Author Topic: Andre the Giant - Feat of Strength (Read 27521 times)

Montague · « **Reply #25 on:** April 09, 2013, 09:28:19 AM »

Quote from: Mr Nobody on April 09, 2013, 09:05:39 AM

LOL. Wonder how Andre slept on a bed there, probably didn't maybe on the floor.

It wasn't easy for him to get around, and it only became harder as his weight shot up and his health declined.

OLE BIG · « **Reply #26 on:** April 12, 2013, 01:43:07 PM »

Quote from: Mr Nobody on April 07, 2013, 09:38:26 AM

I'll check it out. I didnt know he had ever been slammed. Of course as you know with wrestling he probably jumped a bit gave them momentum but even at that a strong feat.

I saw Patera slam him at a house show in Asheville NC. Didn't Race do it one time as well?

kimo · « **Reply #27 on:** April 14, 2013, 10:25:19 AM »

yes ken did it many times . atonino inoki even suceeded in this and hogan did body slam andre . there is a video on this . no small feat he was 479 pounds around . even more at the end .

Mr Nobody · « **Reply #28 on:** April 14, 2013, 12:36:46 PM »

Quote from: OLE BIG on April 12, 2013, 01:43:07 PM

I saw Patera slam him at a house show in Asheville NC. Didn't Race do it one time as well?

I think Harley did it as well so good find.

Montague · « **Reply #29 on:** April 14, 2013, 01:25:36 PM »

Quote from: Mr Nobody on April 14, 2013, 12:36:46 PM

I think Harley did it as well so good find.

Harley and Patera were freaky strong. When they picked you up, you didn't need to give them an assist; most of the time they just did it. Steamboat once said he was in a match with Race. Steamers was selling on the floor just outside the ring. The spot called for Harley to pick up Ricky to the apron to bring him back into the ring. Rick said Harley just reached down over the top rope and pulled. Ricky didn't have time to help, and he didn't need to. And Harley never spent much time in the gym. He just had natural strength!

All that said, Hogan probably slammed Andre when the giant was at his heaviest. Regardless of how he did it, that's impressive.

Hulkster · « **Reply #30 on:** April 19, 2013, 07:58:20 PM »

Quote

All that said, Hogan probably slammed Andre when the giant was at his heaviest. Regardless of how he did it, that's impressive.

Warrior may have slammed Andre when he was even heavier with less assisting:

check it out:

but this is not surprising since Ultimate Warrior was always better than Hogan anyway

Montague · « **Reply #31 on:** April 20, 2013, 03:01:19 AM »

Quote from: Hulkster on April 19, 2013, 07:58:20 PM

Warrior may have slammed Andre when he was even heavier with less assisting:

check it out:

but this is not surprising since Ultimate Warrior was always better than Hogan anyway

Good call! I forgot all about that.
Yes, Andre was bigger here, or at least as big as he was for the Hogan slam.

There was genuine heat between Andre and Hellwig, which may explain why Andre wasn't as helpful in their encounters.

GraniteCityDon · « **Reply #32 on:** April 20, 2013, 06:42:29 AM »

It shows, he is evidently not selling the splash

Apparently Hellwig used to go rough on clotheslines until Andre knocked him senseless for it

Mr Nobody · « **Reply #33 on:** April 20, 2013, 07:31:18 AM »

Montague · « **Reply #34 on:** April 20, 2013, 01:41:03 PM »

Quote from: GraniteCityDon on April 20, 2013, 06:42:29 AM

It shows, he is evidently not selling the splash Apparently Hellwig used to go rough on clotheslines until Andre knocked him senseless for it

Heenan tells that story the best!

OLE BIG · « **Reply #35 on:** April 20, 2013, 02:14:09 PM »

Quote from: Montague on April 20, 2013, 03:01:19 AM

Good call! I forgot all about that.
Yes, Andre was bigger here, or at least as big as he was for the Hogan slam.

There was genuine heat between Andre and Hellwig, which may explain why Andre wasn't as helpful in their encounters.

What was their heat over? Any other stories?

Montague · « **Reply #36 on:** April 20, 2013, 04:59:36 PM »

Quote from: OLE BIG on April 20, 2013, 02:14:09 PM

What was there heat over? Any other stories?

Nobody really cared for Hellwig. Andre wasn't thrilled to be working with him, and their working relationship was only made worse by the fact that Jim never gave Andre a chance to do one of his favorite spots in which he would take a couple of clotheslines and then get his arms tied up in the ropes.

Well, Ultimate Jim never backed off to let Andre hit the rope spot. The idiot just kept charging Andre, then going onto the next spot in the match. This went on for several matches. One night, Andre'd had enough and decided to stick his fist out as the Ultimate Prick made his usual charge. Hellwig's face bounced off of Andre's hand, legitimately knocking him senseless.

The next night, Ultimate Jim charged very gingerly at Andre, giving him ample room and time to happily tangle his arms.

Hulkster · « **Reply #37 on:** April 20, 2013, 07:12:15 PM »

its worth noting as corroborating evidence about the heat between Ultimate and Andre was the fact that Andre cleanly pinned warrior in japan.

he sat on him and didn't let warrior up for the three count.

doubt that was supposed to happen, but Andre probably said "fuck it" and pinned him.

the match is on youtube somewhere

Soul Crusher · « **Reply #38 on:** April 20, 2013, 07:59:54 PM »

Quote from: Montague on April 20, 2013, 04:59:36 PM

Nobody really cared for Hellwig. Andre wasn't thrilled to be working with him, and their working relationship was only made worse by the fact that Jim never gave Andre a chance to do one of his favorite spots in which he would take a couple of clotheslines and then get his arms tied up in the ropes.

Well, Ultimate Jim never backed off to let Andre hit the rope spot. The idiot just kept charging Andre, then going onto the next spot in the match. This went on for several matches. One night, Andre'd had enough and decided to stick his fist out as the Ultimate Prick made his usual charge. Hellwig's face bounced off of Andre's hand, legitimately knocking him senseless.

The next night, Ultimate Jim charged very gingerly at Andre, giving him ample room and time to happily tangle his arms.

Dude - how do you know so much about this topic?

Hulkster · « **Reply #39 on:** April 20, 2013, 08:37:58 PM »

Heenan talks about it in the ultimate warrior bash dvd that the wwe put out.

Montague · « **Reply #40 on:** April 21, 2013, 05:34:18 AM »

Quote from: Hulkster on April 20, 2013, 08:37:58 PM

Heenan talks about it in the ultimate warrior bash dvd that the wwe put out.

That's right, I forgot about that disc.
I've heard/seen the story several times between Heenan's book and the shoot interview he did with RF Video. A couple other guys have mentioned it, too.

It's a shame, though. Hellwig came into the Fed at the PERFECT time: an era which yearned for the exact things he had to offer: big muscles, cartoonish gimmick, and lack of wrestling ability. He really could have taken Hogan's spot, and Vince had huge wood over the prospect. The old man even put the strap on him in 1990. If James had just been willing to develop, he could have had the wrestling industry by its Deca-atrophied balls.

But instead, he thought he knew everything and didn't need to evolve. And, between not learning the rest of the "wrestling biz" and being a pain in the ass to do business with in AND out of the ring, the Ultimate Asshole's biggest payday came from suing McMahon over use of his character likeness.

Montague · « **Reply #41 on:** April 21, 2013, 06:10:00 AM »

Quote from: 333386 on April 20, 2013, 07:59:54 PM

Dude - how do you know so much about this topic?

I'm a life-long wrestling nerd. I was a mark all through grade school. As I got older, they pulled the curtain back, exposing more and more of the backstage aspect of the business. I was instantly hooked, and just learned everything I could. I found the stuff totally fascinating.

After college, I even began training with and working for a small independent wrestling outfit...for about ten-minutes. By that time, the business had changed dramatically. There were far fewer chances to make it, and I got out of it soon after.

It was fun meeting some old-timers and even some of the up and coming guys. It's surprising how many work the Indy circuit. At one time or another, our promotion brought in King Kong Bundy, The Missing Link, Sunny and Chris (Skip), Balls Mahoney, Shane Douglas, Sandman, CM Punk, Honky Tonk Man, Mick Foley, Southern Comfort, AJ Styles, The Executioner, Jerry Lawler, and more that I can't recall right now.

Some of the guys, like Bundy, do it for fun; meeting old fans and entertaining new ones. But, it was sad to see the ones who wrestled because they had to - they need the money, and this is all they can, or are willing to do. We were lucky to bring in guys like Foley when the WWF was still hot. Some of Vince's guys had grandfatered clauses in their contracts that allowed them to accept third-party bookings. Many times, it was the guys who signed on board during the Shawn Michales/Bret Hart era when business was very bad for Vince.

OLE BIG · « **Reply #42 on:** April 21, 2013, 11:41:23 AM »

Quote from: Montague on April 20, 2013, 04:59:36 PM

Nobody really cared for Hellwig. Andre wasn't thrilled to be working with him, and their working relationship was only made worse by the fact that Jim never gave Andre a chance to do one of his favorite spots in which he would take a couple of clotheslines and then get his arms tied up in the ropes.

Well, Ultimate Jim never backed off to let Andre hit the rope spot. The idiot just kept charging Andre, then going onto the next spot in the match. This went on for several matches. One night, Andre'd had enough and decided to stick his fist out as the Ultimate Prick made his usual charge. Hellwig's face bounced off of Andre's hand, legitimately knocking him senseless.

The next night, Ultimate Jim charged very gingerly at Andre, giving him ample room and time to happily tangle his arms.

I have never heard that story and love it. I would love to see Andre sitting on him. What was he thinking? He should have known better.

Yes, he had a great gimmick for the time. For some reason, I kind of liked him, but not many others of his kind, if any. Probably because I didn't see much of him. I despised "our" version of him.......otherwise known as Sting.

Montague · « **Reply #43 on:** April 21, 2013, 04:08:08 PM »

Quote from: OLE BIG on April 21, 2013, 11:41:23 AM

I have never heard that story and love it. I would love to see Andre sitting on him. What was he thinking? He should have known better.

Yes, he had a great gimmick for the time. For some reason, I kind of liked him, but not many others of his kind, if any. Probably because I didn't see much of him. I despised "our" version of him.......otherwise known as Sting.

Two peas in a pod; I'm sure you know Sting & Ultimate Jim were originally tag team partners.

As for Andre, if he didn't like you, he could be one miserable prick towards you. For instance, he never liked the Iron Sheik, who was often a bit of a bully with the jobbers. He'd stretch them during matches just to take liberties with them.

Andre didn't like that Sheik did that, so he used to pin Sheik face down on the mat, sit on his back, grab his wrists, and "row" his arms in circles as if they were oars on a boat. That hurt like Hell, and is why the Iron Sheik never liked working with Andre.

MCWAY · « **Reply #44 on:** April 21, 2013, 04:21:12 PM »

Quote from: Montague on April 20, 2013, 04:59:36 PM

Nobody really cared for Hellwig. Andre wasn't thrilled to be working with him, and their working relationship was only made worse by the fact that Jim never gave Andre a chance to do one of his favorite spots in which he would take a couple of clotheslines and then get his arms tied up in the ropes.

Well, Ultimate Jim never backed off to let Andre hit the rope spot. The idiot just kept charging Andre, then going onto the next spot in the match. This went on for several matches. One night, Andre'd had enough and decided to stick his fist out as the Ultimate Prick made his usual charge. Hellwig's face bounced off of Andre's hand, legitimately knocking him senseless.

The next night, Ultimate Jim charged very gingerly at Andre, giving him ample room and time to happily tangle his arms.

Quote from: Hulkster on April 20, 2013, 08:37:58 PM

Heenan talks about it in the ultimate warrior bash dvd that the wwe put out.

MCWAY · « **Reply #45 on:** April 21, 2013, 04:26:33 PM »

Quote from: Montague on April 21, 2013, 05:34:18 AM

That's right, I forgot about that disc.
I've heard/seen the story several times between Heenan's book and the shoot interview he did with RF Video. A couple other guys have mentioned it, too.

It's a shame, though. Hellwig came into the Fed at the PERFECT time: an era which yearned for the exact things he had to offer: big muscles, cartoonish gimmick, and lack of wrestling ability. He really could have taken Hogan's spot, and Vince had huge wood over the prospect. The old man even put the strap on him in 1990. If James had just been willing to develop, he could have had the wrestling industry by its Deca-atrophied balls.

But instead, he thought he knew everything and didn't need to evolve. And, between not learning the rest of the "wrestling biz" and being a pain in the ass to do business with in AND out of the ring, the Ultimate Asshole's biggest payday came from suing McMahon over use of his character likeness.

The last time I heard anything about Warrior, he was either wrestling in some podunk federation in Spain (where JBL's old flunky, Orlando Jordan, was champion) or he's still whining about Hogan, the one guy who put him over at WrestleMania 6.

Montague · « **Reply #46 on:** April 21, 2013, 06:12:34 PM »

I'll give credit where it is due: Hellwig had problems with more than a few guys with whom he worked. Rick Rude was one. Surprisingly, Jim has spoken well of Rude in shoot-type interviews. He also offered very kind and humble words about Randy Savage after he passed.

But, his online "feud" with Hogan is laughable and seen by many as a pathetic attempt to stay relevant.

Bret mentioned in his book a story describing how Ultimate Shit-head totally blew off a kid from Make-A-Wish at a live event. The kid had cancer and had his heart set on meeting UW. ALL of the guys made a point to stop by and greet the kid, including the heels. When told of the kid's presence and wish, Hellwig told WWF officials that he doesn't like to be interrupted while "preparing" for a match, but to tell the kid and his family that he would stop by afterwards. The rotten cunt instead bolted out of the arena after his match, and that poor little kid never got to meet his "hero."

MCWAY · « **Reply #47 on:** April 21, 2013, 06:25:09 PM »

Quote from: Montague on April 21, 2013, 06:12:34 PM

I'll give credit where it is due: Hellwig had problems with more than a few guys with whom he worked. Rick Rude was one. Surprisingly, Jim has spoken well of Rude in shoot-type interviews. He also offered very kind and humble words about Randy Savage after he passed.

But, his online "feud" with Hogan is laughable and seen by many as a pathetic attempt to stay relevant.

Bret mentioned in his book a story describing how Ultimate Shit-head totally blew off a kid from Make-A-Wish at a live event. The kid had cancer and had his heart set on meeting UW. ALL of the guys made a point to stop by and greet the kid, including the heels. When told of the kid's presence and wish, Hellwig told WWF officials that he doesn't like to be interrupted while "preparing" for a match, but to tell the kid and his family that he would stop by afterwards. The rotten cunt instead bolted out of the arena after his match, and that poor little kid never got to meet his "hero."

Is there ANYBODY in the wrestling industry that has a decent word to say about The Ultimate Warrior?

MCWAY · « **Reply #48 on:** April 21, 2013, 06:28:13 PM »

Quote from: kimo on April 14, 2013, 10:25:19 AM

yes ken did it many times . atonino inoki even suceeded in this and hogan did body slam andre . there is a video on this . no small feat he was 479 pounds around . even more at the end .

None of that matters. Remember that back in the 80s, McMahon acted as if other wrestling federations didn't exist, especially in the buildup for WrestleMania 3. Andre the Giant was undefeated for 15 years and that was that, as far as he was concerned.

And "The Slam Heard 'Round The World" became iconic.

Montague · « **Reply #49 on:** April 21, 2013, 06:36:35 PM »

Quote from: MCWAY on April 21, 2013, 06:25:09 PM

Is there ANYBODY in the wrestling industry that has a decent word to say about The Ultimate Warrior?

The British Bulldogs seemed to like him, and I understand they began traveling and training together on the road. Davey and Jim were busted in the early 90's for receiving shipments of hGH from the same pharmacy in England.