André_the

{{Infobox Wrestler
|name=André René Roussimoff {{flagicon|France}}
|names=André Roussimoff Butcher Roussimoff Giant Roussimoff Monster Roussimoff Eiffel Tower Monster Eiffel Tower Jean Ferré Géant Ferré '''André the Giant''' Giant Machine
|image=AndréTheGiant2.jpg
|img_capt=
(7 ft 4 in)
|weight= 140 kg (309 lb) to 245 kg (540 lb)
|real_weight=
|birth_date={{birth date|1946|5|19|mf=y}}
|birth_place=[[Coulommiers, France]]
|death_date={{death date and age|1993|1|27|1946|5|19}}
|death_place=[[Paris, France]]
|resides=
|billed=[[Grenoble]], [[France]]
|trainer=Frank Valois [[Édouard Carpentier]]
|debut=1964
|retired=1992
}}

'''André René Roussimoff'''{{Fact|date=December 2007}} ([[May 19]] [[1946]] – [[January 27]] [[1993]]),{{Fact|date=December 2007}} best known as '''André the Giant''', was a [[France|French]] [[professional wrestling|professional wrestler]] and [[actor]]. He was at least 2.09 metres (6 ft 10 in) tall and according to "The Official Site of Andre the Giant" 7' 4"<ref>{{citeweb|title=Andre the Giant Bio: Bio|url=http://www.andrethegiant.com/bio.html|accessdate=2007-12-31}}</ref>, and believed by many to have been over 2.13 metres (7 ft) at his tallest.<ref>http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/sports/andre-the-giant/</ref>{{Who|date=December 2007}} His great size was a result of a condition known as [[acromegaly]], and led to him being dubbed "The [[Eighth Wonder of the World]]."<ref>{{citeweb|title=Andre the Giant: Bio|work=WWE.com|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/andrethegiant/bio/|accessdate=2007-10-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.andrethegiant.com/|title=André the Giant official website.|accessdate=2007-07-08}}</ref>

In World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Rousimoff was [[WWE Champion|WWF Champion]] for only 45 seconds. In 1993 he was the first inductee into the [[WWE Hall of Fame]]. Rousimoff was one of the most famous professional wrestlers of the 1970s and 1980s, and was involved in a legendary match with [[Hulk Hogan]] in 1987 at ''[[WrestleMania III]]'', in which Hogan [[Professional wrestling throws#Body slam|bodyslammed]] the much larger Rousimoff to retain the [[WWE Championship|WWF Championship]].{{Fact|date=December 2007}}

==Birth and childhood==
André was born in Coulommiers, [[France]], to Boris and Marianne Roussimoff, who were of [[Bulgaria]]n and [[Poland|Polish]] descent, respectively. He was the third of five children. André was a good student but left school after 8th grade because he did not feel that it was important to have a high school education to live and work on a farm that was not his own. As an adolescent, he worked on the farm, completed an [[apprenticeship]] in [[woodworking]], then worked in a [[factory]] that manufactured [[engines]] for hay baling machines, but none of these jobs brought him any satisfaction. André was drafted into France's peacetime army, but was rejected during his physical because there were no shoes big enough to fit him.{{Fact|date=August 2007}}.

==Career==
===Early career===
André was discovered by [[Lord Alfred Hayes]], a wrestling promoter, and left home as a [[teenager]] to become a [[pro wrestler]] in [[Paris]]. He worked as a mover during the day, to pay his expenses, and trained in the ring at night. However, it was difficult to find wrestlers who were willing to train with him because of his size and strength. In 1964, [[Édouard Carpentier]], a well-known French wrestler, agreed to train with him. André was billed as "Géant Ferré", the name of a legendary French [[lumberjack]], and quickly made a name for himself. For the next few years, he wrestled in arenas and carnivals in [[Europe]] and [[Africa]]. By the time he was 21, he was a European wrestling star.{{Fact|date=August 2007}}

In 1969, [[Édouard Carpentier]] offered to bring André to [[North America]], but André had already signed to wrestle in [[Japan]], where he was billed as "Monster Roussimoff". While he was in Japan, a doctor there diagnosed him with [[acromegaly]], but André refused to accept either the diagnosis of or treatment for this condition.{{Fact|date=August 2007}}

After performing in Japan, André followed Carpentier to [[Montreal]], [[Canada]], where he was an immediate success. However, promoters eventually ran out of plausible opponents to fight him and, as the novelty of André wore off, gate receipts dwindled. Desperate, Carpentier reached out to [[Vincent J. McMahon]] and his son, [[Vince McMahon|Vince McMahon, Jr.]] for help. They suggested that André have a schedule that purely involved travel, so he would not wear out his welcome in any one area. They also suggested that he be billed as "André the Giant" for his North American audiences.{{Fact|date=August 2007}}
André also competed throughout various territories, including Puerto Rico with WWC and the NWA and AWA in the US.

===World Wrestling Federation (1973–91)===
====Face run (1973-1987)====
On [[March 26]], [[1973]], André made his WWF debut as a "face," short for [[Face (professional wrestling)|babyface]] or "good guy", defeating Buddy Wolfe in New York's [[Madison Square Garden]].

He was billed early in his career at a height of {{convert|7|ft|m|abbr=on}}; this was enlarged in the early 1970s to 7 ft 4 in (2.was 6 ft 10 in. Wepner's manager said André made the 6 ft 5½ in Wepner look like a baby, dwarfed beside André. In Meltzer's second book, ''Tributes II'',<ref>''Tributes II'' by [[Dave Meltzer]], 2024 m) and sometimes 7 ft 5 in (2.26 m) with a weight that ranged from 309 lb (140 kg) to 550 lb (249 kg). His actual height is contested, and there has been much speculation and debate over the issue. [[Jim Duggan]] and [[Bobby Heenan]] maintain that his [[kayfabe]] height was correct. Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer wrote in his book ''Tributes'' that Chuck Wepner, who faced André in a boxer vs. wrestler match in 1976, told reporters André 04, ISBN 1582618178, p. 68</ref>Meltzer claims André was measured at 6 ft 9 ¾ in 1974 by a French athletic commission at age 28.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/1474/andrewiltarnold4zr.jpg|title=Height comparison photo|accessdate=2007-07-08}}</ref> Meltzer also estimated André at 6 feet 11½ inches (2.12 m) when comparing him to fellow ''[[Conan the Destroyer]]'' star [[Wilt Chamberlain]] in 1984. However, Mike Mooneyham, another wrestling journalist, maintained in his obituary of André in 1994 that André was 7 feet 2 inches when he began wrestling. The exaggeration of his height probably comes from the fact that [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]] was the tallest renowned athlete in the world at the time at 7 feet 2 inches (2.19 m), and promoters wanted to bill André as the biggest athlete in the world. Nevertheless, the sight of him alone was enough to draw huge crowds during a time when there were only a handful of wrestlers over 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m); his condition, which included symptoms such as enlarged hands and feet and exaggerated facial features (acromegaly), likely aided the visual perception of him appearing larger than he actually was. Andre also had an abnormally large wrist, at 13", which is indicative of overall bone structure.<ref>http://www.solie.org/articles/andresi.html</ref> Back surgeries and posture problems later in life also contributed to his decrease in height.

He branched out into acting in the 1970s and 1980s, playing a Sasquatch ("[[Bigfoot]]") on the 1970s television series ''[[The Six Million Dollar Man]]'' and the character Fezzik in ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]''. By the time the chairman of the (renamed) World Wrestling Federation, [[Vince McMahon|Vincent K. McMahon]], began to expand his promotion to the national level in the early 1980s, André wrestled exclusively for WWF in the USA, while still holding international engagements.

He was offered a professional [[American football]] contract with the [[Washington Redskins]] after a tryout in 1974 and seriously considered it, but turned it down, reasoning that he could make far more money wrestling.{{Fact|date=June 2007}}

Before being signed to WWF, André had wrestled in Japan. It was here that a doctor diagnosed Roussimoff with his condition and told him that those with the same problem were generally lucky to reach 40 years of age.{{Fact|date=March 2007}}

André was one of WWF's most beloved "[[face (professional wrestling)|babyfaces]]" throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, the legend that for 15 years had never lost by [[Pinfall (professional wrestling)|pinfall]] or submission in a WWF ring before being pinned by [[Hulk Hogan]] on [[March 29]], [[1987]] at ''[[WrestleMania III]]''. However André actually ''had'' lost cleanly in matches outside of the parameters of WWF; a pinfall loss in [[Mexico]] to [[El Canek]] in 1984 and in [[Japan]] a submission loss to [[Antonio Inoki]] in 1986, as well as a controversial no-contest finish against [[Akira Maeda]], who used [[Heel (professional wrestling)|heel]] [[Shoot wrestling|shoot-style]] tactics, breaking kayfabe to nullify André's considerable size advantage. He also went sixty-minute time limit draws with the two other major world champions of the day, [[Harley Race]] and [[Nick Bockwinkel]].

André had memorable clashes all over the world with a variety of tough, rugged opponents. Among his chief rivals in the ring: [[Ed Farhat|The Sheik]] (who gained a deathmatch win over the Frenchman in 1974 with the help of his fireball), [[Abdullah the Butcher]], [[Stan Hansen]], [[Ernie Ladd]], and a young Hulk Hogan, who first met André in 1978 during his rookie years in the deep South. Hogan and André would go on to have one of the great WWF feuds of 1980, peaking in front of 36,295 fans at the [[Showdown at Shea]] event on [[August 9]], [[1980]] in [[Flushing, New York]]'s [[Shea Stadium]].

One of André's most bitter [[feud (professional wrestling)|feuds]] pitted him against the Mongolian terror [[Killer Khan]], who was managed by [[Fred Blassie]]. According to the storyline, Khan had broken André's ankle during a match in [[Rochester, New York]] by leaping off the top rope and crashing down upon it with his knee-drop. After a stay at Beth-Israel Hospital in Boston, André returned with payback on his mind. On [[November 14]], [[1981]] at the Philadelphia Spectrum, André exacted revenge by destroying Killer Khan in what was billed as a "Mongolian Stretcher Match", in which the loser must be taken to the dressing room on a stretcher. In reality, André had snapped his ankle getting out of bed one morning. The injury and subsequent rehabilitation was worked into the existing André/Khan storyline.

Another memorable André feud involved a man who considered himself to be "the true giant" of wrestling: the 6 ft 7 in, {{convert|364|lb|abbr=on}} [[Big John Studd]]. Throughout the early to mid-1980s, André and Studd fought all over the world, battling to try and determine who the real giant of wrestling was. In December 1984, Studd took the feud to a new level, when he and partner [[Ken Patera]] knocked out André during a televised tag team match and proceeded to cut off André's famous long locks ([[Paul Wight|Big Show]], [[Kurt Angle]], [[Mark Jindrak]], and [[Matt Wiese|Luther Reigns]] would duplicate the angle nearly 20 years later). André had the last laugh at the first ''[[WrestleMania (1985)|WrestleMania]]'' on [[March 31]], [[1985]] at Madison Square Garden. André conquered Studd in a $15,000 Body-slam Challenge. After slamming Studd, he attempted to give the $15,000 prize to the fans, before having the bag stolen from him by his future manager [[Bobby Heenan|Bobby "The Brain" Heenan]].

The following year, at ''[[WrestleMania 2]]'' ([[April 7]], [[1986]]), André continued to display his dominance by winning a twenty-man battle royal that featured top NFL stars and wrestlers. André eliminated [[Bret Hart]] to win the contest.

Afterwards, André continued his [[feud (professional wrestling)|feud]] with Studd and [[King Kong Bundy]]. André was suspended after a no-show; he returned under a mask as "The Giant Machine" part of a team with "Big Machine" ([[Blackjack Mulligan|Robert Windham]]) and "Super Machine" ([[Bill Eadie]]). ([[The Machines (wrestling)|The Machines]] gimmick was copied from [[New Japan Pro Wrestling]] character "[[Junji Hirata|Super Strong Machine]]", played by Japanese wrestler Junji Hirata.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/m/machines.html|title=The Machines' Profile|publisher=Online World of Wrestling|accessdate=2007-07-08}}</ref> Soon afterwards, Giant Machine disappeared, and André was reinstated, to the approval of Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

====Heel run (1987-1990) and later years====
=====Feud with Hulk Hogan=====
André's image was turned to that of a villainous [[heel (professional wrestling)|heel]] in 1987 so that he could face Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship in the main event of ''[[WrestleMania III]]''. In early 1987, Hogan was presented a trophy for being the [[WWE Championship|WWF World Heavyweight Champion]] for three years. André came out to congratulate him. Shortly afterwards, André was presented a slightly smaller trophy for being "undefeated in WWF for fifteen years." In actuality, André had suffered a handful of countout and disqualification losses in WWF but had never been pinned or forced to submit in a WWF ring. Hogan came out to congratulate André and ended up being the focal point of the interview. A visibly annoyed André walked out in the midst of Hogan's speech. Then, on an edition of "[[Piper's Pit]]", Hogan was confronted by Heenan. Heenan announced that his new protege was André. André then challenged Hogan to a title match at ''WrestleMania III'', ripping the t-shirt and [[crucifix]] from Hogan.

It was at ''WrestleMania III'' that the public first really saw the pain that André was going through. By this stage he weighed in at about 525 pounds, and his bones and joints were finding it hard supporting such a huge weight. After recent back surgery, he was also wearing a brace underneath his wrestling singlet. Hogan won the match after dropping André with a body slam, followed by Hogan's running leg drop finisher. (Years later, Hogan stated that André was so heavy, he felt more like 700 pounds, and that he actually tore his lateral muscle slamming him.) Another famous tall-tale about the match is that "no one knew" if André would lose the match. While mostly false, [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]] owner Vince McMahon has stated in the past that he believed if Hogan had either purposely or accidentally disrespected André that night, there was no way André would have allowed Hogan to win the match, no matter what had been agreed to. Aside from that possibility, André had agreed to lose the match some time before, mostly for health reasons, though he almost pinned Hogan (albeit unintentionally) in the early goings of the match.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}


The Hogan-André face off at ''WrestleMania III'' was likely the most highly anticipated professional wrestling matchup in history – the apex of wrestling's most recent golden era. The event, held at the [[Pontiac Silverdome]], had millions watching on [[pay-per-view]] and established great permanent value in the ''WrestleMania'' franchise. A reported 93,173 fans turned out as the WWF sold many standing room only tickets and added seats in the alleys to exceed the Silverdome's capacity of 80,331 {{Fact|date=February 2007}}. Hogan defeated André in what some consider a passing of the torch from André, wrestling's biggest star of the 70s, to Hogan, wrestling's biggest star of the 80s. The [[feud (professional wrestling)|feud]] between André and Hogan simmered, even as Roussimoff's health declined.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}

André won the WWF title from Hogan on [[February 5]], [[1988]] in a match where appointed [[referee]] Dave Hebner was "detained backstage", and a replacement, his "evil" twin brother Earl, made a three count on Hogan while his shoulders were off the mat. In the storyline, André was denoted as a hired gun for "The Million Dollar Man" [[Ted DiBiase]], after DiBiase failed to buy it (and later, win it) from Hogan. After winning, André "sold" the title to DiBiase, which transaction was declared invalid by then- WWF President [[Jack Tunney]] and the title was vacated. This was shown on WWF's NBC program ''The Main Event'' (usually seen Saturdays as ''[[WWE Saturday Night's Main Event|Saturday Night's Main Event]]''). André famously mistakenly called the Federation's Championship the "WWF Tag Team Championship", perhaps foreshadowing his reign with [[Tonga Fifita|Haku]].{{Fact|date=October 2007}}

At [[WrestleMania IV]], André and Hulk Hogan fought to a double disqualification in a WWF title tournament match (with the idea in the storyline saying that André was again working on DiBiase's behalf in giving DiBiase a clearer path in the tournament). Afterwards, André and Hogan's feud died down after a brutal steel cage match held at ''WrestleFest'' on [[July 31]], [[1988]] in Milwaukee. He and DiBiase also wrestled Hogan and [[Randy Savage|Randy "Macho Man" Savage]] in the main event of [[SummerSlam 1988]]; the DiBiase-André team lost.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}

=====Other feuds=====
During the summer and fall of 1988, André also became involved in a heated feud with [[Jim Duggan|"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan]], and began wrestling Savage for the title.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}

André's next major feud was against [[Jake Roberts|Jake "The Snake" Roberts]]. In this storyline, it was said André was deathly [[ophidiophobia|afraid of snakes]], something Roberts exposed on ''[[WWE Saturday Night's Main Event|Saturday Night's Main Event]]'' when he threw his snake, Damien, on the frightened André; as a result, André suffered a ([[kayfabe]]) mild heart attack and vowed revenge. During the next few weeks, Roberts frequently walked to ringside during André's matches, causing him to run from the ring in fright (since he knew what was inside the bag). Throughout their feud (which culminated at ''[[WrestleMania V]]''), Roberts constantly used Damien to gain a psychological edge over the much larger and stronger André.

After a short feud with then-Intercontinental champion [[The Ultimate Warrior]], André won the World Tag Team Championship with his partner Haku (known collectively as [[Colossal Connection|The Colossal Connection]]) from [[Demolition (professional wrestling)|Demolition]] on [[December 13]], [[1989]]. Managed by Bobby Heenan, they lost their titles at ''[[WrestleMania VI]]'' back to [[Demolition (professional wrestling)|Demolition]] on [[April 1]], [[1990]]. After the match a furious Heenan slapped André, and he responded by knocking Heenan out, much to the delight of the fans. André went into the match as a heel, and left as a face.

=====Post WrestleMania VI=====
André continued to make appearances in the WWF throughout 1990 and 1991. His last major appearance was at [[SummerSlam (1991)|the 1991 SummerSlam]] event, where he seconded [[The Bushwackers]] in their match against [[The Natural Disasters]].

After that he went back to Japan, this time for [[All Japan Pro Wrestling]], where he briefly teamed with owner [[Shohei Baba|Giant Baba]]. André continued to compete in tag team matches, primarily in Japan and Mexico, until the end of 1992.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}

=====Outside wrestling=====
The disease that granted him his immense size also began to take its toll on his body. By the late 1980s, André was in constant, near-crippling pain, and his heart struggled to pump blood throughout his massive body. When he was not in front of a camera, he was usually in a wheelchair.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}

André starred in several [[film|movies]] towards the end of his career, most notably as Fezzik in 1987's ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]'', which was André's favorite role.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.andrethegiant.com/bio.html|title=Biography from André the Giant official website|accessdate=2007-07-08}}</ref> He had an unaccredited appearance in the 1984 film ''[[Conan the Destroyer]]'' as Dagoth, the resurrected horned giant god, who is killed by Conan, the character portrayed by [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]. In his final film, he appeared in something of a cameo role as a [[circus]] giant in the [[comedy]] ''Trading Mom'', which was not released until the year after his death.{{Fact|date=October 2007}}

===World Championship Wrestling (1991–92)===
His last U.S. television appearance was in a brief interview on WCW's "Clash of the Champions 20" special that aired on TBS on [[September 2]], [[1992]].

==Personal life==
{{Refimprove|section|date=August 2007}}
Roussimoff had one daughter who was born in 1979. WWE referee Tim White mentioned in Roussimoff's [[A&E Network|A&E]] ''[[Biography (TV series)|Biography]]'' episode that she lives somewhere in the [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]] area.

In the A&E documentary, [[Arnold Skaaland]] mentions how André wished he could see a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] play. Arnold offered to buy tickets, but André then passed up the opportunity, citing how he was too big for the seats and that people behind him would not be able to see. This was cited as a principal reason for why André frequented taverns more than anywhere else.

In the A&E ''Biography'' episode, Arnold Skaaland tells the story of when André was in a bar one night, four men came up to him and began harassing him about his size. At first, André attempted to avoid confrontation, but eventually he proceeded to chase the hecklers until they locked themselves in their car. André then grabbed the car and tilted it over to its side with the four people trapped inside. André was never arrested for the incident, presumably since local police officers had a hard time believing four inebriated men's story about an angry giant having overturned their car.

André was arrested by the Linn County, Iowa sheriff in August 1989 and charged with assault after the 540-pound wrestler allegedly roughed up a local TV cameraman. [http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/andregiantmug1.html The Smoking Gun]

As a child, André was referred to by his parents as Dédé and showed no signs of being the size that he would end up being.

Actor [[Cary Elwes]] explains in his video diary of ''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]'' that [[Samuel Beckett]] was a neighbour of the Roussimoff family while living in France. The Nobel Laureate would sometimes drive André to school.

Screenwriter and author [[William Goldman]] once said that André loved going out for dinner, but regardless of who extended the invitation, he would always pay for the meal. One time, when one of his friends slipped away to give his credit card to the ''maître d''', the friend felt himself being lifted off the ground, carried back to the table, and deposited back in his chair "like a little boy". Concluding, Goldman added that the friend in question was [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]].

''[[Andre: Heart of the Giant]]'' (which is to be released in 2007) is a movie about André's life and struggles in and out of the wrestling ring. Actors will play real life wrestlers, managers, promoters, and legends.

== Death ==
André died in his sleep on [[January 27]], [[1993]], in his Paris hotel room, where he was discovered the following morning by his chauffeur. He was in France to attend the funeral of his father. It was later concluded that he died of [[congestive heart failure]], a byproduct of the growth hormone-secreting pituitary tumor he had much of his life and chose not to have treated.

André's body was [[cremation|cremated]] in accordance with his wishes and his ashes scattered at his ranch in [[Ellerbe, North Carolina]]. According to his A&E Biography, his wishes to be cremated were almost not carried out, since a crematorium in France could not be found that could handle his ample frame, thus his body was shipped back to America where a crematorium was found.

==In wrestling==
*'''Finishing and signature moves'''
**'''[[Piledriver (professional wrestling)#Tombstone Piledriver|Kneeling Belly-To-Belly Piledriver]]
**''Head and Neck Rake'' (Andre places his opponent in a standing headscissors, then jumps up and down, aggravating the neck area)
**[[Professional wrestling attacks#Headbutt|Hard Headbutt]]
**[[Professional wrestling attacks#Elbow Drop|Running Elbow Drop]]
**[[Professional wrestling attacks#Big Splash|Big Splash]]
**[[Suplex#Double underhook Suplex|Butterfly Suplex]]
**[[Professional wrestling attacks#|Gorilla Press Slam]]
**[[Professional wrestling holds#Bearhug|Bearhug]]
**[[Professional wrestling attacks#Big Boot|Big Boot]]
**[[Professional wrestling throws#Samoan Drop|Samoan Drop]]

*'''[[Manager (professional wrestling)|Managers]]'''
**[[Bobby Heenan]]
**Frank Valois
**[[Lou Albano]]
**K.Y. Wakamatsu
**[[Ted DiBiase]]

==Filmography==
*''Casse tête chinois pour le judoka'' (1967)
*''[[The Six Million Dollar Man]]'' - "The Secret of Bigfoot I and II" (1976), Bigfoot
*''[[B.J. and the Bear]]'' - "Snow White and the Seven Lady Truckers" (1981), Unnamed Character
*''[[The Greatest American Hero]]'' - "Heaven Is in Your Genes" (1983), Monster
*André makes an appearance in "[[The Goonies 'R' Good Enough]]" music video by [[Cyndi Lauper]], along with several other 80s icon wrestlers like [[Rowdy Roddy Piper]].
*''[[Conan the Destroyer]]'' (1984), Dagoth (uncredited)
*''[[Micki + Maude|Micki & Maude]]'' (1984), Himself
*''I Like to Hurt People'' (1985), Himself
*''[[The Princess Bride (film)|The Princess Bride]]'' (1987), Fezzik
*''Trading Mom'' (1994), Circus Giant

==Championships and accomplishments==
*'''All-Star Pro-Wrestling'''
:*NWA Australasian Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with [[Butch Miller (wrestler)|Ron Miller]]

*'''[[Championship Wrestling from Florida]]'''
:*[[NWA Florida Tag Team Championship]] ([[NWA Florida Tag Team Championship#Title history|1 time]]) - with Dusty Rhodes

*'''[[International Pro Wrestling]]'''
:*IPW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Michael Nader

*'''NWA Tri-State'''
:*NWA Tri-State Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with [[Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)|Dusty Rhodes]]

*'''Stampede Wrestling'''
:*[[Stampede Wrestling#Hall of Fame|Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame]] <ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/canada/ab/hof.html |title=Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame (1948-1990) |accessdate= |author= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year=2003 |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Puroresu Dojo |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }} </ref>

*'''[[World Wrestling Entertainment|World Wrestling Federation]]'''
:*[[WWE Championship|WWF Championship]] ([[List of WWE Champions|1 time]])
:*[[WWE Hall of Fame|WWF Hall of Fame]] ([[WWE Hall of Fame#1993|Class of 1993]]) (posthumous) First inductee
:*[[World Tag Team Championship (WWE)|WWF World Tag Team Championship]] ([[List of World Tag Team Champions (WWE)|1 time]]) - with [[Tonga Fifita|Haku]]

*'''[[Pro Wrestling Illustrated]]'''
:*[[PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year]] award in 1977
:*[[PWI Match of the Year]] award in 1981 versus [[Killer Khan]]
:*PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year award in 1982
:*[[PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year]] award in 1988
:*PWI Match of the Year award in 1988 versus Hulk Hogan - ''[[WWF The Main Event#The Main Event I|The Main Event]]''
:*[[PWI Stanley Weston Award|PWI Editor's Award]] in 1993
:*PWI ranked him #'''3''' of the 500 best singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.

*'''[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter]]'''
:*Feud of the Year in 1981 vs Killer Khan
:*[[Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame]] ([[Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame#1996|Class of 1996]])

*'''Broadcast Radio'''
:*Inductee into the Wrestling-Radio.com Hall of Fame class of 2007

==DVD==
On [[January 25]], [[2005]] WWE released ''André The Giant'', a DVD focusing on the career of André. The DVD is a reissue of the out-of-print ''André The Giant'' VHS made by [[Coliseum Video]] in 1985, with commentary by [[Michael Cole]] and [[Tazz]] replacing [[Gorilla Monsoon]] and [[Jesse Ventura]]'s commentary on his [[WrestleMania I|WrestleMania]] battle with Big John Studd, with an option to hear no commentary at all.

The video is hosted by [[Lord Alfred Hayes]]. Later matches, including André's battles against Hulk Hogan while a [[heel (professional wrestling)|heel]], are not included on this DVD. The following matches are featured on the DVD:

# André The Giant vs. [[Moondog Rex]] — ([[August 8]], [[1981]])
# 18-Man Battle Royale including [[Sgt. Slaughter]], [[Big John Studd]], [[Jimmy Snuka]], [[Pat Patterson]], [[Hulk Hogan]], [[Paul Orndorff]], [[The Iron Sheik]] & [[Tito Santana]] (circa 1984).
# André The Giant vs. Black Gordman & Great Goliath ([[January 12]], [[1976]])
# André The Giant vs. Jack Evans, [[Johnny Rodz]], & Joe Butcher Nova (circa 1979)
# André The Giant vs. [[Gorilla Monsoon]] (early 1970s)
# André the Giant & [[Jimmy Snuka]] vs. the [[Wild Samoans]] ([[February 18]], [[1983]] at [[Madison Square Garden]], [[New York City]])
# André vs. the [[Masked Superstar]] ([[February 20]], [[1984]] at Madison Square Garden)
# André the Giant & [[S.D. Jones]] vs. [[Big John Studd]] & [[Ken Patera]] ([[December 15]], [[1984]]). Studd and Patera beat André into unconsciousness and — with help from [[Bobby Heenan]] — cut his long locks of hair
# André The Giant vs. [[Ken Patera]] ([[January 21]], [[1985]] at Madison Square Garden)
# André The Giant vs. [[Big John Studd]] ("$15,000 Bodyslam Match" [[March 31]], 1985, [[WrestleMania I|WrestleMania]] at Madison Square Garden)

==Video games==
* André appeared in the [[Arcade game|arcade game]] ''[[WWF Superstars]]'' as one-half of [[Mega Bucks]], the game's [[Boss (video games)|boss]] tag team.
*André was in the original ''[[WWF WrestleMania (video game)|WrestleMania]]'' video for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], as well as its sequel, [[WWF WrestleMania Challenge|WrestleMania Challenge]].
*André the Giant is a legendary wrestler in ''[[WWF No Mercy]]'', ''[[WWE Day of Reckoning]]'', ''[[WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW]]'', and ''[[WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2006]]''. Due to his size, he is billed as an "Ultra-Heavyweight", a weight class unassignable to any other character. In ''[[WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007]]'', which Andre did not appear in, his unique weight category was handed down to [[The Great Khali]] (despite their differences in weight; Khali is actually lighter than André).
*André has also appeared on games 2 and 3 of the ''[[Legends of Wrestling]]'' series.
*Capcom has used André as the basis for a series of characters in the ''[[Street Fighter]]'' world. The ''[[Final Fight]]'' series introduced the character [[Andore]] as one of many thugs to fight, with several [[palette swap]]s based on Andore were also used in these games as additional foes. Andore returned in ''[[Street Fighter III]]'' under the name '''Hugo'''. His special pre-fight entrance with Alex (who resembles Hulk Hogan) features the two having a stare-down as a reference to the Hogan-André stare-down at [[Wrestlemania III]].
*Andre the Giant is a final boss in NES WCW: World Championship Wrestling. However, he is not known as "Andre the Giant," but as "WCW Master." The "WCW Master" was based on a superstar in Japan known as Giant Machine. Giant Machine was really Andre the Giant wearing a mask.<ref>http://www.geocities.com/jmigden99/wrgame.html</ref>

== Legacy and appearances in pop culture==
* Largely to honor André the Giant, the WWF created the [[WWF Hall of Fame]] later in 1993 and made him the first inductee.
* In 1989, street artist/graphic designer [[Shepard Fairey]] appropriated André's image in a popular guerrilla art campaign that eventually evolved into the [[Andre the Giant Has a Posse|OBEY]] art style that Fairey became famous for.
* In the "[[Code Monkeys]]" episode "Wrassle Mania", Mr. Larrity hires 4 professional wrestlers (all based on popular wrestlers of that era, set in the 1980s) to compete against their rival videogame company. The four wrestlers were Bulk Brogan ([[Hulk Hogan]]), "Manly Man" Ricky Ravage ([[Randy Savage|"Macho Man" Randy Savage]]), Sergeant Murder ([[Sergeant Slaughter]]), and Andre The Giant's counterpart, Sergei the Giant.
* Andre's actual height is a matter of great debate, including on Wikipedia, where it has been the subject of one of Wikipedia's best-known "[[Lamest edit wars]]," even being cited in the LA Times for its prominence and long-running nature in the Wikipedia world.<ref>http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-webscout30sep30,0,344107.story?coll=la-home-center</ref>
* Many TV Shows have references on Andre. Latest one, is TV series "House MD", on "Words and Deeds" episode. It seems that Dr. House is a giant fan!

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.andrethegiant.com AndreTheGiant.com (Official Website)]
*[http://www.wwe.com/superstars/halloffame/andrethegiant/ WWE Hall of Fame Profile]
*[http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/a/andre-the-giant.html Andre's Online World of Wrestling Profile]
*[http://www.wrestlingmuseum.com/pages/bios/halloffame/andrebio.html Wrestling Museum Biography]
*{{imdb name|id=0000764|name=André the Giant}}
*[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=4359 Find A Grave Entry]



[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:All Japan Pro Wrestling alumni]]
[[Category:French professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:National Wrestling Alliance alumni]]
[[Category:Pacific Northwest Wrestling alumni]]
[[Category:People with acromegaly]]
[[Category:People with gigantism]]
[[Category:American Wrestling Association alumni]]
[[Category:World Championship Wrestling alumni]]
[[Category:World Wrestling Entertainment alumni]]
[[Category:Stampede Wrestling alumni]]
[[Category:World Class Championship Wrestling alumni]]
[[Category:Bulgarian-French people]]
[[Category:Polish-French people]]
[[Category:World Champion professional wrestlers]]
[[Category:Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:World Wrestling Council alumni]]
[[Category:World Wrestling Council]]
[[Category:WWE Hall of Fame]]

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[[ja:アンドレ・ザ・ジャイアント]]
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