[[quoteright:267:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/andrejake3_6427.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:267:Andre taking out [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]]]]
'''Andre the Giant''', real name André Rene Roussimoff (Bulgarian: Андрей Рене Русимов; Polish: Andrzej Renat Russimow; 1946-93) was a [[ProfessionalWrestling professional wrestler]] well-known for his impressive size[[hottip:*:Billed at 7'4" (224 cm) and around 500 pounds (226 kg), to be precise]]. [[YouMayRememberMeFrom You may also remember him as Fezzik from the]] [[TheFilmOfTheBook motion picture adaptation]] of ''Film/ThePrincessBride''.

During his tenure in the [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] (or WWE as it is called now), he was dubbed "The Eighth Wonder of the World" due to his frame, and held a fifteen-year undefeated streak in the company (with the exception of disqualification and count-out losses). One of the most famous matches of his career was against Wrestling/HulkHogan for Hogan's WWF World Heavyweight Championship at ''WrestleMania III''.[[note]]Andre had lost to the Original Sheik in Toronto in 1974, and to [[Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling Antonio Inoki]] in [=Japan=] in 1986, but neither of these matches were included in Wrestling/{{WWE}} {{Canon}}.[[/note]]

Unfortunately, his great size was due to gigantism, and he suffered intense pain throughout his body, especially as he got older. On January 27, 1993, shortly following his retirement from professional wrestling, he died in his sleep from congestive heart failure. In his honor, the WWF made Andre the first inductee into the company's Hall of Fame, established that same year.

As usual, ThatOtherWiki [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_the_Giant has a nice read-up on his life and career.]]

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!!'''Tropes associated with André:'''

* AfroAssKicker: At times earlier in his career, sporting an afro while wrestling in territories such as what is now known as WWC. Big John Studd shaved it off.
* TheAlcoholic: [[http://www.drunkard.com/issues/10_06/10_06_andre_giant.html André. Loved. Liquor.]] Because of his size, he could easily outdrink everyone at whatever function he was at; the stories about his drinking really get into extreme territory. Just check that link for some of the best. When he had to go into surgery, he was [[OffTheScale so large]] that the anesthetist had to base dosing on what it took to get Andre drunk. He was told by friends that it took a 1.75l bottle of vodka to get him buzzed.
* ArchEnemy: Wrestling/{{Kamala}}, Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy, [[Wrestling/BobbyHeenan Bobby "The Brain" Heenan]], Wrestling/HulkHogan, [[Wrestling/JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]], Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan, [[Wrestling/UltimateWarrior The Ultimate Warrior]], Demolition
* AssKicksYou: He would back people into the turnbuckle then ram his backside into their gut.
* {{Badass}}
* BashBrothers: Wrestling/HulkHogan, Wrestling/JimmySnuka
* TheBigGuy: He was called Andre The Giant for a very good reason.
** A friend of Andre's tells the story of a dinner where he tried to pick up the check (Andre refused to let anyone else pay for his prodigious meals) while Andre was in the bathroom. He was speaking with the waiter when Andre returned, tucked his friend under his arm and firmly replaced him in his seat. This particular friend [[Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger was not exactly a midget himself]].
* BullyingADragon: A group of men once hassled him in a bar. After chasing them out, he turned over the car while they were in it.
* CassandraTruth: Likely the reason André was never charged when he chased four guys out of a bar then flipped their car over while they were in it. Four drunk guys talking about an angry giant would have been just a ''little'' hard to believe.
** [[FridgeLogic Even with an overturned car to show as evidence?]]
*** They were drunk--it could have happened from their own driving...
* CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown: The Giant Machine
* {{Defeating the Undefeatable}}: He is Wrestling/HulkHogan's CrowningMomentOfAwesome. Specifically, Hogan was the first person to lift him up and bodyslam him, at least during the WWF's "Rock 'n' Wresting" era.[[note]]Harley Race, Wrestling/{{Kamala}}, Wrestling/StanHansen, Ronnie Garvin, Blackjack Mulligan and others had all slammed Andre prior to WMIII, but never in [=WWE=].[[/note]]
** Although an obvious set-up, André was having increasing health problems which slowed him down considerably. Hogan practically danced around him in the ring making the spectacle somewhat believable.
** Andre was the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY41wT2DjSI generator of such moments for many other wrestlers]] back before Hogan. Hogan wasn't the first, but he was the first to do so with a national audience. Before that, Andre would go around to various territories and put over wrestlers by having them slam him. In addition, Hogan (back in 1980, when the Hulkster was a villian and Andre was the good guy) slammed the big guy at least twice.
** Andre let Hogan retain the championship at Wrestlemania III, as Hogan knew the giant could defeat him in the ring if he wanted, regardless of what had been decided beforehand. For Wrestling/HulkHogan, it was Andre choosing to put Hogan over that made it the greatest moment in his career.
* {{Gasshole}}: The man really appreciated a good [[ToiletHumor fart joke]].
* TheGiant: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin It's in his]] [[ShapedLikeItself NAME!]] Subverted in that he was actually a moderately skilled Greco-Roman wrestler.
* GentleGiant: His role as Fezzik in ''Film/ThePrincessBride''.
** In RealLife too. He kept a small farm where he would walk around and play with the animals because they didn't stare at him and Robin Wright says that he used to put his hand on her head to keep her warm during cold days on the set of ''Film/ThePrincessBride''.
* HardHead
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: Along side the 5'6" Robin Wright in ''The Princess Bride''.
* [[IconicCharacters Iconic Wrestler]]: First inductee into the WWF/E Hall of Fame.
* MeanCharacterNiceActor: Despite his occasional monster heel persona, he was very nice...as long as you didn't [[BewareTheNiceOnes piss him off.]]
* OffTheScale: The anesthetist mentioned above had to base dosage in that manner because most hospital charts simply would not account for someone of Andre's size.
* PunchPunchPunchUhOh: Pretty much Andre's trademark, taking punches and throw attempts like they are nothing.
* SquareCubeLaw: He died young because his body was violating it.
* SquashMatch: Several, often of the handicap (Andre vs. 2 or 3 guys at once) variety.
* TagTeam:
** The Machines (as Giant Machine), with Big Machine (Blackjack Mulligan), Super Machine (Bill "Masked Superstar"/"Demolition Ax" Eadie), [[CaptainObvious Hulk Machine, Piper Machine]], Animal Machine (George "The Animal" Steele) and Crusher Machine ([[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation AWA]] legend Reggie "The Crusher" Lisowski)
** The [=MegaBucks=], with [[Wrestling/TedDiBiase "The Million-Dollar Man" Ted [=DiBiase=]]]
** The Colossal Connection, with Haku.
* [[UnrelatedBrothers Unrelated Father and Son]]: [[Wrestling/TheBigShow The Giant (Paul Wight)]] in Wrestling/{{WCW}} was supposedly Andre's "son."
* {{Why Did It Have to Be Snakes}}?: During their feud, [[JakeRoberts Jake "The Snake" Roberts]] exploited Andre's fear of snakes with the help of his pet snake Damien.
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