Andre The Giant's Tragic Real-Life Story

Despite consuming staggering quantities of alcohol, Andre rarely staggered during wrestling matches. He didn't phone it in in the ring, either. Multiple wrestlers, including the great Jake "the Snake" Roberts, told CBS Sports that Andre went out of his way to make other performers look good. (He didn't always make them smell good, though. The giant once farted on Roberts in the ring.) However, that didn't seem to be the case in 1986.
In late May, Andre locked horns with Akira Maeda in Japan. Bleacher Report's Ryan Dilbert described it as "a bumbling, clumsy mess." It began with Andre bulldozing Maeda. A few maneuvers later, the giant was drenched in sweat and swaying like a sleepy pendulum. The action slowed to a stillness as Andre refused to move. Enraged, Maeda responded with vicious kicks and takedowns. The men received what looked like a mid-match lecture from another wrestler. Visibly disinterested, Andre rolled onto his back and let Maeda pin him.
Opinions on what happened vary. Some say Andre was soused. Others say he was asked to teach Maeda a lesson. Andre was known to cut opponents down to size when they got too big for their britches, and Maeda was notoriously ornery and cocky. But as Ryan Dilbert pointed out, Andre's health had begun deteriorating by that stage of his career. Moving became increasingly laborious. Even breathing burdened him as fluid accumulated around his heart. Drunk or sober, the giant was drowning in his sorrows.
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