Who is the greatest wrestler of all time?
One could debate this topic for countless hours—mostly because the criteria for this are absolutely endless, and because a good case can be made for just about anyone.
Being from a further gone era doesn't necessarily qualify one more than another—just as being fresher in one's mind shouldn't score a wrestler any extra points.
Names like Londos, Kowalski, Sammartino, Hogan, Piper, Savage, Undertaker, Austin, Angle, and Sting permeate our beloved sport's rich tapestry that is its history—each one absolutely critical to very lifeblood of the sport today.
However, at the end of the day, the nature of the question leads us to eventually have to pick one name from the hundreds of deserving wrestlers at our disposal, and one name stands above all—literally and figuratively.
That name is the second half of a match considered to be the crown jewel in the crowning achievement of the '80s wrestling boom. He redefined wrestling and is still recognized today. That name is Andre.
Andre the Giant is, was, and always will be, the greatest wrestler of all time. Known primarily as a heel for his work later in his career, Andre doesn't get this honor because of championships won (or given, the nature of wrestling is kayfabe after all), and isn't the holder of this great honor because he was a merchandise king like Hogan.
The Eighth Wonder of the World garners this honor because he didn't just revolutionize wrestling for its day—he revolutionized it for all time. Without him, the sport we have today wouldn't be what it was. Without him, WWE may not have created a Hall of Fame for years—if at all.
When Andre started wrestling, the wrestling scene was fiercely territorial. In fact, to even conceive of an international wrestling promotion back in the '60s would have been laughable. There was no need to have much cross territorial promotion, and the people running them were not of the sharing mindset.
Over in France, however, Andre Roussimoff was training with then well known wrestler Edouard Carpentier—a man who would be his manager as well. From the '60s until the early '70s, Andre toured the world, wrestling in carnivals, arenas, and anywhere else that would have him.
Eventually, he came to Canada where he found the same immediate success. However, there was a problem that had permeated throughout.
Andre ran out of plausible opponents in a given territory rather quickly, and tickets would always dwindle after very short stints. He also had a habit of wearing out his welcome in any given territory—his enormous size and needs being the primary culprit.
Carpentier eventually was at his wits' end, and reached out to the then still fledgling WWWF (later WWF later WWE) and its late chairman, Vincent McMahon Sr. for advice and help to promote the big man.
McMahon then did something that hadn't been done on a mass scale before. He suggested a travel intensive schedule for Andre—even more so than the WWWF already underwent (actually much closer to the modern day schedule).
The elder McMahon also suggested billing him as Andre the Giant, so they could draw a bigger crowd and hopefully spread some word of mouth for increased ticket sales later on.
Granted, a territory or two working together wasn't uncommon—Sammartino and Sheik used to leave the northeast corridor and go out as far as Michigan—but McMahon's plans for Andre were far larger. If it was on planet earth, the Giant was going there.
So Andre toured the nation, revolutionizing the industry—his ability to attract crowds helping almost single handedly ushering in the modern national wrestling promotion.
As time wore on, Andre began touring with a blonde, tanned, California dude with 24 inch pythons. This (then) young man had incredible in-ring chemistry with Andre, and their feuds were well met wherever they went. His name was Hollywood Hogan, and with the help of Andre the Giant, he became an international phenomenon in his own right.
The two played to sold out arenas and stadiums across the nation, including a packed Shea Stadium in the early '80s. Hogan was often viciously booed—turning him into one of the most effective heels of the era.
As the novelty of the feud wound down, the two began to be paired together as a tag team—and were portrayed as good friends. (Which in many respects they were, Hogan had been Andre's traveling understudy in Japan and the two had developed a friendship that was between business and casual.)
As Andre's friend, Hogan could flourish. The mere fact that he was the giant's buddy made him popular.
However, even as Hogan's Hulkamania grew (often on the back of Andre's work in ring before Hogan was tagged in) Andre still managed to outstrip him.
By the time the inaugural WrestleMania came along, Hogan may have had the final event of the evening (along with Roddy Piper, Mr. Wonderful, and Mr. T) but it was Andre who still managed to draw the biggest headlines.
Andre's match against Big John Studd that March afternoon is the stuff of legends.
Andre had agreed to stake his career against John Studd for $15,000. To say the build up to the match was intense would be a vast understatement.
In the weeks before hand, Heenan had sent people to attack Andre. Andre had issued retorts to the Heenan Stable. Match day finally came—nobody wanted to see Andre retire.
When he finally slammed Studd, Madison Square Garden erupted. Once the money was handed to the giant, Andre proceeded to throw the money to the crowd—it what is still an iconic WrestleMania moment.
Andre then carried the momentum all the way through to WrestleMania II, where he won the main event of the Chicago portion of the promotion—a 20-man battle royal, last eliminating Bret Hart.
In 1987, Andre was set to do battle with Hulkamania itself as the headlining event of WrestleMania III in Detroit. The build up was like nothing before or since—that video of Piper's Pit when Andre ripped off Hogan's shirt and crucifix while demanding a title match is still legendary.
Nobody else could have given Hogan that build up. He'd faced Bundy for the title at WrestleMania II in what is still the only steel cage match in WrestleMania history—yet it was an afterthought of the event.
Piper hadn't gotten build for Hulkamania—neither had Bundy, Studd, Mr. Wonderful, Savage, or anyone else in the WWF.
At WrestleMania III, that changed. Andre the Giant, the immovable object, squared off against Hogan after a build up of epic proportions. Andre played the part of disgusted shadow dweller perfectly.
Savage couldn't have played the part—neither could have anyone else in the WWF, except the monster Andre, who had never been given a heavyweight title shot before.
The night came, and after an epic night that featured Bundy vs. Hillbilly Jim co-starring the WWF midgets, Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat, and Rowdy Piper vs. Adorable Adrian Adonis, nothing could have topped the night...except Andre.
The main event was announced and Andre came out first, to a massive chorus of boos. He'd managed to turn from the WWF's most beloved face, into its most reviled heel—almost overnight.
Andre spent most of the match flawlessly selling Hogan's moves and then making it look as if Hogan was taking the beating of a lifetime.
That iconic body slam was executed on Andre—pre-approved by the Giant of course—and Hulkamania could finally run wild. Nobody could have given it that boost. Not Savage, not Piper, not even if Ric Flair had been involved could it have gotten that build.
Andre would eventually be employed by Ted DiBiase to take the title from Hogan and sell it to the Million Dollar Man, which happened at The Main Event. Andre played the part perfectly again, and despite crippling back pain, he sold every move to perfection.
From there, Andre had a run as a heel, culminating at WrestleMania VI, where he turned back to face after paint brushing Bobby Heenan after a confrontation following a tag team loss. All those years later, and the love for Andre resurfaced in one heart-stopping instant.
The Giant got on the cart, and rode off into the sunset—to a standing ovation.
When his career is looked at, one can't help but admit that there is a noticeable lack of titles. Granted that's true, but it shouldn't count against him in the consideration of the greatest wrestler of all time.
Most of his career was spent during times when titles weren't handed out—and even today those are meaningless to a wrestler's legacy.
Titles are given as part of the scripted storylines—technically speaking Hornswoggle is as capable of winning a title as Undertaker, although it's far less likely.
That Andre holds only a handful of titles for his career and is still so well known and loved today only stands as further testament to his greatness.
That the WWE Hall of Fame was initially created almost solely to enshrine his legacy to the wrestling world cements that greatness.
Only one wrestler has a posse. Only one person needs only to be called Andre and gain recognition. Only one man in the WWF needed no entrance theme, and only one wrestler is mentioned by name every time WWE programming airs.
It's not Hogan or Flair, not Austin or Rock, not Undertaker, Triple-H, or Randy Orton. It's Andre the Giant—the greatest wrestler of all.
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