The Most Exciting Feuds Of Andre The Giant's Career
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Andre The Giant is one of the greatest draws in the history of the professional wrestling business. His size and versatility as a performer was unmatched and completely unique at the time of his rise in the wrestling business. Andre's approach to the wrestling business didn't necessarily manifest itself in six-star classics, but did carry a significant amount of credibility and weight at the box office with butts in seats wherever he went. According to former WWE CEO and Chairman, Vince McMahon, Andre was a "once in a lifetime athlete."
Andre was the draw throughout most of his career, but just like any other wrestler in the business, he had to work with others in order to create the magic he's known for. In the "Andre The Giant" HBO documentary, McMahon said Andre "never hurt anyone and he was very, very proud of that. But if he were to show you who was the boss, you know, it was easy for him to do that."
Many stepped up to the plate to feud with the Eighth Wonder of the World, but only a handful of programs truly stuck out. These are the most exciting feuds in Andre The Giant's career.
Andre The Giant vs. Hulk Hogan
The WWE as the world knows it today would not exist without the Hulk Hogan vs. Andre The Giant feud in the late 1980s.
Andre The Giant had worked as a babyface throughout the vast majority of his time in wrestling. His career reached a crossroads when surgery to fix an injury became a necessity for Andre to keep working. Andre didn't want the procedure, but the opportunity to work as a bad guy opposite the biggest star in the business in Hulk Hogan, was an appealing match for him. It led to the WrestleMania III main event against Hogan with the WWF Championship on the line.
"Andre wanted to have a reason to live, not a reason to die," McMahon said of Andre debating surgery in the Andre HBO documentary. "And he knew, 'wow, I could have a new lease on life if I could get through this operation.' The allure of Hogan pulled Andre through."
Andre confronted a teary Hogan on an episode of Piper's Pit and revealed that he had aligned with Hogan's biggest nemesis, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. The feud became intensely personal before the title match went down in front of 90,000 fans inside of the Pontiac Silverdome.
The two men squared off again in a special event titled "The Main Event." Andre won the WWF Championship during this match after the referee was distracted. Both men captained Survivor Series teams and wrestled at WrestleMania IV.
Andre The Giant vs. Jake Roberts
Coming out of the feud with Hulk Hogan that positioned Andre The Giant as a main event heel in the WWF, he needed another babyface to help him keep momentum. Enter Jake Roberts.
Jake "The Snake" Roberts spent time in multiple territories throughout the '80s. He was an opponent with credibility, but also one with a unique twist. Not everyone could stand toe to toe with Andre The Giant, but thanks to Roberts and his trusted python sidekick, the playing field was leveled opposite Andre. Andre sold for the snake and acted like he'd seen a ghost when face to face with it. Andre even eliminated himself from the 1989 Royal Rumble match due to a snake encounter. He showcased the performance side of himself in a wrestling ring, which made for an entertaining feud start to finish with Roberts.
When asked about whether Andre was really scared of the snake in an interview with Wrestling Inc, Roberts said, "Not at all ... In fact, one night a snake got him and broke two fangs off in his shoulder and I was afraid to go into the locker room as I thought Andre might kill me! I walk into the locker room and peek around the corner and go, 'Andre are you okay?' He goes, 'Yeah, why?' I go, 'Well the snake bit you' and he goes, 'Oh yeah, the snake was hungry!' and just laughed about it."
Andre The Giant vs. Big John Studd
Big man vs. big man was a classic stylistic go-to for Vince McMahon and the WWF. Andre The Giant and Big John Studd fit that bill perfectly and executed a thrilling feud rooted in the in-ring one-upmanship to be the best big man in the company, but also some real life hard feelings between two humans that wanted to own their corner of the WWF locker room as The Giant of the company.
"I don't know how it finished, maybe you heard about it," Jacques Rougeau said of the feud to Sportskeeda. "Big John Studd, you heard of the feud they had, those two? I think Andre was a little jealous of Big John Studd being so big, so I think there was a little heat there. 'You're stepping into my gimmick there, Big John!'"
Studd and Andre wrestled many times over the years, but their biggest blowoff match took place at the first-ever WrestleMania. They competed in a body slam challenge, in which Andre would have to retire if he lost, but would win $15,000 if he won. Andre The Giant won the match and then tossed his cash prize into the Madison Square Garden audience.
Andre and John Studd weren't fans of one another, but for Andre the feud was a strong launching pad for future success in the WWF.
Andre The Giant vs. Nick Bockwinkel
Before Andre The Giant and Hogan had their historic feud over the world championship in the WWF, both crossed paths in Verne Gagne's AWA. There, AWA Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel would be foil for Hogan under the tutelage of future WWF Hogan foe Bobby Heenan, but Bockwinkel also feuded with Andre The Giant.
Bockwinkel was a perfect heel for Andre and sold his offense effectively, even though he was significantly smaller. Bockwinkel was able to generate hatred from the audience opposite the dominating Andre by being obnoxious and cheating. Both men wrestled in the mid to late '70s and into the early '80s for the world championship before Andre moved on to the New York territory.
During this point of Andre's career, he was more agile and didn't have the physical toll built up of years on the road and in the ring. The matches were faster paced and more energetic than even some of his classics in the WWF. Bockwinkel's work during this feud shouldn't be overlooked. Andre didn't need his offense to have added credibility due to his size, but Bockwinkel enhanced it with how he sold.
Andre The Giant vs. Stan Hansen
Andre The Giant wasn't only a major attraction in the United States. Andre spent time in Canada and Europe honing his craft as the true big-man attraction in wrestling. Andre also found success, notoriety, and fame in Japan during the early 1980s.
Andre The Giant worked for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, having different feuds during each tour. His work with Stan Hansen was notable given Hansen's reputation in the company and throughout the wrestling business. Though not the same size as Andre, Hansen was a bruiser in his own right and was responsible for injuring Bruno Sammartino during a run in the WWWF. Andre and Hansen had aggressive matches that resemble the modern day version of MMA and strong style NJPW wrestling.
"He was looking for an opponent and I was getting pushed in New Japan," Hansen said of working with Andre to Hannibal TV. "So it ended up just us in ring together for a Madison Square Garden tour and Andre was there and I fought him like I was fighting everybody in Japan. Andre was smart enough to hear the people react. He sold for me and we ended up building to one of the most classic matches of all-time in Japan."
Andre The Giant vs. Antonio Inoki
Another major foe for Andre The Giant in Japan was that of a legend named Antonio Inoki.
Inoki is synonymous with Japanese wrestling and the founder of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. He's worked with a who's who of pro wrestling including Hulk Hogan, Lou Thesz, Bob Backlund, Ric Flair, and others. Inoki was also part of an early MMA-style match — a showdown with Muhammed Ali.
Inoki worked with Andre The Giant at various times throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Andre made Inoki look like a cruiserweight in the ring, but both had chemistry together due to their big personalities and natural alpha abilities and presence. Inoki's submission style and technique differentiated himself from other Andre The Giant opponents and added a layer of intrigue and nuance to their matches with one another.
Both men were renowned workers in Japan. While the feud didn't have a natural good guy or bad guy, it stands the test of time because of the legendary status of both performers.
Andre The Giant vs. Ultimate Warrior
The feud between Andre The Giant and Ultimate Warrior isn't the most memorable from an in-ring perspective, but it had flares of excitement and real-life drama due to Andre taking it upon himself to humble Warrior.
Andre and Warrior wrestled in 1989 and as Warrior was beginning his scorching run that would culminate with a win over Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI. McMahon and the WWF needed a strong opponent with credibility. Andre fit that bill. The clear goal of the feud was to keep Warrior hot and elevate him to the next level ahead of the bigger showdown that was looming between him with Hogan. They succeeded in achieving that goal. Andre achieved another as well.
According to a report by Sportster, Andre took physical liberties with Warrior and taught him a lesson after being repeatedly hit in the head during Warrior's signature lariat move in the corner of the ring. Andre got clocked by a stiff Warrior shot one too many times and retaliated with a fist to the face during a match instead of taking the strike as laid out and planned. Warrior was knocked unconscious, and, going forward, was more careful with his signature strike against Andre and others.
Andre The Giant vs. Bobby Heenan
Andre The Giant and Bobby Heenan had a love and hate relationship throughout both of their careers and it morphed into one of the best long-term wrestling stories ever.
In the AWA, Andre was an enemy of Bobby Heenan. Andre took on Heenan and AWA World Champion, Nick Bockwinkel, with future pro wrestling legend Hulk Hogan in his corner. As an antagonist to Andre, Heenan's facial expressions and physical manager bumps put over Andre's size and alpha nature in the ring.
Meanwhile, Andre and Heenan were like peanut butter and jelly while on the same side. Heenan recruited Andre to face his former best friend, Hogan, at WrestleMania III for the WWF Championship. Andre in Heenan's family of wrestlers was unthinkable, but it did strong business for Vince McMahon.
The two would clash again after Andre and Haku as the Colossal Connection, lost the WWF Tag Team Championships to Demolition. After the match, Heenan screamed at Andre and Andre grabbed Heenan around the neck and forcibly yelled back, making him a likable figure to the WWF fans once again.
Andre The Giant vs. Demolition
Speaking of Demolition, they make this list as well. By the time Andre The Giant had completed his feud with Hogan, he still worked as a heel alongside Bobby Heenan and as part of the Colossal Connection with Haku.
Demolition proved to be suitable opponents and made for a memorable tag team feud for Andre. Demolition were a big tag team, but even though they certainly looked smaller against Andre, their style was large and aggressive, which leveled the playing field between both teams in a meaningful way. They walked a fine line between being sympathetic enough to get real cheers and investment without coming across as weak. To that end, they were a perfect opponent for Andre and Haku.
The culmination of their feud together took place at WrestleMania VI. With the tag team titles on the line, Demolition vanquished Colossal Connection to become the new champions. At the end of the match, Andre The Giant turned babyface once again and broke away from Heenan to a raucously positive reaction from the WWF audience.
Andre The Giant vs. King Kong Bundy
Another big-man vs. big-man feud endeavor for Andre The Giant, this time with King Kong Bundy.
Bundy was a different type of big-man in wrestling than Big John Studd was, so this feud was not a carbon copy of what was done between Andre and Studd before. Bundy and Andre worked slower and more methodically together. The result was believable, tough offense from both guys.
The goal of the feud was to keep positioning Andre as an unstoppable force, which was smart since he'd be heading to work with Hogan soon after the feud ended. It also helped get Bundy into a place to work with Hogan even sooner.
Things ended between Bundy and Andre in The Colossal Jostle at Madison Square Garden, with the winner being declared the top giant in professional wrestling. The match ended in a disqualification, with Andre declared the official winner.
Andre The Giant vs. Killer Khan
Killer Khan was an important feud in WWF's history and was a gatekeeper to the Hulkamania era that the company welcomed to existence in 1985. This program lasted for most of 1981 and featured a heel getting true heat on Andre for the first time in Andre's career.
The story of the feud revolved around Andre's ankle. According to Michael Krugman's "Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life" biography, Andre broke his ankle for real and the WWF used the injury to further the story with Khan. Khan broke Andre's ankle in the narrative of the story, giving Andre a real mountain to climb for the first time in his career. The angle also positioned Khan as the first guy to really get Andre The Giant off of his feet.
The feud built until a legendary Mongolian Stretcher Match served as the blowoff. Andre and Khan battled, but it was Andre who was able to place Khan on the gurney stretcher and walk him to the locker room to secure the victory.
Andre The Giant vs. The Sheik
Andre The Giant vs. The Sheik served as Andre's first major feud in North America when he first came overseas in 1974. Sheik was a hated heel at the time and Andre worked seamlessly as the dominant monster opposite Sheik that fans were immediately glued to.
The Sheik was the long time booker of his own wrestling promotion in Detroit, but the program mostly played out inside the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The big angle of the program included Sheik hitting Andre with a fireball, which setup Andre's big comeback and eventual comeuppance on his heel opponent.
The significance of the feud was more than just selling lots of tickets and making money. It gave Andre the opportunity to show his chops as a worker and storyteller in the wrestling ring, which was an important element to the major feuds Andre would have later in his career — and especially when his body began breaking down in the early 1980s.