Big Bad John...Was Not a Threat to Andre

Andre the Giant vs. Big Bad John 1977? - FUN

ER: Let's soak in a couple of great pro wrestling looks before the bell: Big Bad John is in his studded jacket and German helmet, Andre is in what I can only assume is the largest fringe leather vest ever sewn. It's like Andre wanted his own Bob Orton vest, and this same vest would go on to be Orton's full length sleeveless fringe ring robe (probably). Andre nudges John's jacket off the apron with his foot and gives him a comical salute, so John is in the right when he beats Andre over the head with his helmet and then throw a dozen knees towards his stomach and groin. Andre got so mad at being hit with the helmet that he tried to get it back from a vet attending ringside, and literally leaped out of the ring to the floor to retrieve it. John got the hell out of Dodge, showing why his name is not Big Dumb John. 

This whole thing is clipped to hell, but what we have is a nice glimpse at Andre against another big man. John really is big, not much shorter than Andre, with a body built on beer and fatty meats. He's a throwback to the days where your size - regardless of your shape - could give you an easy 10 years in wrestling. We miss a lot of his bumping, the clips maddeningly editing out a sequence of repeated shoulderblock attempts and opting instead to show us the two of them standing in the aftermath of the shoulderblocks. John is a messy bumper, but a guy his size shouldn't be someone who falls clean. His timing is strong, sitting up at the very last possible moment to dodge an Andre splash and stumbling amusingly over Andre in a sort of backdrop bump, even coming off the middle rope with an ugly splat on a missed splash. I liked the finish a lot too, with John hitting Andre with a hard shoulderblock and falling onto his back as a result. The impact shoves Andre back into the ropes and he falls forward directly onto John with a splash. Who knows what we missed and who knows whose choice it was for us to miss it with clips, but they are among the truly joyless. 

COMPLETE AND ACCURATE ANDRE THE GIANT