble, then you've got to let in the most polarizing celebrity to ever grace a wrestling ring.

When Kaufman went to Memphis, he was one of the most recognizable figures in comedy. Imagine Jim Carrey going to RoH and raising hell. That's how big his impact was in the Memphis territory. It put Jerry Lawler on David Letterman and put regional wrestling on the map.

Kaufman needs his place in the HoF. And I hope he gets there someday.

 

[EastCoastFan]

Andy absolutely deserves to be in the WWE HOF, and I'm sure Jerry Lawler has recommended him more than once.

As for why he's not, somebody once said that WWE likes getting "the Hollywood rub" from their celebrity inductees, and inducting Andy would not get them that due to his being dead. Maria Menounos will probably get in before he does.

 

[closet_fan]

In terms of celebrities who should be going into the HoF, Kaufman should be there already. But, from what I know, what Kaufman did in the wrestling industry still divides wrestlers to this day. I know there are many who believe he took the idea of being a heel to a whole new level, Lawler included. But at the same time, there are some who believe he had no business in the ring. He was making wrestling look stupid, not only because of wrestling with women, but simply because he couldn't put on a professional wrestling match.

With that said, Andy Kaufman still doesn't get enough credit for all he did for the entertainment industry, let alone the wrestling industry, so I think this would be some nice recognition. Lawler has said in interviews that Mcmahon was a fan of what Kaufman was doing in Memphis, so I'd say we will see Andy in there someday.

That's what made it seem more real. He knew he couldn't fight guy wrestlers. And mocking real wrestlers would have made the work fizzle out within one match. He knew he couldn't wrestle. And he "wrestled" women who couldn't wrestle. So using women instead kept the program going longer and made people hate him more.

That's what made him a great heel. He mocked something a lot of people loved. It didn't hurt the business one bit. No one suffered.

 

[HBsam31]

This one is definitely a no brainer. he should have been the first celebrity inducted. I wasn't able to see this when it went down, but with all that I have heard about it he has seemed to make the most impact out of any celebrity. He needs to be in the HOF.