5 Ups & 2 Downs From HBO's André The Giant Documentary

4. How Well André's Early Career Is Examined

Andre The Giant HBO
HBO

Learning of André's journey from football to rugby and eventually wrestling is a short experience, but it's one worth hearing. It was rugby that led to a life between the ropes once wrestlers (working out in the same gym as him) told André he'd make money in the pro wrestling biz.

Overall, the early days of The Giant's wrestling career are handled with care, and there's a nice effort put in to show how André grew from shy, oversized teenager to larger-than-life famous athlete. Companies like Grand Prix Wrestling and Maple Leaf Wrestling are mentioned, and there's a cool story about how his André The Giant name was born too.

Once known as Jean Ferré, his name was changed when a Chicago promoter worried fans might think he was being compared to a ferry.

All of this information is packaged up and delivered within 10-15 minutes of air time. That's just enough to get a feel for how André developed as a performer without growing tiresome. If only HBO had shown the same care with Hulk Hogan's retrospective.

Advertisement
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.