There are events that leave their mark in wrestling that will remain forever in the memories of fans. Then there are events that leave their mark wrestling but that is hardly remembered by many as the story I'm about to tell.
Have you ever heard of Andy Kaufman?
No? Yet it is a legend of wrestling!
Well ... actually he was one-man show, a sort of surreal comedy, here ... but still fought hundreds of meetings from 1979 to 1983 retiring as undefeated champion, taking the title in the tomb of "Intergender Wrestling Champion ".
What? You've never even heard of this title?
Well ... then it is il caso di cominciare a raccontare la leggenda di Andy Kaufman.
Andy Geoffrey Kaufman
naque il 17 gennaio del 1949, a New York da genitori ebrei. Da piccolo era Teledipendente e sognava di diventare, un giorno, il più grande entertainer del mondo. Kaufman fu etichettato come comico, una definizione che andava stretta sia a lui che ai fans che lo seguivano. Andy non era né il più famoso o il più acclamato comico del suo tempo. Egli era uno Showman!
Come dice infatti il suo amico fraterno e complice, Bob Zmuda: "There is an unwritten rule that binds the comedian and his audience: the comic is expected to make the audience laugh. Andy has been erroneously labeled as made his debut as a comedian in comedy clubs (cabarets American ), and so the audience was often puzzled and even irritated when he did not laugh. But Andy felt the growing tension in the room and eat it like a comic book superhero that devours negative energy. This was the reward for having called comedian.
think I'm funny? Then I'll show you .... " He had many passioni: quella per Elvis, quella per le prostitute (molte di esse vennero persino a New York per il suo funerale), quella per la meditazione trascendendale e non ultima la passione per il wrestling, tanto che volle intervistare il famoso “Classy” Freddie Blassie in uno dei suoi discussi special.
Era un tipo strano, unico. Anzi duplice. Soffriva di sdoppiamento di personalità. Lui si truccava, mutava radicalmente il suo aspetto e diventava l’altro Andy, un cantante di Las Vegas di nome Tony Clifton, che appariva nei locali, in TV, quasi contemporaneamente ad Andy. Andy era un personaggio sostanzialmente buono, Tony era un cattivo. An unpleasant. A presumptuous. Odious.
In his performances he used to annoy the audience with jokes and bad attitudes really irritating.
There are people who still believe that Tony is not Andy, but we leave this topic because we need long to understand how this situation we should pause for a long time 'for you to realize that this guy was Tony and that he had relationships with Andy in this regard I recommend you see the movie "Man on the Moon" with Jim Carrey, and I refer you to the end of the book you will find links to explore everything.
But let the topic that interests you most: What does a Showman with wrestling?
Kaufman loved wrestling, and most adored the "heel" ... but he had neither the physical nor the strength nor the face to become a wrestler. Speaking with his friend Bob Zmuda came out that there is nothing to irritate more people than one who takes issue with the weakest. But who was weaker than an Andy Kaufman? He decided to include in his performances steadily for a moment that would annoy the female audience and then challenge them on a real wrestling ring (1979). But it was not a sporadic thing, women really hated Kaufman, machismo, he enjoyed it and now the match against a woman represents a milestone in his shows. He even invented the title "Intergen" putting up for grabs (about 400 times in total) always against opponents of the fairer sex.
One day in an arena of the USWA, Kaufman began his usual speech against women and against the people of the southern United States (they were in Memphis in Tennessee), but was suddenly interrupted by none other than Jerry "The King" Lawler, the King of Memphis!
Lawler, irritated by his speech he said something like, "Kaufman, if you think you have to challenge a man a man!" Andy agreed and the rest is history. Kaufman vs Lawler was advertised in the United States, making even a domestic case.
The two fought in Memphis on April 5, 1982.
The match began with Kaufman that he refused (to be true heel) to enter the ring, Lawler Kaufman to convince him to climb a huge advantage by giving it a Headlock advantage (see picture).
Andy accettò e mentre ripeteva al pubblico “I’m from Hollywood!!!”, Lawler reversò la presa alla testa trasformando la mossa in un backdrop devastante! Così “The King” in controllo volle eseguire un forte Piledriver che infortunerà al collo Kaufman. La mossa era allora bandita dal regolamento della USWA, quindi Lawler fu squalificato ed Andy Kaufman vinse per squalifica. 
Ad esso seguì il 28 Luglio dello stesso anno l’invito ad entrambi da parte del “Late Show” di David Letterman. Dopo aver visionato assieme la registrazione del match, Letterman cominciò a fare qualche domanda a Kaufman, mentre Lawler commentava con cinismo le sue dichiarazioni. Ad un certo punto “The King” irritato delle dichiarazioni di Andy si alzò dalla sedia e diede un pugno diretto alla faccia dell’infortunato Kaufman. Letterman imbarazzato manda la pubblicità. Al ritorno dalla pubblicità in diretta, si vede Kaufman alzato che insulta pesantemente Jerry Lawler, con Letterman che cerca di fermarli. A questo punto Andy prende la tazza di caffe e la tira in faccia al Re, bagnandolo. A questo punto Kaufman uscì di scena e Letterman salutò, ringraziandoli, entrambi gli invitati . Alla fine si scoprì che tutta questa storia non era altro che un “work” of both. Lawler said he had arranged it together with Andy and the story ended there.
Many other celebrities have trod the ring in recent years, among them Muhammad Ali, Mr. T, Dennis Rodman in the nWo, Kevin Greene, Mike Tyson, Karl Malone, David Arquette, Cyndi Lauper and Jay Leno but no one, and I repeat no one marked the history of wrestling, as did Andy Kaufman, who was able to live out the fantasies that many wrestling fans only dream of doing. Using his fame as a showman, Kaufman was able to enjoy a lot as one of the meanest wrestler that this sport has ever produced. The his skills in the ring were very questionable, but his skill at the microphone and his charisma made him one of the heel of greater impact than ever.
Kaufman died on May 16, 1984 of lung cancer in his grave ... taking the title of Intergender Wrestling Champion ...
dies Andy Kaufman, Tony Clifton not.
Strange is not it?
But Clifton was Andy Kaufman. And then how is this story?
There are people who still believe that Clifton was another person. In fact, to continue to live The Legend of Kaufman and his split personality never declared, other comedians continued to exhibit an alter-ego of Andy Kaufman, one of the most important ones in the Jim Carrey film about Kaufman (the aforementioned "Man On The Moon") and his close friend Bob Zmuda.
If history has fan, I recommend watching the film dedicated to him, "Man On The Moon", which in addition to an excellent soundtrack (REM, big fans of Kaufman, sang "Man on the Moon" , the text speaks of his own), has an exceptional provision of Carrey.
Small curiosity: Andy Kaufman appears also in the roster of video game "Legends of Wrestling 2" Acclaim as the secret character. In addition, more recently, the WWE has produced Action Figures dedicated to this incredible story!
If there was captivating story, get the special DVD "I'm From Hollywood" which tells all the whole story and much more!
