9 Wrestlers That Refused To Break Kayfabe
2. Andre Lives The Gimmick
There was never any easy way for Andre Roussimoff to live out of the limelight and away from the Andre The Giant character he'd made famous. After all, he was a legitimate giant, twice the size of most normal men. He couldn't use public transport or eat at most restaurants without special help and reinforced seats.
There was no separation possible between Andre and the character he played in the ring. While other legends would play on their real life personas to create a hyperreal version of themselves that they could live with performing at all times (a playboy like Ric Flair having it slightly easier than most), Andre was a man forced to live his gimmick by virtue of the gimmick being his sheer size. Constantly stared at in public, Andre couldn't escape professional wrestling if he wanted to - but, as a man raised in the shadow of kayfabe, he wouldnt have broken character regardless.
There's an old story about two drunks approaching Andre in a bar in France and casually insulting the giant and his trade, needling him about wrestling being fake. Ever the consummate professional, Andre chased the two men out of the bar and, finding them locked inside their car, proceeded to flip the vehicle onto its side.
He would then return to the bar and his bottle of wine, that no doubt looked like a miniature in his colossal grip.