andre the giant

Template:Infobox Wrestler andre was awsome

André René Roussimoff (May 19, 1946–January 27, 1993[1][2]), best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His great size was a result of acromegaly, and led to his being dubbed "The Eighth Wonder of the World."[3][4] In the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), Roussimoff briefly held the WWF Championship. In 1993, he was the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Professional wrestling career 2.1 Training 2.2 World Wrestling Federation 2.2.1 Face Run (1973-1987) 2.2.2 Heel Run (1987-1990) 2.2.3 WrestleMania VI; The Colossal Connection 2.2.4 Sporadic appearances 2.3 Japan and WCW 3 Legacy 4 Other media 5 Personal life 5.1 Death 6 In wrestling 7 Championships and accomplishments 8 Filmography 9 References 10 External links //

Early life

Andre René Roussimoff was born in Coulommiers, France, of Bulgarian and Polish descent. He was the third of five children. As a child, he was referred to by his parents as Dédé and showed no signs of being the size that he would end up being. Roussimoff was a good student but left school after 8th grade because he did not feel that it was important to have a high school education to live and work on a farm that was not his own. As an adolescent, he worked on the farm, completed an apprenticeship in woodworking, then worked in a factory that manufactured engines for hay balers, but none of these jobs brought him any satisfaction.

Professional wrestling career

Training

Roussimoff was discovered by Lord Alfred Hayes, a wrestling promoter, and left home as a teenager to become a wrestler in Paris. He worked as a mover by day and trained in the ring at night—though few wrestlers were willing to train with anyone so large and strong. In 1964, Édouard Carpentier, a well-known French wrestler, agreed to train with him. Roussimoff was billed as "Géant Ferré", the name of a legendary French lumberjack, and quickly made a name for himself. For the next few years, he wrestled in arenas and carnivals in Europe, New Zealand, and Africa.

In 1969, Carpentier offered to bring Roussimoff to North America, but he had already signed to wrestle in International Pro Wrestling in Japan, where he was billed as "Monster Roussimoff". While he was in Japan, a doctor there diagnosed him with acromegaly and told him that those with the same problem were generally lucky to reach 40 years of age, but Roussimoff refused to accept either the diagnosis of or treatment for this condition.[citation needed]

After performing in Japan, Roussimoff followed Carpentier to Montreal, Canada, where he was an immediate success. However, promoters eventually ran out of plausible opponents to fight him and, as his novelty wore off, gate receipts dwindled. Desperate, Carpentier reached out to Vincent J. McMahon and his son, Vince McMahon, Jr. for help. They suggested for Roussimoff a travel-intensive schedule so he would not wear