André René Roussimoff (born May 19, 1946), best known as André the Giant, is a French professional wrestler.
Background
Pre-WrestleMania
WrestleMania I (1985)
WrestleMania III (1987)
The feud between André and Hogan began on an episode of Piper's Pit when WWF President Jack Tunney presented Hogan with a trophy for being the WWF World Heavyweight Champion for three years, and André, his good friend, came out to congratulate him but cryptically remarked "Three years to be a champion, its a long time". A week later on another episode of Piper's Pit, Tunney presented André with a visibly smaller trophy for being "undefeated in the WWF for 15 years" and Hogan came out to congratulate André, but before The Giant could speak, Hogan ended up being the focal point of the interview. Annoyed by this, André walked out during Hogan's congratulation speech. A week later on yet another Piper's Pit segment, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, a long-time adversary of Hogan and André, announced himself to be André's new manager. André then challenged Hogan to a title match at WrestleMania III and attacked Hogan, ripping off Hogan's T-shirt and crucifix necklace.
WrestleMania V (1989)
Jake "The Snake" Roberts and André the Giant began their feud in the fall of 1988 after André interfered in one of Roberts' matches against Rude. When Roberts retrieved his snake, Damien, from his bag, André became distressed, then petrified at the sight of the snake. When it became apparent André was deathly afraid of the snake, Roberts threw threw the snake onto André, causing him to collapse to the mat and pass out from a heart attack. André recovered and swore revenge.
Meanwhile, Andre's longtime adversary, Big John Studd returned to the WWE in late 1988, rejected a "welcome back" from longtime manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and, in becoming a face, said he was coming after André. The André-Roberts feud, meanwhile, continued into early 1989 and eventually, Studd agreed to become the special guest referee for their match at WrestleMania.
Off wrestling appearances
Andre returns at WrestleMania VII, after a long absence, when he came to the aid of The Big Boss Man in his match against Mr. Perfect.
Match Record
| Winner | Loser | Location | WrestleMania | Stipulations | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| André the Giant | Big John Studd (with Bobby Heenan) | New York, New York | I | Body Slam Challenge for $15,000 | March 31, 1985 |
| André the Giant | Battle Royal | Rosemont, Illinois | 2 | WWE vs. NFL 20-man battle royal | April 7, 1986 |
| Hulk Hogan | André the Giant (with Bobby Heenan) | Pontiac, Michigan | III | Singles match for the WWE Championship | March 29, 1987 |
| Double DQ | André the Giant, Hulk Hogan | Atlantic City, New Jersey | IV | Quarter-final tournament match | March 27, 1988 |
| Jake Roberts | André the Giant (with Bobby Heenan) | Atlantic City, New Jersey | V | Singles match with special guest referee: Big John Studd | April 2, 1989 |
| Ax/Smash | André the Giant/Haku (with Bobby Heenan) | Toronto, Ontario | VI | Tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship | April 1, 1990 |
Legacy
André the Giant Memorial
| Winner | Date | Location | WrestleMania | Last eliminated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cesaro | April 6, 2014 | New Orleans, Louisiana | XXX | Big Show |
| Big Show | March 29, 2015 | Santa Clara, California | 31 | Damien Mizdow |
| Baron Corbin | April 3, 2016 | Arlington, Texas | 32 | Kane |
| Mojo Rawley | April 2, 2017 | Orlando, Florida | 33 | Jinder Mahal |
| Matt Hardy | April 8, 2018 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 34 | Baron Corbin |
In wrestling
- Finishing moves
- Double underhook suplex
- Elbow drop
- Sitout Splash (Seated senton)
- Tombstone Piledriver - Innovated
- Signature moves
- Bearhug
- Big boot
- Body slam
- Chokehold
- Double choke
- Forehand chop
- Headbutt
- Knee strike to an opponent's middle section
- Knife-edged chop
- Multiple turnbuckle thrusts
- Standing on a fallen, cornered opponent
- Walking on a fallen opponent's stomach
- Managers
- Lou Albano
- Ted DiBiase
- Bobby Heenan
- Frank Valois
- Arnold Skaaland
- K. Y. Wakamatsu
- Nicknames
- "(The) Boss"
- "The Wildcat"
- "The Eighth Wonder of the World"
- Entrance themes
- "Giant Press" (NJPW)
- "Giant" by Jim Johnston (used in various WWE video games)
- "Ave Satanus" by John Christopher Payne (used in various WWE video games)
Championships and accomplishments
- Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2016
- Championship Wrestling from Florida
- NWA Florida Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Dusty Rhodes
- International Pro Wrestling
- IWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Michael Nador
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Class of 2002
- Stampede Wrestling
- Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame
- World Championship Wrestling (Australia)
- NWA Austra-Asian Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Ron Miller
- World Wrestling Federation/WWE
- WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Haku
- WWF World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WWE Bronze Statue
- WWF Hall of Fame (Class of 1993)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Feud of the Year (1981) vs. Killer Khan
- Most Embarrassing Wrestler (1989)
- Worst Feud of the Year (1984) vs. Big John Studd
- Worst Feud of the Year (1989) vs. the Ultimate Warrior
- Worst Worked Match of the Year (1987) vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 3
- Worst Worked Match of the Year (1989) vs. the Ultimate Warrior on October 31
- Worst Tag Team (1990, 1991) with Giant Baba
- Worst Wrestler (1989, 1991, 1992)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)
| WWE Champions |
|---|
| Bruno Sammartino ● Bob Backlund ● Iron Sheik ● Hulk Hogan ● André the Giant ● Ultimate Warrior ● Sgt. Slaughter ● Undertaker ● Ric Flair ● Bret Hart ● Yokozuna ● Diesel ● Shawn Michaels ● Sycho Sid ● Stone Cold Steve Austin ● Kane ● The Rock ● Mankind ● Triple H ● Mr. McMahon ● Big Show ● Kurt Angle ● Chris Jericho ● Brock Lesnar ● Eddie Guerrero ● JBL ● John Cena ● Edge ● Rob Van Dam ● Randy Orton ● Jeff Hardy ● Batista ● Sheamus ● The Miz ● CM Punk ● Alberto Del Rio ● Daniel Bryan |
