Okay...to finish up Round 1,
Team Malfunction Junction chooses in the
Pre-80s Category...
From Grenoble, France, The Eighth Wonder of the World...
Andre The Giant.
Andre Rousimoff was born in France in 1946. By the time he was 12 years old, Andre stood 6-foot-3 and weighed 200 pounds, the result of acromegaly, a disorder that causes the bones to grow at an accelerated rate, and to continue to grow beyond the age of physical maturity. He eventually topped 7 feet tall and weighed over 500 pounds.
While still a teenager, Andre moved to Paris to train as a wrestler. Andre soon became a worldwide sensation, becoming a top draw everywhere he traveled. In 1973, Andre signed with Vince McMahon Sr.'s WWWF, a company he remained a part of until his death 20 years later.
For the first 14 years of his WWWF/WWF career, Andre never lost a match via pinfall or submission (although, he did lose some matches that weren't under the WWF banner). His first WWF pinfall loss came at 1987's Wrestlemania 3, in front of a reported crowd in excess of 90,000 at the Pontiac Silverdome. Andre lost that match to Hulk Hogan, who retained the World Championship title.
In February 1988, Andre won his first and only World Championship, defeating Hulk Hogan. However, Andre (who was still a heel at the time) immediately handed the belt to The Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase. The title was stripped from both Andre and DiBiase, which led to a title tournament at Wrestlemania 4. As a result of all of that, Andre never defended his title.
As the 80s drew to a close, Andre's health faltered and his in-ring appearances became less frequent. Andre eventually succumbed to congestive heart failure in 1993, at the age of 46 (he was actually long-lived for someone with acromegaly).
Shortly after his death, Andre became the first inductee into the WWF Hall of Fame.