Before The Bell
Elevating the feats of mere mortals to legend, each generation passes on the stories of their greatest heroes to new generations. From the era of the ancient Olympics to modern sports leagues, history swells with tales of these superhuman athletes. And arguably no sportsman has benefited more from the traditions of folklore than Andre the Giant. In their new book, The Eighth Wonder Of The World, writers Bertrand Hebert and Pat Laprade undertake the decidedly daunting task of documenting the late wrestler’s storied life.
The story of Andre Roussimoff, who would eventually assume the nom de guerre Andre the Giant, begins with a visit to Europe in the early 20th century, as the authors discuss the evolution of the Roussimoff family from before the Great War to the time of Andre’s birth. It doesn’t take long for one of the most pervasive themes of this book to shine through—namely, that when it comes to the best-known, oft-repeated lore about Andre, much of what we think we know isn’t based in reality.
Was Andre the biggest athlete of his era? Did he actually hail from the French Alps? Was he really undefeated heading into his careerdefining bout with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 3? Of course, most wrestling fans already know that there was
