bigearl33 Vince Sr wanted to protect Andres rep so he didn't allow him to job, if Andre lost it was meant to be a big deal. Big Show doesn't get that respect, he gets treated simultaneously like a joke and like he is supposed to be a serious enforcer of the will of the WWE however that enforcer role is hampered by the constant ridiculing he receives which is clearly a jab at him by some pissant in creative that is intimidated and emasculated by his size.
also there was only a few guys that were even close to Andre's size but there are several and I mean several wrestlers in the Big Show's era that were his size or maybe even a little bigger.
There literally isn't a single topic in the world of wrestling (or life, probably) that Cornette couldn't instantly redirect back to the Midnight Express/Rock N' Roll Express.
"There literally isn't a single topic in the world of wrestling (or life, probably) that Cornette couldn't instantly," shit all over. Corny has got to be the most miserable man with a wrestling-related show. He's one step away from Clint Eastwood in Gran Turismo, except w/out being Clint Eastwood.
I feel really bad for Big Show because I think if we could turn back time and restart his career and didn't job him out, turn him every other day and pushed him consistently as a monster he would be looked upon in the same way as undertaker is, as this constant monstrous figure who rarely lost and destroyed pretty much everyone
He started out as a monster heel in the Dungeon of Doom, then was a face fighting the nWo alongside Sting, DDP and Luger, then he betrayed Sting to the nWo and joined them before having a dispute with Hogan and betraying the nWo to Sting so becoming a face again then he rejoined the nWo before leaving again when the nWo split being a face breifly before he went on to rejoin the Dungeon of Doom however he then turned face before he showed up on WWF as a heel again.
He was much more athletic in WCW, especially his earlier run. One of his early matches, he'd pull off some crazy moves like dropkicks into the corner. Once Big Show started putting on weight, his knees started to suffer and he straight-up got lazy. Undertaker in his very few shoot interviews (he did a few shoots during his "American Badass" gimmick, has noted that he was really angry at Big Show for being lazy and not wanting to get into better shape.
I remember hearing how he was friends with Schwarzenegger, and they were having lunch together one time, and Arnie wanted to pay the bill, but Andre insisted, to the point he grabbed Arnie and carried him back to the table and went to cover the bill himself.
As a fan of Andre starting in the 80s due to my age, I remember him though he wasn't the most mobile still being booked as unstoppable, which he was lol. Then seeing the 70s Andre and how he moved was just incredible. Big show is amazing too but yeah Andre was something special
If Andre the Giant was around today he would be mocked. They would have used him up just as they used Big Show. Immediate gratification and exposure is what seemed to hurt our perception of Big Show. Cornette really explained it pretty well.
No, they wouldn't have. Here's why....Andre would have bitch slapped the hell out of anyone who even suggested partially that they use him like WWE used 'Show. Even Vince couldn't tell Andre what to do.
+SuperFunmachine Big Show has no Aura. Taker always did and will outrank Big Show in terms of smarts, charisma. If Andre was around, Taker would be Andre's enforcer whereas he would regularly chew Big Show out for being lazy, not working strong enough, etc.
"First guy that does it is always over more." Tell Buddy Rogers that about Ric Flair Tell Billy Graham that about Hulk Hogan By no means am I saying Big Show is more over than Andre was, but what he's saying there just isn't always the case.
Andre is arguably more famous than any of those guys name. On top of that none of those guys could compare because Andre was just different in size, aura, in ring ability during his prime.
Might've been interesting back in the territory days then with Andre working WWWF and maybe Big Show in NWA. And then comes the tag team and then the breakup/feud. Money to be made.
See, I was under the same impression as Jim: that Andre didn't get the surgery because it wasn't available for him to do so. However, I read an article -- I believe it was a CBS Sports piece -- that mentioned he went into a hospital because he wasn't able to breathe when he laid down at night. Turns out he had fluid that had built up around his heart, and in the process of draining it they got curious and discovered -- for themselves -- that he had acromegaly. Andre told them he already knew because he had been diagnosed years back in Japan. Both times they urged him to have surgery, and both times he completely refused...wouldn't agree to it at all. I've just never really understood why. He was still in relatively good health, even during that hospital visit in (I believe) 1984. He could have spared himself a lot of unnecessary pain, and yet he simply wouldn't do it. Can you imagine the career he could have had if he'd chosen to really take care of himself? If he had the surgery and exercised a little bit? His career as it is is legendary, but to think he might have lasted even longer in the business in peak condition...it would have made for some compelling feuds. Could you imagine Andre vs. Undertaker, for instance?
I don't know what decade you were born in, but I was born in '73. People who were born during the 70's on back, believed that God gives you what ever you were born with and with the exception of a few rules here and there, you don't change that. Not saying that, Andre thought that way or that belief system is right or wrong, I'm just saying that's how folks thought back then. Had, Andre, been born during the late 80's up til the 2000's, his philosophy may have been different.
That's weird you say that, because in revisiting the article to refresh my memory, he is supposedly quoted as saying that if God intended for him to be the way he was, so be it...something along those lines. What you said actually helps his refusal make a lot of sense. I never was acutely aware of whether Andre was religious at all, but if that's a perspective largely held from your generation on back, that offers me a lot of perspective. I was born in 1989, so I thank you for giving me your perspective.
@@arthro9259 That's like the story of the man, during a flood, on his roof....2 boats and one helicopter....he refuse, saying "no, GOD will take care of me!" He then find himself in heave....man drowned. He, standing before god and said, "God, I am disappointed. You were gonna take care of me." God said, "You dummy, I sent you 2 boats and a helicopter....what else did you want from me!"
In 1979, a new pro wrestling publication hit newsstands and magazine racks across the nation. It was Pro Wrestling Illustrated. When the first issue went to press, Andre the Giant was ranked at #2 in the Most Popular Wrestlers category.
I met Hogan at my grandpa’s beach shop in Tampa when I was 5 in 1987. I think I might’ve come up to his kneecap. 😂 He used to visit that shop pretty frequently. Always dropped $100 bill when he went in. A few occasions he agreed to let my grandpa keep the credit card slip as an autograph for me.
It comes down to the fact that Big Show has been booked like a joke for nearly 20 years if Big Show was still a monster and was protected or given similar treatment like Undertaker he would be much more popular then Andre. Andre having that giant look helped but if he was booked like a joke for 20 years like Show we wouldn't be having this conversation.
@@paulmccarthy3547 You can tell from the undertale profile pic that he's not old and or knowledgeable enough of wrestling to know the guy was referring to Big John Studd
I love Cornette, he's a living wrestling encyclopedia. But he never answered the question as much as gave a historical lecture. If Big Show was in the era of Andre I think he would have done extremely well because he was still different than everyone else
It Big Show had been a novice wrestler in the 60’s instead of the mid 90’s, he would have received different training, learned different skills, and would have had a different career. George Burns was once asked about the whether the transition from vaudeville stages to national tv programs would hurt the comedy business. His answer was “of course it will, because there’s no longer a place to be bad.” Andre learned the business through ten years experience, yet there were still audiences that never had seen him. During those ten years, Andre could practice, screw up, learn from his mistakes, and then there was a new audience that never saw the screw up. Big Show’s debut was on a national PPV. The whole country all saw him at once, but he was green.
Jim has great insight. Before listening to this I would've sworn Big Show would be more successful or over than Andre BUT after Jim's points, I totally see why/how Andre could not have been topped.
I remember as a little kid seeing Andre back in the 70's wrestling in Houston on Paul Boesch's program. On TV and live. Him, Ted Dibiase, Terry Funk, the Von Ericks... that's when they kept the enigma of the "realism" all the way out of the ring.
One of our close family friends got to meet Andre one time in the airport and got to have a beer with the man. Nicest guy he ever met and was really a gentleman on top of it. As far as comparing Andre to Show.. It doesn't even come close because someone like Big Show is a common occurrence given how the internet and things are today. Back in the eighties, we didn't have such things so when we saw someone like Andre, we were blown away by his sheer size let alone he could take out five guys with one push. As for Big Show, I've followed his career ever since he debuted and yeah he's been a million things, but he doesn't come close to Andre and he'll even admit it himself.
Ok, did Jim forget Hands of Stone Ron Garvin. He used a knock out punch in the mid 80's. Always wondered why he didn't get disqualified for that because as Jim said they had rules back then.
She asked the question wrong and he answered it wrong..... She asked if Big Show was around back in the 70's and 80's... Jim said No, because Andre was around 1st starting in the 60's. Ok, but she really meant, what if both GIANTS came out at the same time/era. I believe that was the spirit of her question, and I actually believe the Big Show might've been more of a hit, because of athleticism. The people talking about Show being a "jobber" aren't thinking right. The question was if show was put back into Andre's era with that type of booking..... I don't know, but I would LOVE to have seen them in the same ring.
they did the big show all wrong..they should have did what , was done with andre the giant... use him as a special attraction... keep him undefeated..... lose as a DQ... count out... tag team match... and then yrs later... lose to a super star.. ...
When it comes down to it it was wcw and big show that destroyed big show by the time he came to wwe he was already 500 pounds and being joked right off bat as big slow wcw made his first storyline in wrestling against hulk Hogan for the title big show said it himself in his mind because of that he was a star before he started didnt have to do anything but show up why work at it when they handed to you
@@martyodonnell6829 except wwe would have turned him into a joke regardless... look at braun strowman, lashley, rusev. Anyone with size is legit jobbed out and never pushed in favor of midgets.
I think the only existing "rule" from my youth is the 5 count for being in/on the ropes, or in the corner not breaking...if the refs still count for that.
In addition to what Cornette said about Andre's work in the 70's and early 80's, I saw matches of his in the St. Louis territory for Sam Muchnick. For those that don't know, the St Louis Wrestling Club during those days was known for having a lot of technical classics in the ring, kind of an early precursor to ROH. And Andre adapted to the style there. One time a guy had him in a rear waistlock. We're conditioned to think that a guy like Andre would muscle his way out of it. Instead, he did the deal where he sat out of it like technical wrestlers do and reversed it! Yes, Andre did this!
It was such a different time as well. Show was on tv and pay per view weekly and monthly in the 90s and 00s while Andre could be maintained as a huge attraction because he wasn't seen as much. Things had changed so much. If André had emerged when Show did, his career would've probably been far different...
Spot on about the rules. It also makes matches more predictable. You know a rope escape is never going to DQ. You know a ring out is practically non existent today, and while I do like chairs in wrestling, they've been done so much, they've lost their impact.
About the Pro Wrestling rules reminds me of the Smokey Mountain Tag Team championship match at the 1993 Survivor Series The Rock n Roll Express against the Heavenly Bodies where they were sanctioned under WWF/E rules or as Jim would say there are no rules well anyway one the Heavenly Bodies tossed one of the Rock N roll Express guys over the top rope and and the Rock N Roll express thought they won the match because of it being an automatic DQ but it was a WWF/E sanctioned match so that rule didn't exist.
Big show has talked about how little he knew about the business. And wasn't taught until he went north. Now. I don't necessarily know if that company was more open to on the job training. Or if it was being on the same roster as the most universally respected pro wrestler of all time. Who just so happened to be a big man.
Show talked on Austin’s podcast about how little he knew about how to work the business even DURING his first big push. He said working with Austin was what opened his mind to the fact that he didn’t need to sell to bad wrestlers.
Ottiice The topic was punching legal or not ...I brought up the heart punch..meaning punches were somewhat legal..even before Big Show used his KO punch
I think the question should be: If Paul Whygt was the first giant, 50 years ago, being a better worker, a better talker, and a better athlete, would Andre have still gotten over, being the second giant? Or would he have just been another Giant Gonzales, Great Khali, etc? IMO, Andre got over huge because he was unique, a one of a kind. His timing was impeccable!
I’m sorry Cornette I love you, love your podcats but come onnnn. Big Show is a better athlete........period!!! Andre’ was great no doubt no question. But to say that a man who is legit 7” 400-500lbs looks like a normal being??? WCW Big Show was doing drop kicks and moves off the top rope, something a man his size NEVER does. Andre has had matches with big men, Big Show has had matches with literally everybody cruiser weights and heavyweights. WWE never booked him as a monster, that’s not his fault. He does a lot more credit than he gets.
I don’t think the point of that first comment was to imply that show isn’t a giant, it’s just to show that he didn’t suffer a lot of the ‘other’ effects of gigantism.
Andre was amazing,I thought I was wrong and I never saw Andre flying and dropkicking a poor sap,now I now that I did,Long live Andre...now let s make America great.
You guys need to find early to mid 70s Andre. I seen Andre in person in 1980, his body was just beginning to fail him, but to see a man of that size, move with speed in the ring was frightening. When legends die young, there's always gonna be a segment of the population that wants to chip away at their legacy. Bruce Lee seems to be a target now as well. Find some old footage of Andre before making any decisions on his legacy.
Someone made the comment that big show out works Andre 7 nights a week...So then don't compare them. Who cares if Big Show is the better athlete? Or if it's 1970 or 2018? Andre was something no one had ever seen. He was larger than life. His tales of partying, whether completely true or not, are what add to the legend. You say Big Show out works him 7 nights a week...Ok. Good for him. I'm sure he will live a good, wealthy life. Andre will live on as a Legend.
You think a closed-fist punch is a bad finisher? Remember Gold Dust's Shattered Dreams finish? Yep! A running, blatant kick to the 'nads. On the plus side, this did usually end his match in a DQ. But then they put him in a IC Championship program, despite the fact that he must've had a losing streak that would make actual jobbers embarrassed!
First person that does something is always over more... I guess Nature Boy Buddy Rogers is the exception to the rule because Ric Flair was more over then Rogers ever was.
The "Rules of Wrestling" were whatever the promoter wanted them to be and told the commissions said rules hence different territories having different rules.
I like Big Show a lot, but Jim's strongest argument is probably the psychological one. Andre knew how to be a businessman, and Big Show would have no doubt been a star, but without someone taking a vested interest in him and legit guiding his career, I think blowing up too fast would have killed his enthusiasm for it and he'd have ended up in acting, probably.
Andre is the true and only Giant. He would test wrestlers, if they didn't put up a fight he,d beat it into them. The size of andres hands WOW, like a vice around your neck, big show had little hands and features compared to Andre.
Ronny Garvin had a closed fist finisher in the 80's... The hands of stone... As far a Giants are concerned ... They are common place ... There are so many guys over or close to 7 feet now... Back then it was a rarity...
Cornette never answered the guy's question. He posited a what-if scenario: If Big Show was around in the 70's, would he have been as big a star as Andre. Cornette's answer boils down to "Andre wrestled in the 70's and Big Show never had to come up through the territories, so no". All he did was compare their careers as they were instead of hypothetically putting Show in Andre's place. Also, Midnight Express Dennis Coraluzzo workrate Memphis fuck Kevin Dunn etc. etc.
Maybe he thought if Big show came later. To me Big show was way cooler than Andre. Andre looked like he couldn't walk and he wasn't huge in the 70s. Plus his matches were boring. Big show was great overall. But the business was way exposed by the 90s. People would have still believed Big show. But Big show was jobbing himself to guys half his size. Rock and Austin should have never beat show clean. Their matches should have ended in DQ. Plus by the 90s there was a lot of focus on in ring work. Andre didn't deal with that. He didn't take bumps. He just beats guys. Same for bruno. He was a crap wrestler, but he was a huge draw and people say his matches were good. I slept seeing most of his matches.
IIRC, Big Show was supposedly given the knockout punch for two reasons: 1) Apparently people were saying that WWE was trying to appeal to the MMA crowd. So they made closed fists legal and tried to make knockouts a thing in wrestling. 2) This just a hunch but I'm guessing that either he can't physically do the chokeslam anymore, or WWE doesn't want him to do it. I've seen him go through some other finishers like the final cut and some reverse powerbomb drop. All of which also sucked.
I mean, Big show was way more athletic than andre (even 70s) WCW/WWF Bigshow is a prime example of that. If you want freakish size then look at show during his 2006 ECW run
Big show has been jobbed out, way too much , ,, Andre never had to deal with that.
bigearl33 Vince Sr wanted to protect Andres rep so he didn't allow him to job, if Andre lost it was meant to be a big deal.
Big Show doesn't get that respect, he gets treated simultaneously like a joke and like he is supposed to be a serious enforcer of the will of the WWE however that enforcer role is hampered by the constant ridiculing he receives which is clearly a jab at him by some pissant in creative that is intimidated and emasculated by his size.
BS. Andre Jobbed himself out and he loved it. Because he knew he was getting paid one way or the other.
Wrong! it's called putting younger talent over. Andre did the exact same thing towards the end of his career, like what Big show is doing now.
also there was only a few guys that were even close to Andre's size but there are several and I mean several wrestlers in the Big Show's era that were his size or maybe even a little bigger.
@@willthomas2310 but that's because his health was declining
Andre helped carve the national popularity of wrestling in ways no other wrestler could have. He is a true legend.
There literally isn't a single topic in the world of wrestling (or life, probably) that Cornette couldn't instantly redirect back to the Midnight Express/Rock N' Roll Express.
"There literally isn't a single topic in the world of wrestling (or life, probably) that Cornette couldn't instantly," shit all over. Corny has got to be the most miserable man with a wrestling-related show. He's one step away from Clint Eastwood in Gran Turismo, except w/out being Clint Eastwood.
@@Supervillain725 waaaaaaahhhhhhh
@@Supervillain725 Gran Tarino, dammit
@@KablamoVEVO great movie
It would be pretty cool to have Clint Eastwood in Grand Turismo tho.
Difference between Andre and Show is Andre sold out arenas, Show sold to every wrestler on the roster.
Chalk that up to Vince's over exposure.
@@johnderekmitchell1510 Yeah, Vince booked his very first match at a PPV. All whilst he was in WCW. -Nods-
Sold dope
@@johnderekmitchell1510 Yeah, Vince really ruined Big Show by having everyone job him.
If big show was in his prime during Andre’s era he would have sold out arenas too. Different time.
I feel really bad for Big Show because I think if we could turn back time and restart his career and didn't job him out, turn him every other day and pushed him consistently as a monster he would be looked upon in the same way as undertaker is, as this constant monstrous figure who rarely lost and destroyed pretty much everyone
1000% right! Andre is and will always be the Giant!!!
Even though hes smaller
It used to piss me off when big show 1st started they billed him in wcw as "the son of Andre".
Cause you're a loser who doesn't understand rub.
@@Ted_Bell so yet again, another person without a vocabulary to debate an issue, so they resort to name calling. How junior high school of you
That was very short lived because Vince sued WCW over that.
@@dr.floridamanphd uh yeah no
@@chrischar9428, prove me wrong.
am I the only person that thinks big show was actually better in WCW?
Yep although even then he flip flopped, he joined and left the nWo twice in a year.
He was actually a monster heel in WCW it seems like most of the time in WWE he was the comic relief
He started out as a monster heel in the Dungeon of Doom, then was a face fighting the nWo alongside Sting, DDP and Luger, then he betrayed Sting to the nWo and joined them before having a dispute with Hogan and betraying the nWo to Sting so becoming a face again then he rejoined the nWo before leaving again when the nWo split being a face breifly before he went on to rejoin the Dungeon of Doom however he then turned face before he showed up on WWF as a heel again.
He was much more athletic in WCW, especially his earlier run. One of his early matches, he'd pull off some crazy moves like dropkicks into the corner. Once Big Show started putting on weight, his knees started to suffer and he straight-up got lazy. Undertaker in his very few shoot interviews (he did a few shoots during his "American Badass" gimmick, has noted that he was really angry at Big Show for being lazy and not wanting to get into better shape.
Sting also berates him for getting lazy which is the reason WCW let him go, he started out good but by the end he was just doing the bare minimum.
I remember hearing how he was friends with Schwarzenegger, and they were having lunch together one time, and Arnie wanted to pay the bill, but Andre insisted, to the point he grabbed Arnie and carried him back to the table and went to cover the bill himself.
Andre always paid. That was his thing. He took it as an insult if you tried to pay for him.
They squandered the Big Show.
Andre and 3 girls on each arm puts a whole new meaning to a handicap hardcore "match" hahaha 😂😂
Nice
His co host sounds like a host for NPR than wrestling.......she makes me laugh for being so jarring.
She's the generic radio voice gal.
1980Triumph she sounds like a lawyer.
He fired her a few weeks ago for butting in too much lol
she was alright but shes no brian last.
Cornys wife
As a fan of Andre starting in the 80s due to my age, I remember him though he wasn't the most mobile still being booked as unstoppable, which he was lol. Then seeing the 70s Andre and how he moved was just incredible. Big show is amazing too but yeah Andre was something special
watched Andre since 76. my all time fav.
Andre vs Stan Hansen in Japan tells you everything you need to know about Andre in his prime..... phenomenal worker!!!!
If Andre the Giant was around today he would be mocked. They would have used him up just as they used Big Show. Immediate gratification and exposure is what seemed to hurt our perception of Big Show. Cornette really explained it pretty well.
No, they wouldn't have. Here's why....Andre would have bitch slapped the hell out of anyone who even suggested partially that they use him like WWE used 'Show. Even Vince couldn't tell Andre what to do.
Yeah think he nailed it. Wish I had been around for Andre's peak years.
Matthew Eble lol Vince would've just fired his ass
Pull up then And Andre would be working one show a month in Japan to stadium sell outs.
No, if Andre were around today, he'd be booked like Undertaker or Brock Lesnar, a rarely seen special attraction that rarely loses.
Andre was pretty agile in his day there's on old match where he does a running tombstone never seen anyone do that before or since
Must not watched a lot of wrestling in the 90's since Owen Hart did the jumping tombstones all the fucking time
@@aaronscott4984 no he didnt you turd.
where was it? do you remember?
The Big Shows problem is that he's been on TV for years straight what is there left for him to do?
+SuperFunmachine Big Show has no Aura. Taker always did and will outrank Big Show in terms of smarts, charisma. If Andre was around, Taker would be Andre's enforcer whereas he would regularly chew Big Show out for being lazy, not working strong enough, etc.
I knida like his Sitcom. ;)
The Giant did dropkicks too...in 96
EXPLISIT HIPHOP so did Andre when he was younger
Jim Cornette big show never did huricuranas. There’s no footage or interviews stating that he did
Jim Cornette I don’t think anyone did back in Andre’s day.
@ Big Show did a moonsault. He never did a Frankensteiner.
chas kalus yh Jake the snake said Andre could do a back flip in the 1940/50
One of the wrestlers tried Andre in a hotel and Andre almost threw him off of a balcony.
I remember watching Andre growing up in the 80's.
Big Show AKA "Not Andre"
"First guy that does it is always over more."
Tell Buddy Rogers that about Ric Flair
Tell Billy Graham that about Hulk Hogan
By no means am I saying Big Show is more over than Andre was, but what he's saying there just isn't always the case.
Andre is arguably more famous than any of those guys name. On top of that none of those guys could compare because Andre was just different in size, aura, in ring ability during his prime.
But in THIS case he's spot on.
Andre was more over and will always be. Of that there is no doubt.
Cornette's explanation on how it's impossible to get heat was actually genius.
@@dangoldstein3480 you're some sort of perverted weirdo?
Might've been interesting back in the territory days then with Andre working WWWF and maybe Big Show in NWA.
And then comes the tag team and then the breakup/feud. Money to be made.
If guys sold for Big Show HALF as much as they sold for Andre, he'd have been every bit as over.
See, I was under the same impression as Jim: that Andre didn't get the surgery because it wasn't available for him to do so. However, I read an article -- I believe it was a CBS Sports piece -- that mentioned he went into a hospital because he wasn't able to breathe when he laid down at night. Turns out he had fluid that had built up around his heart, and in the process of draining it they got curious and discovered -- for themselves -- that he had acromegaly. Andre told them he already knew because he had been diagnosed years back in Japan. Both times they urged him to have surgery, and both times he completely refused...wouldn't agree to it at all. I've just never really understood why. He was still in relatively good health, even during that hospital visit in (I believe) 1984. He could have spared himself a lot of unnecessary pain, and yet he simply wouldn't do it. Can you imagine the career he could have had if he'd chosen to really take care of himself? If he had the surgery and exercised a little bit? His career as it is is legendary, but to think he might have lasted even longer in the business in peak condition...it would have made for some compelling feuds. Could you imagine Andre vs. Undertaker, for instance?
I don't know what decade you were born in, but I was born in '73. People who were born during the 70's on back, believed that God gives you what ever you were born with and with the exception of a few rules here and there, you don't change that. Not saying that, Andre thought that way or that belief system is right or wrong, I'm just saying that's how folks thought back then. Had, Andre, been born during the late 80's up til the 2000's, his philosophy may have been different.
That's weird you say that, because in revisiting the article to refresh my memory, he is supposedly quoted as saying that if God intended for him to be the way he was, so be it...something along those lines. What you said actually helps his refusal make a lot of sense. I never was acutely aware of whether Andre was religious at all, but if that's a perspective largely held from your generation on back, that offers me a lot of perspective. I was born in 1989, so I thank you for giving me your perspective.
And might STILL be alive today.
In an interview Andre had actually said something to that effect.
@@arthro9259 That's like the story of the man, during a flood, on his roof....2 boats and one helicopter....he refuse, saying "no, GOD will take care of me!" He then find himself in heave....man drowned. He, standing before god and said, "God, I am disappointed. You were gonna take care of me." God said, "You dummy, I sent you 2 boats and a helicopter....what else did you want from me!"
In 1979, a new pro wrestling publication hit newsstands and magazine racks across the nation. It was Pro Wrestling Illustrated. When the first issue went to press, Andre the Giant was ranked at #2 in the Most Popular Wrestlers category.
I met Andre when I was about 9 or 10 yrs old in the early 70s... I barely came up to his thigh.
I met Hogan at my grandpa’s beach shop in Tampa when I was 5 in 1987. I think I might’ve come up to his kneecap. 😂
He used to visit that shop pretty frequently. Always dropped $100 bill when he went in. A few occasions he agreed to let my grandpa keep the credit card slip as an autograph for me.
It comes down to the fact that Big Show has been booked like a joke for nearly 20 years if Big Show was still a monster and was protected or given similar treatment like Undertaker he would be much more popular then Andre. Andre having that giant look helped but if he was booked like a joke for 20 years like Show we wouldn't be having this conversation.
Big Show is on Studs level...but not Andre.
Andre could kick Big Show's ass and yours at the same time from beyond the grave. Shut up you beta male.
@@Ted_Bell You completely misunderstood his comment.
@@paulmccarthy3547 You can tell from the undertale profile pic that he's not old and or knowledgeable enough of wrestling to know the guy was referring to Big John Studd
are you fucking dumb
@@extremeking425 baby yes if Dumb is your mom.im your dadda ..
I love Cornette, he's a living wrestling encyclopedia. But he never answered the question as much as gave a historical lecture. If Big Show was in the era of Andre I think he would have done extremely well because he was still different than everyone else
Pretty much this. Big Show came into the business way to late. Back in the 80s they knew how to book a guy like that and protect him.
It Big Show had been a novice wrestler in the 60’s instead of the mid 90’s, he would have received different training, learned different skills, and would have had a different career.
George Burns was once asked about the whether the transition from vaudeville stages to national tv programs would hurt the comedy business. His answer was “of course it will, because there’s no longer a place to be bad.”
Andre learned the business through ten years experience, yet there were still audiences that never had seen him. During those ten years, Andre could practice, screw up, learn from his mistakes, and then there was a new audience that never saw the screw up.
Big Show’s debut was on a national PPV. The whole country all saw him at once, but he was green.
I remember when Andre stared in "The Six Million Dollar Man" in 1973 with Lee Majors
Jim has great insight. Before listening to this I would've sworn Big Show would be more successful or over than Andre BUT after Jim's points, I totally see why/how Andre could not have been topped.
Big Show was not used the right way IMO. A guy his size with his ability was not a Top 3 performer in the WWE.
I remember as a little kid seeing Andre back in the 70's wrestling in Houston on Paul Boesch's program. On TV and live. Him, Ted Dibiase, Terry Funk, the Von Ericks... that's when they kept the enigma of the "realism" all the way out of the ring.
"Everyone wants to go out there and shyt whatever turd they can so people can go OMG that smells."
pretty much sums up wwe universe as of late.
7:05 I never understood that "no throw over the top rope thing."
That goes back to when they didn’t have padded mats on the floor. So it was more of a safety concern.
If WWF got their hands on Big Show in 1995 he would’ve been done within a year and never had a real career.
One of our close family friends got to meet Andre one time in the airport and got to have a beer with the man. Nicest guy he ever met and was really a gentleman on top of it. As far as comparing Andre to Show.. It doesn't even come close because someone like Big Show is a common occurrence given how the internet and things are today. Back in the eighties, we didn't have such things so when we saw someone like Andre, we were blown away by his sheer size let alone he could take out five guys with one push. As for Big Show, I've followed his career ever since he debuted and yeah he's been a million things, but he doesn't come close to Andre and he'll even admit it himself.
Haven’t listen to early JCE, was surprised to hear a female cohost and Corny having such a quality microphone.
tons of stories of wrestlers standing up to Andre and Andre backing down
Rules of professional wrestling in the old days included "no foreign objects."
Ok, did Jim forget Hands of Stone Ron Garvin. He used a knock out punch in the mid 80's. Always wondered why he didn't get disqualified for that because as Jim said they had rules back then.
Most people dont understand Andre was a total stud in his youth. He was "lean" and athletic af.
Yessir. The 6 foot 10 320 pounds, 25 year old Andre was a real mutant of a man. Fast, quick, and strong as hell.
Scary.
Big show got overexpose, Andrea was a territorial Superstar,he is the one and only giant .
Oh my god this interviewers voice I can’t imagine if this was the usual voice and not Brian
She asked the question wrong and he answered it wrong..... She asked if Big Show was around back in the 70's and 80's... Jim said No, because Andre was around 1st starting in the 60's. Ok, but she really meant, what if both GIANTS came out at the same time/era. I believe that was the spirit of her question, and I actually believe the Big Show might've been more of a hit, because of athleticism. The people talking about Show being a "jobber" aren't thinking right. The question was if show was put back into Andre's era with that type of booking..... I don't know, but I would LOVE to have seen them in the same ring.
they did the big show all wrong..they should have did what , was done with andre the giant... use him as a special attraction... keep him undefeated..... lose as a DQ... count out... tag team match... and then yrs later... lose to a super star.. ...
larry floyd that was WCW at that time - they could fuck up a wet dream.
tony93666 Could pretty sure they did that when they screwed there storylines with to much b.s.
When it comes down to it it was wcw and big show that destroyed big show by the time he came to wwe he was already 500 pounds and being joked right off bat as big slow wcw made his first storyline in wrestling against hulk Hogan for the title big show said it himself in his mind because of that he was a star before he started didnt have to do anything but show up why work at it when they handed to you
@@martyodonnell6829 except wwe would have turned him into a joke regardless... look at braun strowman, lashley, rusev. Anyone with size is legit jobbed out and never pushed in favor of midgets.
@@michaelmacdonald880 They did it to Viscera, Kane, and Albert as well.
Andre was The Man! Big Show is just another Wrassler
I think the only existing "rule" from my youth is the 5 count for being in/on the ropes, or in the corner not breaking...if the refs still count for that.
Only bad news did step up to try Andre and Andre was the one who didn’t want them problems
In addition to what Cornette said about Andre's work in the 70's and early 80's, I saw matches of his in the St. Louis territory for Sam Muchnick. For those that don't know, the St Louis Wrestling Club during those days was known for having a lot of technical classics in the ring, kind of an early precursor to ROH. And Andre adapted to the style there. One time a guy had him in a rear waistlock. We're conditioned to think that a guy like Andre would muscle his way out of it. Instead, he did the deal where he sat out of it like technical wrestlers do and reversed it! Yes, Andre did this!
A lion mauling a puppy?!?!? LMFAO
I saw Andre doing dropkicks in the late 1970's!
And Razor The Bad guy is probably my favorite wrestler all time
In the old days of the Dallas Sportatorium there is a whistleblower at ringside whenever a wrestler broke the rules.
Larkin Love did a podcast with Jim?
😂😂😂
Best comment ever! 😂
It was such a different time as well. Show was on tv and pay per view weekly and monthly in the 90s and 00s while Andre could be maintained as a huge attraction because he wasn't seen as much. Things had changed so much. If André had emerged when Show did, his career would've probably been far different...
Ox Baker had the "heart punch " back in the day.
Spot on about the rules. It also makes matches more predictable. You know a rope escape is never going to DQ. You know a ring out is practically non existent today, and while I do like chairs in wrestling, they've been done so much, they've lost their impact.
About the Pro Wrestling rules reminds me of the Smokey Mountain Tag Team championship match at the 1993 Survivor Series The Rock n Roll Express against the Heavenly Bodies where they were sanctioned under WWF/E rules or as Jim would say there are no rules well anyway one the Heavenly Bodies tossed one of the Rock N roll Express guys over the top rope and and the Rock N Roll express thought they won the match because of it being an automatic DQ but it was a WWF/E sanctioned match so that rule didn't exist.
Ultimate Dream tag team Andre "the giant" and "the big show" strewn bodies everywhere, reinforced rings, decimation hands down.
Andre had a much higher fear factor, very few dares take him on. But Big Show gets beat by everyone
He uses the F word in all the wrong spots lol
You mean like, every other word?
You can’t even picture someone looking like Andre today he looked like a giant
Big show has talked about how little he knew about the business. And wasn't taught until he went north.
Now. I don't necessarily know if that company was more open to on the job training. Or if it was being on the same roster as the most universally respected pro wrestler of all time. Who just so happened to be a big man.
Show talked on Austin’s podcast about how little he knew about how to work the business even DURING his first big push. He said working with Austin was what opened his mind to the fact that he didn’t need to sell to bad wrestlers.
If Big Show worked in the 70's, he probably would have been booked more like a Don Leo Jonathon.
heart punch was around way before Big Shows punch
Ottiice The topic was punching legal or not ...I brought up the heart punch..meaning punches were somewhat legal..even before Big Show used his KO punch
watch how a heart punh is performed its like slamming your fst down not a "punch"
Jonathan Belmont it's allowed regardless...
yea because its not considered a punch.....
Jonathan Belmont sure it is....heart punch...I'm lost on the confusion ..punch is a punch
I think the question should be: If Paul Whygt was the first giant, 50 years ago, being a better worker, a better talker, and a better athlete, would Andre have still gotten over, being the second giant?
Or would he have just been another Giant Gonzales, Great Khali, etc?
IMO, Andre got over huge because he was unique, a one of a kind. His timing was impeccable!
Jim this is you at your best man.
little known fact: The rocks andre crushes in princess bride were not props. someone forgot to change them out and he crushed real rocks from the set.
I never knew the rule about the ringpost.
I’m sorry Cornette I love you, love your podcats but come onnnn. Big Show is a better athlete........period!!! Andre’ was great no doubt no question. But to say that a man who is legit 7” 400-500lbs looks like a normal being??? WCW Big Show was doing drop kicks and moves off the top rope, something a man his size NEVER does. Andre has had matches with big men, Big Show has had matches with literally everybody cruiser weights and heavyweights. WWE never booked him as a monster, that’s not his fault. He does a lot more credit than he gets.
I don’t think the point of that first comment was to imply that show isn’t a giant, it’s just to show that he didn’t suffer a lot of the ‘other’ effects of gigantism.
No comparison Andre was a true believable Giant in wrestling the Big Show turned out to be A SHOW!!!
Seen Andre in person and always remember the, HANDS, HEAD, wow.. never forget the size.. im 6"2 280 by the way!
Andre did grappling matches in France in the 60s. He learned how to really work. Big Show was just a goof off the street.
andre the giant was the first big foot on the old six million dollar man tv show
Andre was amazing,I thought I was wrong and I never saw Andre flying and dropkicking a poor sap,now I now that I did,Long live Andre...now let s make America great.
Actually Bad News did confront Andre
yea he completely got his facts mixed up there. rare for jim.
@Jonny Uh Bad News was a LEGIT bad ass and Andre knew this.
@Jonny Then why did Andre back down?
You guys need to find early to mid 70s Andre. I seen Andre in person in 1980, his body was just beginning to fail him, but to see a man of that size, move with speed in the ring was frightening. When legends die young, there's always gonna be a segment of the population that wants to chip away at their legacy. Bruce Lee seems to be a target now as well. Find some old footage of Andre before making any decisions on his legacy.
The question was if big show was around in the 70’s would he be like Andre. Not compare them from then and now. He missed the whole questions.
Those cutting on Andre have NOT listened to the whole interview. #Sad
Someone made the comment that big show out works Andre 7 nights a week...So then don't compare them. Who cares if Big Show is the better athlete? Or if it's 1970 or 2018? Andre was something no one had ever seen. He was larger than life. His tales of partying, whether completely true or not, are what add to the legend. You say Big Show out works him 7 nights a week...Ok. Good for him. I'm sure he will live a good, wealthy life. Andre will live on as a Legend.
The interviewer sounds totally out of place...
You think a closed-fist punch is a bad finisher? Remember Gold Dust's Shattered Dreams finish? Yep! A running, blatant kick to the 'nads.
On the plus side, this did usually end his match in a DQ.
But then they put him in a IC Championship program, despite the fact that he must've had a losing streak that would make actual jobbers embarrassed!
I just wanna know which wcw guy ccame up with big show was Andres son storyline
Marty Odonnell ummmmmm Hogan!!
Bischoff. They were immediately sued over that one too.
First person that does something is always over more...
I guess Nature Boy Buddy Rogers is the exception to the rule because Ric Flair was more over then Rogers ever was.
Why is Deliliah doing the interview?
Paul never wrestled as a giant. Big guys should not sell like little guys do. Should have used him better.
'Oh my god that smells!'
My thoughts exactly about being thrown into the turnbuckle or throwing someone over the top being a DQ
now that's the fucking truth!!!! I miss the good ol'days rules
Yes, "rules," in a predetermined match. Rules were never truly enforced in any era, or territory.
The "Rules of Wrestling" were whatever the promoter wanted them to be and told the commissions said rules hence different territories having different rules.
"First one to do it first is over more"
*Nature Boy Ric Flair has entered chat*
Big Show could never be as good as his dad.
Greedy D Andre is not his dad
I like Big Show a lot, but Jim's strongest argument is probably the psychological one. Andre knew how to be a businessman, and Big Show would have no doubt been a star, but without someone taking a vested interest in him and legit guiding his career, I think blowing up too fast would have killed his enthusiasm for it and he'd have ended up in acting, probably.
Andre is the true and only Giant. He would test wrestlers, if they didn't put up a fight he,d beat it into them. The size of andres hands WOW, like a vice around your neck, big show had little hands and features compared to Andre.
Ronny Garvin had a closed fist finisher in the 80's... The hands of stone... As far a Giants are concerned ... They are common place ... There are so many guys over or close to 7 feet now... Back then it was a rarity...
Cornette never answered the guy's question. He posited a what-if scenario: If Big Show was around in the 70's, would he have been as big a star as Andre. Cornette's answer boils down to "Andre wrestled in the 70's and Big Show never had to come up through the territories, so no". All he did was compare their careers as they were instead of hypothetically putting Show in Andre's place.
Also, Midnight Express Dennis Coraluzzo workrate Memphis fuck Kevin Dunn etc. etc.
Maybe he thought if Big show came later. To me Big show was way cooler than Andre. Andre looked like he couldn't walk and he wasn't huge in the 70s. Plus his matches were boring. Big show was great overall. But the business was way exposed by the 90s. People would have still believed Big show. But Big show was jobbing himself to guys half his size. Rock and Austin should have never beat show clean. Their matches should have ended in DQ. Plus by the 90s there was a lot of focus on in ring work. Andre didn't deal with that. He didn't take bumps. He just beats guys. Same for bruno. He was a crap wrestler, but he was a huge draw and people say his matches were good. I slept seeing most of his matches.
IIRC, Big Show was supposedly given the knockout punch for two reasons:
1) Apparently people were saying that WWE was trying to appeal to the MMA crowd. So they made closed fists legal and tried to make knockouts a thing in wrestling.
2) This just a hunch but I'm guessing that either he can't physically do the chokeslam anymore, or WWE doesn't want him to do it. I've seen him go through some other finishers like the final cut and some reverse powerbomb drop. All of which also sucked.
He was also in an incident that made national news where he broke a guys jaws in a bar.
The Big Show was no where near the worker that Andre was. These young people only know the 1980s Andre. Earlier Andre was an athletic freak.
I mean, Big show was way more athletic than andre (even 70s) WCW/WWF Bigshow is a prime example of that. If you want freakish size then look at show during his 2006 ECW run
Andre looked like he stepped out of a horror movie, or like he was about to fight James Bond. Big Show just seemed like a guy who happened to be big.