Wrestling legend André the Giant is associated with some pretty big numbers: He weighed 520 pounds, and stood nearly seven and a half feet tall.

His most famous match, meanwhile, a headlining tilt against Hulk Hogan at 1987’s WrestleMania III, helped set a world indoor-attendance record (93,173), and was touted the most-watched pay-per-view event in history.

André’s face is so iconic that Shepard Fairey swiped it for his late-eighties street art campaign, which evolved into the logo for his OBEY clothing brand. The entire WWF Hall of Fame was created just so André could be inducted into it.

There’s no doubt that the man born André René Roussimoff was a natural performer, beloved by fans and peers alike. But one of his strangest show-biz encounters came years before he ever... Read More