Would Andre The Giant Have Been As Big Today?

[Pay Per Ghost]

You know for someone who completely missed this man's era, it was not easy to understand what the big deal about this one dude was. Growing up, I attributed it to him being Hogan's greatest fodder. "Since Hogan has to prove he is the strongest, he must defeat the biggest man out there", I said to my young mind. He was an afterthought in my age of big men. They were dime a dozen. Heck, they got so redundant, that out of all options, the creative started calling them...Oddities.These men were bumbling around when I was watching. To tune into Raw and not see them, now that would be weird. It would always be like something is missing from my weekly dose of WWF.

And through this constant exposure of '6'11 or bust as a monster' viewing and concluding, if I ever came across Andre in my head, I really couldn't understand why Andre was at such a pedestal?

And then I saw his matches. And I saw movies that sang praises of this man's work and stature. All by the end of it one could summarize that, this man was TRULY the 8th Wonder.


Yes all that may sound dramatic, but this man's work and mainly, the way he was showcased, built him a crowd-enveloping aura. He was probably, the last great circus act. His party would ride into town maybe once or twice a year. You would hear about his exploits in other states and eagerly wait till you could see this attraction in your city. And Andre was no slouch in the ring. By WM 3 he was past his peak. You see him in his prime put wrestlers' in these wonky holds, run the ropes like a junior heavyweight. And his expressions and mannerisms all pulled the crowd in brilliantly. He was athletic for his size and this only further glorified his appeal to the public



Fast Forward to 2007 (20 years after Andre's biggest match):

We've still got Kane, Big Show, Big Daddy V, Mark Henry on the payroll. Oh and then there is the biggest of all, The Great Khali. They all have had top to bottom storylines and have been on TV for a great amount of time throught their tenure. And most of them are going strong.


Seeing as how STLL we have an ample stock of the big'uns:

Would Andre The Giant Have Been As Big Today? ​

 

[GameOver]

Would he have been as big today? No he would've been shorter due to ongoing operations that were slowly removing bones in his legs lol He probably would've been fatter no doubt

hahaha now i got that out of the way

Well Big Show is kinda popular, but Andre was the most over giant in history, only tarnishing his character for 3 yrs between the years of WrestleMania 3 and 6 .

So if Big Show can be over and popular, i have no doubt Andre would be a mega star still. He could act he wasn't a gracefull in ring by any counts but his shear size and heart more then made up for it, plus it was noted in the past that he was the boss backstage and if Andre wanted something noone could stand in his way literally so he could very well have pushed his weight around backstage

 

[Darkdarkdays]

I personally don't think Andre would fair too well in front of a modern WWE audience, just think how much heat and criticism Khali gets for his ring work?.....Andre pretty much would only slap and headbutt people, back when he wasn't so heavy he had a few more moves but in WWF he was just a big old dude, who was 'feared' for his size and not his skill.

Guys like 'Earthquake' were pretty damn big too but that guy was pretty agile....I'm pretty sure I saw him do a few dropkicks at one stage in his career.

If Andre was still around today I would see him more as talent enhancer,giving the crowd the same pop as when Hogan body-slammed him the first time .....but swap Hogan for Cena etc. (David Vs Goliath scenario)

He will always be referred to as legend for his wrestling career but was he really a wrestler? or just a King Kong sized attraction to bring the crowds in and create some real shock and awe?

 

[justin71]

No simply because Andre was the top side attraction. They certainly could not go the 'undefeated' route like they did in the 80's in the way wrestling's format is today. If Andre came along as this was his rookie year he would beat everyone up, feud with Show and end up losing to Cena in one of the big 4 PPV's.

 

[bk555]

no he wouldn't have but thats the point. He was the first of his kind. He was the first "Big Man" in Wrestling. He paved the way for Kane, Big Show, The Great Khali and even the Undertaker. But know, we take these kind of guys for granted. Just remember Andre may have not been the greatest, but he was the first of many.

It is like the Nirvana Nevermind album. People say it is one of the greatest albums of all time and others will say it isnt that good. It may not be musically satisfying to you, but it was the first alternative/grunge record to hit mainstream and without it, the modern musical world itself may have never been the same.

The same goes for Andre the Giant. This man is a trailblazer. His talent may not be all that much, but his role was huge in today's WWE landscape.

 

[prush80]

He wasn't the first "big man" Haystacks Calhoon (600 lbs) and Happy Houmphrey (800 lbs) among others came before him. And no Andre would not be as big of a deal today. He does not have Heenan, there are no managers today. We are crossing Big SHow with Khali. Give Andre a mic ,and try to listen to what he says. I thought Andre was great, but he would not work in todays WWE

 

[#heel420]

No, he was special because you only saw Andre every so often. If you saw him every single week like we see Big Show and Khali the appeal wears thin.

 

[Andreposse]

i think Andre would still be big today. he was the Undertaker of his day or better yet the Undertaker is the Andre of his day. He is someone as long as he took breaks like Taker did would be way over. I think many fans remember his later days. Even in his later days he was one half of the biggest main event at wrestlemania of that era. In the 70's he was a cultural icon and perhaps the biggest name in wrestling.. He was a household name at a time when wrestlers weren't. He was in movies, tv and commercials way before wwe studios or even no holds barred. Princess Bride is still a classic. While the big show is great, he looks like a really tall guy. Andre had the look of a real life giant. He did all these things without the corporate machine. He was a ligit ass kicker and a fan favorite for years, not to mention a legend in Japan. If andre would not be over today, then you have to ask yourself who would? Flair, Rhodes, Superstar Billy Graham or even Hogan?

 

[OneTooManyPunts]

In all honesty, Andre woudn't be nearly as big today as he was during his massive run in the 80's, for several reasons.

First and foremost, the novelty of giant wrestlers has worn off in a lot of ways. You have guys like Big Show, Khali, Brody Lee (for those of you that follow the indy's). In the 80's, a wrestler the size of Andre was unheard of, and it made him an instant attraction, and set him apart from the rest. If he was measured against Big Show today, he'd be viewed in the case respect as Khali...a big man that can't get it done in the ring. Andre was never a great in ring worker, but he had charisma, and was smartly booked with talent that could work well with him, save for Hogan, who never needed his in ring work to get him over. Compared against somone like Big Show, Andre would come across as inferior in today's wrestling landscape.

Another contributing factor is the climate, and overall mainstream pull that pro wrestling had in the 80's, versus what it has today. In the 80's, WWE had the benefit of a kind of exposure, and mystique that it simply doesn't have today. It didn't seem hard to believe that stars like Muhammed Ali, Mr T, and many others would associate with pro wrestling. These days, wrestling has a bit of a stigma attached to it, and as such you don't see stars on quite the same level associating with WWE. While it may not seem like that big of a contributing factor, there is no denying being able to see Andre standing next to Ali, or many other A list celebrities greatly increased his visibility and household recognition.

Now, this isn't all to detract for Andre. Regardless of whether or not he was the best worker, he paved the way for big men in pro wrestling, and deserves just as much credit for the rise of Hulk Hogan as Vince McMahon, or Hogan himself.

 

[willross]

1970's Andre would just as he was then....the biggest star in the business. He was so agile and charismatic there is no doubt he would of maintained his star power. However, overexposure would have watered him down and he wouldn't have been so hot for so long. Once his health problems took over he would be pushed to the background alot easier due to the aforementioned over exposure (tv twice per week)

 

[Shakin' Abe]

Andre traveled from territory to territory back in the day. He came in, squashed everyone, never asked for a title shot, pleased the fans and then left. He was the perfect side show to the circus. When he had the run with Hogan in the 80's, he was a shell of the man he was in the 70's but still a force to be delt with. Today's wrestling fans don't get the superman effect from the talent anymore. Big Show should NEVER lose to a clean pinfall but he does, and for me, it SUCKS! The same would happen to Andre today and he'd just be another big guy.

 

[Azane]

IWC
"Omg I can't believe they keep giving Andre main event matches, he's so slow and clumsy"
"What's the big deal?"
"Well of course Hogan could slam him, he jumped"

Like other people stated, he'd end up being compared to the Great Khali, which is a damn insult to the man, but I don't think he'd have the novelty today, especially as another poster again pointed out, he'd be overexposed like everyone else is in WWE today.

 

[Raiden46]

I'm glad somebody had the balls to make this post. Andre was considered one of the greatest of all time back in his day. Nowadays though, it seems to be more about who can do the more athletic, flashier, and technically sound moves in the ring. Khali gets booed mercilessly because he lacks all three of the aforementioned qualities. Andre had some technical skill, but he certain wasn't very athletic or flashy in the ring. I can't see how the character Andre the Giant would survive in the modern WWE.

As someone else pointed out, he was the first of many and paved the way for other big men in the industry. Kinda like Macho/Steamboat at WM3. Back then, it was considered the greatest match of all time because it didn't follow the usual script of the time and instead resorted to countless back and forth near falls. Nowadays, everyone does it nearly all the time and we take it for granted.

 

[Davi323]

Andre had some technical skill, but he certain wasn't very athletic or flashy in the ring. I can't see how the character Andre the Giant would survive in the modern WWE.

It depends on which Andre the Giant you are talking about. If you are talking about the Andre the Giant that faced Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania III, that's pretty accurate. However, if you are talking about the Andre the Giant from the early-mid 70s, it's a completely different guy. That Andre the Giant had 60 minute time limit draws against Nick Bockwinkel. That guy wasn't a great technical wrestler, but he was worlds better than what we saw at the Silverdome. The 1970s Andre the Giant was a dominant force of nature. That Andre would dominate today's WWE just like he dominated everywhere else, at least for about 8-10 years before the acromegaly eroded his skills just as they did during his actual career. However, science has come a long way since Andre was born. The Big Show had the same condition, but it was able to be corrected. If Andre the Giant had access to the same medical techniques the Big Show had, and wouldn't have suffered the negative health affects that he did, Andre would have dominated for a lot longer. Some guys would be an attraction no matter when. Andre would have been one of those guys.

So, yes and no. It depends on which Andre we are talking about.

 

[Headman]

This is a tough one. On one hand Andre was so much more than just another big guy. He was one of the most charismatic superstars of all time. But it's very possible the way shows are booked now along with the way fans are that he wouldn't find the same level of success he did in the 70's and 80's. Back then it was hard to imagine anyone beating him, because in real life it's very unlikely that anyone could. Now days we see Cody Rhodes go hold for hold with the Big Show which obviously wouldn't happen in real life. And then there's the fact that fans now days would probably turn on him pretty fast as they do anyone who doesn't do a million moves per match or spout profanity in their promos. Still, I'd like to think he would fair better than the current crop of big men. Big Show is the closest thing we have to compare to Andre and in my opinion he's still not even close.

 

[theBec2101]

I think he would but not to the extent as he was back then. Back then you couldn’t see him every week on the internet or TV all the time. That’s what made him so prestige. You didn’t get to him like you would now. But would he of gotten over, of course, look at Big Show. I mean the match alone if those two would of want at it just my pure appearance would of been epic.

 

[BigRedPunk]

Honestly? No. In my opinion he would be seen the same way as The Great Khali and that is a slow, boring and unskilled wrestler. Although Andre was a little better than Khali only because you seen him do a simple scoop slam often where as apparently Khali doesn't know what a slam is and only does chops and rarely elbows in the corner. But back to the original question no I don't think he would have been even close to the popularity he had. Wrestling skills in general were a lot more simple everywhere back in Andre's time and thus the fans were more use to the slow simple style and thus more forgiving. The fans now a days have been spoiled by more actual wrestling skill and talent.

 

[xavyer]

This reminds me of a question i was asked a few days ago about Michael Jordan, a friend asked me if i think Jordan would be as big in today's era of the NBA, that is a question that doesn't exactly has a right answer,ok, like many people said, at his time he stand out because there wasn't many competition for him in the Giant category, in the 80's he had Big John Stud, and King Kong Bundy, that's when i started watching wrestling, and i remember those mathes, i don't know how great they were, but i enjoyed them a lot, i didn't had the oportunity to see his matches in the 70's, but some people are saying that they were great, and obviously he was in better shape than in the 80's so i think that his matches had to be really good, and if he was alive today, in my opinion, i think he probably could, because like many of you said, it was a different era, that's the era he adapted to, i think if he could have adapted to this era, he might be that good, but like a i sad, that's one of those things that doesn't have a definite answer.......

 

[Headman]

A lot of people here seem to be basing their opinion based on the mid 1980's Andre as opposed to the Andre of the 1970's. Andre was far more skilled in the ring than Khali before his back and knees went down the crapper. With that said it would still be hard to imagine him being the phenom that he was, but I still think he would be extremely over.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

They had a problem booking Andre back in the day. Vince McMahon saw him get stale real quick. I mean who's going to pay to see Andre squash everyone every week? So Vince actually would loan him out to other promotions figuring by the time Andre got old in one promotion, they could just move him to the next and keep him fresh with the audience. The really can't do that today, except maybe in loaning him to New Japan or AAA. For the most part they'd over expose him in stupid angles just like they do everybody else in the WWE.

 

[Mr_billy]

1970's Andre the Giant still would have been huge, back when he could still talk, and he moved very well, and had a Physique that was pretty good, and if he had the Training they have today, he would have looked a lot like Crimson. Plus he has Charisma, so yes, he would still be a big deal. Watching him in the 80's is like watching Hogan now, so remember that when you comment on this.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

It depends on which Andre the Giant you are talking about. If you are talking about the Andre the Giant that faced Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania III, that's pretty accurate. However, if you are talking about the Andre the Giant from the early-mid 70s, it's a completely different guy. That Andre the Giant had 60 minute time limit draws against Nick Bockwinkel. That guy wasn't a great technical wrestler, but he was worlds better than what we saw at the Silverdome. The 1970s Andre the Giant was a dominant force of nature. That Andre would dominate today's WWE just like he dominated everywhere else, at least for about 8-10 years before the acromegaly eroded his skills just as they did during his actual career. However, science has come a long way since Andre was born. The Big Show had the same condition, but it was able to be corrected. If Andre the Giant had access to the same medical techniques the Big Show had, and wouldn't have suffered the negative health affects that he did, Andre would have dominated for a lot longer. Some guys would be an attraction no matter when. Andre would have been one of those guys.

So, yes and no. It depends on which Andre we are talking about.

I couldn't agree more. Andre in the 70's was the best big man I ever saw in the business period. If we are talking the 70's Andre he would dominate today.

But like Davi says Andre's medical problems caught up with him in the 80's and he became a shell of himself. But IMO he would have still been a main event type guy.

It's sad to see a lot of people judging him on his 80's work. He used to be able to work with the best of them.

 

[DirtyD79]

no he wouldn't have but thats the point. He was the first of his kind. He was the first "Big Man" in Wrestling. He paved the way for Kane, Big Show, The Great Khali and even the Undertaker. But know, we take these kind of guys for granted. Just remember Andre may have not been the greatest, but he was the first of many.

It is like the Nirvana Nevermind album. People say it is one of the greatest albums of all time and others will say it isnt that good. It may not be musically satisfying to you, but it was the first alternative/grunge record to hit mainstream and without it, the modern musical world itself may have never been the same.

The same goes for Andre the Giant. This man is a trailblazer. His talent may not be all that much, but his role was huge in today's WWE landscape.

This. A large part of what made Andre The Giant great was that he was the first of his kind. He was something most fans had never seen before in anything. Fans would go to shows just to say they saw him. Plus in the earlier years of his career before injuries set in he could still move well and do the big moves. You also have to remember fans back then weren't as privvy to the inner workings of the industry so a wrestler saying they held their own with someone like Andre the Giant was a big deal. If he debuted now he would have to work much harder because size alone doesn't get big men over anymore and fans expect more of their wrestlers.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

I have clearly mentioned in my OP that I meant the Andre of the 70s. The Andre who was in his prime and could WRESTLE with the best of'em. Would that Andre be as big today?


Yes and No.


Yes because he was like The Giant in his prime, but if he did his WWECW shit, get me? All those bitching submission holds and absolute power moves like the rag doll and such that Show did in WWECW, but in his Giant WCW shape. That Andre, would be over like a mother!


But overexposure would diminish the gloss. Too much TV would gradually chip away even this iconic man's stature today. Its not a knock on the guy, just plain fact.

 

[HBsam31]

I think he would have been just as big. As another poster said "some stars would be big no matter what time." When i think of wrestling Andre comes to my mind at the same time as Hogan. He paved the way for all big men. Find some of his older matches. The 80's Andre is not a good measuring stick.