Did Hulk Hogan really body slam a 7′ 4”, 500 pound man? The answer is yes. He did it in Wrestlemania III. His opponent was none other than Andre the Giant.
Andre Roussimoff was born in 1946 and became world famous thanks to the founder of the WWE, Vince McMahon. McMahon saw Andre wresting in Japan and three years later would sign him to a WWE contract, giving him his legendary TV name of Andre the Giant. Back in those days, pituitary gigantism was not commonly diagnosed, and it wasn’t until Andre reached his mid-20’s that his condition was medically diagnosed. Despite his huge physical frame, he was incredibly athletic.
His story is rather remarkable, and Andre had fans all over the world. If the phrase “gentle giant” can be used here, Andre the Giant was the founder and all-time champion. His appeal was so widespread that the WWE, HBO Sports, and the Bill Simmons media Group have collaborated to create a new documentary about Andre and the trailer has just been released. Scheduled for viewing on April 10th, the entire movie will be a documentary that plays tribute to the legendary career of the pro wrestler, Andre the Giant.
Of course, this collaborative effort will include video never seen before about his life, and include interviews that have been seen by only a few that gives us insight to exactly who this hulk of a man was. Despite his fame and popularity, not much of his private life has been revealed to the public, so this is an opportunity for fans to discover the story behind the legend, once called “The Eighth Wonder of the World.” He was the first wrestler to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. But his pituitary disorder would shorten his left considerably, and he died in 1993 at the age of 47.
HBO Sports has a history of honoring legends in a wide variety of sports, and while there are those who don’t consider pro wrestling an actual sport, the clip available at the beginning of this article should make you think twice about that perspective. With this documentary, HBO Sports adds to its large library of historical footage of many of the greatest people to ever have engaged in athletic competitions. Like most of HBO’s sports documentaries, the film will include personal interviews from virtually every aspect of Andre the Giant’s life — family, friends, entertainers, reporters who covered his career, sports executives who supported him, and athletes who knew and admired him for the person he was.
Jason Hehir will be directing the film that is expected to run about 30 minutes in its entirety as part of the “30 for 30” series. What many non-WWE fans don’t know about Andre was that he also appeared in several Hollywood films, including The Princess Bride which included actors Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal, and Robin Wright. These are just a few of the well-known names that will appear in the documentary, recalling their memories and stories about the French-born wrestler.
One fact that is revealed in the documentary is that Andre, despite his size and TV persona, was actually a very introverted person. This often had fans and followers thinking he was shy, but he was known to be kind and especially good when dealing with children. Did he ever marry? You will have to tune in to find out.
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