Andre the Giant is known for his sheer size and strength, but according to Jake “The Snake” Roberts, he also boasted a supersized wrestling IQ. On Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway, Roberts recalled facing Andre in Grand Rapids. During a moment when Andre was in control, Roberts was surprised that the giant backed away in fear.

Roberts was confused—until he turned and saw a 12-year-old girl standing in the ring, holding his snake. Rather than break character, Andre improvised by rolling out of the ring, grabbing a microphone and demanding security arrest the child. Andre’s performance clearly worked, as cops got in the ring and grabbed the girl, who was crying while Andre laughed in character.

“Andre was a thinker. He saw a perfect moment and made it work.”

Roberts and Andre would feud on TV with the French giant being petrified of Jake’s snake Damian. Despite initial concerns about working with Andre, Roberts is thrilled that fans still remember their program to this day.

“I thought, ‘There’s no way in hell I can make this match work’… Most guys would have just thrown the snake out of the ring. Andre turned it into something that people still talk about today.”

The Undertaker, also a massive Andre fan, was awestruck as he heard of the Giant’s in-ring wisdom and described Andre’s ability to adapt on the fly “next level storytelling.” Even decades after Andre’s tragically young passing in 1993, stories like these prove why the Giant wasn’t just an in-ring spectacle, but a mastermind of the craft.

With his massive frame and larger-than-life personality, Andre the Giant was a true spectacle in wrestling and worked with some of the top names in wrestling. At WrestleMania 3, Hulk Hogan beat Andre the Giant, allegedly shattering a 15-year undefeated streak of the Frenchman, but Andre had already tasted defeat before.

Speaking to The Sun Sport, Peter Thornley, better known as British wrestling legend Kendo Nagasaki, spoke about his experiences working with Andre. Thorney shared that he was the first wrestler to beat the Giant long before Hogan and Andre stepped in the ring.

“I was the first wrestler to ever beat André the Giant… before any American wrestler ever beat him. All of them, like [Hulk] Hogan, came after I beat him.”

Andre was ‘green’ a term used for inexperienced wrestlers, when he first came to the United Kingdom, according to Thornley. Due to Andre’s lack of training, the pair spent much of their match in a bear hug before Thornley got the win.

“Eventually, I got out of it, body-slammed him, and pinned him. That was the end of it. We only went two and a half rounds, and that was the first time he was beaten.”

Thornley, as Nagasaki, didn’t just score an upset victory over Andre, but earned three wins over the Giant in 1969. In the interview, Thornley admitted to feeling bad about being the first man to give Andre a loss, adding that he was never billed quite the same in the United Kingdom following these defeats.

Andre the Giant would tragically die young in 1993 and became the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. Today, Andre’s legacy continues to be celebrated in WWE with the annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal that takes place on the eve of WrestleMania. While Hulk Hogan may be known as the Frenchman’s most legendary opponent, it was a wrestler very much unlike the bleach-blond bronzed Adonis who holds the distinction of handing Andre his first defeat.

The late Andre the Giant was a true legend of wrestling and in 1993 became the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. Instantly recognizable for his trademark singlet, a much different piece of Andre’s in-ring attire has received a spotlight this week.

At the Sports Immortals collection, Jim Platt revealed quite possibly the most unique piece of Andre memorabilia; his jockstrap. With a size 60 waistband, the item fits eight grown men, Platt explained to Gabby Gonzalez. The jockstrap is fittingly colored red, white, and blue, the colors of the flag of Andre’s native France.

Remembering Andre the Giant

Fans may be hesitant to come face-to-gusset with Andre the Giant’s jock-strap and thankfully, there is plenty more memorabilia of the Eighth Wonder of the World. In August 2023, Andre was celebrated for a weekend in Ellerbe, North Carolina, where the legendary wrestler lived while working in the United States. These days, Andre’s ranch is a museum featuring several personal effects of the wrestler.

It’s been over 30 years since the death of Andre the Giant but the memory of the legendary wrestler lives on to this day. Andre’s giant physique is matched only by the giant legacy he has had on the wrestling business, as fans still remember the iconic French wrestler.

Randy Orton had a blast being looked after by ‘uncles’ like Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant before becoming a WWE Superstar himself. 

A third-generation Superstar, Orton’s success in wrestling has far surpassed his father, uncle, or his grandfather. Orton returned from a lengthy injury at WWE Survivor Series: WarGames 2023, and is pleased with how he handled being upstaged by CM Punk’s return to WWE. 

Randy Orton On His Uncles

Before making it into the business himself, Randy Orton was a young kid who would follow his father’s career intently. Being at WWF events meant Orton was often surrounded by wrestlers who showed an interest in the future Legend Killer. Speaking to A&E Biography: Legends, Orton recalled being cared for by some of the biggest stars of the time. 

“I was fortunate enough to travel with my Pop [WWE Hall of Famer ‘Cowboy’ Bob Orton] now and again… The few times that I did get to go with my father, I’ll never forget. Being in the locker room seeing the bigger-than-life guys walking around.

“These were like my uncles. My dad’s close friends, I was in awe as a child when I did get to go with my dad. They treated me just wonderfully. I was there little buddy. 

Orton also recalled that while he was surrounded by wrestlers from inside and outside of his own family, he never saw himself getting in the ring. 

“Early on, people would always ask me, kids at school, teachers would ask me ‘Are you going to be a wrestler like your dad?’ But never, ever, was it something that I contemplated because I just didn’t see it in myself to do something like that.”

Cowboy Bob Orton On Young Randy

Randy’s father also weighed in during the sneak preview of A&E Biography: Legends. The 2005 WWE Hall of Fame inductee joked that he was fine leaving Orton in the care of the wrestlers as his matches rarely lasted too long. 

“I didn’t take him [Randy] very often unless we were already pretty close to home. But yeah, those guys used to watch him when I was in the ring. So he got to know everybody when he was still pretty young.

“I had no problem, you know, with them watching over him.  I knew I wouldn’t be gone too long from Randy. It didn’t take me long to win or lose [laughs.]”

For the use of quotes, please give an H/T to SE Scoops. 

Wrestling veteran Haku recently appeared on the In the Room Podcast where he talked about his wrestling career in detail among other things.

The former WWE star first discussed his position on the card saying never working on the top never bothered him. He ran with whatever the officials gave him and did his part.

Talking about his team with Andre The Giant, Haku said that he respected the legend very much and he later explained how Andre was in real-life, outside the ring:

“'(Andre thought) he was the same as you; he never thought that he was bigger.  If he drank 16 beers, you had to drink 16 beers with him. 

If he drank two or three cases, you had to drink two or three cases with him.  There were so many times I had to find the door on the way back to my room; he thought it was funny”

• Also Read: Indy Promotion To Hold Event With Fans Later This Month

Haku continued to explain that he knew Andre before he came to WWE. He claimed that it was fun to be around the Monster Sized Athlete and it was fun to be in the ring with him.

Haku and Andre The Giant were put in a tag team known as The Colossal Connection in 1989. The two tagged for a year and they even won the Tag Team Championship once before disbanding in 1990.

The Undertaker claims to know part of the one secret that Andre The Giant took to his grave. During a recent interview with Pastor Ed Young as part of the Wrastlin’ series, “The Deadman” revealed that Andre wanted a match against him and even had an idea for the feud. However, Andre kept that idea to himself even to his last day alive on earth.

Taker signed with the WWE back in 1990 and although Andre was a huge star for Vince McMahon’s company for years, the final years of the legend were tough as he was in rough shape. The WWE Hall of Famer passed away due to congestive heart failure in 1993 and that feud never happened.

“I never got the chance to wrestle Andre. By the time that I got there, his health was really in decline. He wrestled a few times and it was funny because Andre was really old school. Andre didn’t like big guys either — he loved me, thank goodness,” Taker said (transcript courtesy of the New York Post).

Taker would continue by stating that Andre thought big guys were arrogant or a bully but he had his way with a lot of guys that were disrespectful towards him. ”Anyway, he liked me and, you know, I guess we always think we got one [match] left in us, you know.”

Undertaker recalled that Andre would come in and would always be the first guy in the locker room where he would just enjoy to sit there and play cribbage. He noted that he would go over and talk with him. Andre would tell him,’You know, one day, kid, me and you. I have this idea.’ ‘Oh really, boss? Tell me about it.’ “And he’d never tell me.”

Ultimately, Andre kept his plan for the feud a secret until he passed away and even his good friend and former WWE referee Tim White would never tell that secret even when Taker would ask. The reason for this is due to Taker believing that Andre was old school and didn’t want anyone else to do it because Andre thought that one day he could get back in the ring and they could do something that would be a big deal.

“No one knows what it was, but you know, he ended up passing away and he never let me know. I wonder to this day, ‘Man, I bet it was good.’”

https://youtu.be/ptys38AWg3M

The Andre “the Giant” documentary released earlier this year by HBO is the most-watched sports documentary in the history of the channel. Over 7 million viewers have tuned in to see the film.

Many are speculating the news could lead to more wrestling-related documentaries in the future.

The Hollywood Reporter was the first to break the news. The outlet spoke with the film’s producer, Bill Simmons after he’d signed a new deal with HBO earlier this week.

“I’m thrilled to keep going with the HBO family and can’t wait to get started on a couple of the more ambitious projects we’ve hatched,” said Simmons. “I witnessed it firsthand with our Andre doc — when you create something unique for HBO, they’ve built so much trust and equity in their audience over the years that it’s always going to be seen. Every single time. If it’s good and it’s on HBO, it will stand out. Even though we have more entertainment choices than ever right now, HBO still cuts through in an incredibly precise, almost unassailable way — and they work better with creatives than anyone, period. I am lucky to work with them and I know it.”

Andre the Giant Documentary

Bill Simmons had originally wanted to do a documentary on Andre the Giant while he was still at ESPN. According to Simmons, Andre’s doc was on the list of original 30 for 30 series.

“I have this old computer that has a lot of the original 30 for 30 stuff from 2007 on it,” Simmons said. “Andre was on the initial list of 12 documentaries that I just thought could really resonate. Back then, HBO had a monopoly on the sports documentaries. They were doing a lot of older stuff like Joe Louis and Vince Lombardi and people like that, and it just seemed like there was an inefficiency with subjects and athletes and teams from the ’80s and ’90s, so he was always on that list but at the time the WWE kept everything for themselves and rightly so.”

transcriptions via WrestleZone

Bill Simmons, the producer of HBO’s “Andre The Giant” documentary, recently did an interview with ESPN to discuss the project. Here are some of the highlights:

You could tell in the documentary how much Andre meant to Vince, but you could also see that they didn’t part on the best terms and that still hurts Vince. It’s pretty heartbreaking. How aware were you of the relationship they had going into this project?

“We don’t make that movie if he’s not interviewed. We made that clear. He was obviously so protective of the Andre legacy and he had a lot of conflicted emotions of how it played out, and we talked about it even before we agreed to do the movie that he has to be interviewed. We can’t do it if you’re not in it. It’s tough. It’s all genuine and what he thought at the end was Vince used him. As soon as he couldn’t wrestle anymore it was like thanks and wrestling goes on. It’s pretty complicated.

“There’s also a lot of things that could have been in the doc, but I think the pace is important. It’s 86 minutes and there’s a bunch of other stuff we could have added but then it slows down, and you have to keep things moving. One of things that could have been in it after we did the interviews was Andre’s relationship with Stephanie [McMahon]. She’s a little girl at that point, but Andre was like a big brother to her. He was unusually tight with that family, which makes things a lot more complicated.”

Could you picture the arc of this movie and building it towards that iconic match between Andre and Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III before you even started working on it?

“The whole time I thought this is one of the easiest docs for me to sell. Even when we were selling it to Vince, the arc of it was so clear — it had to build to WrestleMania III, and it had to have the part where wrestling takes off after Andre had already peaked but they need him for this match. Even though his body was breaking down and, oh by the way, they don’t know whether he has decided if he wants to lose or not. It was so obviously a great documentary arc and it’s really hard to find those.

“We did so many at 30 for 30 and I learned so much about the arcs and where it works and doesn’t work. We were able to do some without one at all. I thought the Bo Jackson one was good, people liked it, but it didn’t really have an arc. It was like this guy was great and then he got hurt and you work around that and tell a story and make it cool but ultimately there’s not the twists and turns that a movie would have.

“We had success at 30 for 30 with things like The Fab Five and The U, where you could jump in at any time. It really captured these iconic teams. Those worked and were super re-watchable and we loved doing those. When it’s something like this Andre doc there’s an extra layer you can get to because it plays like a movie and those are my favorites ones. This easily could be a movie even though it couldn’t be because you could never get someone to play Andre that was convincing, but the arc of it is a movie.”

You can read Simmons’ full interview with ESPN by clicking this link here.

– Former WWE Champion-turned-UFC welterweight CM Punk took to Twitter and defended the WrestleMania 34 crowd for chanting his name during the show, and playing with beach balls as well. Former 2011 Tough Enough competitor AJ Kirsch ripped fans for their antics during the show.

Punk responded with the following in defense of the crowd:

I wonder how much those fans spent to throw beach balls and chant @CMPunk's name.

I mean…tickets to the show, flights, hotels, food, and probably drinks and maybe merch.

That's a lot of money to spend just to show everyone you're an asshole.

— A.J. Kirsch (@AJKirsch) April 10, 2018

Or you could just let everyone know you're an asshole for free by telling them what to do with their own money. https://t.co/vEOWqJo6hC

— player/coach (@CMPunk) April 10, 2018

https://twitter.com/AJKirsch/status/983837659809267712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.givemesport.com%2F1292273-cm-punk-blasts-former-tough-enough-contestant-on-twitter&tfw_creator=GiveMeSport&tfw_site=GiveMeSport

– HBO posted the following clip on their YouTube channel of an interview with “Andre The Giant” documentary director Jason Hehir. Hehir described what it was like seeing Andre in the ring for the first time:

“When I was seven or eight years old, WWF – at the time – was on at eleven A.M. every morning in Boston. My brothers were huge fans, my older brothers, I wasn’t quite old enough to be that into it. But I vividly remember them coming and finding me and saying, “After the commercial break, this guy Andre The Giant is gonna be on, you have to see him!”

“I said, “Is he an actual giant? What’s the deal?” And I’ll never forget, watching him walk through the crowd and up into the ring in this moment of – you know I’m seven years old and I’m just coming off of reading fairy tales and these fictional, larger than life stories.

“And this guy is the physical embodiment of some of the characters who are in those fairytales, so I was immediately hooked seeing him as to who the guy was – I wanna know more about him: where he’s from, how big is his bed, what does he eat. Is this a real person? How is a giant walking around amidst these other larger-than-life wrestling characters.”

10 more male superstars have declared for the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal recently.

Despite not having a scheduled WrestleMania match, John Cena has not entered the Battle Royal.

JUST ANNOUNCED #WrestleMania #AndreTheGiant Memorial #BattleRoyal participants:
– @IAmEliasWWE
– @LukeGallowsWWE
– @KarlAndersonWWE
– @RonKillings
– @SinCaraWWE
– @TitusONeilWWE
– @WWEApollo
– @TheBoDallas
– @RealCurtisAxel
– @RealMikeBennett https://t.co/T7jjPPYz8K

— WWE WrestleMania (@WrestleMania) April 7, 2018

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Participants

In addition to the above mentioned names, the below 19 Superstars have also declared for the match:

1. Dash Wilder
2. Scott Dawson
3. Baron Corbin (previous winner)
4. Mojo Rawley (previous winner)
5. Tye Dillinger
6. Matt Hardy
7. Dolph Ziggler
8. Fandango
9. Tyler Breeze
10. Goldust
11. Heath Slater
12. Rhyno
13. Zack Ryder
14. Primo Colon
15. Kane
16. Curt Hawkins
17. Shelton Benjamin
18. Chad Gable
19. Aiden English

This will be the 5th Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. The tournament’s previous winners include: Cesaro, Big Show, Baron Corbin, and Mojo Rawley.

Could Hulk Hogan finally be returning to WWE?

It was reported earlier today that WWE officials have been in talks with the wrestling legend about returning to the company. WWE confirmed the report in a statement, which reads: “We have had discussions with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan) about how he can help others learn from his mistakes, however, he is not under any contract with WWE.”

F4WOnline addressed the story tonight and added that Hogan is scheduled to appear at a WWE-related event for the first time since his termination from the company in 2015.

WWE, which collaborated with HBO Sports to produce a documentary on Andre the Giant — simply titled Andre the Giant — is holding a premiere for the film next Thursday in Los Angeles, California and Hogan is slated to be there.

Hogan was among those interviewed for the documentary, which explores Andre’s upbringing in France, his celebrated WWE career, and forays into the entertainment world. He is seen in the official trailer explaining Andre’s presence in wrestling.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_jTeuajas0&w=560&h=315]

On July 24, 2015, WWE terminated its contract with Hogan, stating that they are “committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds.” The termination coincided with the publication of a racially insensitive video in which Hogan is heard expressing disgust with the notion of his daughter dating any black man, referenced by his repeated use of the N-word. Hogan also admitted to being “a racist, to a point.”

In an interview with ABC News’ Amy Robach that aired on Good Morning America on August 30, 2015, Hogan talked about the circumstances surrounding his use of the N-word and denied being racist.

“I’m not a racist but I never should have said what I said. It was wrong. I’m embarrassed by it,” Hogan said.

“People need to realize that you inherit things from your environment. And where I grew up was south Tampa, Port Tampa, and it was a really rough neighborhood, very low income. And all my friends, we greeted each other saying that word.”

As for fans who may feel let down by his actions, Hogan asked for forgiveness.

“Oh, my gosh. Please forgive me. Please forgive me,” he said. “I think if you look at the whole picture of who Hulk Hogan is, you can see over all the years that there’s not a racist bone in my body.”

• A look at the Randy Savage and Stephanie McMahon rumors

– After having both Dean Ambrose and Jason Jordan go down with injuries, Seth Rollins has received a new Tag Team partner for upcoming WWE live events. Finn Balor will tag with “The Architect” at upcoming live events against The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro), however, it’s only the events Roman Reigns is unable to tag with his former Shield stablemate. Rollins will tag with Reigns at Friday and Saturday’s live events.

When John Cena joins the RAW live tour on Sunday he will participate in a Triple Threat match against Reigns and The Miz for the Intercontinental Title. On that night Rollins will team with “The Demon King” against The Bar.

– With the hype around HBO Sports’ documentary on Andre The Giant, WWE really wants to push this year’s Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania even harder. The documentary is set to premiere the Tuesday after WrestleMania 34, which will feature the fifth annual Andre Battle Royal.

The first-ever Battle Royal took place at WrestleMania 30 back in 2014 with Cesaro winning. Past winners since then include The Big Show, Baron Corbin, and Mojo Rawley. PWInsider reports that WWE officials understand if the HBO documentary draws good numbers then it could lead to more projects with the network.

– Former WWE Women’s Champion Gail Kim will not compete in tonight’s first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match.

In response to fan speculation on Twitter that she could appear as a surprise entrant, Kim replied “Hell no.” She will actually be in Dallas, Texas for a Royal Rumble viewing party.

Heading to a live viewing party for #RoyalRumble tomorrow night. Excited to see the women And hoping to see the women of my generation make some surprise appearances. I’ll live tweet as I’m watching. Can’t wait!

— Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) January 28, 2018

Hell no. Im in Dallas and I’ll be watching supporting these awesome women https://t.co/r5rQgCn0Kl

— Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) January 28, 2018

Kim again said she won’t be in the match after a fan said he hoped to hear her first WWE theme song. She said that song was good, but hated her song during her second run with the company.

Well it won’t. Lol. Again, I’m going to a viewing party and also remember the last run I had there, they gave me some garbage generic music that sucked. That entrance song was good however. I think my fave is puppets on a string https://t.co/WS1f2jVKhv

— Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) January 28, 2018

Kim also named some female WWE legends she would like to see in the match.

I’m hoping to see @AmyDumas @trishstratuscom @Phenom_Jazz @REALLiSAMARiE , Ivory @JackieMooreTx just to name a few. Would be amazing to see these legends back in the ring!

— Gail Kim-Irvine (@gailkimITSME) January 28, 2018

– Saturday marked the 25-year anniversary of the passing of Andre the Giant. On the night of January 27, 1993, he died in his sleep of congestive heart failure in a hotel room in Paris, France. He was in Paris to attend his father’s funeral.

In this post on Instagram, Hulk Hogan remembers his friend.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeeX6mRAV3y/

• A look at the life and death of Miss Elizabeth

On Friday afternoon, HBO released the official trailer for the documentary on the life and career of WWE Hall of Famer Andre the Giant. The new film will be released on April 10th. Here is the synopsis of the documentary:

“Andre the Giant was literally the biggest celebrity in the world. HBO Sports, WWE, and the Bill Simmons Media Group present Andre The Giant, a documentary examining the life and career of one of the most beloved figures in wrestling history. Andre the Giant premieres April 10 on HBO.”

HBO has released the first trailer for André the Giant, a new documentary that examines the life and career of one of wrestling’s most beloved characters.

Produced by HBO Sports, WWE and the Bill Simmons Media Group, the André The Giant doc premieres some time in Spring 2018.

Bill Simmons told Sports Illustrated earlier this year, “Going back to 2007 and 2008 when I was creating and developing 30 for 30 for ESPN, André’s story rode the top of every single sports documentary wish list I ever made. We always hear about unicorns these days—André was the ultimate unicorn. He’s a true legend. Everyone who ever crossed paths with him has an André story—and usually four or five.”

André The Giant is regarded as one of the greatest attractions in the history of professional wrestling. He wrestled for the McMahon family dating back to the early 1970’s and headlined WrestleMania III with Hulk Hogan back in 1987. He was just 46 years old when he passed away in 1993.

WWE is partnering with Bill Simmons and HBO Sports to produce a documentary on wrestling legend Andre the Giant. The news was first reported by Variety.

“Andre the Giant” will focus on the legendary grappler’s childhood in France, his wrestling career and his Hollywood career.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon commented, “For more than 20 years, Andre the Giant’s larger than life personality and unique charisma captured the imagination of fans around the world. I will always value our friendship, and am proud to tell the story of the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’.”

Jason Hehir, who worked with Simmons on his “30 for 30” documentary series for ESPN, will direct the film.

“We always hear about unicorns these days – Andre was the ultimate unicorn,” Bill Simmons told Variety. “He’s a true legend. Everyone who ever crossed paths with him has an Andre story – and usually four or five. I’m delighted to join forces with Jason Hehir and WWE so we can capture Andre’s amazing story once and for all.”

– WWE Superstar Paige was in New York City earlier this week with Alberto Del Rio doing media for Del Rio’s Combate Americas MMA promotion. While in town, the two hit an MMA gym, with Paige showing off some of her moves just months after undergoing neck surgery. They were later approached by a reporter from TMZ and Paige said she is considering an MMA career when her days in the ring are over.

Visit our partner site MMANews.com to see video of Paige showing off her MMA moves on Del Rio.

– Sam Roberts will be returning to the WWE PPV kickoff panel this Sunday at Elimination Chamber.

So excited to let you know I'll be back on the Kickoff Show Panel this Sunday for #WWEChamber. See you soon @reneeyoungwwe & @bookertfivex! pic.twitter.com/CmvubSb9u5

— Sam Roberts (@notsam) February 8, 2017

– WWE Hall of Famer Andre the Giant’s daughter Robyn was backstage at Tuesday’s SmackDown Live.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQO6RN3lVrh/?hl=en

– The third edition of the WWE Encyclopedia is scheduled to be released on October 24th. The cover features legends like Andre The Giant, Randy Savage and Sting, but Hulk Hogan was left out.

https://twitter.com/SullivanBooks/status/729839846064328704

– Speaking of Andre The Giant, there is reportedly a feature film about the former World Heavyweight Champion in the works. Lions Forge Comics is reportedly partnering with WWE to develop a movie about the life of the Hall of Famer. Andre’s daughter Robin Christensn-Roussimoff will reportedly be consulting on the film, which is expected to have a theatrical release.

• 15 Photos Of André The Giant You Won’t Believe Are Real

Prior to the start of Monday’s RAW, WWE officially announced that WrestleMania 32 will feature the 3rd annual Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

WWE’s toughest superstars will duke it out in the over-the-top-rope battle royal to determine who goes home with the coveted Andre the Giant Memorial Trophy.

Past winners include Cesaro and Big Show. Who will win this year? We’ll find out on Sunday, April 3rd.

Who will take home the 3rd annual #AndreBattleRoyal trophy on Sunday, April 3 LIVE on @WWENetwork?! #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/xg6kJFfKMx

— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) March 14, 2016

– In the video below, Jake “The Snake” Roberts talks about working with Andre the Giant and how the legendary figure was outside of the ring.

– With Raw emanating tonight from Chicago, Illinois, Big E paid a visit to friend and former WWE Diva AJ Lee at her home. Lee tweeted this photo of E with her dog.

My sons, birthed from my womb. pic.twitter.com/thLQHPXsUq

— AJ Mendez (@TheAJMendez) March 7, 2016

E debuted on WWE’s main roster in December 2012 as an enforcer for Lee and Dolph Ziggler. He would go on to work with the pair for eight months, at which point he branched off on his own.

• Vince McMahon messed with Triple H at Raw last week

At 7-foot-4, 550 lbs, André the Giant had a different perspective on the world from the rest of the us. The super-sized WWE Hall of Famer was known for his superhuman physical feats both inside and outside of the ring. Andre passed away of heart failure in 1993 while in Paris to attend his father’s funeral, but his legacy lives on with wrestling fans around the world to this day.

Here are 15 photographs from André’s life that show just how impressive his size and strength were, and some of them are downright hard to believe. None of these pictures have been modified in Photoshop!

HBO is developing a documentary on the life of WWE Hall of Famer Andre the Giant, according to Vanity Fair.

This will be the first HBO project from Grantland founder Bill Simmons since leaving ESPN earlier this year. According to Richard Johnson of PageSix.com, Simmons has enlisted the services of former ESPN 30 For 30 director Jonathan Hock to lead the charge.

Andre the Giant, who was born André Roussimoff, worked for WWE (then WWF) between 1973 and 1991, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1993, before passing away that same year at the age of 46.

There’s currently no word on when the documentary will be released.

WWE Hall Of Famer Harley Race recently spoke with the folks at The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling podcast about a number of topics related to his legendary career. Below are some of the highlights from the interview.

On what students take away from a Harley Race Wrestling Camp: “They are going to learn how to take care of themselves and then how to perform inside that squared circle. After that we start sticking them into the ring and see how they would look for the public. When you’ve got the physical side and that’s pretty much all the way down then the other parts will come along to you fairly easy.”

On heat with Ric Flair during his career and not wanting to drop the NWA Title: “Overall, Flair and I have had a hellishly active part of wrestling. He knows and I know that we are too old to want to get involved with this stuff now. In 1983, Flair was just starting to really get involved and I was at that point in time thinking that that he wasn’t ready but once he got really involved in the championship part of it (the business) he came along to be one of the best ever. Flair proved to me that he was a good hand in the ring and he was in there with the absolute very best so it was all pretty easy from there.”

On memories of Dusty Rhodes: “Dusty was probably one of the best interview people ever in wrestling. He could talk about anything on the face of God’s green earth and make it sound like it was extremely important. Overall, Dusty could perform in that ring as well as just about anybody. I never really had a bad performance with Dusty in any of the matches that we ever had. There are very few people that I can say that about.”

On working against Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr. and if he has a preference between the two: “Dory was very, very good in the ring. He and Terry both were great in there but I can’t mention one without mentioning the other. Between the two of them it was just the flip of a coin, with Dory you could have a little bit better of a wrestling match. Terry was good for wrestling but he was very very good at scrambling.”

On bodyslamming Andre The Giant: “The only reservation I ever had was to have everything in the right spot at the right time and to be able to come up with him. Because you were lifting the world’s biggest athlete. It was a hell of a lot better to be on the same side as him.”

On the WWF’s national expansion and invading “his territory” during the 1980s: “By the time they had done the expansion you knew that they were going around the whole entire country. I didn’t want to get involved in fights with them or against them. I just wanted to stay Harley Race in the wrestling world, worldwide and that is what I did for a long time.”

Check out the complete interview at Podomatic.com.

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WWE Hall Of Famer Hulk Hogan spoke about his fondest WrestleMania memories and his relationship with “Macho Man” Randy Savage in the new WWE “Legends of WrestleMania” magazine. Below are some highlights.

On his favorite memories of WrestleMania: “You know, you can’t take anything away from that Andre match, brother. That’s a WrestleMania moment—93,000 people and Andre passing the torch to me. That match with The Rock, where I had been working for a different company, actually competing against this company, and came back here. The crowd showed their loyalty, that was huge. But if I really, really had to go with consistency, friendship and always being there for me, Randy [Savage] is the favorite guy.”

On his relationship with “Macho Man” Randy Savage: “Well, first off, when you work with Randy, it’s intense. The only other person that I could call at three or four o’clock in the morning to talk about wrestling and would even answer their phone is Vince McMahon. And that’s how Randy was. Except Randy called me! ‘Hey brother. Got an idea.’ So when you got in bed with Randy, you were in it for the long haul. Good or bad, brother. He’s going to drag you through the mud, whether you like it or not. And it was intense, because Randy was such a passionate person.”

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WrestleMania is now only a few weeks away, and to say that the build has been abysmal so far would be a bit of an understatement. Instead of criticizing the company for its incompetence, let’s relive the glory days together.

Over the course of the next week or so, we are going to be looking at the ten best matches from each decade of WrestleMania. Today we start by looking at the first ten WrestleMania events.

10. The British Bulldogs vs. The Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) (WrestleMania II)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2cyy4p_wwf-wrestlemania-ii-the-british-bulldogs-vs-the-dream-team_sport

This took place at one of the absolute worst WrestleManias of all-time, and was one of the few (if not the only) highlights of the night. Davey Boy put in most of the work for his team, showcasing his power throughout the contest.

There were multiple near-falls in this contest, with the Bulldog attempting Perfect-Plex that registered a two-count at one point. It appeared The Dream Team had the victory at one point, but Valentine foolishly pulled the Dynamite Kid’s head from the mat, and would lose mere seconds later after having his head smashed into the turnbuckle. Overall, there weren’t a ton of memorable tag matches during the first decade of WrestleMania, but this is definitely a highlight, and one that usually doesn’t get much credit.

9. Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. Rick Martel (WrestleMania VII)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2hsfmz_wwf-wrestlemania-vii-jake-roberts-vs-rick-martel_sport

Let me start by saying this match was pretty cheesy. We all knew the two competitors could see each other through the bags they were sporting. With that said, they employed decent in-ring psychology and told a solid story, and it was even unintentionally humorous at times. (I mean how could one not laugh at Martel delivering an elbow to the canvas after The Snake was long gone, or the two running past one another in the most obvious manner?)

Roberts finally tracked down “The Model” and picked up the win after hitting his signature DDT. Most importantly, this was one of the first gimmick matches to be featured at WrestleMania and would lay the groundwork for the next generation, which would deviate away from the traditional wrestling style that had characterized the first six WrestleManias. For that reason alone, I feel that it deserves to be included on the list.

8. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (WrestleMania III)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1u6x5h_wwf-wrestlemania-iii-hulk-hogan-vs-andre-the-giant_sport

The action in this one was basically garbage. One of the main selling points involved fans hoping to see Hogan slam Andre for the first time, even though he and others had already done so in the past. And on top of that, it was the main event of the biggest show of the year and only lasted a little over ten minutes. Don’t get me wrong, the feud leading into the event was money, but the match itself was rather meh.

Even though the action didn’t live up to the hype, this was the most important match in the company’s history at the time, and one would be hard-pressed to find one since that had more impact. These guys worked a lengthy feud leading into the event and had millions of eyes watching a product that wasn’t even putting on pay-per-view events just a few years prior. Not only did they have millions of eyes watching at home, they also drew a record 93,173 fans to check it out on in person.

Hogan did slam Andre and followed it up with his Leg Drop for the win. The action wasn’t memorable, but without this match, there’s a good chance the WWE would never have become the global juggernaut it is today, so for that reason alone, it has to be included in a list such as this one.

7. Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage (WrestleMania VII)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2hsck9_wwf-wrestlemania-vii-randy-savage-vs-the-ultimate-warrior_sport

After Savage lost his title to Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania V, he had tried on numerous occasions to win it back. Hogan passed the torch to Warrior at WrestleMania VI, and the “Macho King” set his sights on the newly crowed champ. After Warrior refused to grant him a title shot (instead granting one to Sergeant Slaughter), Savage interfered in the contest, hitting Warrior with his scepter and costing him the title.

This led to a feud between the two heading into WrestleMania VII, with Savage putting his career on the line. Sensational Sherri accompanied the “Macho King” to the ring but his former girlfriend Miss Elizabeth was also in attendance. After hitting a remarkable five flying elbows drops, Savage was still unable to diminish the power of the Warrior, eventually taking three shoulder block tackles that each sent Savage to the floor. Warrior would stand over the fallen King and pick up the victory, forcing Savage to “retire.”

Some of the most memorable action actually took place following the match, however, as Sherri attacked Savage, leading to a memorable reconciliation between Miss Elizabeth and Savage, with Savage once again becoming a fan favorite after holding the ropes for Elizabeth. Awesome match. Awesome story. Awesome Wrestlemania moment.

6. Bret Hart vs. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (WrestleMania VIII)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2gs2s7_wwf-wrestlemania-viii-bret-hart-vs-roddy-piper_sport

Widely considered to be one of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history, Hart and Piper battled for the Intercontinental Championship back in the days when the title was actually worth a damn.

Hart could make anyone look good, and Piper was an above average worker in his own right, so there was little chance of this contest being anything other than a stone cold classic. It really felt personal too, with stiff action that was a borderline street fight at times. The “Hit Man” bladed during the match and was covered in blood by the end of this brutal affair.

After the referee was driven into the turnbuckle and knocked out for a few minutes, Piper considered using the ring bell as a weapon, but had a change of heart and chose not to. The “Hot Rod” instead attempted to put Hart away with his signature sleeper, but Hart countered the move by propelling himself off of the turnbuckle and countering into one of the most beautiful pinning combinations fans will ever see. Piper embraced Hart and helped him to the back after the contest, earning the respect and admiration of basically everyone in attendance.