André the Giant

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André the Giant
Andre the Giant in the late 1980s
Born(1946-05-19)May 19, 1946
Grenoble, France
DiedJanuary 27, 1993(1993-01-27) (aged 46)
Paris, France
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)André Roussimoff
André the Giant
Géant Ferré
Giant Machine
Jean Ferré
Monster Eiffel Tower
Monster Roussimoff
Billed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Billed weight500 lb (230 kg)
Billed fromGrenoble in the French Alps
Trained byFrank Valois
Édouard Carpentier
Debut25 January 1966[1]
Retired4 December 1992[2]

André René Roussimoff (May 19, 1946 – January 27, 1993) better known by his ring name, André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. He was best known for wrestling with World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He also wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW).

His size was caused by gigantism, that was caused by excess growth hormone and would later result in acromegaly. His size led to him being called "The Eighth Wonder of the World".[3] During his professional wrestling career, he was a one time WWF champion and a one time WWF World Tag Team champion with Haku. In the WWF, he was managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and had a well-known feud with Hulk Hogan. He beat Hogan on The Main Event in 1988 to win his first and only WWF Championship.[4] In 1993, He became the first superstar to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.[3]

His best know acting role was as Fezzik in the 1987 movie The Princess Bride.

On January 27, 1993, he died of congestive heart failure while he was sleeping in his Paris hotel room.[5] He was in Paris to go to his father's funeral.[6]

Championships[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Andre The Giant – Matches". Cage Match. Retrieved March 3, 2021. 25.01.1966, Wrestling in Europa, Jean Ferre defeats Ted Lamar
  2. https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=926&page=4&promotion=6
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Andre the Giant - Bio". WWE. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  4. "Saturday Night Main Event - Feb. 05, 1988". WWE. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  5. "Biography". Andre the Giant. Archived from the original on May 15, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  6. "Andre the Giant, 46, Professional Wrestler". The New York Times. January 31, 1993. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  7. "NWA Florida Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  8. "International Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  9. "NWA United States Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  10. "Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame: Andre the Giant". Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on January 4, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  11. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners: Most Popular Wrestler of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  12. 12.0 12.1 "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners: Match of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  13. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners: Most Hated Wrestler of the Year". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  14. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated Award Winners: Editor's Award". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on August 13, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  15. "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  16. "Stampede Wrestling Hall Of Fame (1948-1990)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  17. "Austra-Asian Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  18. "WWE Championship - Andre the Giant (February 05, 1988 - February 05, 1988)". WWE. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  19. "World Tag Team Championship - Andre the Giant & Haku (December 13, 1989 - April 01, 1990)". WWE. Archived from the original on March 19, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  20. "Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame Inductees". Wrestling Information Archive. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2014.

Other websites[change | change source]