One of the Greatest Feuds in Wrestling: Kaufman vs Lawler | I Was There
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- Опубликовано: 16 окт 2022
- The most publicized wrestling rivalry of all time, Andy Kaufman vs Jerry “The King” Lawler, left many wondering where the line between reality and fantasy blurred. Wrestling Historian & Personality Jim Cornette takes us through it all, from Kaufman demanding that women get “back in the kitchen”, Kaufman's public demise at the hands of Foxy, Lawler’s illegal piledriver move that sends Kaufman to the hospital, and coffee thrown across the desk of David Letterman. This abridged tour of the biggest public farce of all time will leave you with a new understanding of the real meaning of wrestling.
From Executive Producers Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dany Garcia, and the creators of the groundbreaking DARK SIDE OF THE RING comes the exhilarating new series TALES FROM THE TERRITORIES that reunites iconic, larger-than-life wrestling legends as they relive their most outrageous, jaw-dropping, unbelievable-but-100%-true stories from inside and outside of the squared circle. Tune in Tuesdays at 10P on VICE TV.
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Развлечения
He’s a hell of a story teller. There’s needs to be a series of him just telling old stories. I could watch that for hours
they featured him on Dark Side of the Ring for quite a few episodes. he also has his own podcasts with clips on RUclips. just search "Jim cornette wrestling history" and there's tons of results
Cornett Has his own podcast
Corny drive thru
He's on RUclips and Spotify The Jim Cornette experience and Jim Cornettes Drive Thru
There are a couple of videos of him giving the history of JCP its about an hour I think it was called Crockett diaries, interview with Corny and Paul moody(Bearer) that is pretty good and The video quality isnt great and I dont remember the name of corny telling stories in a living room.
Wow the fact that Andy never bothered to cash the checks tells you everything. He really did it for love of the game. His whole thing was more about entertaining himself than entertaining a crowd.
Yep, and they said Andy the amount on those checks would have put Andy on par with the biggest stars in the day
@@notd0ll109 Well its not like he needed the money though. He was already a huge star, I'm sure the money from Taxi had him more than set up for life.
@@gravitywaves2796 Agreed but he could've cashed them and gave it away
@@drphot6050 if you watch the David arquette "wrestling bios"-wcw blunder episode on that whole deal, you will gain a little more respect for the actor. The difference was Andy Kaufman started doing his skits to headline with a national star. David arquette was not at all looking to do the same. He was on nitro to plug a movie and wcw thought re-creating the Kaufman angle would be good for business * bro, bro bro bro bro* caugh caugh David dedicated every cent. Every penny to HELP pro wrestlers. Give it a watch
He basically sacrificed his career to do the wrestling. Lots of people wanted nothing more to do with him because of that. He was ahead of his time.
Cornette telling wrestling history is something we need more of visually.
The only way is to go to Louisville, KY cause he said his ass ain’t leaving😂
Jim really is keeping the days when wrestling was great and special alive through sharing his memories in longform on his show and others. The man is a treasure.
Indeed
I second that
the closest thing to visuals is those thumbnail art on his youtube videos lol
The fact that he was just telling a story without even knowing the camera was on is so cool of him Jim is awesome
Corny is the GOAT!!! No one on Earth is as knowledgeable and verbose about wrestling as Cornette
RIGHT! Lol He told the story so good and that’s just how he tells it to people, not any emphasis for the camera just pure passion, love it 🙌🏽🔥
It's a Recurring Routine Jim Does on Occasion ... Watch the RF Video Shoot Interview He Hosted with Rip Rogers for an Example of Such
The Preview Should Still be on RUclips
Jim has 2 podcasts where he talks all about old wrestling tales. They are always entertaining to listen to. This is, and will always be, one of the best told stories in wrestling.
Cornette Experience & Drive Thru
The man is a living legend!!!!
We don't get much wrestling content on the podcasts anymore but the is some really great stories in the archives
Jim Cornette is a living breathing wrestling encyclopedia
And hilarious when he criticises modern wrestling
And a great manager as well.
kinda. he's very good at wrestlers, events, dates, etc.; but he's laughably bad at public perception of wrestling. for example, in this video, he claims that there were 40 years of debate over whether the feud was real or not -- he's just factually wrong here, there was literally no room for debate on the feud after it was acknowledged as worked in 90s documentaries and interviews. in general, cornette has this weird bias where he seems to think that kayfaybe was a well-kept secret; the reality is, promoters acknowledged wrestling as staged in the late 30s.
He's the God of wrestling knowledge. 🙌
He's a genius when it comes to wrestling. But, he's a liberal, and well that says everything I need to know about his intelligence.
This is what is missing in professional wrestling. The fact that 2 performers could pull off a story to this degree must be recognized and applauded.
People were a lot easier to fool back then too. You couldn’t get away with calling Taker & Kane brothers nowadays.
@@salamisumo2Idk, some might say Americans are as docile as we've ever been. Look at who we chose to run our country. 🤷♂️
You can't compare it. This is over forty years ago. There was no social media or instant communication.
This definitely still happens! Look at the influencers turned boxers etc, also didn't we just have an infamous slap happen on live TV?
I think Kaufman always wanted the performance of a lifetime that would be talked about for centuries... He accomplished that just right before he died.
You mean just before he faked his death
Man on the Moon
Their feud created Kayfabe!!!
👍
@@BigBadJerryRogers 👍
Jerry lawler, talked about Andy, they were actually good friends, he said Andy told him to make it real, to slap him as hard as he could for the letterman show. They even practice the pile driver and the few moves they did in the ring so he wouldn’t get hurt. When Andy dies Jerry was at his funeral in tears. They were that close
Jim Carey did the same thing during the filming of Man In The Moon. The only difference is that Jerry enjoyed slapping Jim because Carey was a dickhead.
Lmao, Jerry was absolutely not at his funeral. Stop lying. They also never even talked about the slap. This has been talked about to death. There really isn't any excuse to be this ignorant. 😂
They were friends although I never heard about the funeral but it’s probably proof positive that Kaufman didn’t fake his death like it has been speculated. Lawler would have been in on the gag probably.
@@Rjensen2 David Letterman has admitted several times in recent interviews that he was always in on whatever Andy was going to do on his show, including knowing fully what would happen with Lawler. He played along. You're the one who is ignorant. ruclips.net/video/zOwVwiJJ6tQ/видео.htmlsi=lWC_F3NdrCvnEvQf
@@Rjensen2it is well document he attended his funeral and was sobbing.
I will never ever tire of this story. Lawler was amazing through this.
Piledriver Symphony!
They both were
I hear that. It was all so confusing to me as a kid but I loved it. Now looking back on it as an adult, with all the facts out, it's even more confusing and I love it even more.
When I found otu that the whole thing was a work between friends seeing Man on the Moon I cracked up in the theater. Meeting Jerry as well was great.
@Mr.DeStylez I wouldn't mind meeting him. I remember watching the episode about how, tbh, he figured out there's a good chance Lauren Boebert is Stan Lane's kid via very close genetics and he cracked up.
I can listen to him tell stories for days.
His podcast is one of the best out there 😊
Jim Cornette, like Andy Kaufman, is a genius. Both of these guys knew how to work the audience to get deep-seated emotional reactions. There is a fine line between what is real and what is scripted in professional wrestling and these guys had people scratching their heads trying to figure it out!
I hear jc gets mad so easily. Imma assume it's his character.
The coffee throw was such a polite gesture by Kaufman too because it wasn’t planned and to make sure he didn’t burn Lawler, he does a fake throw so Lawler sees it coming and then throws it off to the side to protect him.
The coffee wouldn't have been anywhere near hot enough to scald Lawler
Doubt Lawler would be worried about luke warm coffee.
ruclips.net/video/1HNuoya8xqI/видео.html
👍
I think he either was acting like hesitated because he's "afraid" of Lawler or he wasn't sure if he should do this on TV
I saw Lawler interviewed years later in a RUclips video (look it up). He said it was water and that Andy did that hesitation move to let him know he was going to throw it.
So glad to see corny looking healthy, mans a wrestling encyclopedia and a treasure.
He's gotta make sure his health is in check so he can outlive Vince Russo.
Ding Dang Dong!! I thought that was Marty Shottenheimer!!
@@JackgarPrime Was just about to say that, LoL
@@JackgarPrime God knows that is the absolute focal point of hanging onto the ole' mortal coil, for Corny. 😂 Well played, sir.
It's not if it's real or not. It's if it gets you to question whether or not it is. That's the Pinnacle of a wrestling angle
Andy Kaufman may have been an actor but he was born to be a professional wrestler
Happy to see him get into Hall of Fame, I think he would have been honored and I am sure he would have made his speech memorable
Andy Kaufman protected the business, was a troll before the internet, and a reality star before streaming TV. SIDE NOTE: For those who like the way Jim tells stories, listen to his podcast, and find his channel on RUclips. He was around for a lot of the biggest moments in wrestling history, took thorough notes, and re-tells them like this but perhaps...a little more colorful.
Who can forget Andy in the ring in Tennessee giving a lesson on how to use a toothbrush??!! Heat magnet!!
A few notes for the younger audience:
- Before the ending of kayfabe (aka leting everyone know it's a show, not a sport) you really didn't know what was real and what was not. If you had ever seen an actual fight you knew something had to be going on but you really didn't know if the fueds were real and stuff.
- While it might seem silly now, back then ONE pile driver was sold as an almost career-ending move. Now guys take 6 pile drivers, but back then one would be what they would do in a storyline if the opponent wanted to go on vacation or something. Take a pile driver = gone for 3 week. Kaufman took two. He might as well have been dead.
I have a neck injury, and I know how bad it is. I was in an accident 30 years ago, and every couple of months, I'll sleep wrong, and end up in spasms that last at least a week, mostly two, and I am in awful pain, and can't move my head. I have a permanent whiplash injury, proven by workers comp. Neck injuries are really serious, nothing to joke about like they did. Peace
Lol 🤣
@@GOGOSLIFE "nothing to joke about"
That's not how comedy works.
I'm sorry. Your injury sounds unbearable. That must be difficult beyond what most can comprehend.
Neck braces are still hilarious.
HA-GAYYYYYYY
@@GOGOSLIFE same with back injury but not as bad.
I’ve heard this story told a million times by 1000 different perspectives… and it NEVER gets old. The stars aligned when Andy and Lawler found each other
Great story told by a great storyteller. So nice to see Jim Cornette happy and enjoying himself getting to tell this tale passionately for everyone to enjoy :)
jim cornette is truly a wrestling history treasure
He's a treasure period. Love that man
Preach
I hated him when I was a kid and thought wrasslin was real but now I love to hear his stories. Goddamn can that man tell a story
@Mr.DeStylez I will definitely check it out. Thank you. He is definitely one of my favorites now
Jim Cornette can tell a story with the best of them
he’s lost some weight!! must be eating less burgers and drinking diet sprite!!!
@@jessgarbanzobean not being on the road eating triples from Wendys will help you lose weight. Also just getting older and cutting some of the weight.
Jim draws more heat and is more over sitting from his couch talking on a mic the. Wrestlers in the ring today.
@@jessgarbanzobean hes trying to outlive vince russo lol
@@jessgarbanzobean Sprite Zero is his signature juice
Cornett`s putting over Andy is pure art.
Andy Kaufman lived his life in 'Kaye Fabe'. Gone way too soon. I was way too young to understand his art when he was alive. When I saw the movie about him (Man On The Moon), I realized this man was one of the greatest of all time. Definitely the greatest at what he did.
This guy should be hosting his own TV show on Vice about wrestling history! I'd watch!
My thoughts exactly. And he has enough stories over a 40+ year career in wrestling to make several series for Vice and we would eat it up. !
Good story teller. When you take it all together the whole thing just looks like the longest and most convincing sketch that Andy ever pulled off. Next level, crazy genius.
Props for the amazing storytelling by Jim. These stories are solid gold
The GREATEST story EVER told, I've heard and read and seen a clip of it on T.V.back in the day.I never get tired of hearing this story.R.I.P Andy.
Perhaps you caught part of the movie Man On The Moon about Kaufman? He is played by Jim Carey.
@@dustinschings7042 I saw that movie
I was living in Memphis during this, didn't attend the match though they showed bits of it on the news. We all loved Jerry The King Lawyer, while hating Kaufman at that time.
When they made their appearance on David Letterman and Jerry slapped Andy, it was replayed on all the local stations, we had 3 major ones at that time, for I believe at least 2 days.
It's a fine story, but the greatest story ever told?????? The Iliad, Moby Dick, Shakespeare? I guess not.
@@conniecarroll747 I was there. Every Monday night. Never seen the colosseum crowd that worked up before.
Jim is one of the greatest story teller of all time, I love all his broadcasts. RIP Andy
Jim is an excellent storyteller and has probably forgotten more about wrestling history than most of us are ever going to learn.
It's amazing that Andy was such a trail blazer in stand up comedy. AND he did all of this with wrestling. It's a Michael Jordan switching to baseball level movie; except for the fact that Andy was amazing in both worlds!
I've been a massive Kaufman fananic for years. This video was amazing.
I grew up watching Mid-South Wrestling. Those were good times as a kid. Jerry the king Lawler, The Junkyard Dog and Mr X we're on Saturday afternoon after the cartoons.
Jim is an exceptional story teller
Once Kaufman was doing a comedic performance,he came out stood there never said a word at first audience giggled,then in a couple of minutes began booing in a chorus.He stood there a few more minutes then walked off.
I love to listen to Jim telling stories from his awesome carrier with a smile on his face. You the man.
Andy Kaufman needs to be inducted into the WWE hall of fame for celebrities.
As does Jim cornette
They finally inducted him,
Cornette is a national treasure.
Everything from his time with WWF and the infamous Dairy Queen incident is golden. Definitely a one of a kind and a treasure for wrestling historians.
BIll Apter too!!!!
It's funny ,I stopped watching Wrestling in 2000 but I listen to his podcasts every week or any shoot interview he does. He's just crazy and has so much knowledge. I don't even know a lot of today's wrestlers but will sit there and listen to him talk about them and matches and I'm hyped about it.
Mark madden says hello
100th like
This was amazing and corny is a legendary storyteller
Cornette is a fantastic story-teller.
Andy being a fan of pro wrestling made an awesome story with the King Lawler!
I was old enough to watch this in real time and they had us all fooled and it was brilliant television.
I am only today learning it was a gag. I have been horrified by what happened for decades.
I love that man. His podcasts are actually a highlight of my week
That's how passionate Jim is about wrestling. He didn't even know the camera was rolling (at the end of video) and still told a heart felt, passion filled, & entertaining story.
I never know what this channel is going to post but I’m never disappointed 😅❤
Cornette was working behind the scenes in WWF/WWE by the time I started watching wrestling. I'm so glad he's had success with various outlets on the internet over the years because he's one of my favorite people that I've ever had the pleasure of watching or listening to
I saw the whole thing at like 14 years old and at the time it was crazy. This dude Kaufman was man-handling these women on TV it was crazy and I was a David letterman fan for some reason since 12 and I felt real anxiety when they came on the show. After that everyone thought Kaufman died from the injuries of wrestling Lawler and wrestling exploded! WWF,WCW,NWA,and Glow. It was nuts. I believe this rivalry is the reason for Wrestling being the juggernaut it's been over the last 35 years.
Memphis native here. I’m 50 and remember all the hype in the 1970s-80s. Rasslin’ would come on TV every Saturday at noon, after the Saturday morning cartoons. My grandpa loved it.
I could listen to Jim talk wrestling all day
Absolutely loved Andy Kaufman, his insanity and over the top performances helped influence the character I have created.
Andy Kaufman will always make me sad when thinking about him.
What a great artist and his "rivalry" with Jerry will always be unforgettable!
More Cornette clips please
The greatest prank in the history of the world and credit to Lawler and Kaufman for making the world believe their feud was real for decades afterwards.
Jim Cornette was a phenomenal valet and heel, and he is one of the greatest storytellers that have ever existed. Great video because of the story and the personalities involved.
Valet eh
what a fantastic job shooting that gallery of photos from the event!!
i hope people are appreciating the talent that went into that
Grew up loving the wwf/raw and wrestled in school then got into ring announcing as I grew up and became a stand up comedian. I am now the General Manager of an all inclusive LGBTQ+ Wrestling Ent co. Called “What A Drag” that has Drag Queen performances in between the wrestling. Our wrestlers are pros from all over. It’s incredible! We mix so much comedy and craziness in our shows!!! We don’t conform and we honor the professional wrestling sport. Shoot, we just got AEW’s Sonny Kiss out and are actively working with Rikishi!!! ANDY KAUFMAN OPENED THAT DOOR! He’s so underrated!!! When I was a kid I was obsessed with Jim Carey, and the Kaufman film was so captivating. It inspired me immensely. I’m so glad I got into him, I wouldn’t be where I am without those greats. This whole story is so well told and iconic!!! I’ve never been so excited to hit the share button. ❤️⚡️
Jim is a encyclopedia of what the real life of being a true “WRASSLER!” Entails. I am so much more interested in the stuff we didn’t see and glad we have a insiders recollection of those amazing times.
Best work in wrestling history.
Greatest feud in wrestling. Bar none .. nobody knew it was a work. I didn’t.. 1982 ..man I wish I could go back to that time..
Jim Cornette is a real time capsule for wrestling, we all need to be grateful while we still got him. 💪🏾🙏🏾
This Cornette kid is good about telling a story. He is really good about putting a story together. Hes going places I tell ya
😂😂😂
Jim Cornette, the incomparable storyteller, carries the whole piece effortlessly, like I knew he would.
Funfact: In the late 1980s, exact that storyline was recreated in european wrestling in germany in the early days of privat televison. A guy namend "Horst Brack" went after europes biggest wrestler Renne Lasartesse during Midnight-TV for several month. It was the first big thing on german private-TV and the last bigger event for european wrestling.
Damn…… this is the healthiest I’ve ever seen Jim. He dropped a lot of weight.
I actually had to pause watching because I was crying so hard. To the people who made this happen: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are angels.
One of the greatest works ever
9:29 that's the photo of locker room Jim took where he mentioned it's the only existing photo that shows Lawler and Kaufmann together as friends, because after they agreed to extend Andy's appearances, they stayed away from each other.
thank you for this. Kaufman vs Lawler was pure Gold. The Beginning of sports entertainment. Revolutionary Stuff. the Tale of a Legend.
It's good to see Jim looking healthy
Jim Cornette looks younger and healthier at 61 than in his 30s. Always great listening to this raconteur ! ❤️
Knowing the behind scenes makes the late night fight so freaking funny! These two were light-years ahead of the game
Great video! Thanks for making it.
Jim is like Benjamin Button. Never seem him look this good and healthy and dress this nice. I love him talking about the territories, he just comes alive with joy. If you get a chance to meet him he’s a really great guy.
Jim's a great historian!🤟 And he's still got a sparkle in his eyes when he tells these stories.☺
As a young man this was interesting to learn I didn’t know that lawler was on comedy tv mind blowing this is why I love wrestling you learn something new every day
He may have been a mediocre wrestler, but he definitely knew how to make people engaged and laugh and cheer. Let us all be able to enjoy things like he did. Rest in peace man
Lawler and Kaufman freakin snowballed everyone and man It was absolutely beautiful. I didn’t see it, wasn’t born yet, but I really appreciate it
loved the kaufman/lawler/memphis episode. kaufman ironically was made for wrestling. the guy's time on earth was way too short. what a gift he has given us for so many years to enjoy.
Corny needs a weekly TV show just telling old wrestling stories. We’re so lucky to have this man
He does ~6 hours of podcasts per week. I don't think he likes people enough to do a tv show nowadays lol.
@@zackc3767 I'd pay good money to be able to watch Corny do the podcast
The Jim Cornette drive thru and the Jim Cornette experience.
He also appears occasionally on inside the ropes
Andy Kaufman should be considered one of wrestling's greatest heels.
He is the pioneer of trolling.
As a kid I bought into the whole story completely and it's really cool to see the backstory to it
And it only took nearly 40 years to get Andy into the HOF...
That is amazing jim cornette is such a good story teller!!
Great time to be a fan, a great story, and a great storyteller! My Dad loved him some Miss Foxy!
“My Breakfast with Blasse” is a CLASSIC. Look it up if you’re unfamiliar. Kaufman was a great actor and a great human as well.
Gotta love That Jim Cornette. He brings you into the story that he's telling like you were the kid he was when it happened.
God I love Jim Cornette
He's a national treasure in my book
Jim is so good because he has so much passion and he’s a good talker with personality I can listen to him talk about classic and modern wrestling for hours
This was the best piece of vice reporting that they've done in years.
Bill Apter, the unsung hero of pro wrestling photography
I loved every single second of this! Longe live Corny!!!!
My adolescent self thanks Lawler, Kaufmann and Letterman for the greatest and smartest entertainment one could hope for. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Great to see Cornette on camera happy and healthy!
The greatest work in pro wrestling, and no one mentions that hilarious outfit- long johns with shorts on the outside that Kaufman wore! 😆
The infamous promo by the pool was in Lawler's back yard lol!
"Is that how they talk down here in MAMPHIS TENNUHSEE MR. LAWLER!??! See Mr. Lawler, you don't have any brains! I'm from Hollywood...I have the brains!"--Andy Kaufman
My man was cuttin' s-tier promos 35 years ahead of his time.
It's insane that someone so knowledgeable in wrestling like Jim Cornette is alive during a time when wrestling is unwatchable garbage
He's very outspoken about how and why wresting is garbage these days.
There will never be another Andy, he was a true legend, rest in peace.
Along with his favorite wrestler Buddy Rogers!
What a great feud!!!! When people thought what they were seeing was legit. I love it
Im so glad Jim mentioned this on his podcast, so I knew to look for it.
Andy Kaufman was savage! He once sat down and read The Great Gatsby for a comedy show. A true pioneer. 🤣😂🤣