50 Fascinating Facts About WWE in The 1980s
40. Andre Didn’t Like Other Giants
Watching a frankly knackered Andre The Giant amble around WWF rings in the late-80s has become less fun now us fans know how much pain the man was in just existing. In his prime, an athletic Andre was able to hit dazzling moves like dropkicks, and he wasn't against taking a bump or two. By the mid-80s, even walking around the ring hurt him, so it's perhaps no surprise The Giant was a tad cranky.
He also got rather defensive when other large workers were brought into the fold. By most accounts, Andre was fairly easy to get along with so long as you were friendly backstage, didn’t irk his buddies and liked socialising on the road. However, this Giant was fiercely protective of his role, and that meant he didn’t take to guys like Big John Studd. Like, at all.
Wrestlers like Ted DiBiase and Jake Roberts, as well as staffers who were around Andre loads like Bruce Prichard, have all told stories about Andre dismissing Studd and being frosty towards him behind the curtain. In fairness, it was a head scratcher for everybody when the WWF brought Studd back to win the 1989 Royal Rumble! OK, sorry, couldn't resist that sly dig or excuse to wonder what the hell creative had been smoking there.
Other wrestlers Andre had to put in their place included The Ultimate Warrior, Bam Bam Bigelow and even The Fabulous Freebirds. The latter core weren't giants, but they needed a not-so-gentle reminder from a locker room leader to behave. As time went on, The Giant got even more salty about being the only big man in town.