Whenever discussion turns to the greatest wrestler of all time
one name is near the top of everybody's list
Andre the Giant
one of the most visually striking characters
to ever grace the wrestling ring
he also stood remarkably tall
But just how tall is Andre the Giant really?
By age 12 Andre was already over Six Foot
suffering from excessive growth hormone secretion
in his late teens he rapidly approached 7 foot
Andre began wrestling at a relatively young age
in France, under the name Jean Ferre
he was billed at 208 centimetres
roughly 6 foot 10
Andre the Giant's height has not only confounded visitors to CelebHeights.com
even authors who wrote books on Roussimoff
have been left baffled as to his actual stature
Andre's own French passport, reportedly listed him
as just under 7 foot 2
However in 1971
Andre gave his own measurements
saying, he was 214 centimetres
or just over Seven Foot
In the world of wrestling, Andre worked alongside some of the biggest names in the sport
and earned the tagline, the 8th wonder of the world
However, he didn't quite live up to his billed height of 7 foot 4
let alone the 7 foot 5 or 6 some newspapers inflated him to
but wrestling is about showmanship
and most wrestler's get billed taller and heavier than reality
it sells tickets
if I was a wrestler
Rob Almighty would certainly not be billed as only 5 foot 8
one of Andre's biggest nemesis in the ring was Hulk Hogan
when you compare Andre to the Hulk
who may have been 6 foot 6 in his prime
the notion Andre was ever over 7 foot
quickly dissipates
the question becomes, whether Andre was even 7 foot tall
Wrestling may be scripted, but the injuries and long-term damage these athletes suffer
certainly isn't
We have to remember that Andre was wrestling
from his late teens
and men of his massive size are bound to lose height
through all the impacts, slams and physical requirements
demanded of the sport
and that's before even considering
how acromegaly impacted his spine
Andre sometimes had to wear a back-brace just to stand taller
I'd be absolutely shocked
if Andre hadn't lost at least an inch of height by the 1980's
During that decade
Andre was one of the most recognisable stars on the planet
and probably didn't go a day without being asked for an autograph or photograph
many celebs loved to meet Andre and get a memento of the occasion
like the 5 foot 3 inch Debbie Harry
almost 5 foot 10 Michael Douglas
future President Donald Trump
and even a young Vin Diesel
when you're near 7 foot tall
daily activities like travel can prove immensely difficult
but Andre was dedicated and wrestled all over the world
in Japan he faced such figures as Giant Baba
who was billed as tall as 6 foot 10
Everything about Andre was larger than life
If he asked you for some beer and you brought him a 6-pack
he'd frown
he'd be expecting a case
and his head was enormous too
measuring over 12 inches long
and his feet?
if Andre walked through a forest and you discovered his footprint
you'd think you found evidence that BigFoot exists
Andre's hands were humungous too
the size of watermelons
Now Muhammad Ali may be the greatest boxer of all time
but I doubt he'd want to get into an argument with Andre the Giant
the one time Andre did step into a boxing ring
was when he faced 6 foot 5 Chuck Wepner
who he made look like an Amateur
Andre's presence was so big
he was never gonna confine himself solely to the wrestling ring
the world of TV and movies beckoned
and his most famous role
was the Princess Bride
he made that at age 40
and beside the 5 foot 11 inch Cary Elwes
he still managed to look at least 6 foot 10
an earlier foray into the world of film
was when Andre worked on Conan the Destroyer
It's not often in life Andre would have to gaze up to somebody
but on that set, he did
whilst he was a head above Arnold Schwarzenegger
when standing astride 7 foot 1 inch WIlt Chamberlain
he had to gaze up to talk to him
I think if you just looked at Andre in his late 30's or early 40's
you'd be left with the impression
he was more 6 foot 10 than 7 foot
but I reckon he lost height by age 30
and if you measured him in his 20's
he may have reached the 7 foot mark