Search - WWE - Andre the Giant on DVD

The Eighth Wonder Of The World

M. Brown | Ireland | 01/17/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Andre the Giant was a man larger than life, so large his nickname was "The Eighth Wonder of the World." Lord Alfred Hayes hosts the matches that built the legend of this Hall of Famer.

Match listing includes:

vs. Moondog Rex (01/08/81)

18-Man Battle Royal including Sgt. Slaughter, Big John Studd, Jimmy Snuka, Pat Patterson, "Hollywood" Hogan, Paul Orndorff, The Iron Sheik & Tito Santana.

vs. Black Gordman & Great Goliath (12/01/76)

vs. Jack Evans, Johnny Rodz, & Joe Butcher Nova

vs. Gorilla Monsoon with the Grand Wizard

Andre the Giant & Jimmy Snuka vs. the Wild Samoans (18/02/83)

vs. the Masked Superstar (20/02/84)

Andre the Giant & S.D. Jones vs. Big John Studd & Ken Patera with Bobby Heenan (15/12/84)
This is the legendary haircut match

vs. Ken Patera (21/01/85)
Revenge of the Giant

vs. Big John Studd (31/03/85) WrestleMania
Commentary by Michael Cole & Tazz."

This should have been so much more

Stephen | Fort Walton Beach, FL United States | 02/26/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I really wish WWE had done a better tribute to one of the all-time great wrestlers. As others have stated, this is simply a direct port of an old Coliseum Home Video, with the addition of the bodyslam challenge with new commentary. A short biography (or A&E's "Larger Than Life") would've been nice. At the VERY least, WWE should have added in some later matches, like the 20 man battle royal from WM2, Andre's only legit title win (with Haku over Demolition), or maybe even the twin-Hebner match with Hogan leading to WM4. What about some short comments from current superstars and staff (like the McMahons) about Andre? Is there any footage of his announcement/induction into the Hall of Fame? If you can learn to tune out Lord Alfred Hayes, then the video is good for what it is. I just wish WWE had put a little more effort into a DVD about one of their biggest (literally and figuratively) stars ever."

A Giant Disappoinment!

S. R. | USA | 02/19/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Like many who watched the WWF in the pre-Stone Cold era, we knew that wrestlers did not come any bigger than Andre, both figuratively and literally. That is why I was hoping that this release would be in the same vein as the previous WWE superstar DVD sets. I assumed that it would have a documentary about his life (preferably the Andre- Larger Than Life A&E documentary that WWE authorized and sold on VHS), followed by supplements that included many of his most famous matches. Instead, this release is nothing more than a 90 minute DVD transfer of an old VHS video that has wrestling promoter Lord Alfred Hayes talking over several of Andre's matches. He never has anything more to say than, "Look how massive Andre is!" There are absolutely no insights into Andre, his upbringing, or any of the rumors that have long shrouded his mystique. In my opinion, WWE missed a supreme opportunity to give the older and younger wrestling fans a fresh look at this legendary Hall of Famer that was long overdue."

Good, but should have had more...

tgfabthunderbird | York, PA United States | 09/12/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"...a bit dated is this DVD (Lord Alfred Hayes is narrating!), judging from who is on it, and the WWF logo. Funny, too that when Hayes says "WWF," the "F" is cut out. Guess the World Wildlife Fund is dead serious about keeping that name theirs.

Anyway, Hayes, though generally a buffoon throughout his wrestling, managing and commentating career did have a long friendship with Andre, and he provides a number of interesting insights about the man. The matches we see here pretty much cover 1981 to '85, and there hasn't been a follow-up, as there should be on Andre's amazing career.

Some squash matches such as against Moondog Rex, and the three on one match against Johnny Rodz and two no-names were entertaining, and reminded me of the old Gran Prix matches where Andre would take on more than one opponent. Pretty much the same outcome. There is one match from '76 from I think Los Angeles, where Andre stomps Black Gordman and the Great Goliath. The bad guys hammed it up well.

Another funny one is a boxing match with Gorilla Monsoon in Puerto Rico. The box is in error; Monsoon's manager for the event was Hugo Sabinovich, not the Grand Wizard, but he doesn't figure in the decision.

What's missing is: matches with Killer Khan (when Khan allegedly broke Andre's leg and the rematch in which Khan nearly gets "killed"), early Gran Prix matches from the 70's when Andre was in his physical prime, and matches from his many tours of Japan. According to the Canadian Slam! Sports site, Andre had a long series of matches against one of Japan's legends, Shozo Kobayashi. I'd love to see some of those, and matches against the likes of Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi.

In any case, this is a WWF show, with a number of memorable bouts, but it did leave me wanting a bit more. This is good for wrestling fans gaining some background info, but there must be more out there."