Andre The Giant: The 8th Wonder of the World Quiz

Answer: Andre Rene Roussimoff

Born in May 1946 Andre Rene Roussimoff was born with a genetic disease called Acromegaly or "Gigantism" which causes people to grow to extravagant heights. By the time he had finished elementary school Andre weighted over 240 pounds and stood six foot four! He then worked on the family farm before being introduced to the world of professional wrestling.

Answer: Don Leo Jonathan

Known as "The Mormon Giant" the six foot six, 360 pound Don Leo Jonathan was the first in a very long list of wrestlers who decided to battle Andre for bragging rights as "The True Giant of Wrestling". The two engaged in a memorable feud with many epic matches at Madison Square Garden in 1974-1975. Unfortunately Jonathan was unable to score a pin fall on Andre and eventually retired in 1981.

Answer: Chief Jay Strongbow

The widely popular Chief Jay Strongbow immediately hit it off with the gargantuan Andre and a genuine friendship developed. The Giant would jokingly refer to Jay as "Fat Boy" and the two were often partnered together in tag team matches. Whenever the combination won, which usually happened, Jay would always leap right into the arms of Andre who would hoist him up on his shoulder.

Answer: Killer Khan

In late 1980, Andre began a feud with the eccentric Mongolian wrestler Killer Khan who would spit a blinding green mist into his opponents faces. It was announced on television one week that the vicious Khan had succeeded in breaking the ankle of Andre, thus sidelining him for several months. Andre did return and wreaked havoc on Khan by destroying him in a series of "Stretcher Matches".

In reality the broken ankle had happened when Andre stumbled upon getting out of bed one morning. A symptom of his disease was that after a prolonged amount of time the joints rapidly deteriorate.

Answer: Big John Studd

In late 1982 Big John Studd arrived in the WWF and immediately staked his claim as "The True Giant" of the wrestling world. In addition Studd and his first manager Fred Blassie mocked Andre by calling him Andrea The Giant. The feud appeared to have been settled when Andre bested John in a series of "Steel Cage Matches".

In the fall of 1984 Studd and Ken Patera, managed by Bobby Heenan embarrassed The Giant in a televised match by shaving most of his hair off. This time Andre got revenge by defeating his nemesis Studd in a $15,000 "Bodyslam Match" at the very first "Wrestlemania" in March 1985.

Answer: King Kong Bundy

In the summer of 1985, Andre was presented with another challenge in the form of the monstrous King Kong Bundy. Quickly forming an alliance with the pesky Big John Studd, the heels attacked Andre at a house show in Canada. Bundy delivered not one but five of his signature "Big Splashes" and cracked The Giant's chest.

This also was a cover up as Andre's back was beginning to cause him problems and he traveled to his native country of France where Doctors told him he had to have risky back surgery. Andre returned and after the feud with Bundy ended, had the surgery in June 1986.

The reason Andre won "The Battle Royal" at "Wrestlemania II" was that if the surgery failed he would have left a winner.

Answer: Hacksaw Jim Duggan

In the spring of 1988 Andre wrestled a quick squash match on a weekly telecast and immediately challenged any one in the back to come out and face him. To the delight of the crowd the popular and courageous Hacksaw Jim Duggan walked down the isle. After proclaiming he had no fear of Andre, Duggan was viciously choked into almost unconsciousness by Andre.

As Andre reared back to deliver one of his famous headbutts, Duggan grabbed his trusty 2x4 and slammed it against Andre's falling head. The Giant crumbled to the canvas, out like a light in a battle very symbolic of David and Goliath.

Answer: Fear of snakes

In an October 1988 segment of "Saturday Nights Main Event", Andre began to assault Jake "The Snake" Roberts who had just defeated Rick Rude. In order to defend himself Jake quickly released his pet python "Damian" and to everyone's astonishment Andre began to get nervous and jittery.

It was not before long that Jake had figured out The Giant's fear and soon had him cowering in a corner. Roberts then threw his pet on Andre who immediately cashed to mat in a full blown anxiety attack. In reality Jake and The Giant were actually good friends and to this day "The Snake" speaks very fondly of the Giant Frenchman.

Answer: The Colossal Connection

In what would be the swan song of his legendary career Andre was paired with the lethal Haku in a tag team which was dubbed The Colossal Connection. The duo defeated Demolition for the WWF Tag Team Titles in December 1989 and held them until "Wrestlemania VI".

This was a sad time for longtime fans of The Giant as his disease had left him a shell of his former self, almost unable to do anything in the ring and in constant agony. Andre turned on Haku and manager Bobby Heenan at "Wrestlemania VI" after the two blamed the loss of the belts on him. Knowing that this was indeed the end, the powers that be let The Giant ride into the sunset beloved once again by the fans.

Answer: The Earthquake

In 1991, Andre returned to the WWF but not as a wrestler, instead he was used in comedic spots where he would embarrass former manager Bobby Heenan and other heel managers. In May 1991 on in a televised segment the vile Earthquake attacked The Giant and injured his leg thus necessitating the need for Andre to walk with steel custom crutches. Once again this was a cover up angle but sadly seeing the shape Andre was in, the fans knew better. Andre left the WWF for good in the fall of 1991 and died at age 46 of heart failure while in his native country in January 1993.