Professional wrestle has had more than its share of giants , but none tolerate taller in the eye of wrestling fans than the legendary Andre The Giant . During the 70 ’s and 80 ’s , Andre was lawfully the biggest grapple ace in the intact cosmos , and his fame expanded outside the squared circle , even into the realm of Hollywood . Tales of his effort are legion , as it seems that every matman from that era has a chronicle about Andre , whether about his exceptional size and strength , his impressive capacity for alcoholic drink , or his genial , well-disposed nature with almost everyone he fulfil . You could fill up a very large book about the fable of Andre The Giant ( and several already have been write ) , and only scratch the airfoil , but here are some of the most interesting facts we found about wriggle ’s most unique Superstar .
10. Driven To School By Samuel Beckett
Any English major or theater buff worth their salt should recognize the name of playwright Samuel Beckett , who wrote dozens of gambling and poem , include the famousWaiting For Godot , and received a Nobel Prize for his contributions to literature . That same Samuel Beckett also buy a tumid patch of land in France , becoming neighbours and friends with Boris Roussimoff , the father of the humans who would one day be roll in the hay as Andre The Giant . Even at a young eld , Andre ’s acromegaly made him awkwardly large , to the point that he could not take the coach to school . Upon hearing of Andre ’s trouble , Beckett offer to take him to school in a truck , and the two hold fast , apparently over a making love of cricket . It ’s potential that Beckett was at least partially responsible for Andre ’s professed love of the theater , although he never went , because he was afraid that he would stymie the persuasion of other patrons .
9. Drafted By The French Army
Andre ’s massive size do many incredible complications over his living , from being force to qualify his house to accommodate him , to purchasing multiple seats on aeroplane , to being forced to employ bathtubs and other habitue for sure corporeal office when travelling around the world , due to toilets being far too small for him . His large sizing also cope to make him ineligible for the French United States Army , which he was blueprint into during pacification time in 1965 . When he arrived , however , it was discovered that he was too enceinte to match into any of the required uniform , as well as the built in bed . In fact , Andre ’s size also made it impossible for him to outfit inside trench , which was still a large part of ground combat at the sentence . In the final stage , Andre was told to go home .
8. Appeared In Multiple Films/TV Shows
Everyone remembers Andre ’s role as Fezzik in the filmThe Princess Bride , however , Andre actually had several roles in both flick and video that are less well - think . He appear on several popular TV shows in pocket-size part , such asBJ and The BearandThe swell American Hero . He also found his mode into more than one Hollywood film in addition toThe Princess Bride , inlcuding an uncredited role as Dagoth inConan The Barbarian , where he became friends with Arnold Schwarzeneggar . Ironically , in the original casting forThe Princess Bride(the first attempt to make the picture show fell through , before finally being made several years later ) , Schwarzeneggar was supposed to play Fezzik , because at the time , Andre was too big of a champion to have time for film a motion-picture show ! After his death , Andre was also the inhalation for the movieMy Giant , starring Billy Crystal , who had become good admirer with Andre during the shoot ofThe Princess Bride .
7. The Greatest Drunk On Earth
Andre ’s love life of alcoholic potable was fabled , as he reportedly consume over 7,000 nutritionist’s calorie worth of alcohol every day . Several confirmed stories be of Andre pledge over a hundred beer or several bottles of vino in a undivided posing , and he was give the unofficial title of the “ Greatest Drunk on Earth ” . In fact , an urban legend ( which has never been confirmed ) live which claim that when Andre was deliver surgery , a problem go up when it came to determining how much anasthesia to use , due to his size , and the Doctor allegedly used his tier of alcohol tolerance in order decide a basis for the medication . Unfortunately , Andre ’s philia for drinking had a dark side to it , as Andre used it as a form of self - medication due to the massive amount of pain because of his experimental condition , and also to address with how sticky his size made him feel in public .
6. The Highest-Paid Wrestler In The World
In 1974 , Andre made his way into the Guiness Book of World Records , however , it was n’t for the reason you might think . In fact , Andre was listed in the book as the highest - paid wrestler in the entire world , with an annual earnings of roughly $ 400,000 , which equalize to about $ 2 million by forward-looking standards . While he did make a great deal of money ( and made several wrestling promoters even more ) , much of Andre ’s wealth went towards the expenses necessary to make him well-fixed in a world that was far too small for him . He required custom - made habiliment , furniture , and even his plate in France had extensive modifications . Andre ’s bar bill were also extensive , and the monetary value of travelling to wrestling result in other country was prohibitive , give the challenges of finding carpenter’s plane and hotel rooms that could manage his bulk .
5. Andre Always Paid
While he was well - pay off for his work , Andre was never selfish with his wealth . Multiple story have been told about his unselfishness , particularly when dining with friends . Whether he was ask in to attend or taking friends out on the townsfolk , when you ate and drank with Andre , you never yield the bill . One of the most famous report of Andre ’s insistence on picking up the cheque came from Arnold Schwarzeneggar , who talk about taste to secretly pay for dinner while Andre was distracted . When Andre unwrap what Arnold had done , he enacted a swift retaliation on his friend , reportedly cull up the future Governor of California ( who , let ’s not leave , was not a lowly human race ) with the assistance of another friend , basketball ace Wilt Chamberlain , and leave out the activeness virtuoso on the ceiling of his car .
4. Not The Tallest Wrestler Ever
Andre may have been a true heavyweight , and the Eighth Wonder of the World , but in wrestling history , there have actually been several other wrestlers who stood marvellous than his 7’4″ height . Many are not that well - known , but among the names on the leaning is Giant Gonzalez , a former NBA player who spent time in both WCW and WWE , and was an amazing 7’7″. Gonzalez suffered from a similar condition as Andre , and go on away in 2010 due to diabetic complications ensue from it . Of of course , much like The Big Show is now placard as the World ’s Largest Athlete , height is n’t the only measurement of size , as Andre also count over 500 pound by the end of his grappling career . Andre was so large , that when he died , his cremated remains reportedly weighed over 17 pounds .
3. His Daughter
Andre never splice , although he was reportedly quite the ladies man , and he did have one daughter , Robin Christensen Roussimoff , who was born in 1979 . Andre ’s daughter has say that her sire ’s stardom cause some problems in her life , making it nearly inconceivable to date . She maintain a professional relationship with WWE , mostly in terms of receiving royalties for economic consumption of her father ’s semblance , but she also has speak publically about dislike the current WWE product , and Vince McMahon in particular , read that Vince ’s father was a far good man than him . She also reportedly was n’t thrilled with the “ OBEY ” figure of Andre , which were done without permit , although she has been receptive to anyone who wants to utilise Andre ’s bequest for projects , as long as they ask ahead of metre .
2. He Wasn’t Really Undefeated Before WrestleMania III
Despite what WWE continues to separate mass , Andre was never undefeated for 15 year , and had lost or go to draw several times in his career before losing to Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III . Hogan also was not the first military man to bodyslam Andre , as that exploit was accomplished over a dozen times in the years before WrestleMania III . In fact , Hogan himself bodyslammed Andre during Hogan ’s first , unheralded footrace in WWE , when Hogan actually played a dog against the babyface Giant . However , in an old age before the cyberspace and instantaneous memory access to information , it ’s likely that very few people actually love the truth . Besides , it did make for a better story , did n’t it ?
1. First Inductee Into The WWE Hall of Fame
After Andre ’s passing in 1993 , WWE established their Hall of Fame , make him the very first and only inductee . At the time , there was no ceremony , and the inductance did n’t even take place at WrestleMania . Instead , a telecasting software system annunciate Andre ’s trigger was played on an episode of Monday Night Raw . Andre would n’t be alone for long , however , as WWE would induct three more classes of Hall of Famers from 1994 - 1996 , before abandoning the construct . WWE would resurrect the Hall of Fame in 2004 for the twentieth edition of WrestleMania , turning it into the yearly ceremony full of spectacle that cover to this day . In 2014 , as part of the promotion for the 30th edition of WrestleMania , WWE also created the Andre The Giant Memorial Trophy , which is awarded to the victor of an annual battle royal at the Pay Per View .
