Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life (By Michael Krugman) Review

Rating 3.50 out of 5

[?]

Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life
By Michael Krugman
Published by WWE Books
Released on January 6, 2009
352 Pages (Paperback)
Available in Paperback

There have been many giants in the wrestling world, but only one is as legendary as Andre the Giant. Billed at 7'4" (although his legitimate height is widely disputed), if he wasn't 7'4", his 550-pound frame gave you the impression he was every inch of it. He mostly toured the globe as a babyface, going from territory to territory, often participating in and winning battle royals. His career peak was when he turned heel to wrestle Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania III in 1987, where Hulk Hogan bodyslammed him in a moment replayed thousands of times. Andre passed away in early 1993.

One of the great things about Andre the Giant are the stories every wrestler who crossed him seems to have. Many stories have him drinking well over a hundred beers in a single sitting. Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life is a collection of those stories. It consists of interviews with contemporaries of Andre's, and focuses entirely on his WWF run. The bulk of the book is a simple breakdown of Andre's wrestling matches and promos.

Due to the fact that very little information is given about Andre besides his WWF wrestling career, this biography cannot be recommended to anyone who has followed his career. Instead, you should only read this book if you know very little about Andre and are looking to learn more about him. Anyone who has heard any great Andre the Giant stories would be expecting a lot from this book, but it doesn't quite deliver here. This is a disappointment, as Michael Krugman has produced better work in the past, namely the Eddie Guerrero autobiography. For those who still have access to a VCR, the 1999 Andre the Giant: Larger Than Life VHS is more of what you are looking for.