HBO has a documentary coming out fairly soon that will focus on the legendary Andre the Giant. He Was a God is kind of an odd title for anything and leaves a lot to live up to but when you consider just how big Andre was, physically and otherwise, he is very deserving of his fame and the type of reputation he earned. To some he was nothing short of mythical since he was one of the largest people to ever exist, but to others he was just a very big man that banked a lot of success by performing stunts that showed off his size and strength. In other words he was a performer that used what he had in order to impress people.
Truthfully there’s nothing wrong with that since Andre was a showman. He knew how to step into the ring and deliver a show unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. His time with the WWF showed that he was more than comfortable doing the job for which he was so physically suited. Even out of the ring however he was a presence that couldn’t be easily denied since he was a fun-loving and engaging individual that could easily talk to anyone. His heavy, thick accent was a little difficult to understand at times but when he could be understood he sounded like a very fun person that enjoyed life and had a great deal to offer others.
Andre was not a simpleton by any means even after dropping out of school in the 8th grade. He simply didn’t feel that school held anything for him. So he went to work as a farmhand for a while and even apprenticed as a woodworker, but nothing held much interest for him until the age of 17 when he was taught the nature of professional wrestling. By the age of 12 he’d already grown to be well over six feet tall and weighed over two hundred pounds thanks to gigantism, and he was able to do the work of three men on the farm quite easily.
His enormous size made him an easy draw for pro wrestling but he also had to be further developed so that he could appeal to more than one audience in different countries and not grow too stale. Plus, when the WWF got hold of him they wanted Andre to be billed as the immovable monster rather than the limber and agile young man he’d been when he started out. He was actually able to perform a drop kick at one point, but lost that ability later in life as his health began to deteriorate.
Unfortunately Andre’s career was beset by injury and the constant need to pay close attention to the acromegaly. Andre passed away from congestive heart failure in in 1993, and his ashes were scattered at his ranch. He was one of the most dominant men in the entire WWE during his time, and was an amazing person to have around. A lot of people will remember him in different ways, but what’s most important is that he’s remembered.
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