The 74th birth anniversary of Andre The Giant, the famous legendary wrestler of WWE will be observed on May 19, 2020. André René Roussimoff, best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. He stood over seven feet tall as the result of gigantism, due to this he was also referred to as, 'The Eighth Wonder of the World'. Andre The Giant made a debut in World Wrestling Federation now known as World Wrestling Entertainment on March 26, 1973, as a fan favourite, where he defeated Buddy Wolfe in New York's Madison Square Garden. On the occasion of Andre The Giant birthday,  let us take a look at five lesser-known facts about the first WWE Hall of Famer.

During the 1980s wrestling era, Andre The Giant was paired with the villainous manager Bobby Heenan and feuded with Hulk Hogan. The two headlined WWE WrestleMania 3 in 1987 and Andre The Giant defeated Hogan to win the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, his sole world heavyweight championship, on the first episode of The Main Event in 1988. After his death in 1993, he became the inaugural inductee into the newly created WWF Hall of Fame.

Five Lesser-Known Facts About Andre The Giant 

1. Andre was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in the year 1974 as the highest-paid wrestler in the entire world, with an annual salary of roughly $400,000, which equates to about $2 million by modern standards.

2. Andre love for drinking alcohol, has a dark side associated with it, as he used it as a form of self-medication to deal with how awkward his size made him feel in public.

3. Andre The Giant has played an uncredited role as Dagoth in Hollywood movie Conan The Barbarian, where he became friends with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

4. The Hall of Famer was drafted in the French army in the year 1965, however, he was told to go home as his large size made him ineligible to fit into any of the required uniforms.

5. It must be noted that Andre The Giant is not the tallest wrestler in the world, a well-known wrestler Giant Gonzales with a height of 7 feet 7 inches stood taller than his billed height of 7 feet 4 inches.

Facts About Andre The Giant 

Andre The Giant Battle Royal takes place at WrestleMania every year since WrestleMania 30 to honour the Hall of Famer. The winner of this match receives Andre The Giant Memorial trophy. Andre The Giant died on January 27, 1993, in a hotel room in Paris at the age of 46 due to congestive heart failure.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 19, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).