Jim Cornette on Booking Andre The Giant As World Champion

Listen to the Jim Cornette Experience each Thursday and Jim Cornette's Drive Thru each Monday on iTunes, Stitcher, Podcast Addict, iHeartRadio, and everywhere else podcasts are available!
Visit JimCornette.com for the latest Jim Cornette news and Cornette's Collectables merchandise!

[@FreneticZetetic]

Andre was and still is legendary.

[@DamnedSilly]

I see a bunch of comments here about how much draw he would have had as a champion obviously from people who don't realize he was always had that anyway. Giving him a belt was a waste of a belt. What's better business? You can have a card with Andre in a championship match or a card with a championship match AND Andre.

[@ricosalvaje5802]

Exactly Andre was an attraction all by himself. The belt could be used to make someone else.

[@screamingsheik2264]

Jim is 100% correct. That same reason is exactly why The Undertaker never had a long, iconic title run. He never needed it. When he was champ they put it on him because he was that steady presence. But whenever he did drop it was usually a screwy finish to push feuds and protect his aura. It's also fitting that both Taker and Andre where the locker room leaders

[@jasonpdsi]

Jitbag Jabroni I'm not sure if I'd call Andre a locker room leader so much as a guy you just didn't want to fuck with, at least towards the end of his career...I think Taker definitely fits that description from what I've heard of him.

[@fins2334]

Well put

[@savievere9759]

Very true about Taker and Andre. It seems now that WWE is going that route with Reigns. Reigns doesnt need a belt in the same way that Taker didnt need a belt

[@jordandennis6794]

@@savievere9759 Lesnar doesn't need it either but they keep putting it on him

[@vibesinc.1241]

@@savievere9759 You sure about that with Reigns..... 2 year reign. LOL

[@krauseshane79]

Saw Andre at a WWF Superstars of Wrestling show in December of 1987 or '88. The other wrestlers came out through the bleachers from the locker rooms. Andre had to be let in through a bay door on the West side of the Tulsa Convention Center. Probably a child's imagination, but it seemed like the door went 3/4 of the way up before you could see his face. A truly AMAZING sight to behold though he was roughly 40 yards away from us.

[@scifiguy74]

That is what they have done wrong with Brock too..putting belt on someone who has been promoted as such a major attraction, essentially bigger than a title you diminish the title cause he doesn’t drop it unless something screwy happens. Attractions like Taker, Andre, or Brock is that simply having a match against them has more importance. Look at Taker’s streak, which ironically was ended by Brock! Put someone that far over, titles become meaningless..they kinda did that with Strowman but then put him against Brock and ruined it.

[@deadaccount7520]

couldn't agree more. One aspect of carrying a belt. Was people who are watching for the first time. Can see the belt and would already know this guy is legit. No one in wrestling history needed that less than André.

[@thomasseal33]

Andre was Soo amazing! I wish more people would pay attention to history. He might truly be the greatest

[@ricstormwolf]

I would have paid as much money as I could afford to see Andre beat Bruno.

[@mikemccoy5092]

If there was a wrestling historian it would be jim cornette obviously

[@jibathus]

2:20 - Brock Lesnar right now.

[@TheeKingRayzor]

Sure.

[@poindexterflex3528]

Exactly what I thought when he said that.

[@haydenmillholland4496]

Too bad Vince had him jobbing to the warrior toward the end of his career. Love me some Andre

[@nohbuddy1]

I mean at that point he should have to put Warrior over

[@x2bannedyoutubeaccount408]

@@nohbuddy1 nobody should have had to put warrior over

[@XombieLejon66]

When Goldberg came back the last few times and challenged for the title. I thought of this video. Once a guy is an established legend with an unstoppable aura (Goldberg, Lesnar, and now, Roman Reigns) they don't need a world title anymore because it just diminishes it. They should just be reserved for a special attraction. Like Undertaker at the end of his career.

[@richardpreston7333]

Kinda surprising to see Brian lose his cool for a change... Also, Closer To Heaven is a good graphic novel biography of Andre, but Life & Legend is so much better, just because it has about 100 more pages to really delve into Andre's life and mythology surrounding it, as well as exposing the business in an interesting way. On a more cynical note, Closer To Heaven is endorsed by Andre's daughter, so it tries to paint a rosier picture on some of Andre's worse moments and qualities - Life & Legend wasn't afraid to show what a piece of shit Andre could be, which frankly made him seem more human.

[@RyanS881]

I was glad Andre won the WWF World title but Jim Cornette is absolutely right.

[@Jacktrack7]

I'm with Mr.Last, those inaccuracies are so easily avoidable only needing minimal research, what the hell...

[@j2oaks]

I believe he was a tag champ with Haku.

[@nohbuddy1]

John Oaks He was. That was during the time his back was so bad he had to do tag matches

[@fins2334]

Colossal Connection

[@timothyrountree9760]

Yes John............he and Haku defeated DEMOLITION for the tag team championship. They also lost them to DEMOLITION about a month later when Andre turned FACE again.

[@zt1053]

They had it till wrestlemania 6

[@thewatcher3928]

Loved the colostomy connection ,one of my favourite tag teams ever. Yeah it's colossal I know lol

[@Reese13]

Cornette is 100% correct. It would have made zero sense for Andte to be World Champion. If he didn't wanna lose, who could beat him??? Nobody that's who.

[@fins2334]

I love their podcast

[@yoholmes273]

Anyway you cut the mustard....Andre The GIant was & is the Greatest Professional Wrestler of All Time and it's not even close.

[@chazsmith7324]

ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!

[@IanSane]

If you HAD to put the belt on Andre the best I could see booking him would be like Goldberg where he's plowing through everybody as a face. Once the fans get bored of that then I guess you turn him heel and have him beat up a few babyfaces that fall short and then finally have him lose to a Hulk Hogan level babyface to make that guy for life. I don't know how long such a run could go. Two years with one as a face and one as a heel is probably the longest you could stretch it. I think it would hurt Andre more than anything else. It's not the end of the world for a promotion to sacrifice a guy to put their champion over but it would be stupid for Andre to go for it. And the only scenario where I feel it could make sense to try it is if your promotion was in trouble and Andre was the one credible guy you could put the title on.

[@guillermoletsworkitout3522]

It was him and haku think about that ming/haku,and him well yeah that was a awesome team

[@pappagamingpoo9766]

Meanwhile Sammartino for example was the champion for YEARS.

[@frankbonini7085]

Andre & Dusty Won the Tri-State (Later Mid-South) U.S. Tag Team & the Florida Tag Team Championship Titles, Only for Them to Later Immediately Vacate Them, at Separate Times

[@timreid9556]

....dang... fired Brian up

[@scottbrown7497]

Andre had two world title runs . One as a Singles champion And one as a Tag Team Champion

[@Matt198d]

Makes no sense, Andre would’ve drawn as champ better than backlund or just as good as Bruno, if they could have 10 year title reigns so could Andre. Andre jobbed to hogan so that’s how you take it off of him. Beating an undefeated champion giant would’ve made someone

[@jeffnettleton3858]

Who's going to pay to see Andre squash a guy? Asd champion, part of the draw is that the title may change hands. At that point in time, you have maybe 5 people who looked like legitimate threats to him. So, how is he going to draw? Andre was a special attraction; he traveled around because he was always something special to see. You came out and saw him as the surprise tag partner of the local babyface who is pulling one over on the heel team, or he wins battle royals, or he fights 2 or 3 guys; or, he takes on a Blackjack Mulligan, or Killer Khan, or Ernie Ladd. That was the secret to his success. he was always kept as a special treat. As champ, he would be there all of the time and the mystique wears off. Bruno and Backland were always the guys who fought off the monsters, against all odds. That was the attraction, especially Backlund, with his smaller size. He outwrestled them and shocked you with strength displays (and guys have said that part was legit).

[@kryceksangel]

Cornette just called Haku Samoan....

[@Pugiron]

Real reason Brian Last is so upset, he likes to think he is the preeminent wrestling historian and how dare they make a documentary about a wrestler (he never met) without him.

[@fins2334]

Tell me what you really think about him. I actually enjoy his passion. Great show

[@pumpkinsdontcry]

Brian is mark like russo right time right place

[@jb0609]

agreed

[@kennethvillaplana15]

Wtf everything happens in Louisville lol

[@markabboud8564]

Kenneth Villaplana It’s a magical city where people drive Unicorns instead of cars.

[@jessebowman161]

I actually disagree with Jim here. Andre could have started off as a heel champion in the WWWF, beating Bob Backlund. He would have been so impossible to beat that a group would have formed to beat andre. And then, when they beat andre, they would do so by dq but, due to pre-match stipulations, the title is either vacated or it changes hands. Andre could still claim to be unbeatable because he never lost the title fairly thus never diminishing his mystique. and you could have taken the belt of Backlundm who, by 1982, was beyond stale as champion.

[@davidmurray6949]

I think he might have only 30 loses or less.

[@kevinrose4975]

100% disagree with Jim. Andre winning the title wouldve been the greatest thing in wrestling history.

[@fuscinula]

Just imagine THE wrestler who defeated him for the title, straight in the middle of the ring. You're immediately over, forever.

[@kevinrose4975]

@@fuscinula Ultimate Warrior could've been that guy, Andre was still performing. Hulk was done IMO the moment Andre defeated him on national TV. The ref drama was clever and he shoud've walked away, but he and Vince ruined Randy Savage's run. Andre and Savage had a huge run while Hogan was making movies. Andre should've had a run at the championship and passed the torch to Debiasse or Savage or Warrior. Hulk stayed too long IMO.

[@chrischar9428]

Idiot

[@joebrown8503]

I wanna see Tomi lahren debate Jim Cornette she'd absolutely destroy Cornette

[@callumwebb4927]

Doubt it very much

[@callumwebb4927]

@@joebrown8503 By "slaughter" him, you mean employ the typical right wing tactics; deploy some strawman arguments, not address the opposite viewpoint, misrepresent the views of others and then claim you win.

[@joebrown8503]

@@callumwebb4927 all that libtard Cornette can do is call her names that's all liberals do in general that's why conservatives always win debates we have facts on our side liberals have nothing

[@callumwebb4927]

@@joebrown8503 Give me an example of a liberal scholar or speaker getting owned with "facts" by a conservative. P.S emotional college kids don't count.

[@joebrown8503]

@@callumwebb4927 Cornette ain't no liberal scholar though hello lol

[@1980Triumph]

Cornette and this dude are so pathetic, they don't miss an opportunity to trash Hogan....Cornette is so whacked when it comes to Hogan.

[@chitownace777]

1980Triumph and Trump & God.He ended up in bed with the very promotion he said he would never be like

[@1980Triumph]

Exactly

[@AxeDharme]

Hogan deserves to be trashed, I don't see what's wrong with that.

[@sinicalypse]

#Hootie

[@jb0609]

@@AxeDharme not really. Hogan made wrestling mainstream. He should be praised for that.