Andre the Giant
Page 30
“Two, three days later, the phone rings again, and it’s Frenchy. I’m thinking, ‘What, does André need a ride or something?’ He told me André passed away last night and I just was stunned. Stunned. I was devastated. I went numb. I went to my bar, the Friendly Tap, the place was closed, and had a few beers, just staring into space.”
All Japan Pro Wrestling paid tribute to André at their January 31 show at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall. The following evening, World Wrestling Federation honored the Giant with a ten-bell salute on its new Monday Night Raw show.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” announced Howard Finkel over a rambunctious Manhattan Center crowd, “as many of you know, one of the legends, last week, passed away. And I’m referring to André the Giant. André, throughout his World Wrestling Federation career, provided many an exciting moment for both young and old alike, and his unique presence will surely be missed. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to ask you all to rise in tribute to a man who truly was one of a kind, André the Giant.”
Due to André’s size, no crematorium in France could accommodate his final wishes to be cremated within forty-eight hours of his death. Instead, he lay in state for nearly a week while a custom coffin was built. Legend has it that the airline flying him home to North Carolina had to adjust its schedule and cargo to be under the weight limit with André’s body on board. After cremation, André’s ashes were spread over his two-hundred-acre ranch in Ellerbee, North Carolina.
A small memorial was held, attended by a few of André’s closest friends. Among the speakers eulogizing André were Darrol Dickenson, who had sold the ranch its longhorn cattle; Dr. P. R. Rankin Jr. of Ellerbee’s Rankin Museum of American and Natural History; Terry Todd, who had bonded with André when writing his seminal Sports Illustrated feature; and Hulk Hogan.
“A Traveler Coming Home,” by the poet Karen Ravn, was printed for the service. The poem stands as a perfect and touching memorial to André the Giant’s restless spirit and love of new experiences:
He journeyed on from place to place
And gained some value from each one.
EPILOGUE
In 1993, World Wrestling Federation created its Hall of Fame, largely to honor André, its first inductee, a towering figure in the wrestling industry for more than two decades. André’s Hall of Fame induction honored his astonishing accomplishments and irreplaceable talent.
Today André’s visage remains an ever-present aspect of any city, thanks to the work of artist Shepard Fairey. Described by its creator as “an experiment in phenomenology,” the “André the Giant Has a Posse” campaign saw Fairey and his cohorts covering streets across America with stickers and posters featuring André’s face and the text “ANDRÉ THE GIANT HAS A POSSE 7’4”, 520 lbs.”
Soon tens of thousands of photocopied and hand-screened stickers adorned with André’s mug could be found throughout the world, from Philadelphia and New York City to Atlanta and Austin, as well as such far-flung locales as Greece, London, Mexico, Japan, Florida, and the Caribbean Islands. In 1993, Fairey began using a different image of the wrestler’s face, usually with the branding “OBEY GIANT.” The guerilla art campaign continues to this day. André’s image can be seen peering from phone booths and bus stops, a constant reminder of his lasting impact on the popular consciousness.
In the years since his passing, a number of seven-footers have become featured wrestling attractions, but none has captured the popular imagination quite like André. In the heat of the wrestling wars of the 1990s, Ted Turner’s WCW introduced a gigantic new wrestler. Paul Wight—better known today as Big Show—made his debut at the Bash at the Beach 1995, interfering in Hulk Hogan’s Cage match against Vader. Billed as “The Giant,” he claimed to be André’s son, come to revenge his “father.” Though Big Show has gone on to have a successful career in World Wrestling Entertainment, he’d be among the first to admit that André was unique.
VINCE McMAHON: “André was a very special guy. I don’t think you’re going to ever find another André again. We had another legitimate giant in Big Show. He also had the same disease, although they caught it earlier. He never knew André. When he debuted in WCW, Hogan introduced him as André’s illegitimate son, which of course was bullshit.”
STEPHANIE McMAHON: “No one compares to André. It’s not only his abilities. There are other giants who can do more than André could do in the ring. But André understood psychology better than any other giants that I have worked with. And that’s no disrespect to them, they offer other things. André knew how to be a giant. I think sometimes other giants work so hard not to be giants that they lose sight of the basic psychology. They all have different things to offer. But there’s only one André, in terms of his in-ring ability and in terms of his personality. He had an aura.”
People everywhere loved André for his gentle manner and formidable ring persona. His contributions helped increase professional wrestling’s public profile, leading to its development into a billion-dollar entertainment industry.
When Pro Wrestling Illustrated compiled a list of the “Top 500 Singles Wrestlers” of all time, André placed third, behind Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. This acknowledgment of his extraordinary talents in the ring, his understanding of how the subtlest move could make a crowd pop, would likely have pleased André, for whom wrestling was the highest form of storytelling imaginable.
TED DIBIASE: “André was a sharp guy. He really understood who he was as a character and what it took to make that character work. He was just incredible. Sometimes these muscleheads would come through and go, ‘I can’t sell for that guy.’ I’d say, ‘If André the Giant can sell and make people believe it, you can too.’ Selling is everything, y’know.”
TIM WHITE: “The guy was brilliant. He’d come up with finishers for guys that ended up having careers off those finishes. He was so good at it. How can a guy, seven-foot-four, 520 pounds, make a kid in the top row cry because they think he’s getting hurt? How good is that? Is there anyone who can do that now?”
SHANE McMAHON: “His presence was part of why he was a great performer. If you were in the crowd, and he was pissed off, you would’ve said, ‘Holy shit, I’m glad I’m not facing that guy.’ And when he smiled, you were like, ‘Oh wow, what a gentle giant.’ But you always knew that at any second he could take care of business.”
VINCE McMAHON: “It was just so much fun working with André. He was such a wonderful man in so many respects. It made you smile to be around him. You knew André was special, and it was a privilege even to be in his presence. It really was a privilege to know somebody like that and for them to trust you as much as they did and to enjoy good times with you.”
André the Giant: May 19, 1946–January 27, 1993.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My endless love and thanks to superagent Dave Dunton at Harvey Klinger Inc., without whom none of this would have been possible. Equal amounts of affection and appreciation must go to my longtime friends and supporters at Pocket Books, the amazingly patient Margaret Clark and Anthony Ziccardi.
As ever, none of this would be possible without the remarkable efforts of Abby Royle, whose hard work and attention to detail prove invaluable every time.
In the “I Couldn’t Have Done It Without You” department, thanks must go to my friends and family, all of whom stood by me when the Giant’s shadow loomed large and dark: The Krugmans—David, Cynthia, and Michele; the Fitz-Gordons—Jonathan, Caitlyn, Ida, and Reggie; Ken Weinstein; Mike Flaherty; Jason Cohen; Nevin Martell; Andrew Korus; Nikki Van De Car, the Copes— Dorian, Julian, Albany, and Avalon; the Lyles—Keith, Rosh, and Gavin; Robyn Hitchcock; Bob Kaus and Jules Dominguez; Nick Stern; Tracy Zamot; Barbara Mitchell, “El Toro” Kurt B. Reighley, and Steven Trachtenbroit; Sheila Richman and everyone at Atlantic Records; Katie-Jane Bailey; and those swinging cats known as Right on Dynamite—Daniel Murphy, Nicholas Cirillo, Jon Molina.
A special shout-out to two guys whose passion for wrestling inspired me throughout the
process: Spencer McGarry and Tony Basile.
Thanks to Fran Antigone, for her creative imagery and support when I needed it most.
Of course, my appreciation to everyone at WWE, especially Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, Howard Finkel, and the very gracious and giving Tim White. Also, thanks to those who found the time to share a bit of André’s legend with me: Ted DiBiase, George Grey, Stan Hansen, Bobby Heenan, Betty Skaaland, Jack Brisco, Kenneth Johnson, and John Laurinaitis.
Major kudos must go to all those wise, wonderful wrestling experts out there on the Internet, with major gratitude to Graham Cawthon and his invaluable www.thehistoryofwwe.com.
Last, but very definitely not least, big, big love and gratitude to Carrie Hamilton, who retains the World Heavyweight Championship belt of my heart. Her patience, advice, affection, encouragement, and support make it all worthwhile. Hi, Honey!