André the Giant
André René Roussimoff ( born May 19, 1946 in Molien, France, † January 27, 1993 in Paris), better known as André the Giant, was a French wrestler and actor. Roussimoff was suffering from the disease gigantism and acromegaly growth, which made him very big and a very moderate constitution -related. Because of this hulking appearance, he was also called " The Eighth Wonder of the World " and was in the 1970s and early 1980s, the most successful star of the wrestling business. However, the same disease has also led Roussimoffs relatively early demise. He was posthumously introduced in 1993 as the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame.
- 3.1 Height
- 3.2 Find out more
- 4.1 Title
- 4.2 Awards
Private
Roussimoff was born the son of a Bulgarian immigrant Boris and Polin Marianne Roussimoff in Molien, France. While his parents and four siblings were of normal height, he suffered from acromegaly, which caused a tremendous growth in him.
At the age of 12 he had on his parents' farm doing the work of a grown man. He dropped out after the eighth year out of school and left at 14 his parents' house. He served an apprenticeship in woodworking, and then worked in a factory that manufactured engines for Heuverarbeitungsmaschinen. But he returned back home back first, because it did not appeal to this work. According to his brother sat at this time be a tremendous growth.
Roussimoff was never married, but has an illegitimate daughter ( born 1979 ).
Career
1964, less than 17 years old, 2.08 m tall and about 130 kg in weight, Roussimoff moved to Paris to train wrestling. His life and training there he financed as removal. He finally came together with the wrestler Frank Valois, who took up his.
His first professional wrestling match had Roussimoff at the age of 18 years. He came first as Andre " The Butcher " Roussimoff and Geant Ferre in Europe. Six years later, after winning the IWA World Tag Team title, he went to Canada to Edouard Carpentier and appeared there as Jean Ferre. He was an absolute public attraction with its impressive height of about 2.13 m and now weighing about 170 kg. Typical of him were 2 - or 3-on - 1 Handicap match or matches against other great wrestlers such as Don Leo Jonathan Killer Kowalski or.
More career
1973-1983
In order to guide his career in the right ways, presented Roussimoff his former coach Frank Valois as a manager. This gave him a meeting with Vince McMahon Sr., the then President of the WWWF (now WWE), and in 1973 he had his first match in this organization as Andre the Giant. Since Roussimoff earned this much money and should not wear the attraction of the giants, McMahon gave him for guest appearances on other organizations such as the NWA, AWA and Japan.
In 1975 Roussimoff his first appearance in a television series, when he played Bigfoot in The Six Million Dollar Man with Lee Majors. He also appeared on The Tonight Show and had a 1976 show boxing match against at least 1.97 m wide professional boxer Chuck Wepner, whom he defeated with ease.
In 1981, he parted from Valois and Frenchy Bernard took as a manager. At this time Roussimoff already weighed nearly 230 kg, and got severe back problems. In the same year he appeared as the first wrestler in the Sports Illustrated. A broken ankle, which resulted from his massive body weight, was used as a storyline for a feud with Killer Khan. In addition Roussimoff feuded at this time with wrestlers like Abdullah the Butcher, The Sheik, "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd, Stan Hansen and the young Hulk Hogan.
1983-1988
1983 began with one Roussimoff Big John Studd before a man who came close to his own stature. You wrote it a storyline for a long feud, who the "true giant" of wrestling. Culminated this feud at Wrestlemania 1 in 1985. Studd bet $ 15,000 in cash that Roussimoff would not be able to give him a body slam. Roussimoff again began his active career. Roussimoff " slammed " Studd and distributed the money in the audience.
After Roussimoff 1986 Hogan ran against King Kong Bundy and Studd and could win Battle Royal at WrestleMania 2, he had to undergo back surgery and was officially suspended. He returned after initially under a mask back and met with Bill Eadie and Blackjack Mulligan to as The Machines against Bobby Heenan grouping Heenan Family.
In 1987, a major turning point in Roussimoffs career and he was, at least in the United States, for the first time Heel. You put him precisely those Heenan as a manager aside and let him a title match against his former friend Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 3 call. The fight took place at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan before allegedly over 90,000 spectators instead. Although the number of viewers has been exaggerated by the WWE, it was the largest number of spectators at a wrestling event. Roussimoff should lose what is commonly seen as a torch handover between him and Hogan at the top of the wrestling business.
1988-1992
However, Roussimoff was allowed the following Survivor Series win with his team against Hogan and in February, 1988 in a staged, controversial decision ( Ted DiBiase exchanged the twin brothers Earl and Dave Hebner as referee ) for the first time received the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Roussimoff " sold " the title, according to storyline but directly to DiBiase, and the title was declared vacant. The background was that in the long term could not be planned as champions with him. Roussimoffs last appearance in the main event took place at SummerSlam 1988, where he took along with DiBiase as Megabucks against Hogan and Randy Savage. Roussimoff was at this time now to 250 kg body weight and had now to struggle with serious health problems.
He feuded briefly in 1989 with Jake " The Snake" Roberts and met at Wrestlemania 5 on this and his old arch-rival Big John Studd, who served as a guest referee. Single matches could Roussimoff but then also no longer deny. Therefore we formed a team with Haku, The Colossal Connection was called. Managed by Bobby Heenan they were the former Tag Team Champions Demolition remove the titles, they lost at Wrestlemania 6 but again the same. After that fight, Roussimoff moved back to Facebook and now pursued Heenan. An interesting side note to this is that Roussimoff only a short time was able to defeat Demolition in Japan later, this time with his Japanese counterpart Giant Baba as a partner. He had a guest appearance at WrestleMania 7, and his last appearance at a major event, the WWF was at SummerSlam 1991, in support of the Bushwhackers. On 4 December 1992 Roussimoff had his last match in Japan. Another 6- Man Tag Match took place shortly before his death in Mexico against Bad News Brown, Bam Bam Bigelow and Yokozuna instead.
Death
On 27 January 1993 André René Roussimoff died in his sleep of heart failure. Twelve days earlier, he had traveled to the funeral of his father to Paris. He had to be transferred to the United States because there is no crematorium was big enough. His ashes were scattered at his ranch. He was in the same year, the first was included in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Others
Height
Few issues have been discussed so extensively and heatedly by wrestling fans as Roussimoffs real body size. After discussion, eyewitness reports, comparing pictures and other sources is most likely that he was about 2.13 m tall. He even had to compete after the second operation in a brace, which explains the change of his costume. Especially in the American Wrestling, it is common to exaggerate the statistics, especially for very large wrestlers again, so that they can apply as an attraction.
Find out more
- Took the nickname " The 8th Wonder of the World " from the movie King Kong.
- His shoes were U.S. size 24
- Bred horses and cattle on his ranch in Ellerbe, North Carolina.
- Had the late 1980s sit outside the ring because of circulatory problems and pain in legs and back in a special wheelchair.
- In his honor, was the WWE Hall of Fame in 1993, in which he was taken first.
- Served as a template for Shepard Fairey's " Andre the Giant Has A Posse " or " Obey Giant " street art campaign.
Achievements
Title
- Independent Wrestling Association 1x IWA World Tag Team Championship with Michael Nador
Awards
- World Wrestling Federation The first member of the WWE Hall of Fame 1993
- PWI500 results Place 116 in the list of 1991
- PWI Match of the Year 1981
- PWI Match of the Year 1988
- PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year 1988
- PWI Stanley Weston Award 1993
- Bobby " The Brain" Heenan Scholarship Award 1987
- Best Feud of the Year 1981
- Hall of Fame 1996