"It's not my fault being the biggest and the strongest. I don't even exercise!"
~ André the Giant
There have been many giants in the WWE but Andre the Giant stood out among them. He wasn't the tallest giant to ever have competed in the company (Giant Gonzalez was the tallest), nor was he the heaviest (Yokozuna was at nearly 600 lb - 272 kg throughout his career). And yet Andre looked like a proper and true giant - a real giant among humans beings.
About André the Giant's Real Height
Andre suffered from acromegaly, a hormonal disorder in which the pituitary gland releases excess growth hormone. The disorder can cause gigantism in children, which happened to Andre when he began to grow taller around the age of 14. His continued growth resulted in his enlarged head, hands, feet, and chest. He shared this condition with another WWE wrestler - The Great Khali. Needless to say that this condition brings a bevy of problems with it.
Anyway, WWE (then WWF) billed Andre the Giant as a seven and a half feet tall giant. Andre was tall but not as tall as Giant Gonzalez - a true seven and a half feet tall man. Later Andre's height was listed at 7'2" which was closer to his real height. But Andre himself claimed to be modest 214 cm tall in an interview - which seems correct, especially when you compare Andre with a 6'6" tall Hulk Hogan.
The real height of André the Giant was
7" or 214 cm
 |
| Rey Mysterio (5'2"), The Undertaker (6'8" to 6'7"), Kane (6'8"), Kevin Nash (6'9"), Big Show (7"), Andre the Giant (7"), and Giant Gonzalez (7'7") |
For reference, here is the average human height around the world.
| Country | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 5'4" | 4'11" |
| India | 5'5½" | 5'½" |
| Mexico | 5'6½" | 5'1½" |
| China | 5'6½" | 5'1½" |
| Japan | 5'7½" | 5'2½" |
| Brazil | 5'8" | 5'3" |
| Russia | 5'9" | 5'3¾" |
| France | 5'9" | 5'3¾" |
| United States | 5'9¼" | 5'4" |
| United Kingdom | 5'9½" | 5'4¼" |
| Canada | 5'10" | 5'4½" |
| Australia | 5'10" | 5'4½" |
| Germany | 5'10½" | 5'5" |
| Netherlands | 5'11½" | 5'6" |
| Dinka people of South Sudan | 6" | 5'7" |
Data collected more or less from Wikipedia and some other sources. Expect a slight discrepancy from real life.
"Often when I go to the home of people who have small children, the children will run from me, even though they have seen me on television. I understand why they do this but it is a sad feeling for me, even so."
~ André the Giant