Fansided

5 best candidates for 2018 WWE Hall of Fame

By Cody Williams

Credit: WWE.com
Credit: WWE.com /
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American comedian Andy Kaufman (1949 – 1984) struggles during a match against female wrestler Lena Home, as a referee looks on, Hollywood, California, December 1979. (Photo by Bob V. Noble/Fotos International/Getty Images)
American comedian Andy Kaufman (1949 – 1984) struggles during a match against female wrestler Lena Home, as a referee looks on, Hollywood, California, December 1979. (Photo by Bob V. Noble/Fotos International/Getty Images) /

4. Andy Kaufman

While the WWE Hall of Fame indeed has a celebrity wing, Andy Kaufman should only loosely be associated with that. First and foremost, he should be inducted for what he did in the squared circle. Though it was well before the time of a national audience and never in WWE or WWF (in fact, he was dismissed by Vince McMahon Sr.), he was a star and part of one of the most well executed and well remembered feud in pro wrestling history.

Kaufman, as a comedian, had long incorporated wrestling into his act as he wrestled women as the Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion of the World. It was hilarious, but then it actually got taken more seriously when he was finally able to showcase his talents as a wrestling performer in Memphis, thanks to Jerry “The King” Lawler. The Kaufman-Lawler feud is one of the most hilarious, over-the-top, and simply great feuds that’s ever existed. They both played with fans’ expectations and Kaufman was simply an expert heel and foil to the Memphis wrestling hero in Lawler.

Unfortunately, Kaufman died of lung cancer at just 35 years old before he could ever even see pro wrestling hit the mainstream to the level it did a decade after his passing. However, the fact that his impact and legacy are yet to be honored is another tragedy. If for no other reason than to make modern fans aware of his place in wrestling history, Kaufman needs to be inducted as soon as possible.

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