Who better to keep the boys in the back in line than a 7ft4in 520lb giant? Wrestling is full of big men but, in the 1980s, none were bigger than Andre. He was a huge star, too, the biggest (literally) in the business before the advent of Hulkamania. Everyone respected Andre, whether they liked him or not. A favourite of Vince McMahon, Andre was a star attraction wherever he went and instantly had the respect of every locker room he entered. At a time where the WWF was more like the wild West, what with all of the drugs and drinking and so forth, Andre offered some sense of cohesion and order. He wasn't afraid to speak up if he thought that somebody was getting out of line. He would even speak up to professional football players, as he did backstage at WrestleMania II when NFL player Ernie Holmes began complaining about something. Andre simply said 'You know, Ernie, you talk too much'. There wasn't another peep from Holmes after that. Andre also had problems with The Ultimate Warrior, problems that he settled in the ring. Tired of being hit with excessive force during a clothesline spot, Andre simply held out his fist one night and the Warrior ran into it, knocking himself out. The next night, Warrior was uncharacteristically light with his clothesline. While tied up in the ropes Andre leaned over to manager Bobby Heenan and said 'he's learning'. The giant was well-liked backstage and was notorious for the amount of beer he could down in one sitting as well as his love of playing cards. Everyone listened to and respected Andre. There will never be another like him.
