Andre the Giant

by Michael Krugman

  “He’s wrestled against Mulligan, other big men, and he’s worked his way up to me,” Studd told World Wrestling Federation’s Victory in November 1983. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m the best big man in professional wrestling. He has a lot of people buffaloed that he is the main man of wrestling. That might have been true a few years back, but I’m ready for him now.”

  “Before John Studd it was Don Leo Jonathan,” responded André. “He was the first time I wrestled against another big guy. His last match—I’m sorry to say—I put him in the hospital.”

  April 20, 1983: Fieldhouse, Hamburg, PA

  ROGERS CORNER W/BIG JOHN STUDD

  “There’s only one man in this business that might stop Big John Studd,” says the legendary “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers, hosting his Rogers Corner interview segment. “and I for one believe that André the Giant just might do it.”

  “I’ll tell you something, Rogers,” declares his guest, Big John Studd. “I’m gonna tell all you people out there, I’ve given André the Giant—and this is the last time I’ll call him ‘Giant’ on your spot—every opportunity in the world to wrestle me, and I have a contract in front of every promoter in the entire United States, it says John Studd’s name on it and André the Giant. All he has to do is sign it. As far as I’m concerned, you talk about size, take a look at this fist right here, it’s as big as your head. [Studd gets up, opening his robe.] Take a look at this body right here, take a look at it! Three hundred sixty-eight pounds of solid muscle. The man stole $10,000 from me, and I’m tired of going to all these arenas and seeing all you people having these signs that say ‘André the Giant Is #1’ when he hasn’t proven himself. To be number one he has to beat John Studd, the giant of professional wrestling! And then, when we meet in the center of the ring, no matter where it is in these United States, and I show you, Rogers, and I show all you people out there that John Studd is the only giant, you will all be bringing the right poster and that is ‘Big John Studd the Giant Is #1.’”

  “Well, that remains to be seen,” concludes Rogers, “and I still think André might cut the job.”

  April 25, 1983: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

  ANDRÉ THE GIANT VS. BIG JOHN STUDD

  Studd comes to the ring and announces, “Tonight’s the night that Studd slams André the Girl! C’mon, André the Girl, I don’t have all night!”

  André comes in, climbs over the top, stares down Studd, and shoves him. Studd shoves right back. André shoves again, as does Studd. The bell rings, and Finkel runs out of the way as André shoves, now with two hands, sending Studd into the corner.

  “Tonight’s final bout is the Battle of the Titans, one fall or to curfew,” says ring announcer Howard Finkel. “Introducing first, to my right, from Los Angeles, California, weighing 364 pounds, Big John Studd! His opponent, from Grenoble in the French Alps, weight 492 pounds, the Eighth Wonder of the World, André the Giant!”

  A shoving match ensues before Studd even gets his robe off. André chops his chest, sending him back and over the rope to the apron.

  “Everywhere André the Giant goes, people recognize him,” says color commentator Pat Patterson. “All over the world, this man cannot hide from no one. I told him one time, why don’t you put a hat on, maybe they won’t recognize you.”

  André smiles as Studd stretches and challenges him. They lock up and André pushes Studd into the corner. Studd complains that André grabbed his hair. They lock up again and Studd lands a blow to André’s shoulder. They stare down, locking up again; Studd continues to work on André’s left arm and shoulder. Big chop sends him back. Lock up, André goes right for the slam, Studd hooks the top rope. Ref breaks it up, but André pushes Studd back, his hand covering Studd’s face. Studd reels from another big chop but comes right back, working the shoulder and arm. Studd locks onto the arm, dropping André down.

  “It’s not the left arm that gives you the power for the slam,” notes commentator Gorilla Monsoon, “it’s the right one.”

  Studd holds André’s arm out and drops an elbow. André gets up, lands a right, but Studd maintains his hold, putting André back down onto the mat. André sells hard, gets to the ropes, but Studd won’t let go, working the shoulder. He lands another right breaking the hold. Studd comes in for a double ax-handle, but André ducks into a bearhug. Studd starts squeezing André’s head, going at his eyes. André kidney-punches out, and then two big chops and a big right send Studd back into the ropes. He comes off with a knee that Gorilla says “looks very, very low to me.”

  A big boot and a chop put Studd down. He gets right back up, they lock up, and André gives him a headbutt. Studd goes to one knee, then rolls out between the middle ropes. Referee John Stanley gets to seven before Studd comes back in. André gets him into the corner, hand on Studd’s face, chop, two big butt shots, another right, chop, but Studd goes back to the shoulder. André goes shoulder-first into Studd’s midsection, sending him hard into the turnbuckle. He sets up a headbutt, but Studd reverses and tries for the slam. He tries to lift three times, but André turns it into a headlock. He swings three big chops and Studd is whipped into the ropes for a Giant-sized boot to the sternum; Studd rolls out to the apron. André grabs his hair, stands him up, big right and chop chop chop, reaches over the ropes and gets Studd set for the slam, but Studd hooks the top rope between his ankles. André drops him to his back, then sit-down slam on his chest. Studd rolls out to the floor and heads up the aisle. The referee counts him out at 8:22 as the crowd goes wild.

  However, the countout victory does not satisfy André, who grabs the mic from Finkel: “I want Studd back in the ring, I’m not going to leave the ring before he come back in this ring!

  BIG JOHN STUDD: “I’ll meet him anywhere, anytime, in any kind of match. If he can beat me, then I’ll say he’s a better man. ...I’ve never seen a wrestler come out of a steel cage without being hurt, and André doesn’t want to get hurt. My goal is to become Number One. That means if I have to hurt him, then I’ll have to hurt him. That means he’ll have to retire from wrestling or he’ll have to get on national television and tell everyone that, hey, he’s Number Two, and that John Studd is Number One. That’s my object, that’s what I’m after. That’s my prize, my championship.”

  ANDRÉ THE GIANT: “I don’t like to be in a cage. I go into the cage against John Studd not for myself, but for the people. I just want to show the people I can beat him. If he wants to get me in the cage, I’ll go.”

  June 11, 1983: Boston Garden, Boston, MA

  ANDRÉ THE GIANT VS. BIG JOHN STUDD IN A STEEL CAGE MATCH

  André starts by tearing Studd’s face against the wire mesh, drawing blood. He follows with a big chop, and then whips Studd into the ropes for the big boot. Studd ducks and nails André with a clothesline. The Giant doubles over; Studd lands a double ax-handle into André’s back, sending him flat onto the mat. A weary Studd hits the canvas himself and begins crawling for the door. André rises in time to grab Studd’s left boot, dragging him away from the door, then drops a big leg onto the back of Studd’s neck.

  “That could terminate your career, a move like that,” notes Gorilla Monsoon.

  André stands up and, rather than leave the cage, steps on Studd’s head. Studd manages to grab André’s enormous right ankle and pulls him down, but the Giant lands a hip directly onto Studd’s head. André gets to one knee and lands a big fist to Studd’s forehead. André stands up, raising a fist to the screaming crowd, as Studd inches backward toward the center of the ring. André reaches down, grabs a handful of Studd’s mane, and effortlessly lifts his six-foot-ten opponent and slams him down hard. He climbs to the top turnbuckles and leaps off, landing a sit-down splash onto Studd’s chest.

  “This match is over!” exclaims Monsoon. The crowd goes wild as André calls for the cage door to be opened and steps out, fist raised in victory.

  February 10, 1984: Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, MO

  $30,000 18-MAN BATTLE ROYAL FEATURING
ANDRÉ, BIG JOHN STUDD, HULK HOGAN, THE MASKED SUPERSTAR, MOONDOG REX, SAMULA, MIL MASCARAS, DAVID SCHULTZ, BOB BOYER, MR. FUJI, TIGER CHUNG LEE, IVAN PUTSKI, TONY ATLAS, PAUL ORNDORFF, ROCKY JOHNSON, JIMMY SNUKA, AND THE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS ADRIAN ADONIS & DICK MURDOCH.

  Studd spends the early part of the match hanging outside on the apron. Shultz and Snuka are eliminated in the first moments, followed soon thereafter by Hogan’s tossing out Moondog Rex. André tries to dump Fuji, who catches onto the ropes. André bounces the ropes in an attempt to loose him, but to no avail.

  “It’s pandemonium everywhere,” notes Vince McMahon on commentary.

  André kicks back in the far corner, and then gets into an exchange with Tony Atlas. Bob Boyer runs at André, who gets a boot up and puts him down. André lies down on Boyer, followed by the remaining contestants piling on, bar Hogan who prefers to observe the mayhem. Afterward, Orndorff kicks away as the official extracts the deflated Boyer from the ring.

  In the corner, Studd traps André with a facelock from outside on the apron, opening him up for blows from Orndorff. He escapes and hits his opponents with a noggin knocker.

  Studd paces around the floor as Lee gets eliminated amid the chaos. André chokes out Atlas, who pitches the Masked Superstar over. Superstar pulls Atlas out, and they go at it outside. Orndorff is thrown over by Johnson, who goes through the ropes and gets pitched headfirst into the post by Mr. Wonderful. Despite the referee’s protests, Orndorff lifts Rocky and smashes his head again, splitting him open. Orndorff beats Johnson a bit longer, and then sends him flying under the ropes into the ring. Samu and Murdoch double-team Johnson, who ducks a flying crossbody, sending Samu over the top. André grabs Murdoch’s throat for Johnson. They go toe-to-toe and together, tumble out to the floor where their exchange continues.

  André chops at Fuji, and then throws him out. Meanwhile, Hogan dumps Adonis, leaving the two face-to-face as Studd battles Mascaras and Putski in the opposite corner. Studd rids himself of his competition just as Hulk and André begin trading blows. They lock up and fall against the ropes, allowing Studd to come up behind them. He grabs André’s trunks and leverages him over, then does the same to Hogan, winning the Battle Royal at 13:28.

  The crowd boos as Studd raises his arms in victory. André climbs back in, but Studd quickly makes his escape to the outside. Hogan gets into the ring and demands Studd come back to face him one-on-one. André stalks Studd outside until finally Studd has no choice but to go into the ring. André follows, so Studd bolts back out. Hogan goes after him, as does André. Studd tries to flee into the ring, but André and Hogan grab his boots. They pull him out and take turns holding Studd’s arms back for shots to the head. Studd goes down to his knees, and Hulk comes from behind and claws his face. André and Hogan raise their arms together as Studd is presented his $30,000 check in the ring.

  Nineteen eighty-four proved an eventful year for André. He appeared in two major Hollywood films, Blake Edwards’s Mickey & Maude (alongside Big John Studd, Chief Jay Strongbow, and Gene LeBell) and Richard Fleischer’s Conan the Destroyer. He plays—uncredited—the god Dagoth, a rubber-suited horned monster conjured up by Arnold Schwarzenegger and his merry band of barbarians.

  As his program with Studd continued, André was invited to appear on an early edition of what would become one of the World Wrestling Federation’s most enduring segments, Piper’s Pit, hosted by the one and only “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.

  “Here we have, of course, this week on Piper’s Pit, André the Giant,” introduces Piper. “Supposedly the biggest man in the world ever. It’s a pleasure to have you here. Where are you from, André?”

  André, his hair wild and woolly, just stares at his insolent host.

  “I’m sorry,” says Piper. “Do you speak English? André, where. Do. You. Come. From?”

  “None of your business,” snarls the Giant.

  “If the questions are too hard for you, I will try to bring them down a little so you can understand. I understand, big body, little, tiny, weeny brain. I can understand that, that’s very simple. Let’s get right down to facts. Is it not true that John Studd himself took the largest man like yourself, supposedly, in the world, and picked him up and slammed him? Is it not true that John Studd slammed you?”

  “Never,” answers André with a grin.

  “Are you telling me that John Studd never slammed you? You trying to tell me, at 540 pounds, whatever you are, that you cannot be slammed?”

  “Are you understand English or not? I told you that one time already.”

  “At 520 pounds, if I’m given five minutes, I could slam you myself! I don’t care, you’re saying John Studd, at 520—”

  André stands up and grabs the Hot Rod by the collar of his T-shirt. He yanks him up onto the table, and then shoves him to the floor. Piper gets into defensive mode, but André takes another fistful of T-shirt. As Roddy tries to remove the red tee, André uses it to toss Piper toward the camera. The Giant stalks off as Piper returns, shirtless and raging.

  “You think you’re tough! Come on! You ain’t nothing! I’ll tell you one thing right now! You wanna fight, André? You’re gonna find out one thing! You do not throw rocks at a man who’s got a machine gun!”

  RODDY PIPER “There was this behind-the-stage joke that he had been doing with me. I’d ask him a question, like ‘Is that your water there, Andre?’

  “‘None of your business.’

  “It was just one of those stupid things that had been going around the dressing room. So when I got out there on Piper’s Pit and asked him the first question, it was ‘None of your business.’”

  As part of his continuing efforts to bring wrestling’s greatest talents to World Wrestling Federation, McMahon hired manager Bobby “The Brain” Heenan away from Verne Gagne’s AWA. Heenan was one of the sport’s wittiest and most provocative heels, a verbally gifted performer whose management of such tag teams as the Blackjacks and Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens led to the acquisition of a long run of championship gold.

  Initially hired by McMahon to manage Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Heenan soon took the reins of Big John Studd’s career. Also falling under Heenan’s aegis was former Olympic weightlifter-turned-wrestler Ken Patera, who with Studd, formed the first World Wrestling Federation incarnation of the Heenan Family, an ever-shifting stable of heels that began in the AWA with Bockwinkel, Stevens, Bobby Duncum, and Blackjack Lanza.

  With Heenan serving as mouthpiece, Studd’s feud with André increased in its intensity. The program reached a fever pitch when André teamed with babyface “Special Delivery” Jones in a classic Tag match against Studd & Patera.

  November 13, 1984: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, NY

  ANDRÉ THE GIANT & “SPECIAL DELIVERY” JONES

  VS. BIG JOHN STUDD & KEN PATERA

  On commentary, Vince McMahon notes that André & Jones were “pitting their skills against two of the strongest men in the world today, not just professional wrestling.”

  Patera and Jones lock up to start. Jones into the ropes, Patera drops, Jones hooks Patera’s left arm as he bounces back, brings him to the corner, and tags André. André headbutts Patera, goes to work on the arm, delivers another headbutt, and tags Jones in. SD continues to work the arm, but gets caught in a backbreaker over Patera’s knee. Studd tags in and begins beating on SD’s back. Studd sends Jones into the ropes, right back into a big elbow. SD goes down and gets stomped by Studd. Patera is tagged in as Jones tries to get back to his corner, stopped by Studd. André reaches for Studd as SD gets beaten down by Patera. Jones is whipped into the ropes, comes off with a kick to Patera’s chest. Headbutt sends Patera reeling back into André’s corner.

  SD tags André and goes for one more shot at Patera, who catches him and flips him over the top to the concrete floor, his head hitting the steel railing. André leads Patera to the opposite corner, where he chops at his chest and then squashes him against the turnbuckle. He backs up once, twice, and Patera gets a knee up, r
ight into André’s kidney. As André doubles over, Patera climbs onto the middle ropes, places a boot on André’s back, and then drops an elbow into the back of his head. He hammers away, big rights to the back of André’s head, and then hooks on—barely—a full nelson.

  Studd jumps in, and the two begin double-teaming André, together suplexing him over into “an unbelievable slam.” Studd drops an elbow, Patera drops an elbow, Patera grabs André and holds him down as Studd puts the boot to him. Studd holds André down by his knees as Patera gets onto the middle rope and drops a knee to his head. More elbows as the ref finally calls for the bell. The double-teaming continues, with André taking a nonstop rain of elbows and boots.

  “André is taking a brutal beating from Studd and Ken Patera,” says Vince. “Never have I ever seen André the Giant downed like this before, never.”

  The heels get André to his knees, Patera holding his arms behind his back. Heenan gets on the apron and pulls a pair of orangehandled scissors from his pocket. Studd takes the scissors and begins cutting off big clumps of André’s bushy mane.

  “Oh, no,” moans McMahon. “Oh. This is humiliation. This is ‘shear’ humiliation.”

  “They’re cutting his hair?” asks his shocked broadcast partner, the legendary Bruno Sammartino.

  “This should not happen to any athlete,” protests Vince as debris begins flying into the ring. “André is unconscious. He’s being held up, literally, by Patera and Studd, continues to rape, Studd and Patera rape the dignity of André the Giant, who has been recognized as one of the greatest athletes of all time. Heenan keeping SD away as Studd and Patera continue to rape André the Giant’s dignity, look what they’re doing to this man.”