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WWE News: New HBO Documentary To Focus On The Life Of Andre The Giant

By Bernadette Giacomazzo
Published on: 07:13 PST, Feb 13, 2017

Andre the Giant was a beloved figure, not just in wrestling, but in pop culture as well. Now, the latest WWE news suggests that the Gentle Giant will finally be honored with a documentary of his own that will air on HBO.

Rolling Stone was the first outlet to break this latest round of WWE news, which became a top trending topic on Twitter the minute it was announced. According to the respected music magazine, Bill Simmons will be at the helm of this documentary that he’s producing for HBO, and he’s working directly with the WWE to make it happen.

In a statement to accompany the documentary announcement, WWE head honcho Vince McMahon congratulated everyone behind this upcoming feature, and took it as a true sense of pride in how much Andre Roussimoff accomplished in his short time on Earth.

“For more than 20 years, Andre the Giant’s larger than life personality and unique charisma captured the imagination of fans around the world. I will always value our friendship, and am proud to tell the story of the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World.'”

While fans welcomed the idea of an Andre the Giant documentary with open arms, there was also the awareness that Andre the Giant’s life was as bitter as it was sweet.

According to the latest WWE news from Sports Illustrated, Andre the Giant first became a starring attraction in Vince McMahon, Sr.’s World Wrestling Entertainment attractions back in 1973. Standing well over seven-feet tall, and weighing more than 500 pounds, the Gentle Giant was as awe-inspiring as he was frightening in the ring.

In the ring, opponents feared him. Outside of the ring, he was a friendly, personable man who counted Samuel Beckett amongst his friends, was a good drinking buddy, and was revered for his compassion towards all who knew him.

For this reason, Simmons — who is best known for his 30 for 30 series for ESPN — chose to make him the first subject of a long-form documentary.

“Going back to 2007 and 2008 when I was creating and developing 30 for 30 for ESPN, André’s story rode the top of every single sports documentary wish list I ever made. We always hear about unicorns these days — André was the ultimate unicorn. He’s a true legend. Everyone who ever crossed paths with him has an André story — and usually four or five.”

One wrestler that has Andre the Giant stories is the legendary Jake “The Snake” Roberts, who was the subject of a great Netflix documentary called The Resurrection of Jake the Snake, produced by Diamond Dallas Page.

According to the latest WWE news from City Pages, Roberts — who is currently doing very well, certainly much better than he was doing when he was at the beginning of his own documentary — told a funny story of his own about Andre the Giant.

“That night, [Andre] let it slip and put all of his weight on me. I thought I was going to die. Then, while I’m trying to catch my breath, I feel this vibration, like the entire building is shaking, but it’s only in my chest. And the whole time Andre’s laughing, which is a big no-no in the ring, and the referee asks him why he’s laughing. Andre just says in his big thick accent, ‘I’m… farting.'”

What do you think of this latest WWE news? Leave your thoughts about the latest WWE news — and the Andre the Giant documentary — in the comments below.

[Featured Image by WWE]

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