12 Things We Learned From The Eighth Wonder Of The World: The True Story Of André The Giant

1. The Bond Between André And Vince Sr.

The Eighth Wonder of the World: The True Story of Andre the Giant
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Every promoter in the history of professional wrestling has had a strong bond with their top talent. Granted, it's often a case of that relationship dwindling once the promoter realises that their old lion's star power is fading, but that's sadly part and parcel of the wrestling business.

For Vince McMahon Sr. and André Roussimoff, they seem to have shared the sort of relationship rarely seen in professional wrestling.

From reading The Eighth Wonder of the World, it hits home that André saw Vince Sr. as a father figure of sorts. And likewise, Vince Sr. felt a sense of responsibility for making sure that André was looked after in whatever way was necessary.

Of course, Vince Sr. was obviously looking after his top star and was clearly aware that keeping André happy meant better business for all involved. Still, these two powerhouses of the industry had far more than a working relationship.

When Vincent James McMahon passed away in May 1984 at the age of 69, it hit André hard and was a defining 'end of an era' point for the Giant.

As The Eighth Wonder of the World reads, "The man who had made him rich and made him the world’s most famous wrestler had passed away. André had a special bond with Vince Sr., an instant trust that allowed them to work well together and to have good times with each other."

In a life where he was often poked and pointed at, André Roussimoff had a true and loyal friend in Vince McMahon Sr. And while André had a good relationship with Vince Jr., the Giant knew that Vincent Kennedy McMahon's vision for an all-encompassing international wrestling brand based around exclusive talent was going to change the business in a way that André wasn't entirely comfortable with.

The Eighth Wonder Of The World: The True Story Of André The Giant is available now.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.