André the Giant (2018)

★★★
My first exposure to André the Giant came while viewing the V.H.S. tape for WrestleMania III. The story before his match with Hulk Hogan was that André aligned himself with the heel manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and challenged Hogan for the World Wrestling Federation title. André was serious about his challenge, and he proved it by ripping the shirt from a distraught Hogan, who couldn't believe what he was witnessing. One of his closest friends turned against him. The setup was professional wrestling storytelling at its finest, with the payoff signifying a monumental shift in the wrestling landscape. The old ways of territorial wrestling were already losing ground to the W.W.F.'s national expansion, and this match was hyped as a passing of the torch from one generation to the next. As an 11-year-old, I watched this giant of a man envelope the muscular Hogan in a bear hug. The crowd was going nuts. Many years later, W.W.E. (name changed in 2002) advertised 2022's WrestleMania as featuring the biggest match of all time, between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. It wasn't even close. That André/Hogan match was one to remember.

I learned many years later of André's condition, known as acromegaly, which causes excessive production of growth hormones. This led to André's size. He found out about it in the early '80s, but he opted not to treat it, believing that acromegaly was the key to his success. It led to his death in 1993. His legacy is a long and storied one. He commanded respect everywhere he went, and he sustained his drawing power through three decades in the business. The Molien native made his debut during France's glory days of professional wrestling, known as catch wrestling, and he sought bigger fortune in Montreal, which eventually led him to work for Vince McMahon, Sr.'s World Wide Wrestling Federation (the Wide was later dropped). The territory system allowed André to do what he loved, which was travel the world and see the friends that he made over the course of his career. In his youth, he was quick, lean and agile. His condition was an asset. He became a very rich man, drawing six figures each year. Promotors knew he was a spectacle, and he was compensated accordingly. Fans were in awe of the Giant, who could stand tall next to other big men like Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. Unfortunately, he was living on borrowed time. Acromegaly was eventually going to catch up to him.

André the Giant, an H.B.O. production, covers the life of André Roussimoff from his early days in France to the highs of headlining Madison Square Garden. It's a thorough look at his life, with surviving family members and industry experts explaining what made the Giant a star. It's the perfect complement to the indispensable The Eighth Wonder of the World: The True Story of André the Giant, a detailed biography by Bertrand Hébert and Pat Laprade. Their book covers much of the details presented in this documentary. We hear from industry luminaries like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and Pat Patterson, along with writer Dave Meltzer, handler and W.W.F. referee Tim White, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and cast members from The Princess Bride, the 1987 movie in which André starred as Fezzik, the giant and eventual ally of hero Westley, played Cary Elwes. Historians, authors and friends talk of a man who loved his craft and respected its secrecy, its kayfabe. In his peak years, André, not yet hampered by a condition that would eventually require him to use crutches, traveled to Japan and faced the best. In his later years, he feuded with a new generation of wrestlers, like Jake the Snake Roberts and the Ultimate Warrior. Through it all, he was a legendary figure, not just for his in-ring skills but for his drinking. There are many stories of his feats, such as drinking over 100 cans of beer in a single sitting.

We also hear of the difficulties André faced. As a big man, he drew unwanted attention when he was away from the ring. Airplane trips, especially to Japan, were brutal, because he couldn’t fit in the lavatories. The world wasn't designed for a man of his size, as he states in an interview. Other than the locker room, he found refuge in Ellerbe, North Carolina. He bought a house there and, on rare occasions when he wasn't traveling, retreated to his estate to enjoy some peace and quiet. He raised longhorn cattle. He spent more time here after his W.W.F. career ended, and there is resentment. Vince McMahon, Jr., the one we know and either love or hate, depending on your viewpoint, had to face the facts. André's body couldn't handle the rigors of professional wrestling any longer. André wanted to keep going. The business meant that much to him, but how could Vince sell an unstoppable giant who was hanging on to the ropes for support? He opens up in a way we don't normally see. The Mr. McMahon character from T.V. is nowhere present. There is true sadness, as he acknowledges André's resentment to the idea that the business would move on without him. Vince did what he did, but his opinion of the Giant is still high. He's still special to him.

André the Giant features lots of old film clips from André's younger days. The documentary not only is a suitable companion piece to the book, but also the A&E documentary Larger Than Life. Even with these three valuable sources of information, the real André was hard to pin down, no pun intended. Lots of rumors and legends swirled around the Giant. His exact height, his tolerance level to alcohol, his relationships—he was very private about the facts. His only child is featured. They saw little of each other. The book suggests that her mother made frequent visits difficult. We learn at the end that he left his fortune to her. He had a reputation for being generous. André the Giant died in Paris while on a trip to his father's funeral. His brother Jacques shows us his chair. It's like a throne, fit for a king, or a giant. The documentary doesn't solve all the mysteries about the man, and that's okay. You can't have a legend without a little mystery.

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