10 WWE Stars Loved For The Wrong Match
1. André The Giant
Loved for: André The Giant Vs. Hulk Hogan, WrestleMania III
If, like so many, you grew up on the WWF, the first image that materialises upon reading the words 'André The Giant' is of a bloated, limited behemoth in the throes of acromegaly. By 1987, André was physically spent, and it showed in the match he is most famous for. Gruelling even at 12 minutes, the Giant's condition meant he could do little but pose menacingly and perform the famous slam spot. That spot is intertwined with the very fabric of the company, and André therefore is remembered as the man who glorified Hulkamania more so than a megastar in his own right. Perhaps the imminent HBO special will change that perception - but, for now, he is the man Hogan slammed.
Deserves as much, if not more credit for: André The Giant Vs. Stan Hansen, NJPW Bloody Fight Series Day 29
This, almost literally, is a different beast entirely. André does not stall, being incapable of little else; he combined his over-the-top-rope ring entrance with a boot to Hansen's face. If André wrestled in Detroit like a tranquillised animal, this was the Giant before the dart stabbed his flesh: an absolutely terrifying specimen as fast and powerful as a bear, he and Hansen knocked f*ck out of each other in a hard-hitting war that genuinely doesn't feel like pro wrestling at its primal best.
It feels like a fight between two men bred for it.