Andre The Giant question

[Hanzo]

I notice when people like to mention the biggest stars in wrestling, the three names that are mentioned are Hogan, Austin, and Rock and rightfully so.

But wouldn't Andre be up there with them? Wasn't he the biggest star of the 70s and one of the biggest stars of the 80s? I would say he's just as recognizable as those 3.

Or maybe he's in a class all his own like Undertaker?

What do you think?

[Slingshot Suplay]

I guess as time goes on and generations get older, guys like Andre get pushed back because his best years were before alot of current fans were born. If you're 34 or under, you'll remember Hogan, Austin and the Rock because they were around when you started watching, especially Hogan in the 80's as a mega face, or in the 90's as a mega heel. Andre was at the tail end of his career at the time, or might have been dead by the time alot of current fans got into wrestling.

[Deleted]

Personally, I can't believe Savage isn't in that list, too.

In my experience, people who are marginally familiar with wrestling can name Hogan, Savage, Andre, and maybe Roddy Piper. Maybe it's just my age group (late 20s), but those guys are considered legends/celebrities by complete and utter non-fans, and Austin and Rock are sort of like forgotten relics of the '90s. To use a comic book analogy, everyone knows Batman and Superman, but probably not Spawn or Lady Death.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

In my experience it is usually Hogan, Macho Man, Andre and The Rock (probably due to his movie career)

[lildude8218]

I always list him in the first 3 names I can think of as greatest of all time. Usually goes Hogan, Flair, Andre, Austin and so on.

[rapidfire187]

I never include Andre when talking about the greatest of all time. Yes, he had that big attraction appeal, but that's about it. I love hearing stories and such about him, but I've never enjoyed a match of his. Just seems like one of those guys that is so fondly remembered because of the respect factor and not because of his actual body of work.

[Spankymac is sick of the swiss]

Oct 24, 2011 14:05:31 GMT -5 lildude8218 said:

I always list him in the first 3 names I can think of as greatest of all time. Usually goes Hogan, Flair, Andre, Austin and so on.

I would argue Piper has a place in that discussion as well.

[Deleted]

Oct 24, 2011 14:11:57 GMT -5 rapidfire187 said:

I never include Andre when talking about the greatest of all time.

There's a pretty big difference between "biggest stars" and "greatest of all time," though.

A lot of fans may not include Hulk Hogan on their GOAT list (and they would be insane for that), but there's no denying that he is the biggest star in wrestling. Likewise, John Q. Public has probably never heard of Bryan Danielson - or maybe even Bret Hart - but mention Andre the Giant, and most likely, they could correctly tell you a few things about him.

For what it's worth, I find that people who grew up in the late '80s/early '90s tend to know who the Ultimate Warrior is even if they weren't a fan. Ask someone to draw you a picture of a "professional wrestler" and you'll probably either get a guy in a mask or someone who looks very much like the Warrior (bat-shaped facepaint, long hair, tassles, etc.).

[squaredcircle]

all depends on how old you are.

and what style of wrestling you grew up watching.

[Dat Dude]

I've always thought that Andre was the biggest global star prior to Flair and Hogan.

[rnrk supports BLM]

Easily. If anything, I'm tempted to say Andre's better-known and more recognizable by non-wrestling fans than Austin.

[squaredcircle]

back in the 70's, Andre being on a card near you was HUGE deal!

Pardon the pun.

[flatsdomino]

Nah, everyone knows who "THE MACHO MAN" is, no matter what. He's there with "Stone Cold", "The Rock", "Hulk Hogan" and "Andre the Giant" as "Wrestling" names.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

Oct 24, 2011 15:21:24 GMT -5 flatsdomino said:

Nah, everyone knows who "THE MACHO MAN" is, no matter what. He's there with "Stone Cold", "The Rock", "Hulk Hogan" and "Andre the Giant" as "Wrestling" names.

Slim Jim visibility + proximity to Hogan

He was one of those guys that even my mom knew when he passed away.


I think Bret Hart may be more well known than this thread is giving him credit for. Certainly not on the huge level of Hogan, but enough to get a cameo on The Simpsons back in the day.

[Stu]

Andre is definitely a household name. There's no denying that he's among the most FAMOUS of all time. But there are several factors that really need to be considered, including the exact definition of, when discussing the "greatest of all time."

Guys like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart had skills and were great in the ring, but not the most famous outside of the wrestling industry. Hulk Hogan and Andre were well-known to non fans, but not athletically gifted. So it's really hard to say who the GOAT is, unless we narrow things down to a specific category.

Personally, if I had to come up with the closest person to being the overall GOAT, I'd have to say Randy Savage since he was known outside of the industry, was over with fans, and had skills and understood the business. Unfortunately, he was always grouped in with Hogan, which took some attention away from the guy.

[bitteroldman]

Andre was an attraction; he had name recognition and could draw but unlike any of the other names mentioned here you couldn't build a promotion or territory around him.

[Manute Bol]

Andre definitely deserves mention in a BIGGEST STARS discussion. It's a fairly short list if you ask me - Andre, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Steve Austin, The Rock, Vince McMahon and John Cena.

I don't get why people are mentioning Flair. He's definitely one of the all time greats, but he's on a level with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in that they were amazing in the ring but didn't really transcend into pop culture.

Piper too I'd say wouldn't make the cut personally. I get his importance in wrestling history, but he's far from a household name. I find Triple H, Undertaker, Mick Foley and Sting to be pretty tricky...there's definitely an argument for each of them, although I don't believe they are quite on the level of the guys I first listed.

[smokinvokoun]

Andre the Giant IS a A List legend. Anyone who says different has no idea what he or she is talking about. He's in that short list with Hogan, Rock, Austin, Flair etc.

[celticjobber]

Oct 24, 2011 15:31:15 GMT -5 YAKMAN is ICHIBAN said:

I think Bret Hart may be more well known than this thread is giving him credit for. Certainly not on the huge level of Hogan, but enough to get a cameo on The Simpsons back in the day.

Yeah, that's a pretty big deal. I think Bret was alot more famous than most modern fans give him credit for.

[squaredcircle]

Oct 24, 2011 23:05:30 GMT -5 Manute Bol said:

Andre definitely deserves mention in a BIGGEST STARS discussion. It's a fairly short list if you ask me - Andre, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior, Steve Austin, The Rock, Vince McMahon and John Cena.

I don't get why people are mentioning Flair. He's definitely one of the all time greats, but he's on a level with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in that they were amazing in the ring but didn't really transcend into pop culture.

Piper too I'd say wouldn't make the cut personally. I get his importance in wrestling history, but he's far from a household name. I find Triple H, Undertaker, Mick Foley and Sting to be pretty tricky...there's definitely an argument for each of them, although I don't believe they are quite on the level of the guys I first listed.

good points.

i might argue there's only three wrestlers a non-wrestling fan might recognize (using that as a measure of star power)

Hulk, Andre, and Rock.