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| Andr� the Giant (Jean Ferr�) |
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| Real Name: Andr� Roussimoff Born: France Died: North Carolina Facts: Andr� drew big crowds each time a show was scheduled at Paul Sauv� Arena or the Montreal Forum Though he never showed it in public, his tall structure gave him a major mental complex. He suffered some breakdowns. No matter his death might be connected to this. |
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| Copyright 2004, DeUxKonE, Montr�al, Qc |
| Qu�bec Wrestling |
| If there ever was a eight wonder of the world in pro wrestling, the award would go undoubtely to Andr� Roussimoff, better known as Andr� the Giant. |
| Born from Bulgarian origin parents, his ancestors have genes that causes a change in the body metabolism. Like his grandfather, Andr� will become a giant of near 7 feet. Already at age 12, he was at a height of 6 feet 3 inches and weighting 200 pounds ! |
| He trained at gyms which were used by pro wrestlers. While working as a salesman in Paris in his late teens, �douard Carpentier discovered him and started to train the giant to become a wrestler. He started his career in Montr�al in 1971 as Jean Ferr�, who was used as a kind of a super hero wrestler, capable of beating two heels and knock them each other on the head. The crowd liked him right away. |
| Many wrestling talent scouts passed by Montr�al to discover the wrestling wonder. Mostly Japanese scouts invited him to the land of the Rising Sun to continue his successful career. The giant was a smash hit over there. But it was Vince McMahon Sr. from the World Wide Wrestling Federation (the future WWF) who offered him the push he needed to become an icon in 1978. He changed his Jean Ferr� gimmick to Andr� the Giant in the United States. He toured from promotion to promotion and his kindness touched all wrestling fans who met him. |
| He came back for several galas for INTERNATIONAL WRESTLING in Montr�al between 1981 and 1983. His most notorius rivalry was with a Japanese wrestler who injured him�: Killer Khan. Brought by Eddie Creatchman who loated this "�Big Idiot�" as he said, Andr� avenged the humiliation by beating the wild Khan before a capacity crowd in June 1981. He also tag team with the champ Dino Bravo and his longtime friend who will soon become his foe�: Hulk Hogan. |
| He joined the latter when Vince McMahon Jr created the World Wrestling Federation. No one will forget the humiliations he faced against BlackJack Mulligan (and his trick black glove), but especially from one late Big John Studd, to whom he cutted his hair in front of a TV audience in 1984 aided by the notorius Bobby "�the Brain�" Heenan. However, the giant had his revenge on the first WRESTLEMANIA in 1985, when he gave the big guy a body slam lesson... |
| But Bobby Heenan, despite his hatred from the giant, has eyes for him. In 1987, Jesse "�the Body�" Ventura launched the infamous rivalry that would bring to one of the biggest matches in pro wrestling�: Andre the Giant vs Hulk Hogan. Suddenly, the giant had become a heel, and Bobby Heenan took him under his wing. WRESTLEMANIA 3 in Detroit would stage the showdown, and Andr� lost one of his rare matches against the Hulkamania leader... It would mean also the start of the decline of popularity for the mega wrestler... |
| At a point, Andr� would seek his revenge. He got it at the hands of Ted DiBiase, who was the top heel at the time. In a pay-per-view event, Andr� beats Hulk Hogan for the belt and gives it afterwards to DiBiase who becomes the WWF champ. Andr� got paid for this coup, and this shocked many betrayed wrestling fans. Andr� became a WWF tag team champ for four months in 1989 with Haku (who wrestled under the name of King Tonga and today's Meng), but his failing health and his overweightness forced him to retire in 1990. In 1992, he was introduced into the WWF's Hall of Fame... |
| In his private life, Andr� got married and had a daughter. The television and movie world noticed his height to portray giant caracters. It was Lee Majors who used him first in two episodes of the SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN as he played the role of the Bionic Bigfoot. In Qu�bec, he was guest star to a couple of french speaking sitcoms. (In one of them, he played a klutzy houseman) In the movies, he played his own role in MICKY & MAUDE and a monster in CONAN THE DESTROYER. But it was in the 1990's hit movie THE PRINCESS BRIDE where he got his movie success, beside Billy Crystal, who will become one of his best friends and later will dedicate him a movie called MY GIANT... |
| In January 1993, after attending a WCW reunion, Andr� the Giant died from a heart attack. The Gentle Giant has entered into the legend of pro wrestling... |
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| This is how Andr� was presented as the Giant Jean Ferr� in his beginnings in Montreal: sort of a crime fighter gimmick which was a crowd pleaser ! His biggest feud with Lutte Grand Prix and As De La Lutte altogether would be obliously the two "no contest" matches at the Montreal Forum against Don Leo Jonathan... |
| Source�: SlamWrestling, Steve Sleagle, Lutte.com |