8 Famous Wrestlers Whose Careers BRUTALLY Faded Away

Being a wrestling fan is depressing.

Not only is the industry inundated with the worst people who have committed the worst crimes - this significantly outweighs the next point, it should be stated - but we eventually witness the gradual decline in health of the heroes we watched growing up. No wrestler better exemplifies this than Andre The Giant.

Andre suffered from gigantism and stood at an eye-opening 7'4", which, when paired with his scale-tipping 520-pound frame, made him the biggest attraction WWE had during the eighties. He was a major hit with audiences of the era before his heel turn, often being pictured towering over his fans or comparing hand sizes. Even as a heel, the aptly-nicknamed 'Eighth Wonder of the World' still found immense success: he main evented WrestleMania 3 against Hulk Hogan in one of the most seismic matches in history.

Tragically, as modern audiences have witnessed with the lesser-celebrated Great Khali, Andre's condition resulted in his body gradually deteriorating, and he required the use of a walking aid during his final few appearances. He continued wrestling until a month before his passing, but he was in visible pain and discomfort just from standing on the apron during his standardised multi-man tag team outings. It was no way to see one of the most important wrestlers of all time bow out.

He passed away from congestive heart failure in January 1993, aged 46, and would be immortalised later that year as the first inductee into the newly minted WWE Hall of Fame.