Talk:André the Giant/Archive 1

Andre had only 4 inches on Hogan??? Really, how can anyone say that. His head was twice the height of any normal mans and that was proven, even Hogan's massive head looked small compared to Andre's, and that is what evryone forgets. Hogan was 6'9" in his wrestling boots at that time (6'7" without) and Andre's head was another 8 inches from the bridge of his nose where Hogan came up to until the top of his head. Andre's boots were thin heeled and had an inch less boost than Hogan's making him 7'4" minimum at the time. Guy's like Metzler amuse me, he says everyone was shorter than they say and the people he talks to are envious of Andre. How could he be only 6'10" tops when he was well over a foot taller than the 6'2" Anrold on the set of Conan? He is tanding on an inclined drive with Chamberlain about 5 feet further up the slope and he still matched the 7'1" Wilt in height so he had to be a good couple inches taller than him as well. I personally saw Andre in 1988 standing only a few feet from myself and i know for a fact he was well over 7' tall.

Andre 7' for peak

Andre looks 7' in all of these photos of people of known height. These pics are from Andre's peak not his later days. The article should state 7' peak and 6'10 later after surgery , excessive weight gain and spinal pressure causing curving of the spine.http://s206.photobucket.com/albums/bb213/goliath777/Andre%20the%20Giant/Goliath777 (talk) 00:27, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

Protection

Due to various instances of vandalism, I have placed semi-protection on this page. I grow weary of those individuals that get joy out of ruining pages. Please someone fix the Birth section if you have the information. -- Jophus00 (talk) 16:26, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

You as a non-admin have no actual power to place semi-protection lock on this page. All you have merely done is place the semiprotection tag letting people know that it is under said protection (when in fact it has not). To request a page to be semi-protected go here Wikipedia:Requests for page protection. Strongsauce (talk) 00:18, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

Whosyomama??

Some idiot changed Andre's last name to Whosyomama. Please fix this blatant vandalism pronto! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.254.200.110 (talk) 17:57, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

Edit to Early Career

This edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andr%C3%A9_the_Giant&oldid=170607006

"Andre The Giant Also Competed Thru out various Teritories in Puerto Rico with WWC and The NWA and AWA in the US."

... is poorly worded, and does not flow well with the rest of the paragraph. I fixed some of the grammar issues with the sentence itself, but some issues still remain, and it still flows poorly. Please fix or remove it. 24.22.217.167 08:39, 12 November 2007 (UTC) Kavika

Birth Place

Andre was born at Coulommiers and not at Grenoble or some where else. It's very important to Wikipedia to change this information. Marianne, Andre's mother, never came in the French Alpes. Every brothers and sisters of Andre were born in Seine et Marne, near Paris. It's very important to Wikipedia to change Grenoble to Coulommiers. You can contact me for that. Coulommiers is famous for his production of Brie, very famous cheese. (User:Boris Roussimoff, Andre's nephew)

I don't quite understand what you're saying, but I'm sure if you can provide a legimite source you can put it in the article yourself. Best regards.--Song 01:07, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Discussion on Actual Height

Andre the giant was 7ft 5in. You people keep going on about how he was measured at 24 at 6ft 10in, he had gigantism, which doesnt stop him growing at the age of 21 like normal people he can continue to grow, and he lived to the age of 45 for crying out loud. Also, his official site states that at Wrestlemania III he was measured at 7ft 5in. User:Bignick666

This is a little too hagiographic to me, but I don't feel qualifed to be the one to try to clean it up. Any takers?

I think it's correct that he was 6ft 9 1/2 throughout most of his career, considering you lose a bit with age. But 6ft 9 1/2 is not 220 cm as written on the page, it's 207 cm.

Rlquall 20:58, 16 Aug 2004 (UTC)

I'm responsible for most of the current entry and i'm sorta curious on what parts would be overly worshipful.

Also, i'm sorta unsure about using "André" over "Andre". Sure, his real name was spelled "André" but I'm not sure if he was ever billed as "André the Giant" while wrestling in the US, Japan or Canada.

RobbieFal 22:37, 23 Aug 2004 (UTC)

He was supposedly 7 ft 4 in. tall, but if you look at the photos of him, he was more likely 6'11 or 7 ft tall. His weight was really over 500 lbs at one time though. Andre wore a size 22 US shoe.

Not wishing to start an "edit war", but Ah-nold would best be described as the future governor of "Khalifornia", not because that's in the future now, but because it certainly was when "Conan" was shot and released.

Rlquall 06:09, 2 Nov 2004 (UTC)

There's a mugshot in the article, but no mention of the arrest. What exactly was André charged with?

Peter Isotalo 22:28, May 7, 2005 (UTC)

I No His Real Name Was "André" But He Always Wrestled As "Andre The Giant" Never As "André The Giant" - Well Professionally Anyway

I'm wondering how accurate the claim that the airlines had to 'reshuffle cargo and passengers' to accomodate his body-- he didn't weigh a thousand pounds; he weighed like 400. so this is what-- two, maybe three people? the paraphrased statement makes it sound like this was a huge issue, but it can't have been, even with a coffin.

OK I work as ground crew at an airport.... with his size he would have disrupted filling a pit ( cargo hold...) so he would certainly have disrupted the loading of any plane smaller than a 747... ie a 737 would have a lot of trouble shipping someone his size in a coffin...

I have to agree, my family has been in the aviation business since the early 40's and with the type of aricraft that would have been used in 1993 would caused disruptions, remember he died over 10 years ago alot has changed in the way of aviation technology since then. Sometimes I think some of you people think that the technology we have now would have been used then.

My dad personally new Andre and he was only 7ft 2in at his tallest —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.50.61.117 (talk) 19:08, August 26, 2007 (UTC)

Andre The Giant's Real Peak Height

In a post in celebheights.com, someone states that according to Andre's trainer, he was "legitamately measured at 7'1.5" Also, during his wrestling career, his weight ranged anywhere from 380 - 540 lbs

Dave Meltzer says 6'9 3/4 in his book Tributes II when André was 24 and I think it's highly unlikely that he would have grown another almost four inches after that. --Darren Jowalsen 20:39, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

He had giantism a disease where you can't stop growing so it's likely that he did grow four inches after that --Trick man01 10:01, 11 January 2006 (UTC)

My explanation quite soundly shows that he did in fact not grow any further.--Darren Jowalsen 01:02, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

The big problem with Andre's height is that the article claims he is only 6'10 - and so is Big John Studd!!! Did you ever see them in the ring together? Andre made Studd (and the 6'5 King Kong Bundy) look like midgets. Unless Studd and Bundy were sub 6 foot, Andre must be well above 7 feet. He grew well into his twenties too and went from a 390 lb wrestler early in his career to the 500+ pound giant he retired as. (Also Bundy billed himself at 450 - if he was only 50 lbs less than Andre, I'd again be surprised. Check out the tapes of Andre and Studd and then tell me Andre is only 6'10.

Andre was only 6'10, look at the Wrestlemania III match, Andre has about 4 inches on Hogan tops, who was said to be 6'8 in the match by the commentators, which would make Andre 7ft 0". But the problem is that Hulk is a legit 6'4 these days and was most probably 6'5 then, making Andre about 6'9-6'10. And also, on a funny note. Despite the visible 4 inch approximate difference, Gorilla Monsoon calls Hulk 6'8 and Andre 7'5, that would make Andre 9 inches taller, or three-quarters of a foot taller than Hulk, which he visibly wasn't.

Chris Thomas Australia

Respected wrestling and mixed martial arts journalist and author Dave Meltzer wrote the following in his book Tributes:

But he was not 7'4", or even close to that height. At his tallest, he was probably around 6'10", maybe 6'11". Basketball players who met him generally estimated his height at around 6'9", although because he was proportioned completely differently that any 6'9" man around - with relatively short legs, a long torso and huge head - their estimates may have been deceptive. In 1976, When Andre had his famous boxer vs. wrestler match at Shea Stadium against Chuck Wepner on the undercard of the Muhammed Ali vs. Antonio Inoki fiasco, legitimate sportswriters who took notice of Andre for the first time estimated him at 6'9". However, later in his career, Andre posed in Numerous photographs with Shohei "Giant" Baba, and he appeared to be around an inch or two taller that the 6'8" Japanese giant. (p. 40)

In Tributes II, Meltzer wrote the following:

The 7-4 figure created when he first came to Montreal in late 1970, was probably because the most famous tall athlete in the world at the time, basket ball star …Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was 7-2, and promoters wanted to bill him as the tallest athlete in the world. The last time he was measured in France, at the age of 24, [1970], he was 6-9 3/4. (p. 68)

He also wrote:

His best drawing matches would be against men who were at least close to his size … perhaps his biggest opponent during the 1970s, Ernie Ladd, a 6-9 1/2, 320 pound former all-pro football lineman whom he drew many big gates against in the Battle of the Giants. Ironically, because Ladd had achieved so much fame in football before wrestling as his real height was known, promoters never tried to exaggerate his height as they would have normally been the case in those days. It was funny, because Andre at the time was billed as 7-5, yet the two were roughly the same height. (pp. 73-74)

So, he was about 6'10" in 1970, the same in 1976 and throughout the 70's and seems to be about 6'10" during the 1980s so the data is pretty consistent, Andre the Giant was 6 feet and 10 inches tall. Big John Studd was really about 6' 7" at that time and Andre's physique made him look bigger than he actually was in comparison to other wrestlers. --Darren Jowalsen 20:45, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

It should also be noted that Andre had lifts inside his boots to give him an extra inch or two. I'd imagine he was done growing by his mid twenties. He may've made it to a legitimate 6'10" (Another 1/4th of an inch is reasonable), but that's it.

The problem with Andre's height it that he never stopped growing, but operations decreased his height. It is not impossible for a man with Andre's condition to continue growing after his 24th birthday. I've read in magazines that at his peak he was mabbe 6,11, but in the latter part of his career when his body was breaking down, he went down to 6'9. Which seems reasonable. This is from Powerslam magazine,w hich always tries to get the legit height of a wrestler.

I also remember that Andre's back surgeries resulted in him losing several inches in height. I recently purchased one of the WrestleMania box sets and in comparison to Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant, Andre IS NOT 7'5" inches in height, as Gorilla Monsoon states during their match at WrestleMania III. Hogan is referred to at being 6'8" by Jesse Ventura in order to exaggerate Andre's size. If I'm not mistaken, Hogan's actual height is about 6'3" or 6'4" which would have put him 12-14 inches shorter than Andre and Andre simply wasn't that much taller. At the most, I'd put Andre about 6'10" during Wrestle Andre's actual height has always been a source of debate and I don't know all the circumstances surrounding the debate. I've read that the surgery shortened Andre's height to some degree. I suppose Andre's condition resulted in him losing bone density and actually shrinking somewhat, such as what happens to some suffering from Osteoperosis. But, that's just a guess on my part. I believe the surgery took place sometime I after WrestleMania and after he filmed The Princess Bride because during the fimling fight scene with Cary Elwes character, Andre's back was so bad he wasn't able to support Elwes' weight on his back and they had to use a stunt double, who was much smaller than Andre. Andre's weight is also somewhat debated. It did fluccuate greatly over the course of his career. During WrestleMania III, I would honestly say he was probably about 520 pounds, which is what he was billed at. During WrestleMania IV however, he was noticably much slimmer and more mobile in the ring when compared to the previous WrestleMania. He was still billed at weighing 520 pounds but I'd say he was somewhere closer to 450 pounds. Odin's Beard

He had his surgery before the WM3 match. If rumour is correct, he had 15 bottles of wine before the match and was seriously taped up for it as well.(Halbared 12:54, 30 March 2006 (UTC))

Hogan's real height (at least back in 1987) was 6'8". He was not just 6'3". That's absurd. DiBiase is 6'3" or 6'4", and Hogan was a bit taller than DiBiase. Andre towered over Hogan at WrestleMania III. Andre may have not been 7'4", but he certainly was over 6'10". People can also grow past the age of twenty-one, especially with gigantism. I've grown somewhat myself. I also seem to remember back at old WrestleMania fanfests that the WWE had life-size cutouts of Andre the Giant, which were used for kids to measure their height. The height of those cutouts was 7'4". Politician818 17:01, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

A promotional cut-out is very likely to be inflated to keep the aura, especially if it's for kids. The evidence stated before from Dave Meltzer shows that he was consistently around six foot and ten inches. Non-wrestling media reported him as such, and I think that is more reliable than the usually hyperbole laced wrestling press. Also, the height listed is from when he was 24, not 21. No strong evidence of further growth has been proven and people with gigantism to do not gain any height after puberty.--Darren Jowalsen 22:19, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

Probably quite true aboot the cut-out. As for Hogan, he was not 6'8, You would have to increase the height for every other wrestler. DiBase is more like 6'1-6'2. Take a look at the Hogan discussion pages for a more accurate description of his height.(Halbared 11:39, 17 May 2006 (UTC))

Andre next to 7+ footer Wilt Chamberlain and 6 footer Arnold Schwarzeneggar.

http://img134.imagevenue.com/img.php?loc=loc73&image=35402_andrewiltarnold4zr_measured.jpg

untouched version: http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/1474/andrewiltarnold4zr.jpg

Even with a huge wig on Wilt doesn't look like he can possibly have 3 inches on Andre. 6'9 3/4" was his measure height at death (according to autopsy reports) I have read, and no way was Andre the same size at death and 24, he visibly lost height in his later years. I think Meltzer was dead wrong on this one and alot of his information is rather questionable IMO. TheSentinel 18:00, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

Could this be complicated by the fact that recorded autopsy "height" is actually body length, since it's measured lying down? Someone of Andre's weight and skeletal type would certainly gain an inch or two lying down, without gravity compressing their spinal column. 208.103.180.154 07:29, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

You think he is dead wrong, yet you cite something from his newsletter as the cornerstone to your arguement... :P. Perhaps we should include a section about this issue, since it seems to be a big part of his mystique. Of course, we have to make sure that this is monitored that only citeable information is put in.--Darren Jowalsen 19:57, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

I actually think he is wrong in that 6'11.5" guesstimation when Wilt has on a huge wig which gives him some artificial height. I see the Tribute book was published in 2004, I find it likely he did not include this picture in his book because it didn't jive the case he was making, best to banish contradictory evidence and all. TheSentinel 20:40, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

The flip side would be that if he has mounds and mounds of evidence that supports the six ten theory, why should he discard all or it for one picture?--Darren Jowalsen 23:30, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

That looks like a pretty good case for making Andre closer to 7 feet. I would also say that I don't know how Melzter worked it out, but the line goes to the top of Wilt's head, not Andre's, and that Wilt is standing slightly in the foreground, both these things would give Wilt a lil extra height on Andre, making them in my mind, closer still. The film was in 1984, and Andre seems to be still leanish and standing quite straight.(Halbared 21:23, 20 July 2006 (UTC))

On his profile we should put 7 ft for when he was younger & 6'10 for after his back surgery. He seemed to be two to three inches taller when he was younger. Son of Kong

Conclusion on Andre's stature

So if he was 6'10" at age 24, he probably didn't grow anymore than this in terms of linear growth, because of Epiphyseal fusion. Add 2 inches of tall healed, size 22 boots, and 4 inches of puffy hair and you have yourself a ~7ft4 inch man. Andre probably averaged around 425-450 lbs throughout his career in the 80's and early 90's.

I believe that similar deceptive statures can be found with the wrestler, Paul Wight AKA Big Show. He's billed as 7'2, But his University listed him at 6'11. I say, that the 2 inch heals and inch of hair probably made him appear 7'2. Paul does weigh a legitimate weight of 493 lbs.

--63.224.226.148 03:34, 20 February 2006 (UTC) Andre the Giant and the not as famous Big Show, are both 6 ft 10 guys who, from a combination of ego and big healed boots, elevated themselves to the status of 7ft 4 giants.

Bare in mind, their grotesqely endowed proportions and hulking countenances made them appear all the more like a classic Medieval Ogre, or some sort of beastly giant from the Cornwalish balads of old Britain.

Evidently, in both cases, these men's collective bulk, truly gave them the impression of being ever more taller and "giant like" than say, your average NBA Center or Forward.

It wasn't ego that made them increase their height, but the wrestling business, everyone does it, from Kurt Angle to Big Show.

I have just looked at pic of Andre and Vince McMohan together and Andre looks like he's a foot taller than Vince or evan taller

Two things. The first is on Andre's A&E documentary, Tim White said that by the time he died, his waist swelled to 500 pounds and what in considerable pain.

Secondly, I heard a rumor that he used lifts in his boots to make him taller. Can anyone verify if this is true?
fishhead2100 April 28, 2006 3:08PM (UTC)

If you look back when he was younger, Andre looked like he was at least 7'0 but he was never any taller than that. Son of Kong

Obey

How comes there is no mention of the "obey" grafiti being mentioned here, since it was a picture of andre the giant? Jackpot Den 18:52, 11 March 2006 (UTC)

There's now a link to Andre the Giant has a posse, but it ought to be mentioned in this article. It's culturally relevant to Andre, even though he had nothing to do with it. Tempshill 20:01, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

Agreed. It's way more relevant than some random CSI episode that no one saw. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 147.140.255.254 (talk) 23:43, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

A Few Thoughts

Whoever said Andre towered over Big John Studd apparently never saw their Wrestlemania match. They were nearly the same height. As for Andre continuing to grow throughout his life, that's pure rubbish, as he obviously began losing height in his 30's.

The article talks about Andre being easy to work with and protective of his opponent in the ring. Why then do so many big wrestlers (such as Hogan on his DVD) talk about Andre beating them to within an inch of their life? Andre was not easy to work with at all in the match because he was always protective of his spot against big men until they earned his respect. (Take a look at how he treats Studd in the aforementioned Wrestlemania match sometime.)

Response

When a professional wrestler is in front of a camera regarding just about anything, particularly something to do with wrestling, they're in character most of the time. Hogan, for instance, is not going to say that Andre hit like a girl or something. Wrestlers have to keep up the illusion of it all. Andre was a very gentle person, by all accounts, and was truly worried about just using anything close to his full strength. Andre never lifted weights a day in his life, to my knowledge, yet he was one of the physically strongest men to ever step into a wrestling ring. So yeah, he tried to be as careful as he possibly could be, even though it hurt his ring work substantially at times. Most wrestlers are quite protective of their spots, it's certainly not unusual. Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, etc. are all notorious for protecting their spots to the point that it became a detrement for them to do so, but they had too much pull. It was sort of the same for Andre, which is partially why Andre held very few major titles in pro wrestling. Andre was extremely picky, more so than probably anyone, as to who he would job to, Hulk Hogan was one of the very few that wrestling fans would even accept or believe Andre would job to in the first place. The whole Hulk Hogan persona was something that seemed as if it belonged in a comic book during the 1950's and that's part of what made it so appealing. Hulk Hogan, during physical peak, was seen as a type of superhero really. Who, accept a "superhero", are fans going to believe can beat a "giant"?

Rebuttal

I'm sure Andre was a very gentle person in day to day life, but by all accounts he worked stiff in the ring. That is, he really gave some good beatings. Those are comments from wrestlers out of character.

The article also states that Andre's undefeated streak was a fictiond designed to sell Wrestlemania III. Not true. Certainly Andre was not undefeated by 1987, but the idea of him being undefeated came about as far back as the early 80's and is mentioned in the sports illustrated article (1981 I believe?) It was not something created soley for Wrestlemania III as the author assumes.

Article states how the Silverdome only holds 80,000... but in wrestling you can have more fans than a football game because of all the room on the field. You only need to set up a wrestling ring. Regardless, I agree there were not 93,000 there, and the Wrestlemania III article discusses this subject well.

Finally, the article suggests Andre's death was this inevitable thing because of his size. "Andre was always told by doctors that he was basically living on borrowed time after the age of 30." Apparantly drinking and smoking for twenty years like there was no tomorrow had nothing to do with it?

Samuel Beckett

I'm a Andre's nephew : Samuel Beckett had a house on the the way to go to Andre's school. A very small house were he wrotte his novels. So every day 2 times per day, Andre walk on the Samuel Beckett Street and he met a lot of time Samuel. In 50's, where Andre Lived, there was no school bus. Andre went to school every day by foot with his brother Antoine and sisters Helene and Mauricette. Jack was too young to go to school. I'm ok to remove this article because it's not important to Andre's Biography. Andre met a lot of personn during his life.... so Samuel Beckett wasn't important for him and I Andre never told me something about Samuel Beckett and I was very near Andre. Boris Roussimoff

I have removed this claim from the article:

When André was young, he could not fit on a normal school bus and had to be driven to school. As his parents were unable to afford a car of their own so his neighbor, Samuel Beckett, drove him every day.

I cannot find any evidence from this from Google, and in any case the idea of two celebrities meeting coincidentally before one was famous seems terribly fishy to me. If someone can substantiate this claim, please re-insert it. --Saforrest 03:24, 19 April 2006 (UTC)

Rob Reiner tells this story in the commentary of The Princess Bride —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.210.59.21 (talk • contribs) .

I thought it was Cary Elwes, but yeah, it is definitely mentioned. I'll put it back in. -- TheMightyQuill 16:59, 24 May 2006 (UTC)

It was Cary Elwes, and I can substantiate this myself, now that I've seen the extra features on the Princess Bride DVD. --Saforrest 22:31, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

Rebuttal to the A&E claims

The A&E biography claims that André was measured at the age of 22 by a doctor in Japan. André did not go to Japan until January 1970 at the age of 24. It also claims his smaller stature later in life was due to an operation in 1983 while Sportswriters had been saying his height was 6'10" 7 years before that. A&E biographies are good television but their wrestling shows tend to side with kayfabe and really aren't terribly accurate.--Darren Jowalsen 22:06, 21 April 2006 (UTC)

Small edit

Removed reference to The Simpsons from Filmography. Being mentioned in passing on a TV show does not qualify as a film appearance.

I don't know how to add this citation, but here's the clarification on the football capacity of the now-closed Pontiac Silverdome. thanks

http://football.ballparks.com/NFL/DetroitLions/index.htm

Actually you removed it ans it should be added to appearances in pop culture simpsons is pop culture and his name appeared I think it should go there.

Linking

I tried linking Andre's page to the World Class curse section of the World Class Championship Wrestling page. But it's not working. Does anyone know why? Yes I did try it numerous ways. fishhead2100 April 28, 2006 1:30AM (UTC)

Silverdome Capacity

on the page, there's a note that the stated crowd of 93,000+ can not be true because that exceeds the silverdome's listed capacity of 80,311. this is not necessarily true, the 80k figure is based on the stadium's permanent seating only, it does not reflect the additional seating added for events such as wrestling and concerts, which would indeed add a significan amount of seats. i'm not going to dispute that the actual crowd figure was likely NOT 93k as reported, but the reasoning used on this page are in error, and perhaps a simple note that the attendance figure is disputed(as appears on the wrestlemania 3 page proper) would be more appropriate? Pelzo 05:58, 15 May 2006 (UTC)

== His height ==Andre had Ernie Ladd who was over 6'9" by at least 3-4 inches when he stood up straight, they were not the same height or even close to it. Problem was as usual that Andre seldom stood up straight and was always standing with his legs far apart and knees bent with his body bent or leaning forward. There are countless clips of them together where Andre stands up straight for a few seconds and then you can see he is considerably taller than Ladd. So all this 6'10-7' peak rubbish from unverified so called experts like Metzler who are just looking to stir up crap is just that. Andre is not 6'10. Look at Hulk Hogan who's 6'5. Andre is taller than him which means he has to be at least 7'2 or 7'5. Saying he's 6'10 is like saying he's Kane's size which he's not.

- He's taller than him so that makes him 9 inches to a foot taller than him? I'm taller than a few people, doesn't mean I'm a foot taller.

He wasn't significantly taller than Ernie Ladd, whose 6'10" height is actually a proven fact. If you read the what I posted earlier about what sportswriters thought of Andre, you will see he was not 7'2 or even 7'. You cannot remove cited information with an unverified claim.--Darren Jowalsen 02:36, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

If Ernie Ladd was legit 6 ft 10 in (he is down as 6 ft 9 on this site) then Andre could possibly have been a legit 7 ft. 2 inches at that height isn't significant. Giant Haystacks was 6 ft 11 in, and there is a pic of Andre in his youth before his back operations being taller than Haystacks.(Halbared 08:14, 28 June 2006 (UTC))

Actually, Ernie Ladd was 6 ft 9 1/2 in, I was rounding up. I severely doubt that height on Haystacks Calhoun. Chuck Wepner said when he fought Andre at Shea Stadium, he thought Andre was about 6 ft 9 in and that was during the seventies, before this supposed "back surgery" that made him shrink. Meltzer shows that it is pretty consistent, he was 6 ft 10 in in '71 and in '90, there was shrinking. He was always 6 ft 10 in.--Darren Jowalsen 14:20, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

Giant Haystacks, a famous British giant wrestler, not Calhoun. I doubt one is available, but I'd like to see a face to face shot of Big Cat and Andre. Andre did have one round of back Surgery in England in '86. I don't know if he had more.(Halbared 14:45, 28 June 2006 (UTC))

Whoops, my bad about the Giant Haystacks thing. I do have a photo of one their matches but it was taken during an Irish whip, so both men are bent forward. A face to face picture might be difficult to find for it's likely promoters probably didn't like magazines taking pictures like that because it may have shown that Andre was not as tall as he was billed. Looking at some of the photos of Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks, it looks like Giant Haystacks is around 6' 8", but of course, I'm not the best at this and comparing with suspect wrestling heights is a bit of a problem.--Darren Jowalsen 03:24, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

Yeh mabbe, diff to tell with Haystacks, and ppl of such extreme size. There is a good pic that I put on his talk page. I tried to find a pic of him when he was billed as The Loch Ness monster and took on Hogan in the mid 90's, but have not found one. It would be a good match because we know Hogan's legit height.(Halbared 10:11, 5 July 2006 (UTC))

Think about this, gigantism leads it's victim to being over 7 ft tall so why would Andre the Giant be only 6'10? Saying he's 6'10 is like saying he's as tall as Kane which he's not. Also, you're implying that the Great Khali is the tallest wrestler to ever grace a WWE ring whereas Andre has always been stated to be the tallest wrestler in the WWE and Khali has yet to be called so. He's 7'4-7'7, live with it.

Gigantism doesn't necessarily mean you'll be seven feet tall, and I think you're forgetting about Giant Gonzales (legit 7ft 6") billed as 7ft 7" or "near to 8ft", he's the tallest ever in a WWE/WWF ring.

Take a look at www.celebheights.com, they have some good conversations aboot the heights of wrestlers.(Halbared 10:11, 5 July 2006 (UTC))

I don't know where you are getting this information. Not every person with gigantism is over 7 feet tall. If you observe the matches with Hulk Hogan and Andre and then watch the Hogan vs. Paul Wight matches, you can clearly see the difference in height. Some might say this is from the back surgery but people do not lose six inches in back surgery. Given the information above from Dave Meltzer, you are suggesting that between 1970 and 1990, Andre grew and shrank 6 if not more inches? I find that highly unlikely. On the Great Khali, perhaps the WWE doesn't wish to harm the mystique of Andre? Plus, wrestling announcers are not exactly known for historical consistency.--Darren Jowalsen 04:46, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

I would think that they prolly do want to keep the 'mystique'. Giant Gonzales was simply hailed as being 8 ft tall (after his early introductions which put him at 'near' 8 ft). Which is the 6 inch addition that would keep him in line with Andre.(Halbared 10:11, 5 July 2006 (UTC))

I think that he's got to be somehwere from 6'11 to 7'1, after looking at him wrestle, he isn't anywhere near 7'4 or 7'6. Gonzales was 7'6 so he's the largest wrestler ever but Andre is at least 7 ft. Just to settle the argument, let's just change his height from ranging from 6'10 to 7'2. I mean, we'll never know for sure as we're not Andre himself or any of his doctors.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 207.69.137.20 (talk • contribs) 9-7-2006 06:28:25 (UTC)

Rotten.com doesn't mention anything about his height except for a drawing, which has him at 7'4" but also over 500 lbs. --RyanDaniel 09:30, 9 July 2006 (UTC)

He has to be exactly 7ft tall, look at him & Big John Studd, he's taller than him by an inch or two. --

I don't appreciate whoever edited my message so don't do it again.

Anyway, Andre is about 7'4, he was up against Khali in the newest WWE magazine with Batista on the cover & he had an inch on Khali.

Son of Kong 01:30 17 July 2006 (UTC)

The truth of these "height talks": I am 6'3". I have meet numerous wrestlers in my day, including many of the so-called "giants" of wrestling. Khali is above 7 feet, and El Gigante/Giant Gonzales was 7'6" legit. I met Andre during the early 80's when he had his big puffy hair, and I will say for a fact that he was not 7 feet, unless you included his hair puffiness. Hogan is 6'5" legit, not 6'8". Sid Vicious is 6'6", Kane is about 6'7" legit, Undertaker is about 6'8", Nash 6'9 1/2". Please remember that wrestler heights are often exaggerated. I saw Roddy Piper listed at 6'2" one time, and when I met him he was about 5'10". Hogan is nowhere close to 6'8", despite WWE claims. When he fought Brock Lesnar, they were the same height, and Lesnar is 6'5". The bottom line... Andre was about 6'10" at his tallest.

Lesnar is 6'3. Anyway, Andre was definitely only about 6'10. At the most he was a staggering 6'10 but nothing more. You can just look at him & tell that he's not 7 ft. Especially when he was up against a 6'5 Hulk Hogan. Son of Kong

The 6'10" measurement for Andre was given at his death, where he had already shrunken significantly because of both multiple back operations and the inability to support his weight. While 7'4" is probably a stretch, 7'2" is what he probably was. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.222.111.18 (talk) 04:31, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Wrestling Career

More of Andre's wrestling career needs to be added to his profile, it doesn't seem very informative for the most part on his career. I would like to know more about his career & I'm sure other people would like to as well so it'd really be nice if someone would add more about his wrestling career.

Also missing is his prewrestling sports activities. Before wrestling he was a soccer player, but when he grew to 6' 9" he found it too hard to continue playing and switched to wrestling. At least that's the story that wrestling announcers told in the 70s.

I also remember the question arising as to how Andre could not be a champion in the late 70s, when he seemed unbeatable. I believe I read it in a wrestling magazine that he was not champion because he didn't want to take on the responsibilities of defending a belt and wanted to be free to travel and wrestle where he desired to.

Another Height Discussion

Right, Im gonna get straight to the point... There is someone on Wikipedia that keeps changing Andre the Giant's height to 6ft 10in. For some god only knows reason he believes this to be true even though his own official site credits him as being 7ft 5in and recorded at Wrestlemania III to be that height (at the age of 41, died aged 45). Andre was measured at the age of 24 to be 6ft 10in, but he had gigantism which meant he continued to grow till he died so by Mania III it is very strongly possible that he was 7ft 5in. I was informed by this nobody that I had to consult the discussion page firt, so I am. But until I have been shown a link to some visable information post his age 24 measurement of him being 6ft 10in I will continue to change it to his Official height. User:Bignick666

I am going to have to agree, but the site says 7 feet four inches. "At 7'4" and 500 pounds, Andre the Giant could have been famous for his size alone. His drive, talent and ambition, however, proved to be as big as Andre himself, and the wrestler became legendary for his achievements in and out of the ring." - http://www.andrethegiant.com/bio.html ---Jowan2005 People with gigantism do not grow pass puberty, that is a common misconception. If you read the further up on the page, you will see the arguements for the six foot ten estimate. It may be on his official webpage, but that doesn't mean it's an undeniable fact. His fictional height was a big part of his mystique and I can see why they would use the kayfabe height. When it comes to wrestling, "official" doesn't necessarily mean "reliable."

Here's a picture with Terry Gordy (I'm sorry if the Japanese fellow is important, blame it on ignorance) who is about 6 foot 3 or 4. Andre doesn't seem near a full foot taller than Gordy.--Darren Jowalsen 02:28, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

Why don't we just stick with what his official site says? Those are the official facts and that's what should be used. ---Jowan2005

Because his official site is completely inconsistent with third party sources and is biased towards André and kayfabe.Darren Jowalsen 03:00, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

Well what are your 'third party sources'? Without you even saying what they are his official site is the best source and should be used. ---Jowan2005

I cited a book by Dave Meltzer in the article and in my arguement above.Darren Jowalsen 03:42, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

And I agree. We have a the only time Andre was officially measured, and a primary source of a photograph from '83 clearly showing Andre is under 7 feet. I don't think you can get clearer than that.(Halbared 08:12, 5 September 2006 (UTC))

OK, I guess I have to agree with you. Jowan2005

Thank you. BTW, the pic I refer to is the pic from the making of a Conan film, Conan the Destroyer. It has Andre standing next to 7 foot basketball star Wilt Chamberlain, and is on this page.(Halbared 08:54, 5 September 2006 (UTC))

The change of the infobox to be "Billed Height" as opposed to "Actual Height" would seem to support updating the infobox to display the WWF/WWE 7'4" height. 7'4" is the Billed Height, even if he was 6'10" in real life. Preppy 01:18, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

Isn't it Wikipedia policy to list a wrestler's height and weight as stated by whatever wrestling promotion he or she works for? Odin's Beard 01:55, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

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== Andre The Giants Peak Height ==

For starters this research was months in the making and accurate.Andre was measured legitimately by a trainer at 7 feet 1.5 inches tall.The only person who ever said Andre was Legitimately measured at 6 feet 9.5 inches tall is Dave Meltzer(who was about 13 years old at the time of the alledged measurment) but nobody knows when where how or by whom the story just came from nowhere and noone.Also in his very same book he has Andre at a Legitimate 6 feet 11.5 inches in a picture with Wilt Chamberlin and Arnold.Yet in the picture Wilt is wearing a wig and staing straight up with his chest pushing out and Andre is slouching forward.Wilt at first looks a little taller because of the wig but if you look close enough the top of Andre's forhead is a little higher than Wilt's and if Andre stands straight like Wilt is standing Andre is taller but if you take boots into consideration they are about the same height.Wilt also has longer legs than Andre which puts his body a little taller than Andre's body but by the time you get to the top of Andre's massive head its very close considering Andre's head is about 4 iches longer than a normal head if not more.This picture was taken inn 1984 well after Andre had lost 3 inches in height from back and ankle surgery and more surgery's followed.Andre was 6 feet 10 inches at death so how could anyone possibly say he was never 7 feet .The only report of him being under 7 feet is a guy trying to sell books by creating contorversy . Check out the website giantsandgirls and oldschoolwrestling with pictures proving he was much taller in late 60's through 70's and if he's 6 feet 10 inches in his WWF final run then he's at least 7 feet 1 inches or even 7 feet 2 inches.Cashisclay 22:20, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

Andre The Giants Peak Height

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For starters this research was months in the making and accurate.Andre was measured legitimately by a trainer at 7 feet 1.5 inches tall.The only person who ever said Andre was Legitimately measured at 6 feet 9.5 inches tall is Dave Meltzer(who was about 13 years old at the time of the alledged measurment) but nobody knows when where how or by whom the story just came from nowhere and noone.Also in his very same book he has Andre at a Legitimate 6 feet 11.5 inches in a picture with Wilt Chamberlin and Arnold.Yet in the picture Wilt is wearing a wig and staing straight up with his chest pushing out and Andre is slouching forward.Wilt at first looks a little taller because of the wig but if you look close enough the top of Andre's forhead is a little higher than Wilt's and if Andre stands straight like Wilt is standing Andre is taller but if you take boots into consideration they are about the same height.Wilt also has longer legs than Andre which puts his body a little taller than Andre's body but by the time you get to the top of Andre's massive head its very close considering Andre's head is about 4 iches longer than a normal head if not more.This picture was taken inn 1984 well after Andre had lost 3 inches in height from back and ankle surgery and more surgery's followed.Andre was 6 feet 10 inches at death so how could anyone possibly say he was never 7 feet .The only report of him being under 7 feet is a guy trying to sell books by creating contorversy . Check out the website giantsandgirls and oldschoolwrestling with pictures proving he was much taller in late 60's through 70's and if he's 6 feet 10 inches in his WWF final run then he's at least 7 feet 1 inches or even 7 feet 2 inches.Cashisclay 22:23, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

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== 7 feet 1.5 inches is Andre's measured peak height ==

7 feet 1.5 inches is Andre's measured peak height so why doesn't this site use the facts instead of some non proven article in Dave Meltzer's book.Let everyone know that Meltzer has contradicted himself on this matter on several occasions once saying Andre was at least 6 feet 11.5 inches in a 1984 pic of Wilt and Andre.This was years after Andre had notably lost a few inches in height .If he was 6 feet 11.5 inches in 1984 then he was over 7 feet 2 inches in his prime.There are also photos of Andre in the back up to a brick wall which if you know anything about construction you would easliy put him over 7 feet tall. There is one with Bob Backlund who's NCAA measured height is 6 feet 1 inches tall and Andre stands at least a foot or more over Backlund.

7 feet 1.5 inches is Andre's measured peak height

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Cashisclay 22:46, 2 October 2006 (UTC)7 feet 1.5 inches is Andre's measured peak height by his trainer as his trainer stated in an interview. So why doesn't this site use the facts instead of some non proven article of Dave Meltzer's .Let everyone know that Meltzer has contradicted himself on this matter on several occasions once saying Andre was at least 6 feet 11.5 inches in a 1984 pic of Wilt and Andre.This was years after Andre had notably lost a few inches in height .If he was 6 feet 11.5 inches in 1984 then he was over 7 feet 2 inches in his prime.There are also photos of Andre in the back up to a brick wall which if you know anything about construction you would easliy put him over 7 feet tall. There is one with Bob Backlund who's NCAA measured height is 6 feet 1 inches tall and Andre stands at least a foot or more over Backlund.Check out some pics at oldschoolwrestling.com of Andre in 1969 he is clearly over 7 feet and giantsandgirls.com i also have backstage photos of Andre showing him at 10.5 bricks tall which would be over 7 feet. When were your claims of 6 feet 10 inches proven who measured him , when , where.It never happened it was just a backstage rumor. This is an unconfirmed rumor passed on by Dave Meltzer (who was around 13 at the time by the way when the measurment alledgelly took place). Do some research of these sites I listed plus there are more pics out there proving my point.Don't even look at anything past mid 1970's where his peak height was late 1960's through early 1970's.By early 1980's he was after losing at least a few inches in height which is clearly visible in pictures and video. So do the right thing and change his height to at least 7 feet 1 inches tall which he clearly was in his prime.Cashisclay 22:47, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

That was ONE picture. The rest of his evidence pointed to six foot ten so he went with what had the most evidence and that picture is not used in either of his books. Where does it say he was measured at 7 foot 1.5 inches and who said it? Where are these pictures? How am I supposed to take this information if you don't cite it?--Darren Jowalsen 22:52, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

7 Feet 1.5 Inches Is Andre's Measured Peak Height  

7 feet 1.5 inches is Andre's measured peak height by his trainer in the 1970's and he stated he was 7 feet 1.5 inches tall. So why doesn't this site use the facts instead of some non proven article by Dave Meltzer.If it was true then who measured him? how ?where? It was just gossip after all that what Meltzer does is gossip about wrestlers. Let everyone know that Meltzer has contradicted himself on this matter on several occasions once saying Andre was at least 6 feet 11.5 inches in a 1984 pic of Wilt and Andre.This was years after Andre had notably lost a few inches in height .If he was 6 feet 11.5 inches in 1984 then he was over 7 feet 2 inches in his prime. There are also photos of Andre in the back up to a brick wall which if you know anything about construction you would easliy put him over 7 feet tall. There is one with Bob Backlund who's NCAA measured height is 6 feet 1 inches tall and Andre stands at least a foot or more over Backlund.You can look at Andre in 1969 at oldschoolwrestling.com these pictures prove he was over 7 feet also giantsandgirls.com these also back up my theory and there are several other sites with more. Andre in these pictures is easily 3 inches taller than in his WWF run where he lost height to back and ankle surgery's and his slouched over posture.

I went to oldschoolwrestling.com and it was for sale. Giantsandgirls.com appears to be quasi-pornographic and I could find nothing on Andre the Giant. Who is this trainer? Where did he say this? Why should I believe this? Dave Meltzer says the measurement was done by his doctor before he left France. --Darren Jowalsen 15:22, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

Andre Photos

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The photos are at giantsandgirls.com personalities page 2 and its oldschool-wrestling.com go to advanced search type in Andre The Giant for the 1969 promo pictures. As for his trainer I am trying to find out his name but he did say this in an interview.I also have photos that I saved that show a much taller Andre. As for what Meltzer said who was the doctor where is the proof of this. There is none. This is how Meltzer makes a living creating or passing along stories even if they are not true about the wrestlers. This was a backstage rumor passed along.

Everything you have said about Meltzer can be said about this supposed trainer. Andre also did very little if any physical training his entire career (maybe for his movies but not on his own). Meltzer will always note what is hearsay and generally says who told him such. He made no distinction here so I'm guessing he has something tangible. The giantsandgirls.com doesn't work since we have no heights on those girls and can not make valid comparisons. I did the advanced search but I still can't find the pictures you are talking about on oldschool-wrestling.com. How about some direct linking?--Darren Jowalsen 23:06, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

Andre photo links

Wrestling journalist, Mike Mooneyham, claims Andre topped out at 7-2. Lord Alfred said Andre was 6'10" when he first met him as a teenager. Alfred then said "who could imagine that he would grow almost another foot taller," or words to that effect. That clip was from the Tuesday Night Titans (TNT) show the WWE used to have on the USA Network and it was Andre's Manager who took the 7' 1.5 measurement which would be more credible because he was closer to Andre and would have access to do so. Also Andre's brother tells of Andre having to stick his head out of the roof of the car to drive it because he was over 7 feet tall in the A&E Biography. The only claim of 6 9 is Meltzer. Keep in mind,Meltzer makes a living off of wrestling rumors and his supposed insider knowledege...but consider this:

1) He certainly wasn't present for this "official measurement." 2) The whole camp of guys who surrounded Andre were old school types who never broke kayfabe. Does anyone seriously believe they'd open up to some geeky dirt sheet writer, especially regarding Andre, who is such a beloved figure? 3)Finally, Melzer's own self-contradiction. Even in his Tributes book, he admits Andre may possibly have reached 6-11...and yet in the pic with Wilt he pegs Andre at 6-11.5. In other words, the main source of this 6-9.75 estimate does not and has never consistently held to it. Why in the world should we, especially in light of the fact that we have no books to sell.

Here are the links to pictures of a much taller Andre : http://www.oldschool-wrestling.com/geeklog/article.php?story=Andre1969PromoPics&query=andre%2Bthe%2Bgiant

http://www.oldschool-wrestling.com/geeklog/article.php?story=Andre1969PromoPics2&query=andre%2Bthe%2Bgiant http://www.oldschool-

http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/gallery/andrethegiant.html http://www.oldschool-wrestling.com/geeklog/article.php/Andre1969PromoPics3 http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/1179/andre1978lederberghau0.jpg

Note in these pictures the cake is 7 feet 4 inches tall. http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo30.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo34.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo22.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo13.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo16.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo20.html http://www.giantsandgirls.com/images/personalities/andre5.jpg http://www.giantsandgirls.com/images/personalities/andre2b.jpg http://www.giantsandgirls.com/images/personalities/andre2a.jpg

This picture is from Dave Melzter himself 1984

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/1474/andrewiltarnold4zr.jpg

Cashisclay 03:05, 4 October 2006 (UTC)03:03, 4 October 2006 (UTC)23:54, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

Meltzer only said in his first book that Andre was at most 6 foot 11. In his second book he cited the measurement. I have gone over the Wilt Chamberlain photo quite thoroughly before, if you cared to read the earlier arguements. Yes he did print the photo in his newsletter in 1984 but that's one photo. Meltzer compiled other information as well. Chuck Wepner said when he fought Andre in 77, he told reporters that Andre was 6'9" and he didn't make his living off of rumours for dirtsheets. When legitimate sportswriters would report on Andre and when other athletes like basketball players saw him, they all said he was around 6'9" to 6'10". He thought he was taller before and then changed his mind later when he took in all the evidence. Sounds perfectly fine to me.

If anything, the main selling point of the first book was the Owen Hart obituary, not some sort of controversy over Andre's real height. Like I said before, many people already knew he really wasn't over seven feet tall, through the whole article he tried to peel off the legends and the kayfabe and reveal the real almost tragic person. The fact that Meltzer was not personally involved makes it more likely that he would not try to keep kayfabe and say the truth. This, "He did it to sell books" doesn't really makes sense since the book had no publicity and the Wrestling Observer is not meant for the casual fans one would be trying to attract with a sensationalist story. Darren Jowalsen 05:06, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

Andre Was Over 7 Feet At His Peak

How could anyone possibly say that Andre was the same height in 1969 that he was at Wrestlemania 3 . They must need glasses. Look at the pictures they don't lie if he was 6' 10 at Wrestlemania 3 then he was at least 7' 1 in 1969 or early 1970's. People lose height with age its a fact of life. Also Andre had several surgery's on his back and ankle which would cause him to lose height and the fact that he slouched more later in life due to excessive growth. The pictures are there compare them with others and see the height difference from the 1960's or 1970's than the late eighties it's a pretty significant difference . Also notice that Andre is well over a foot taller than everybody else in all the pictures. Out of all of them people someone has gotta be at least 6 feet tall. I proved my comments I provided the links but noone else seemed to have proved there's by going by hearsy and half-truths. You say sport writers who when where.Show the links that prove otherwise. It never happened. The only account of the 6 10 measurement is talk and there is no proof of the measurement ever taking place. Andre would never let someone measure him if he was under 7 feet tall it would ruin his career. Someone started the rumors backstage because Andre was being billed as 7' 4 or 7' 5 when he really was 7' 1.5 . Andre was over 7 feet the proof is there to view.Cashisclay 06:01, 4 October 2006 (UTC) 05:55, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

If Andre died at the age of 46 yrs and weighed over 500 lbs and measured 6ft 10 at death, he was most likely an inch or two taller as a young man without as much weight and spinal compression. I bet Andre was a true Seven footer in his 20's and 30's as all indications seem to show.

IT SHOWS ON THIS VERY SITE UNDER "LIST OF FAMOUS TALLEST MEN" THAT ANDRE WAS 7 FEET SO IT SHOULD SAY 7 FEET ON HIS PAGE

It also say's it's an acknowledged fact that his height is disputed and to see this page, which quotes the only time he was measured.Halbared 18:51, 7 October 2006 (UTC)

LOOK AT THE PHOTOS LISTED ABOVE THEY SHOW A MUCH TALLER NON SLOUCHED OVER VERSION OF ANDRE . THERE IS NO WAY ANYONE CAN SAY HE IS NOT TALLER IN THESE PICTURES THAN IN THE WRESTLEMANIA ERA WHEN ANYONE CAN SEE THE NOTICABLE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE. THIS PAGE SHOULD READ 7' 1 AS PEAK HEIGHT 6' 10 WWF ERA. THE ONLY THING PEOPLE SEEM TO BE GOING BY IS AN ALLEDGED MEASUREMENT . WHERE'S THE PROOF THIS MEASUREMENT TOOK PLACE . THERE IS NONE . IT DID NOT TAKE PLACE . THEREFORE IT IS HEARSAY. OTHER WRESTLING JOURNALISTS PEGGED HIM AT 7' 1 OR 7' 2 SUCH AS MIKE MOONEYHAM WHICH IS STATED ABOVE. THESE SOURCES ARE JUST AS LEGIT AS MELTZER. WHAT JUST BECAUSE IT WAS ALLEDGED IN A MELTZER'S BOOK. THERE IS NO PROOF IT EVER ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE. IF SO PROVE IT OR CHANGE THE PAGE TO A PEAK HEIGHT OF AT LEAST 7' OR 7' 1.5. ONE PERSON ALLEDGED THIS MEASUREMENT AND MANY OTHERS SAY HE WAS OVER 7' FEET I PROVED OTHERS WHO KNEW ANDRE SAID HE WAS OVER 7 FEET AND HIS MANAGER DID MEASURE HIM AT 7' 1.5 IN THE 1970'S WHICH HE STATED IN AN INTERVIEW. I PROVED MY POINT I PROVIDED THE INFORMATION WHICH CAME DIRECTLY FROM PEOPLE CLOSE TO ANDRE AND THE PICTURES ARE THERE ABOVE FOR ALL TO VIEW. HE WAS FOR SURE OVER 7 FEET TALL...Cashisclay 20:23, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

I have yet to see any citation for that manager quote. It's obvious we aren't going to reach a consensus here. So, how a bout we do what I was thinking about a while before where we have a section that discusses what his height is and we have both sides. However, I want some citation on that manager quote.Darren Jowalsen 02:48, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

This sounds to be a very resonable solution to this dispute. I will try to find some citation on the manager quote and anyone else who has the citation would you please post it on this page. This seems to be a very disputed topic as the discussion page is much longer than the Article itself.(lol)Cashisclay 00:01, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

HERE IS SOME PROOF THAT ANDRE WAS TALLER THAN THE BIG SHOW WHO IS LISTED AS 7 FEET TALL ON THIS SITE.

From Jim Duggan shoot interview;

Wrestling Andre the Giant- He first wrestled him in Hawaii. Great guy. If Andre didn’t like you, it wasn’t a good thing. “Paul Wight, The Giant, is a big, well proportioned, man. Andre was a GIANT.

http://thesmartmarks.com/artman/publish/article_1225.shtml

Another shoot interview with Bobby Heenan;

Steveski asked for Heenan’s thoughts on Andre The Giant. Heenan said that Andre was a huge attraction, being all of the 7 foot 5 inches that the WWF said he was. Steveski then asked about the Big Show, in so much as wondering why the Big Show isn’t as big a star. Heenan referenced Andre, saying that everybody feared Andre. Concerning the Big Show, Heenan said that Wight is just another big guy. Furthermore, Heenan said that when Andre went to an airport, all eyes were on him the whole time. With Paul Wight, not as many people notice him.Cashisclay 05:19, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Here is a cite and proof that Andre was over 7 feet tall at his peak height. Wrestling Journalist Mike Mooneyham who is a very respected by his readers and a very experienced journalist cites that Andre was 7 feet 2 inches at his peak. Also he was not trying to sell books when he made this quote like Meltzer was which makes his claim more legitimate. He is not protecting Kayfabe. This is how he makes his living which makes it more legit. He states that Andre who was being billed at 7'4 or 7'5 was really 7'2. Andre's height now should be changed to 7 feet 2 inches for peak height or at least the 7 feet 1.5 inches that his manager stated to have measured him at. The proof is here now the height should be changed due to overwhelming facts. There are more facts leading to 7'1 or 7'2 at his peak than anything else and this site is supposed to be based on facts. http://www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewfull.cfm?ObjectID=C3BAC431-2ED0-4320-9135E00CBA51350CCashisclay 04:30, 18 October 2006 (UTC) Cashisclay 04:25, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Meltzer would never print something he didn't believe himself without making it clear to the reader he didn't believe it. There was really no scandal he was trying to push with saying Andre was 6'10", Chuck Wepner was telling that to people in the late seventies. Both Mooneyham and Meltzer make their money reporting on wrestling, I see no reason why Mooneyham trumps Meltzer. Both sides of the story should go into the article. Darren Jowalsen 05:13, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

All right, here's a rough draft of what I'm thinking about, we'll add citations and accent marks later:

There has been much speculation and debate over the true height of Andre. Jim Duggan and Bobby Heenan maintain that his kayfabe height was correct. Dave Meltzer, a wrestling journalist wrote in his book Tributes that Chuck Wepner, who faced Andre in a boxer vs. wrestler match in 1977 told reporters Andre was 6 ft 10 in. In Meltzer's second book, Tributes II, Meltzer claims Andre was measured at 6 ft 9 3/4 in 1974, at the age of twenty-four. Mike Mooneyham, another wrestling journalist maintained in his obituary of Andre in 1994 that Andre was 7 ft 2 in at his peak.

How about that?Darren Jowalsen 05:33, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

I have just read this, I think that wording acceptable. Where do you want to put it?Halbared 08:47, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

This is starting to sound better. In the statistics portion it should state 7' 2 peak and 6' 10 wwf era. Also it should mention the manager quote. He lost height later in life due to back surgeries slouching and curving of his spine due to excessive weight gain which was very noticable. If he was 6' 10 at Wrestlemania 3 than he was well over 7 feet at his peak height. Don't forget that Meltzer condradicted himself by saying that Andre was 6' 11.5 in the 1984 Wilt picture while Mooneyham stayed with his word. Meltzer is also known for just printing anything and has had some wrestlers call him on it. Who's to say Meltzer's source is legit. Maybe someone told him wrongful information it has happened before. So it should state in statistics 7'2 peak and 6'10 wwf era would be the most legit way to say it. Also Lord Alfred Hayes stated that Andre was well over 7'feet tall in the A&E Biography as well as Andre's brother and other wrestlers have all stated he was over 7 feet tall.Cashisclay 06:36, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

You know, you can stick with the wrong word sometimes ;). I've said all I wanted to say about Meltzer, I trust him on this, that is not to say I trust with everything, especially not Lucha information. Just find some citations on those other guys and we'll put them in. I've been wanting to really revamp this article and possibly get it up to good article standards and getting more citations on this page is a step in the right direction.Darren Jowalsen 15:00, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

So far nothing has been shown to show Andre over 7 feet. The manager quote so far is unsubstantiated. There is no evidence that Andre lost more than 3 inches in height, the pic from the Conan film shows him standing quite straight at a time where me may have weighed 450 lb. Meltzer also does not contradict himself. He states that Andre could have been 6 ft 11 in in the Conan pic, but the only time that Andre was measured for certain was in 1970. This is not a contradiction but an acknowledgement that he was only measured medically once as far as we know. Melzter is an investigative reporter who has spent I think 30 years in the business trying to find the facts behind the wrestlers kayfabe, not to mention that also the sports commentators also viewed Andre at not more than 6 ft 10 in during the Wepner fight. Personally Darren I would leave it unless some new evidence comes up.Halbared 18:27, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

There has for sure been new evidence brought to this site and it is cited to view yourselves. If we are trying to get the facts straight it all has to be mentioned and statistics should read 7' 2 peak and 6' 10 WWF era and all stories should be mentioned There is alot of talk yet noone else is proving anything. I have already cited several people on the over 7 ' quote but you have not provided any except for the Meltzer quote and how can you possibly say he doesn't contradict himself when he states two different heights and lets not forget he rounded down Wilt's height just so he didn't have to say Andre was 7' feet tall and Andre is not standing as straight as Wilt. Andre's slouches forward a bit and Wilt is standing straight with his chest sticking outward.Wilt looks a little taller because he has longer legs by the time you reach the top of their heads there ain't much difference and Wilt is wearing a huge wig and this photo is 1984 Andre had already visibly lost some height. There is more proof here towards the 7' plus claim than the one 6' 10 quote that was contradicted by Meltzer himself and was never proven and to say Andre never visibly lost height is just not true. The pics of a younger Andre show a taller Andre. It is also a known fact that you lose height with age and add the surgey's and slouching and curving of the spine because of excesssive weight gain and he would be taller before all this. If your spine is curving how could you possibly not lose height especially when alot of Andre's height was in his upper body. My father was 6'3 now he is only 6'0 and that's a doctors measurement. If you think otherwise you are being totally skeptical. Also what makes your claim any more legit than the ones I cited. Mike Mooneyham had nothing to gain by this quote and he has access to the same info as Meltzer and if he had heard about this measurement he would have published it himself because he also has been around a long time and makes a living off these types of things. Also the wrestlers themselves state that Andre was taller than the Big Show who is 7 feet tall and these facts are cited above and any more I get I will add . As for the Wepnar fight Andre dwarfs Wepnar even Wepnar's manager said that Andre made Wepnar a big man to in his eyes look like a baby. Andre has at least 6 or 7 inches on the 6'6 Wepnar. Finally how would Meltzer get this information when medical records are completly confidential which makes this sound more and more like a backstage rumour and not at all credible. There is no way he could get that information from a doctor and I'm certain Andre didn't quote this so where is the proof. The page should say he was allegedly measured not legitimately because a doctor can't release that kind of infomation which makes it second hand news. SHOW THE PROOF OR CHANGE THE PEAK HEIGHT.Cashisclay 19:32, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Nothing has been shown yet, to show Andre stood over 7 feet. The statistics shouldn't read 7 ft 2 in because that still rests on only one remark by a trainer, the origin of which is not known right now. Read what is written, it is not a contradiction to estimate someones height (which you yourself have done as well) and then to state the only time he was actually measured. I emailed Dave about this because I would like to know where the measurement came from. This was his full response. He was measured in France legit for a match by a commission. Not excessive in detail;o), but quite clear. Email yourself for your own answer.Halbared 08:31, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Show the proof of this measurement. Doctors or a commission can not release that type of information and especially not to a dirt sheet writer. Mike Mooneyham stated he was about 7' 2 his word is just as good as Meltzer's. SO Meltzer's information had to be second hand news. I also provided facts that wrestlers stated in shoot interviews that Andre was taller than the Big Show and they have no reason to lie especially Jim Duggan who has worked with both of them. You are supposed to go by the facts and your facts are very tainted and it seems you don't know much about the wrestling buisness at all. I provided several cited facts to back up my stance but you provide nothing and even in light of news facts that are backed up you continue to talk about something that Meltzer had no way of obtaining first hand. This is why alot of people don't think this site's information is very credible. I provided proof and you have provided nothing. Did you even read the cited articles. I guess not. Also Darren is planning on changing the article due to the new cited facts but Halbared keeps changing back it and he don't even know nothing about the account. I've done much research on this matter and provided new facts and I believe the article should be changed to tell the whole story.Cashisclay 16:42, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Melzter at the time was a published author, had been for years. Also there is the other evidence such as the similar height To Bigcat and the attention of legit sports writers from the 70's. Ppl who did not need to protect kafaybe. The facts aren't tainted, you just find them awkward and don't like them because they show Andre to be shorter than his billed height. Which was very normal for wrestlers back then. A good example is Blackjack Lanza who admits to being 6 ft 4 in, but was billed at 6 ft 9 in. The quote's origin remains dubious, is it on the Moonyham site? Where is it's citation? We still have as well as the measurement, the comments of legit sports writers, the fights with Big Cat etc.Halbared 08:39, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

For starters it is on Mike Mooneyham's site and it is also cited on this very talk page. Also read the Jim Duggan shoot which is also cited on this page he is not protecting Kayfabe and he has worked with both Big Show and Andre and still works with Big Show to this day. The Big Show himself said Andre was taller. Also noone is saying Andre was the billed 7'4 or 7'5 but he was 7'1.5 which is a few inches off and about right. They usually add 2 to 3 inches and the reason they stayed with it at WrestleMania era even though he was only about 6'10 or 6'11 is that they couldn't say their Giant was shrinking or not healthy it would be bad for buisness and they were still trying to protect Kayfabe. You say sports writers than who? Any sports writer epecially at this time is going to say negative things about a wrestlers especially the NBA writers who are trying to promote their own guys. You still provide no proof. Look at the cake photos cited on this page or the photo with Bobby Hull who is a legit 5' 10 and Andre has him by 15 inches boots and shoes accounted for. Also these pictures are the best ones because they are taken on a regular camera straight on. Any photo taken in the ring can be deceiving because of standing positions and angles and the same goes for video. These photos are early 1970's and the best ones out there of Andre. Also in the cake photo with all the guys one of them guys is listed at 6' 1. I continue to show proof of a taller Andre if he was 6' 10 at Wrestlemania 3 than he is well over 7 feet in these photos.

A 'citation' is 'a word or piece of writing taken from a written work' This page does not qualify. I am trying to access the Mooneyham site, I succeded once (not from ur link) but could not find the quote, tho I will keep trying. The 'Myth of Andre' is something that is protected in wrestling circles, tho I am not disputing what Duggan said. What Big Show say's is irrelavent since he nver met Andre. How do you know 'a few inches off is aboot right'? It was not unheard of for wrestlers to have 5 inches or more added. Big John Studd, a legit 6 ft 7 in was billed at 7 ft in the early 80's, Hogan was billed at 6 ft 9 etc. The photos you show are not proof. The Wilt pic is good, but don't try and say that Wilt is standing straight and Andre is not, that is clearly not nthe case. Andre to me looks to be standing quite straight. I doubt fixing an ankle would rob him of any height then. And as far as I am aware, the only time Andre had back surgery was in laet '86. Not before Conan. Unless you have some other time he has had it?Halbared 13:21, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

Listen good Andre had Ankle surgery and one Back surgery before this photo was taken. All of the links below I have tested and they work perfect. You talk alot but you prove nothing. You say sportwriters well I linked the 1981 sports Illustrated tribute to Andre and they state over 7 feet tall. I linked the Wepnar video below so you can hear Wepnar's managers quotes about how Andre made Wepnar look like a baby and was dwarfed along side of Andre and at least he was there for the fight watching it in person at ringside. Big John Studd was billed at 6'10 not 7 feet tall and Hulk Hogan states in his dvd that he was 6'7 at his peak but is now 6'4 because of surgeries and age and that Andre was a half a foot taller than him then and this wasn't even Andre's peak height it was at the later part of Andre's life. Andre's body was breaking down on him from the 1980's on. Remember his head, hands, feet, and chest never stopped growing and he continued to gain weight. He could barely move around the ring or get up from the canvas by this time. You are going by hearsy I am providing new information to this site. This is the same thing as a citation it is from a piece of written work from Mike Mooneyham as well as others. What you are saying is just because Meltzer said it it or put it in his book makes it true. I think not considering how he makes a living. I am just providing facts. Why don't you stop talking and prove something oh that's right you have no proof. All of your claims you have not proved so they are hearsay. The only thing your going by is one quote by someone who has contradicted himself on this very subject anything else you say is just talk or hearsay. At least I've provided actual quotes and articles. Finally you do need glasses if you say that Andre is not slouching in the Wilt picture and Wilt is not standing straight up. Andre always slouched by this time due to excessive weight gain. All the links listed below are legit and work fine I tried them myself. Why don't you just take the time to look at them and the quotes because you are not proving anthing by just talking and being skeptical. They show a taller Andre who stands straight not slouched and they are before any of his surgeries. There is an overwhelming amount of evidence listed below to confirm he was over 7 feet tall at his peak.Cashisclay 22:00, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

When did he have his first back sugery? The ankle surgey is quite well known. I have seen the Wepnar vid. Wepnar is dowm as being less that 6 ft 6 in. At the moment, we have one sports writer stating he was measured at a certain height at a very young age, and another one saying something different, so with this in kind you cannot state he was the taller height, we can merely say that these two writers have different opinions, which is what is not said in the main body of the article. Big John was billed at both 7 feet and 6 ft 10 in in his career. Hogan states he was 6 ft 7 in prolly to hide the fact that he had such a huge billed back in the 70's. Hogan was not the most truthful in his autobiog and maintained a good defence of his actions over the years. I am not going of hearsay. I am going off the cited information and pictures. Melzter is no less valid than Mooneyham just because his evidence conflicts with urs. Andre isn't slouched in that pic, I would advise spectacles yourself.:oD Regardless, since we have co0nflicting evidence, the comnpromise is to present it both as claims, which we have compromised on, however to state he really was 7 ft 2 in would be incongruous.Halbared 08:49, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

Well if to state that he was 7'2 would incongruos then to state he was 6' 10 would be the same thing. We both have info backing up both claims because really that's all they are is claims unless we measured him ourselves or had some sold evidence of him being measured which will never be found. The height should state 7'2 or at least over 7' and 6'10 WWF era. The fact Andre lost some height is very evident from pics and video and he was at least 6'10 or 6' 11 at Wrestlemania 3 so with the info below and the visual height loss Andre was over 7 feet in his prime years. The facts are provided here below just as you provided yours so the listing of both heights should be stated due to the facts provided.Cashisclay 03:27, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

I am not stating he was merely 6 ft 10 in. Read what is written. The article claims that he was at least 6 ft 10 in. That is fact, to state anything else is supposition. And read this page. I myself think that he may have been as tall as 6 ft 11 ¾ in, as Melztler claims in his first book, this seems reasonable, but I did not arbitrarily change it BECAUSE IT IS NOT FACT! It is my opinion, and the only fact we have to go on is the fact that he was at least as tall as the lowest cited height. That's why Darren and myself have amended your edits. And did you know that Andre wrestled exclusively for the WWF in N America from the 70's? His whole US career is WWF era. Both heights are now in the article as 'claims', because that is what they are. And have you any more info on his first back surgery?Halbared 08:38, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

Well I was stating WWF not WWWF era. I know the history of the company. Here is another major contradiction from this alledged claim. Meltzer claims Andre was measured at 6 ft 9 ¾ in 1974 by a French athletic commission, at the age of twenty-four. Andre was not 24 in 1974 he was 28 he was born in 1946. Due the math and fix this. Also Andre began wrestling under the name Jean Ferre in Canada for Grand Prix Promotions in 1971. In a short time Andre went from the undercard to being a headlining name. By the time Andre had performed in front of 20,000 wrestling fans in Montreal, his legend had reached Vince McMahon, Sr. at the World Wide Wrestling Federation's (WWWF) headquarters. McMahon would forever alter Andre's life. In 1972, McMahon signed Andre to wrestle for the WWWF . So look at these facts why would a french commission even be measuring Andre in the first place. He was part of thw WWWF way before this 1974 date. There is no way Vince McMahon SR. would allow anyone to be measuring his wrestlers especially at a time when kayfabe was so protected. I know Andre travelled the world but Andre was wrestling full time in Canada, Us, and Japan in 1974 which makes it less likley for him to be wrestling in France in 1974. Meltzer's claim has totally fallen apart. He does not even have the age right. This claim should be taken out because there is false information in it. This site is not supposed to be the National Inquirer it is supposed to be based on as much fact as possible. Meltzer's claim is full of false information and should not be used in this article and you can't just change the age because that wouldn't be what he actually said and would not be FACT. Also in the Wilt photo he says Wilt is 7'.5 when Wilt is a measured 7'1 3/8 and he says Andre is 6'11.5. If you go by Wilt's real height this would put Andre over 7' by Meltzer himself.Cashisclay 10:38, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Actually, the age thing was bad math on my part, Meltzer made no mention of his age, he only gave the year. Andre didn't make his first extensive North American tour until 1974 and did little traveling outside of Europe before that. It wasn't until after the Montreal territory collapsed that Vince McMahon Sr. became Andre's booker so he would have had no power to stop a French commission from measuring Andre. We've been over the picture about ten times already, I'm not going over it again. People's opinions can change over time. Meltzer thought it was a smoking gun but then took other sources and photographs into account and changed his mind.--Darren Jowalsen 15:04, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

Well for starters you are going by false info because Andre left France in 1971 to wrestle in Montreal as Jean Ferre where he made a name for himself and lived there for a while. The cake photos show that he was in Montreal in 1972. He wrestled for Grand Prix Promotions. Read his Bio on his webpage it is all stated on there.

Andre signed with MacMahon in 1972 it is right on his website so he was MacMahon property as of 1972 and if you look at Maple Wrestling Page Andre was working alot with them alot from 1973 on usually with The Sheik. I think you pay too much attention to a dirt sheet writer who's claims are very contradited and skeptical and who you are showing favourtism for. This is supposed to be fact not hearsy. These are all facts so what are you talking about. You need to get the facts straight and stop going by hearsay or gossip.

He was Vince Snr's property in North America after '72, when Andre held engagements outside of North America Vince had no say over what happened.Halbared 17:44, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

The only thing you provided for proof on this whole page is the Meltzer theory which is contradicted by himself and is nothing more than creating controversy to sell a book. The more controversy the more books he sells and he is going to try to bring up all the dirt he can true or not. There is no proof to this claim and with all the facts out there and on this page it seems highly unlikely that this measurement ever took place. Your only evidence is very tainted to say the least and by the way Wilt Chamberlin is 7' 1 3/8 not 7'.5 as Meltzer listed. There is no proof stating Wilt was 7'.5. The proof states 7'1 3/8 which by Meltzer himself would put Andre over 7' tall as of 1984. The article should state that Meltzer has contradicted himself on this account because it's the truth and a fact. This is from the giant among us article in 1981. By all accounts, Andre's health is excellent. Until last spring, in fact, when he suffered a broken ankle, he had never been to a hospital. When he did check in, however, he caused his usual stir. This is proof that no doctor measured him 1974. Andre didn't like going to hospitals or have anyone examine him. So he would not of let this measurement happen.

All we are doing is going around in circles. Both sides strongly believe what they believe and when this happens, the optimal outcome is a compromise. A compromise was struck, both sides are in the articles with no preferential treatment for one or another. Remember, it's verifiablity, not necessarily truth that is important in Wikipedia articles. The Meltzer statements are staying in since it is citeable and from a source that many people trust, even though you do not. This argument is not doing any good to anyone. There is nothing more to be said. We made a compromise and since all sides are cited, there is absolutely no reason for this discussion to continue. Some say Andre is 6'10", other say he was 7' or more. That's fair and neutral.Darren Jowalsen 04:03, 27 October 2006 (UTC)

The article looks alot better with all the evidence stated. Unless any new evidence comes up this is probably the best article that can be posted at this time. Good job on the editing.Cashisclay 10:56, 27 October 2006 (UTC)

Here is a complete list of Andre's matches from 1974 and NEVER ONCE did he wrestle in France. So this proves Meltzer's claim is WRONG. Meltzer's claim should now be taken out of the article because it was for sure made up or hearsay. This claim should be removed because it's not true. slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/ResultsArchive/Wrestlers/andrethegiant.html

This is the Mike Mooneyham site and article.

Andre, who was born in Grenoble, France, and lived on a 200-acre ranch in Ellerbe, N.C., was born with acromegaly, a disorder marked by progressive enlargement of the head, face, hands, feet and chest due to excessive secretion of growth hormones. And although he was often billed as being 7-4 and 7-5, Andre was actually "only" 7-2 when he began his career and had leveled out to under seven feet tall in recent years.

http://www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewfull.cfm?ObjectID=C3BAC431-2ED0-4320-9135E00CBA51350C

Here is some more proof to prove Andre to be over 7 feet tall. Studd was wearing 4 inch lifts when he wrestled Andre.

Studd, who at 6-7 and 320 pounds was one of the sport's biggest men during an era when grapplers of that size were rare, was a frequent opponent for the late Andre The Giant (Andre Rousimoff). The 18-year veteran wore four-inch lifts in his boots to bolster his height and virtually stand eye to eye with Andre, who was billed as 7-4 but was actually closer to seven feet tall. http://www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewfull.cfm?ObjectID=5130D70C-B003-44A8-8BCBAE3854F0BB88

This is the Bobby Hull pic who is 5'10 or 5'11 as listed by the NHL. http://mapleleafwrestling.4t.com/previousupdates/andrespotlight.html

Note in these pictures the cake is 7 feet 4 inches tall as is stated in french. http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo30.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo34.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo22.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo13.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo16.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo20.html

Here is the Chuck Wepnar fight in which Andre dwarfs Wepnar by at least 6 or 7 inches and note Wepnar's manager states that Andre made Wepnar look like a baby dwarfed along side of Andre. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozRTSSaP6p4

From Jim Duggan shoot interview;

Wrestling Andre the Giant- He first wrestled him in Hawaii. Great guy. If Andre didn’t like you, it wasn’t a good thing. “Paul Wight, The Giant, is a big, well proportioned, man. Andre was a GIANT.

http://thesmartmarks.com/artman/publish/article_1225.shtml

THESE ARE THE 1969 PROMO PICS

http://www.oldschool-wrestling.com/geeklog/article.php/Andre1969PromoPics3

http://www.oldschool-wrestling.com/geeklog/article.php?story=Andre1969PromoPics2&query=andre%2Bthe%2Bgiant

More pics of a much taller Andre notice he towers over the doorway

http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/pictures/a/andrethegiant/16.jpg

This picture is from Dave Melzter himself 1984. Note that Wilt is really listed at 7'1 3/8 by the NBA and Andre is almost the same height by the time you factor the Wilt's wig and boots and Andre's boots. Andre in this photo is after having back and ankle surgeries and is not at his peek height as the other early photos clearly show and is slouching a bit while Wilt is standing straight up with his chest sticking out. Meltzer has him at 6'11.5 but only has Wilt at 7'0.5. Add the other 3/4 inch to both and Andre is over 7 feet tall and not even at his peak. Meltzer had no right to take an inch from Wilt's height. Wilt is over 7'1 so Andre is over 7'0. The proof is right before your eyes.

http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/1474/andrewiltarnold4zr.jpg

More Andre links Including the Sports Illustrated 1981 Tribute "To The Giant Among Us".

http://www.puroresu.com/wrestlers/andre/andresi.html

http://www.history1700s.com/store/andre-the-giant.shtml Cashisclay 09:21, 22 October 2006 (UTC)

The agreed version seems to keep getting an extra tag on line which was not agreed, contradicts some the citations and is POV. Firstly, Andre is on record as only having one back surgery. This was in 1986. He doesn't appear to look much different at WMIV than he does at WMII. Whether he does or not, his bios all agree he had only one. Now what is a fact is that Andre had never be anaesthetized before. This is shown in his bio when the London doctor did not know how much to use, Andre and Vince did not know and enjoyed telling the story of how they had to gauge his reaction of alcohol. I cannot imagine another back surgery taking place where Andre was not anaesthetized.:oD Then we have the POV line that Andre lost height due to bad posture. Which is also POV. For a long time the only citation was Meltzers, with Andre's height at 6 ft 10 in. Then another journalist was found with a height of 7 ft 1 in. Now both these journalists are given equal footing and treated fairly, as both reasonable things. To add the line aboot bad posture at a later date dismisses the first citation and supports the second, is not cited and is wish fulfilment on the part of those tho think Andre was bigger in his youth, it's best to stick with facts and citations here, as an encyclopaedia should.Halbared 09:33, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

Here is a complete list of Andre's matches from 1974 and NEVER ONCE did he wrestle in France in 1974. So this proves Meltzer's claim is WRONG. Meltzer's claim should now be taken out of the article because it was for sure made up or hearsay. This claim should be removed because it's not true. You say facts well the Fact is Andre Never Wrestled In France In 1974 . Go to the link below. The proof is there to view .

slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/ResultsArchive/Wrestlers/andrethegiant.html

Why does this matter? Why don't we just put something a little ambiguous that encompasses all of his wrestle heights? JaderVason 07:49, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

WE have. Both versions are given full and equal credit.Halbared 09:05, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

I am surprised you lot are still going on about his hight. Try running some of his pictures through a spectra-analysis program or something that will tell you his hight. I for one believe the WWE wouldn't lie about his hight and I have faith it is 7'4. Govvy 18:32, 14 December 2006 (UTC)8

US Wrestler Paul Wight. He has said "I'm 7 foot and Andre was about 7ft 1, 7ft 2".

Andre with Roddy Piper in Piper's prime . Andre was an inch or so below his peak height by this point.

http://i16.tinypic.com/3y7yn9v.jpg

Big Show with Piper . By this point piper had lost about an inch of height and this is Big Show's prime and Big Show's 2 inch lifts have to be taken into account that he was known to wear in WCW.

http://i16.tinypic.com/331lpfs.jpg

Here are some Andre pics looking over 7 feet tall.

These scales measure up to 84 inches or 7 feet tall and the man with Andre has it dissconected all together by a few inches. Dual-read height rod, range 24" to 84" (by 1/8 in.), 60 cm to 213 cm (by 1 mm)

http://i3.tinypic.com/30k8v88.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/312tr4j.jpg http://i3.tinypic.com/30hl9w6.jpg http://i14.tinypic.com/2isxdw1.jpg http://i3.tinypic.com/2r4sd4z.jpg http://i11.tinypic.com/2dbunu0.jpg

This pic is Andre at 18 years old standing 6' 10 as stated in photo for a French newspaper. He was 6' 7 at 17 years old and 6' 10 at 18 years old. He definetly would have reached 7 feet tall considering giants have been documented to grow in height until the age of 22 years old. Andre definetly got bigger after this picture in height and of course weight. http://i16.tinypic.com/2zohd8w.jpg

http://i18.tinypic.com/4gsp65e.jpg http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo13.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo30.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo34.html http://www.rds.ca/lutte/photos/album_photo20.html http://mapleleafwrestling.4t.com/previousupdates/andrespotlight.html http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/pictures/a/andrethegiant/16.jpg http://www.oldschool-wrestling.com/geeklog/article.php?story=Andre1969PromoPics&query=andre%2Bthe%2Bgiant http://www.oldschool-wrestling.com/geeklog/article.php?story=Andre1969PromoPics2&query=andre%2Bthe%2Bgiant http://www.oldschool-wrestling.com/geeklog/article.php/Andre1969PromoPics3

This is from a man who met Andre on 2 occassions and was obsessed with Andre's real height. This is some solid evidence of Andre's real peak height.

Look, everyone of you is waaay off. I personally have met Andre the Giant on two ocassions, once when I was 12 at Madison square garden, and once again when i was 22 in Lakeland FL. I was obsessed with wrestler's height's at the time, He gave me his autograph, and I asked him how tall he really was. He told me that he did not know for sure what his height was, but his personal handler knew, and I should ask him. His handler said that at age 24, Andre was legitamately measured at 7'1.5 ... and i believe him, because when i was 12, he had to duck to go through the 7 foot tall doorways in madison square garden. When i was 22, he was shorter, after having had two surgeries.. about 6'11. http://www.rateitall.com/reviewercomments.aspx?RI=9671389

Here in an interview with Andre the Giant he reveals his True peak height and his height later on in life.

Andre was cremated in france, even his ashes were twice the weight of average his coffin was 7.5 feet, In his later years, he admitted that he was never above 7'2" and that the billing of "7'4" " came from Jack Tunney and the WWF, he went on to say {due to the loss of bone mass from acromegaly, along with his excess weight and aging }"I am 6'10".

Cashisclay 06:23, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

Ok. to answer to the real peak height of Andre : It's impossible to give a real answer because I don't know his real height peak. The only thing I know that Andre tell us all the time that his height is 2,18 meters. That's it ! It's not important for Andre's article... --User:Roussimoff Boris Andre's Nephew. February 6th 2007, at 1:45 PM eastern time.

Here is the Captain Lou shoot interview where he states Andre was 7'2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfDhtTrGaI4 Cashis 20:23, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

• He also say's 7'4. It has little meaning, we already have a citation for the 7'2 height with mooneyham, we don't need another, Bob Leonard thinks he was 6'11, but we don't cite that.

The pojtn is that we don't need to clog the article with muliplt citations of the same info, also Lou contradicts himself.Halbared 18:23, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

Here it states that Andre's real height was beleived to be 7'1 peak and then 6'10 later in life. http://www.manlyweb.com/realmen/entertainment/AndreRoussimoff.html Cashis 04:23, 30 July 2007 (UTC)

Contradiction

"When André was young, he could not fit on a normal school bus and had to be driven to school. As his parents were unable to afford a car of their own, his neighbor, famed playwright Samuel Beckett, drove him every day.[4]

[...]

As a child, André was referred to by his parents as Dédé (pronounced Day-day) and showed no signs of being the size that he would end up being."

The above statements are clearly contradictory. Anyone want to fix that? Foxmulder 18:17, 13 October 2006 (UTC)

Heh. I was just about to post that exact same thing. So obviously, still not fixed yet. --Maelwys 19:49, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Even at his tallest adult height, he could have easily ridden even a small European school bus. How are we supposed to believe he "couldn't fit into a school bus" as a child or teen? And what was he driven to school in? A car -- which is so much smaller than a bus? The bed of a pickup truck? Did he never ride in a car in his life? If he was driven to school, there could be another explanation, such as social discomfort. 208.103.180.154 07:58, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

I have never seen Andre in person, but I am a former college basketball player who stands about 6-4. I have always been good at being able to tell a guys height from watching them on tv because of my experiences of being around tall guys through the many teams I have played on and guys that I have played against. I have been on the floor with numerous Seven footers and I know what 6-9 or 6-10 looks like and Andre at his peak was well above 6-10. Wilt Chamberlain was a legit 7-1 and pictures stabding next To Shaquille O'Neal prove as much and Andre at a slightly older age at the time of this picture is basicaaly the same height. Also in the pictures of The Big Show standing next to Hogan on one of the links, the same height differential between Hogan and The Big Show is the same at Wrestlemania 3 with Andre. I have met Hogan however and Hogan is a legit 6-7. If you don't believe me go to youtube and type in The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan and see for yourself. The Rock was listed at 6-5 and he admittedly is 6-4 and Hogan has an easy 3 inches on him. I believe the 7-2 so give Andre his credit. There is no way at his peak he was 6-10.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.139.1.226 (talk) 09:42, August 30, 2007 (UTC) 

Beckett 2

I removed the claim of Beckett ferrying Andre to "school everyday". Unless someone has a more robust source for this ( some actor telling amusing anecdotes in an interview, with absolutely zero corroborating sources, does not rise to the level of a 'reputable source') I strongly suggest we leave it out. It is an absolutely sensational claim, undoubtedly untrue ( or exaggerated in an extraordinary manner), and I'm amazed (and a tad embarrassed for WP) that it's stood as long as it has. Levi P. 06:50, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

What other robust source can there be? This was a personal story passed on by Andre to some of his fellow actors, which was then passed on in the DVD. http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=61912 Halbared 10:21, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you mean...any reputable source would due. The point is, if there isn't a "more robust" source, which it doesn't seem there is, then the "story" shouldn't go in. It's not encyclopedic. Frankly, it is just hearsay, hearsay about two dead people, one of whom is the greatest playwright of the 20th century. It has every earmark of an apocryphal story and zero evidence corroborating it. That actor is not a reputable source for biographical info of Beckett. If he had published this story in a reputable venue where there was editorial oversight, then there would be something to talk about. As it is, it's just him talking in an interview. And, separate from the issue of sourcing (which is my real concern), the story doesn't even make any sense! Not even factoring in that Beckett could be famously taciturn and stand-offish, are we to believe that Andre, who, according to reliable sources certainly was tall, but no "giant" when he was young, could not fit in a "bus" but could fit in Beckett's car?Andre's family has never seen fit to mention this absolutely fantastic story in interviews? Andre never saw fit to mention this in any interview, that he knew the greatest living writer, a living legend? The fact is, the only thing we know from reliable sources is that they happened to live in the same town. I think that is what the article should reflect. Cheers, Levi P. 19:41, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

Here's another source for the Beckett story:

As the days in Cannes passed, I realized that in twenty-five years of screenwriting, I had worked with, obviously, a lot of American actors and their British counterparts. ...

But in all that time, only one Frenchman. Monsieur Rousimoff. Probably better known by his athletic tag, André the Giant. André played one of the four leads in The Princess Bride, Fezzik, the strongest man in the world. ...

He was a constant source of pleasure--and a constant surprise.

One day he asked us if we knew who Samuel Beckett was.

Being familiar with Waiting for Godot, we said we did. Then we asked why he asked.

It seemed that André was brought up in a tiny town, population maybe thirty. And one of the other thirty was Beckett himself. When André was young, sometimes when he walked to school, Beckett would stop and give him a lift.

Talk about your odd couple.

Goldman, William (1990). Hype and Glory. New York: Villard Books. pp. 136, 138. ISBN 0-394-58432-5.

Note that in this version, Andre did not claim that he couldn't fit in the bus, or even that there was a bus, or that Samuel Beckett drove him to school every day, just that Beckett "sometimes" gave him a ride to school, which I think we can accept as realistic. --Metropolitan90 07:01, 17 December 2006 (UTC)

When Andre was young, in the fifty's he was normal. Every day he went to school by foot, because in the small village where he grow up, no bus were available. It's why he went to school by foot every day. Sometimes local farmers gave a ride to school to Andre and Andre's brothers and Sisters. --User:Roussimoff Boris Andre's Nephew 04H49, 18 December 2006 (UTC)

Well that sounds like a good source, metropolitan. I think it would be best to just say, "Andre told author W. Goldman and others that Samuel..." then both sources could be used- and readers could be explicitly aware of where the info is coming from and judge it accordingly. But as you say, the story is more toned-down and the source is reputable so I would agree with you that it is indeed 'realistic' ( though, if I had to bet, I would still go with it being an embellishment of the "Beckett lived in my town" story). But, either way, it is sourceable, so thanks for coming up with a definitive answer. Cheers, Levi P. 03:32, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

By the way, do we have an independent source as to the fact that Andre grew up in the village where Samuel Beckett lived? (Certainly there would be records to support that if it is true.) And what was the name of the village? --Metropolitan90 06:49, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

Answer to Metropolitain90 : The small village is Molien. It's very small (about 30 personns) and the house of Samuel Beckett (corner the road Lizy sur Ourcq and La ferte sous jouarre) is between Molien and Ussy-sur Marne, about 500 inhabitants (where the school is located). I know very well this part of Seine et Marne because I used to live there..... It's very difficult to find an independant source because all my friend at Ussy- sur-Marne don't speak english... The lieu-dit where lived Samuel Beckett is call by the village "Tarzan" !!! --User:Roussimoff Boris Andre's Nephew

HELLO BORIS ROUSIMOFF CAN YOU CLEAR UP THIS HEIGHT DISSCUSION AND TELL US ANDRE'S REAL PEAK HEIGHT.

Ok. to answer to the real peak height of Andre : It's impossible to give a real answer because I don't know his real height peak. The only thing I know that Andre tell us all the time that his height is 2,18 meters. That's it ! It's not important for Andre's article... --User:Roussimoff Boris Andre's Nephew. February 6th 2007, at 1:45 PM eastern time.

Popular Culture

In the popular culture can someone add that he is mentioned in the Australian movie Kenny. Kenny Smyth is told that he has to move some port-a-loos and he says "you'd have to be Andre the Giant to move them, they weigh like 2 ton" Cheers. (By the way I aint lazy as some may think, more or less the thing is blocked so I cant edit it)

Heavy Drinking

I came across a page documenting Andre's drinking "biography" [1]. This probably ought to be included, as drinking seemed very important to him. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 128.195.90.22 (talk) 23:44, 1 January 2007 (UTC).

I agree, if even some of the stuff in that article is true it's pretty notable. Don't know if it can be confirmed though. 128.62.90.177 23:31, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

Questionable statement

"In an FHM interview with Brooke Hogan, Hulk Hogan's daughter, Brooke mentions how one of the stories her father tells that while on a tour in Japan, André was too big for the toilets they provided. André resorted to laying newspaper on the hotel mattress and defecating there. Once finished, Andre would shout to Hogan, "Hey boss, come look at this."

One, that doesn't add any value to the article, it's unprofessional, and it seems unencyclopedic.

Two, it's third or fourth-party information. "a magazine says that Brooke says that Hulk Hogan says that..." 208.103.180.154 08:20, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

Height and Calorie Consumption

According to his website he was 7'4 at his peak, admittedly next to Hulk Hogan, who I believe was 6'6, he didn't look 10 inches taller but I thought I'd mention it.

Does anyone have any idea how many calories he would consume in a day, I'd have said about 6,000 but I don't know?

82.14.83.66 13:10, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

When I first saw him in the late 70s, the announcer mentioned that Andre would gain 50 lbs thoughout the day. He would start out around 400 lbs, and after eating meals consisting of 1 dozen eggs, 2 lbs of bacon, etc. he would weigh 450 lbs by the end of the day.

Pictures seem lacking and/or inapropriate

I am unhappy to see a mug shot as the only representation outside the opening picture. Surely there must be a better photos, if for nothing else, respect for this fine gentleman. Woknblues 02:55, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Daughter

Is the year his daughter was born right. Because here it says 1979. But the OWW(Obsessed with Wrestling site) says she was born in 1981.

Daggoth in Conan the destroyer?

Daggoth was an animated statue in that movie, and he didn't have a voice either, just roared, that's all I can think of that Andre could have done. I thought Daggoth was just a special effect/animation that nobody played him. The snare 11:05, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

He turns into a large monster after the stature bit, it's not animated, it's a costume, Andre was in that.Halbared 11:22, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

World Wrestling Federation

The sections on WWF could be changed around. The first section is far too long, impossible to read through, while the second section is only a sentence long. Bleh. I don't have the time to make such drastic changes, but if someone else takes it on I hereby volunteer to copy-edit it. It just needs split up better, and maybe reformatted a bit. Best regards.--Song 02:03, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Oh, and while I'm at it, the 'Personal Life' section is just a bunch of stories, none of them refrenced. Through I get the distinct sensation this has been brought up before, it seems worth mentioning...--Song 02:47, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

WikiProject class rating

This article was automatically assessed because at least one article was rated and this bot brought all the other ratings up to at least that level. BetacommandBot 02:17, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

Really annoying

I find it really annoying when a cartoon referance that has little to nothing to do with this man can go untouched, but when a post about a production company making an Andre flutag float, that has documentation on it's website, is deleted. Wikipedia and it's users are really starting to piss me off, and I think my last donation was just that, my last. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.255.253.8 (talk) 04:46, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

You're right, there were a lot of other non-notable references. I removed those as well. Thanks for bringing these to my attention. — Val42 05:23, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

Wine

Andre the Giant drank 14 bottles of wine before his match with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 3. Tyler Warren ^{(talk/contribs)} 04:43, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Vandalism

While reading this article I found a several intensely confusing parts, along with some plain vandalism (the part where someone decided that a werewolf Hulk Hogan ate his corpse. I have attempted to either remove or correct these entries but I lack the knowledge of André's life and career to make any more exhaustive fixes. Can anyone more knowledgeable go back over this and copyedit? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Rmx256 (talk • contribs) 15:40, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

Acromegaly

Aren't acromegalics usually weak and spindly, instead of stout powerhouses like Andre?

"Andre Driver"

I seriously doubt Andre's Tombstone Piledriver was ever called this. I nor anyone else I know of has heard it called this. Whoever keeps adding it, just give up. It'll never stick without an audio/video source. Some site like OWW isn't reliable. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tvp119 (talk • contribs) 22:18, 3 April 2008 (UTC)

Um, for his filmography, shouldn't we cite his guest starring in the 90's Zorro tv show? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.178.252.63 (talk) 13:58, 7 April 2008 (UTC)