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WRESTLING COLUMNS

Andre The Giant vs The Big Show... Ever Wonder"
January 20, 2005 by Brett Noel


This drawing was sent in by artist Brett Noel, who asked that it be posted.
Feel free to send comments on the prospect of a match between these two Giants.



Geoffrey Catteau wrote:
From Grenoble in the french alpes like andre I'm very happy to see that the 8th wonder of the world will never be forgotten in USA. As far as I'm concerned I'm sure this would be a terrific contest between those two guys and I guess only the late Big John Stud could referee such a match. Even though I like the big show for being a good performer I think that a match between those guys would lead to the victory of andre , the only true giant. "tu nous manques andre" (we miss you) RIP.
The Burn wrote:
First I'd like to say what a great image provided by Noel, and quite the interesting question.

It seems like whenever the Show gets back into the mix of things after an absence or a stint on the low card someone asks this question. I think the majority of everyone's curiosity is mostly associated with the ill-implied relationship between Paul Wight and Andre Rene Rousimoff being related to one another during the early 90's, thanks to WCW. I mean the world lost Andre in 1993 and we saw the debut of another monstrous star in 1994/95. Which could be true, I mean Show was born in 1971 and at the time "Jean Ferre" was tearing up the world and probably had a few groupies in South Carolina. ;) Anywho, one giant legend faded away while another giant came to us in an awkward way and soon became his own beast.

Speculation and build up into an actual match! Yet, first let's go over some statistics: Let pit 2005 Show against 1975 Andre.

We have Andre the Giant who was billed with a height & weight of: 7'4" - 380 to 540 lbs. Then we have The Big Show billed at: 7'1 - 500lbs but closer to 425lbs now a days. Now the build up for the last few years have been ideal for Andre, as noted within OnlineWorldofWrestling.com, his WWWF debut made him instantly one of the most popular stars in professional wrestling at the time in this country. He was THEE top draw on wrestling cards and venues around the country and the world. The Uncrowned Champion of the World was having his way with the world like any titan would.

Now, the Big Show's last couple of years haven't fared all that well. Now both were squashing no names in handicap matches, Show even had the US title for a short time. Yet he was loosing fairly soundly after coming off as a lacky for another phenom (Lesnar). He even had to quit the WWE after losing a match to the smaller, but more ring savvy, Eddie Guerrero. Yet the Show is packing some momentum, in the last few weeks he's been gathering speed and support as we're approaching Survivor Series with Show having a WWE Smackdown World Title match.

A note to consider, both in less than 2 years have had successful knee surgery. Also, with this protocol the Big Show (34) would have age, but not exactly experience over Andre (29). It'd be safe to assume both would be at their prime healthwise.

Now let's consider a few things. Strength, who'd have the edge" Neither, both a living weapons in the ring with their unnatural girth granting them strength that's just scary to witness. Both at this point and time have had proper spots to sell this factor, so the edge couldn't go to either. Speed, Andre had great agility at this time and moved a few paces quicker than in his later years but the Big Show has the advantage here. He moves around the ring at a walk but he's proven on quite a few occasions that he can strike like a python if need be. The technical edge, move repertoire" While it's true both share quite a few power moves they'd also negate each other in very interesting ways. Could Show use the chokeslam on Andre" Is a big boot on a man near your own height really that affective" I mean neither were known for getting that leg up for a true mafia kick. I think the Show could use some innovation and surprise Andre with a few drop kicks and maybe even a flying mare or so, but I believe Andre had the science of power move pro wrestling down to an art form by then. Which keys into the last factor we'll consider; what about endurance" In fact we'll give that it's own paragraph.

Andre could obliterate hordes of professional wrestlers with a mere chop or a well placed headbutt. It was years before any mortal or stud could even pick the man up for a body slam. Show on the other-hand often shows fatigue early on in a match that's also often lead with the pace of his opponent. Where Andre dominated in the ring, Big Show is often at a loss and on the defensive. Show, as it turns out, gets widdled down fairly easily with this known weakness. So in the end Andre uses natural ability and his fierce nature to mount what was a flawless offensive. While the Big Show often relies on his rage and the force of his chokeslam or other key finisher to shuffle a one hit victory.

With that in mind, how would each negate one another and who would be left with the most abundant amount edges over the other" Now it's true Andre had a lethal headbutt, yet it was often against men half his size. It'd be fair to assume this wouldn't have the same effect on Show, where later on in Andre's life he often struggled wearing down men near his own size. While I'm sure we could see some innovative maneuvers from the Big Show during their clash, could a missile drop kick really take the steam out of the peaked Eighth Wonder of the World" At the bell I can see both jocking for position against one another. Then a test of strength would give way to an impressive offensive from the Big Show, who'd get caught up in his rampage and make the mistake of going for the chokeslam. It'd never see fruition and then Andre would go for the kill. In the end, my own assumption would be; Andre would use chops, corner presses, and probably a big elbow drop into a pin to take out the Show. 1, 2, 3.

Now that would be ideal and I'm sure some others would argue. Before I end this with another question I got a couple of more comments. Now in the 60s and 70s Andre was a phenomena. Period. Sports, nor Entertainment had ever seen a mythical star like Andre. If his size didn't sell you, his prowess in the ring would. If that didn't get you, then his charisma and utter charm would. Yet, I see those qualities in the Big Show as well although some how he always seems to get dragged into big role that Andre never got to fill as the monster of the wrestling world. Now here's the question I'll end this with, where do you see Andre the Giant fitting into this modern ear of Pro Wrestling"
Moty .A. wrote:
Andre of 1975 could drope kick, do a big splash of the top rope, run the ropes easily etc... Show wouldn't stand a chance.
Brad Dykens wrote:
Big Show was doing that stuff all the time in WCW. And I could NEVER see Andre taking a SuperPlex from Brock Lesnar like Big Show did. Big Show is WAY tougher, but of course, back then Big Show would have been booked in a "Big John Studd" roll..
Al "The Fuze" Fucsko wrote:
WHEN ANDRE (1975) WAS IN HIS PRIME, HE WAS TOTALLY UNSTOPPABLE AND ALWAYS WAAAAAY OVER WITH THE PUBLIC. I DON'T SEE THAT FROM THE (2005) BIG SHOW. HE IS NEVER MOTIVATED, THEREFORE, HE HAS BECOME A VERY BORING PART OF THE SMACKDOWN ROSTER. HE NEEDS A NEW GIMMICK OR SOMETHING, BUT HE IT OVER 7 FEET TALL, HE WILL ALWAYS BE THE BIG SHOW NO MATTER HOW THEY REPACKAGE HIM. ALSO, HE KEEPS GETTING MORE AND MORE HEAVY AND SLOW. LOOK AT THAT GUT! REMEMBER THE SHOW IN WCW WHEN HE DIDN'T LOOK LIKE A BEACHED WHALE" ANDRE HAS BEEN DEAD FOR OVER 10 YEARS AND HE IS STILL OFTEN MENTIONED IN THE WRESTLING WORLD. 10 YEARS AFTER THE BIG SHOW HAS PASSED ON, I DOUBT ANYONE WILL BE TOO INTERESTED. IF I WAS BOOKING, ANDRE WOULD WIN. HE IS A LEGEND, SHOW IS JUST SOME TALL GUY.
wrote:

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