@@emt9737 I thought it was funny. He was saying some pretty insulting stuff, but Memphis is a hard city like that so we expected insults from outsiders 😅😂
If you grew up watching this on Saturday mornings then you had an awesome childhood....such memories..this is like 100000000 times better than what we see on Monday and Tuesday nights
Amen. This segment is just another example of how well done and well performed these angles were done back in the good ol territory days.. God these were the best days of pro wrestling.
I grew up 80 miles from Memphis. I’m 62 and still live 80 miles from Memphis. First watched wrestling with my great grandfather. I even watched wrestling with my grandmother. They would both yell at the bad guys and offer advice and encouragement to the ones they liked. I recall one match where the ROAD WARRIORS ran out of the dressing room, slid under the ropes, beat the compound hell out of the other guys and walked back to the dressing room WITHOUT the bell starting the matched ever being rung. My grandmother never said one word. I asked why she didn’t offer advice or help and she said “ they didn’t act like they needed it”.
You can tell Andy was in his element. He loved this more than working in Hollywood in Taxi. I really believe he loved Memphis and he would've continued just to have fun. Miss the guy.
Easily one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t stop giggling after I noticed Jimmy and Andy acting so tough while keeping Lance Russel directly between them.
The greatest heel in the history of professionally wrestling. Period. No one did it better. No one sold it better. No one was more authentic. He gave the audience exactly what they wanted: someone to loathe and hate, with a passion.
Kauffman was a genius. Man I miss this era of comedy. The best ever. Belushi, Kauffman, Akroyd, Murphy, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx etc. This was when comedy was at its finest.
I love how Andy never came out of character lmao. He really pushed people to their limits , even the closest of friends and his family had to question what was real and what wasn't. Then you know you're good if you can do that!!
Arguably the greatest heel of all time. Kaufman played this to the hilt. There is no question he should be in the WWE HOF. When I was stationed at NAS Millington down the road from Memphis for a few months, this was awesome to watch.
The story goes (if I'm recalling it correctly) that after Taxi was canceled Kaufman set his plan into motion to get involved in wrestling as he was a lifelong fan (since childhood)...He had his co-stars from Taxi give snipet interviews on different cable tv shows how he was trying to become a wrestler and that he had bought wrestling tights, set up a wrestling ring in his garage, and was suffering some mental illness because he was watching wrestling 24/7 and taking classes (I remember Robin Williams, Marilu Henner, and Tony Danza all contributing to this farse)... The story continued that Kaufman approached Vince McMahon Sr about getting involved and Vince Sr pretty much told him he had nothing available BUT he had just sent Lawler down to Memphis to try and consolidate the SouthEast (bring the different factions together as I recollect) and that maybe Lawler had some ideas...So he/Kaufman (or Kaufman/Lawler together) hatched this brilliant idea about Kaufman becoming the "Inter-Gender" Champion by way of wrestling women from the crowd and proclaiming himself "the best"...So in his final "Inter-Gender" match against Foxy Brown Lawler decided he was going to be in her corner and when things got going hot and heavy Kaufman started to get into Lawlers face and the PUSH that sent Kaufman flying halfway across the ring started THE FEUD...Supposedly ticket sales went through the roof and by all accounts that was true... Everyone was talking Kaufman vs Lawler and what a terrific time it was for fans...It has been revealed that Kaufman never cashed a single check from SE Network Wrestling (or from Vince Sr/or Lawler) but did it for the love of the sport...Just wanted to be involved and was he ever...I think Chapter #'s 13 and 15 are my favorites out of the entire collection...Later on AWA Chair Vern Gagne grabbed Larry Szybizco? for his heel which I still feel was spun out of Kaufman's success (but Larry was good in his own right as well)...Too bad we still don't have Kaufman with us here today...Tough loss looking back so many years ago...
Great summation! And those clips you've mentioned of Robin Williams, Tony Danza and others, talking about Kaufman's addiction to wrestling, they're actually on a documentary called "I'm from Hollywood", which I hope is still available here on RUclips. Remarkable to think, that in a way, Robin Williams was a contributor to a wrestling angle. Tangentially, but he was still in on it. Though by his performances in that clip, where he expresses such intense concern for Andy, it's easy to think Robin Williams was genuinely concerned about Kaufman being hooked on wrestling.
3:33 “HE’S PICKIN’ HIS NOSE!!!” 😂 6:30 I love that little smile on Andy’s face that starts to show up when he’s about to leave and him catching it just in time to turn it into a snarl.
Agreed, this is the first time I've gotten to watch the feud in such detail, Kaufman seems so comfortable in his role, as if he was born to be the greatest heel in wrestling history.
GOD I remember all this craziness. I grew up right in the middle of the Memphis area. My great-uncle was a Jeweler in Blytheville Arkansas and very good friends with Eddie Marlon. He created the first Southern Heavy Weight title belts. His name was Bill McCaughey if anyone wants to check it out. I went to every match at the Armory on Friday nights. Dave Brown was the Ron Burgundy of Memphis weathermen.......lol.
I imagine that the wrastling bad guy stuff appealed huge to Kaufman's nature. And who better than the King to pull off a good show. RIP Andy, and thanks Jerry for one of the best spoof's of the modern era.
I'm a Northerner who was unable to get these great wrestling matches back in the day. Thank goodness for RUclips. I could just imagine a match between A US wrestler versus a North Korean. Lance Russell interviewing a relative of the supreme commander? That would be great.
Man ............. this is definitely the best wrestling entertainment I've seen in 25 years . I was just a kid when this first aired but I remember it like it was just yesterday
folks who didn't grow up with Memphis wrestling can't conceive how much andy kaufman was really hated. I mean his life was actually in danger many times from fans that wanted to KILL him; that is not hyperbole. I mean, in a few minutes, he got this studio crowd to cheer for . . . jimmy hart! . . . the most hated heel in Memphis at the time!
It cracked me up in the 'I'm From Hollywood' doc, when they interviewed people from Memphis about Lawler, and the feud with Kaufman. This one, fat, round faced boy said "He (Lawler) shoulda killed him probably."
It is such a shame that Andy died so young. He would have been a great heel manager for decades no matter what wrestling organization he was in. I almost fell out of my chair when he started talking in a southern accent telling them to go back to their farms and plow the feilds, calling them dumb hicks.
i swear to god this is 1 of the funniest videos i have ever seen. Who is that southern guy with the bears n the white suit. omfg, comedic genius. Nobody slaps me in my hometown!!
He was excellent on the mic. SHUT UP OR I'LL LEAVE!!! LOL And you know that when he did that accent and called them hicks there was some old hicks in the crowd taking offense!!
lawler was very upset about how this was handled in the movie andy was not forced to quit, the way it was portrayed in fact, had he lived, he may have given more time to memphis wrestling
How awesome Wrestling is choreography it is Ballet and it also takes toughness to take it every night the bumps and bruises it is not fake it is a work and they did a hell of a job on this thank you.
This never gets any Less Funny to Me, like a Fine Wine, it only gets Better with Age, it only gets even Funnier. Andy Kaufman was THE KING of Bad Guy Wrestlers. Andy Kaufman R.I.P.
"They fought for a full minute throwing fist and swinging.... fought from backstage to ringside back to backstage the crowd could not have been wilder. not a single punch was landed."
@@00RockyAngel00 OMG had no idea. Jimmy Hart is an artist, even knowng this is all fake it is very entertaining to watch like any other movie or performance.
This is best glory wrestling Andy Kaufman was the funniest heel bad guy wrestler and legend this is better than WWE and WCW 2000 era and I'm from Hollywood is Kaufman legacy career I miss Kaufman R.i.P he can be the joker
The powers that be in the WWE should take note on this. Story lines today can't even come close. & to this day, the Lawler/Kaufman story line is still talked about. How much you wanna bet that people still believe it's real?
Only Andy could get a crowd cheering for Jimmy Hart.
Love him or hate him Kaufman was one of the greatest heels ever.
Yes! And for the past 40 years he has been playing his greatest heal yet! Donald Trump!
This kaufman promo is better than 95% of the promos in the business today
who could hate kaufman
Memphis Tennessee.@@yyouthcanoee
I'm from the Memphis area. This was the biggest homerun in wrestling history. Pure gold!!!
Did you hate him for the shit he said?
@@emt9737 I thought it was funny. He was saying some pretty insulting stuff, but Memphis is a hard city like that so we expected insults from outsiders 😅😂
Me too. All the hillbillies from Mississippi and Frayser hated him! 😹😹😹
I'm from Memphis, too. I see all these classic footages every single day.
@@AldenRDavis Fa sho, mane!
there is no form of entertainment better than old school wrestling, kaufman knew it too
Lmao all of it is garbage
This is the lowest form of “entertainment”
@@bluuedaniel if you don't like this , why are you here commenting on it for? Go to a forum where people feel the way you do.
Why don't you give advice?
@@newcountryguy can't handle a contrary opinion?
I never realized how important Jimmy Hart was to the Lawler vs. Kaufman feud until now.
When Jimmy Hart left Memphis for the WWF the territory was never the same.
better than any WWE show right now
And especially NOW
By miles
You got that right BROTHER!!!
Wrestling sucks now.
Kaufman was a genius. They said wrestling ruined his career, but I disagree. It was his final frontier.
I thought it was his best work. Lawler was fantastic carrying this program.
You know who's an unsung hero of this segment? Lance Russell. The way he plays it so straight is so awesome.
If you grew up watching this on Saturday mornings then you had an awesome childhood....such memories..this is like 100000000 times better than what we see on Monday and Tuesday nights
I've seen this a hundred times and still laugh. Andy was a genius. The way he incited the crowds.."I'LL SUE YOU ALL!!!" 🤣
So crazy that Andy was actually working road shows for a week for this angle.
He loved the wrestling business.
And be never cashed his checks !
He had a great run....
Incredible. This art form is never coming back.
Amen. This segment is just another example of how well done and well performed these angles were done back in the good ol territory days.. God these were the best days of pro wrestling.
I grew up 80 miles from Memphis. I’m 62 and still live 80 miles from Memphis. First watched wrestling with my great grandfather. I even watched wrestling with my grandmother. They would both yell at the bad guys and offer advice and encouragement to the ones they liked. I recall one match where the ROAD WARRIORS ran out of the dressing room, slid under the ropes, beat the compound hell out of the other guys and walked back to the dressing room WITHOUT the bell starting the matched ever being rung. My grandmother never said one word. I asked why she didn’t offer advice or help and she said “ they didn’t act like they needed it”.
You can tell Andy was in his element. He loved this more than working in Hollywood in Taxi. I really believe he loved Memphis and he would've continued just to have fun. Miss the guy.
Absolutely brilliant. Andy, Jimmy, et al. What a great performance. When this happened in 1983, everyone believed this was real. It was great.
Easily one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t stop giggling after I noticed Jimmy and Andy acting so tough while keeping Lance Russel directly between them.
Kaufman was a genius. the wrestling bit was pure genius.
Pretty amazing how Vince McMahon Sr. refused the offer to get involved with Andy. Jerry jumped at the chance.
Jimmy Hart is the Genius.
@@TowGunner The elder McMahon wanted wrestling. The younger McMahon would have jumped at the chance.
"You slapped me in front of 355,000 people out here!!!" I loved Jimmy!
there is not even 3000 fans there.
@@jimnfl7134 he was talking about the TV audience for the Saturday morning show.
The greatest heel in the history of professionally wrestling. Period. No one did it better. No one sold it better. No one was more authentic. He gave the audience exactly what they wanted: someone to loathe and hate, with a passion.
There is NO ONE out there nor will there EVER BE another person who got more women to watch wrestling than Kaufman did.
The Rock might disagree! lol
It's so obvious now how much Andy Kaufmann loved the wrestling bad guy shtick.
Kaufman cuts a better promo than most of the WWE roster today and generated more heat than any current heal.
RIP Andy Kaufman and Lance Russell
Kaufman really is the master of trolling. Perfect for wrestling.
Kauffman was a genius. Man I miss this era of comedy. The best ever. Belushi, Kauffman, Akroyd, Murphy, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx etc. This was when comedy was at its finest.
Kaufman's whole act was as a wrestling heel. He worked hard to get heat from the audience, even as a comedian
way..waaaaaayyyy ahead of his time....
I love how Andy never came out of character lmao. He really pushed people to their limits , even the closest of friends and his family had to question what was real and what wasn't. Then you know you're good if you can do that!!
Arguably the greatest heel of all time. Kaufman played this to the hilt. There is no question he should be in the WWE HOF. When I was stationed at NAS Millington down the road from Memphis for a few months, this was awesome to watch.
Those matches brought in sell out crowds, that was wrestling greatest time ever.
The story goes (if I'm recalling it correctly) that after Taxi was canceled Kaufman set his plan into motion to get involved in wrestling as he was a lifelong fan (since childhood)...He had his co-stars from Taxi give snipet interviews on different cable tv shows how he was trying to become a wrestler and that he had bought wrestling tights, set up a wrestling ring in his garage, and was suffering some mental illness because he was watching wrestling 24/7 and taking classes (I remember Robin Williams, Marilu Henner, and Tony Danza all contributing to this farse)...
The story continued that Kaufman approached Vince McMahon Sr about getting involved and Vince Sr pretty much told him he had nothing available BUT he had just sent Lawler down to Memphis to try and consolidate the SouthEast (bring the different factions together as I recollect) and that maybe Lawler had some ideas...So he/Kaufman (or Kaufman/Lawler together) hatched this brilliant idea about Kaufman becoming the "Inter-Gender" Champion by way of wrestling women from the crowd and proclaiming himself "the best"...So in his final "Inter-Gender" match against Foxy Brown Lawler decided he was going to be in her corner and when things got going hot and heavy Kaufman started to get into Lawlers face and the PUSH that sent Kaufman flying halfway across the ring started THE FEUD...Supposedly ticket sales went through the roof and by all accounts that was true...
Everyone was talking Kaufman vs Lawler and what a terrific time it was for fans...It has been revealed that Kaufman never cashed a single check from SE Network Wrestling (or from Vince Sr/or Lawler) but did it for the love of the sport...Just wanted to be involved and was he ever...I think Chapter #'s 13 and 15 are my favorites out of the entire collection...Later on AWA Chair Vern Gagne grabbed Larry Szybizco? for his heel which I still feel was spun out of Kaufman's success (but Larry was good in his own right as well)...Too bad we still don't have Kaufman with us here today...Tough loss looking back so many years ago...
Great summation! And those clips you've mentioned of Robin Williams, Tony Danza and others, talking about Kaufman's addiction to wrestling, they're actually on a documentary called "I'm from Hollywood", which I hope is still available here on RUclips.
Remarkable to think, that in a way, Robin Williams was a contributor to a wrestling angle. Tangentially, but he was still in on it.
Though by his performances in that clip, where he expresses such intense concern for Andy, it's easy to think Robin Williams was genuinely concerned about Kaufman being hooked on wrestling.
The greatest heel ever was. He wasn't a professional wrestler but showed the professional wrestling world how you really draw heat.
3:33 “HE’S PICKIN’ HIS NOSE!!!” 😂
6:30 I love that little smile on Andy’s face that starts to show up when he’s about to leave and him catching it just in time to turn it into a snarl.
this is truly a lost era in television. Back then there was so much less to work with they had to make it better.
That's an excellent point. Less to work with, means you've got to be more creative, use more ingenuity.
The ONLY studio brawl where Lance actually physically intervened. 😂😂😂
All these guys deserve an Academy Award for this genius
Agreed, this is the first time I've gotten to watch the feud in such detail, Kaufman seems so comfortable in his role, as if he was born to be the greatest heel in wrestling history.
GOD I remember all this craziness. I grew up right in the middle of the Memphis area. My great-uncle was a Jeweler in Blytheville Arkansas and very good friends with Eddie Marlon. He created the first Southern Heavy Weight title belts. His name was Bill McCaughey if anyone wants to check it out. I went to every match at the Armory on Friday nights.
Dave Brown was the Ron Burgundy of Memphis weathermen.......lol.
I imagine that the wrastling bad guy stuff appealed huge to Kaufman's nature. And who better than the King to pull off a good show. RIP Andy, and thanks Jerry for one of the best spoof's of the modern era.
Have we ever talked about how fucking awesome Jimmy Hart was?
No, but we should. He was LIGHT YEARS ahead of his time. Brilliant with the mic.
No doubt. Hart was awesome. The true mouth of the south. One cool white dude.
JH was an absolute genius at crowd psychology
lance is the rock of gibraltar of credibility. he's so humble and credible and passive you'd have to presume everything was on the level
He's awesome right ? Certainly my pick for one of the greatest announcers / commentators of all time
He is the best ever.
@@rolltide9547 i think you may be right, when all the dust clear out.
Pure solid gold. I love how the cop is even laughing along with the crowd. :)
I remember watching this as a kid. Kaufman was the ultimate heel!
I'm a Northerner who was unable to get these great wrestling matches back in the day. Thank goodness for RUclips. I could just imagine a match between A US wrestler versus a North Korean. Lance Russell interviewing a relative of the supreme commander? That would be great.
Andy really knew how to work the crowd, he was the original troll.
Classic old school villain
Andy truly was a fan of wrestling
I think this was a dream fulfillment of Andy's. Loving every moment.
The Kaufman Lawler routine was and still is pure entertainment.
he is better than any other celebrity that stepped foot in wrestling
Man ............. this is definitely the best wrestling entertainment I've seen in 25 years . I was just a kid when this first aired but I remember it like it was just yesterday
Best heel ever..that is working the crowd
folks who didn't grow up with Memphis wrestling can't conceive how much andy kaufman was really hated. I mean his life was actually in danger many times from fans that wanted to KILL him; that is not hyperbole. I mean, in a few minutes, he got this studio crowd to cheer for . . . jimmy hart! . . . the most hated heel in Memphis at the time!
It cracked me up in the 'I'm From Hollywood' doc, when they interviewed people from Memphis about Lawler, and the feud with Kaufman. This one, fat, round faced boy said "He (Lawler) shoulda killed him probably."
Cuts a better promo than any wrestler of the past 10 years
It is such a shame that Andy died so young. He would have been a great heel manager for decades no matter what wrestling organization he was in. I almost fell out of my chair when he started talking in a southern accent telling them to go back to their farms and plow the feilds, calling them dumb hicks.
Where he had me dying was when he pulled out soap and started describing it to the Memphis fans LMAO
Hilarious...!!
- I remember watching ''tis live . Yes, I'm a "Mamphis hick"
I remember watching these matches every Saturday morning after cartoons.
I was so lucky to have grown up in the Memphis/Mid-South area. I saw this as it happened. If you can find it watch the Documentary Memphis Heat.
this is light years better then WWE RAW these days.
“If you don’t mind, mister Hollywood..!”😂
I remember at the time the whole country was saying, "What in the hell is going on?" lol
4 years later we're still saying it .
Make that Sam Hill - as Lance would often say.
"......... nobody slaps me in my hometown." Lollllll
Mr. Theodore classic line by Hart...
Great memories watching this again. You know it's good if Jimmy Hart is getting cheers.
Yes that was me and yes I'm from Hollywood and yes I'm alive and well and thank you very much
this is how your friendliest seeming celebrities are behind the scenes. andy had the guts to be authentic on camera
5:45 - "And I will sue you, I will sue Hart, I will sue Lawler, I will sue everybody....I'll sue you all!"
greatest moment in wrestling. Why can't today's wrestling be as emotional as those days?
i swear to god this is 1 of the funniest videos i have ever seen. Who is that southern guy with the bears n the white suit. omfg, comedic genius. Nobody slaps me in my hometown!!
Andy P jimmy hart lol hes most known for managing hulk hogan in the 80s
iPhone 5 mouth of the south jimmy hart
Andy Kauffman a great comedian and total genius! Getting him to feud with another genius Jerry Lawler was gold
This was the greatest angle ever in pro wrestling.
Kaufman was a genius , once in a lifetime performance artist.
The best show I have ever seen. That fight was epic. Andy was the best.
THIS was the true Golden Age of Pro Wrestling.
“I’LL WALK RIGHT OUT OF HERE!” 😂 R.I.P.🙏❤️
the commentary on the wrestling match was hilarious.
He was excellent on the mic. SHUT UP OR I'LL LEAVE!!! LOL And you know that when he did that accent and called them hicks there was some old hicks in the crowd taking offense!!
Those slaps while Hart was trying to talk!!!!! Lmao hahahaha this is great.
"I charge again, and Lawler knocks me into next week . . . " LOL
Really wish the Jim Carrey movie covered this more. Holy crap this dude was the best heel ever who had never wrestled before. Love it
lawler was very upset about how this was handled in the movie
andy was not forced to quit, the way it was portrayed
in fact, had he lived, he may have given more time to memphis wrestling
How awesome Wrestling is choreography it is Ballet and it also takes toughness to take it every night the bumps and bruises it is not fake it is a work and they did a hell of a job on this thank you.
Dammit, I love Lance Russell.
Classic congratulation to the Hall of long overdue
What a great angle this was.
Andy was a comedic genius!
The best part is 98 percentage of audience thinks this was real
Hell, Paul Bosch thought it was real.
I was a teenager and thought it was lol, they got me
@@CuteLesbo69 I read that in Lawler's book. This was so good. Lawler, Kaufman & Hart made great TV with simple, but brilliant angles.
Jimmy Hart was better in Memphis than WWF because they used him more. This was just brilliant.
The greatest ruse in the history of wrestling -still hilarious and amazing today!
This never gets any Less Funny to Me, like a Fine Wine, it only gets Better with Age, it only gets even Funnier. Andy Kaufman was THE KING of Bad Guy Wrestlers. Andy Kaufman R.I.P.
"They fought for a full minute throwing fist and swinging.... fought from backstage to ringside back to backstage the crowd could not have been wilder. not a single punch was landed."
You know what's funny. Kaufmann was the actor but Hart outshone him. "He slapped me in front of 350,000 people!"
Hart was no stranger to showbiz, and working a crowd. He was the lead singer of the Gentrys. They had a hit with "Keep on Dancing" in 1966.
@@00RockyAngel00 OMG had no idea. Jimmy Hart is an artist, even knowng this is all fake it is very entertaining to watch like any other movie or performance.
I don't even think there was even THAT many people in Memphis...😄
I can't tell if they're cheering for Andy because they hate Jimmy or if they're cheering for Jimmy because they hate Andy.
Jimmy Hart getting a round of applause lol
"Jimmy Hart you Maaay em fis Heeeeck". Pure gold.
You got that right. I stopped watching this stuff back in 1986. Just couldn't suffer through it any longer.
' nobody slaps me in my hometown ' lol this was storytelling and how wrestling was great loved Lawler vs Kaufman
This is best glory wrestling Andy Kaufman was the funniest heel bad guy wrestler and legend this is better than WWE and WCW 2000 era and I'm from Hollywood is Kaufman legacy career I miss Kaufman R.i.P he can be the joker
"I look back and he's picking his nose man"...LMAO
The powers that be in the WWE should take note on this. Story lines today can't even come close. & to this day, the Lawler/Kaufman story line is still talked about. How much you wanna bet that people still believe it's real?
I grew up watching Memphis wrasslin. Watched this show every Saturday morning.
Kaufman got to live out his childhood dream before he died
Today’s “heels” could take a lesson from Andy Kaufman on how to be a heel. MJF however, is doing great as a heel
10 Minutes of pure gold
Andy Kaufman was a legend in his time. R.I.P. Andy.