Jim Cornette Talks About Andre The Giant with Bertrand Hebert

From Episode 353 of the Jim Cornette Experience
Artwork by Travis Heckel!
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[@Karemaker]

Travis Heckel should make a book with all his artwork in it.

[@rickytpb2164]

Hell, we should build a museum for his masterpieces.

[@paulsherick1979]

I agree.. I was inquiring about buying a framed piece.. He actually responded.. Cool guy

[@rahowherox1177]

A comic strip illustrating Cornys stories.

[@positively_broad_st3780]

I wouldn't visit a WWE HOF, but I'd go to a Travis Heckel art gallery...

[@Treklosopher]

They're all so good, and this one particularly so.

[@tubacody]

I could listen to Cornette talk about Andre forever

[@jeremybarnett3945]

Andre was already past his prime when I started watching wrestling as a kid, so I didn’t get the chance to see his great matches until much later. I’ve since become a huge fan. He was a flawed human being, just like all of us, but he had a heart and warmth that surpassed his size and myth.

[@trappenweisseguy27]

He was much thinner and very athletic when he first arrived in North America. Most are familiar with the overweight non mobile version of him. I can remember him in handicap matches facing multiple opponents at the same time.

[@josheisert8380]

I mean if being a racist, bullying people in the locker room and in the ring, disrespecting his fans unless it was a PR stunt and never seeing his daughter constitutes a giant sized heart I guess you are correct. He did insist on paying the tab with buddies, thats if you walked on eggshells around him and did whatever he said and agreed with him to be considered a buddy. Then he left his fortune to his daughter. Nice parting gift. Yeah. Great guy.

[@Halbared]

Spot on, Jeremy.

[@dinos6231]

The cover art for this is hilarious 😂

[@jonathanturbide2232]

I saw Bertrand Hebert work several times for a local promotion here in Québec called NCW, he was a pretty good heel manager (same type of character as Corny) and he is a very knowledgeable wrestling historian. Great to hear him on the show, salut Bertrand! 😀👍✌

[@spacemtfanwdw]

His Booker's Mafia angle was one of the best I ever watched. It lead to an awesome match between Piranha/Chase Ironside and Golem, which tore the house down.

[@jonathanturbide2232]

@@spacemtfanwdw Salut Marc! C'est cool de lire des noms comme Piranha, le Géant Golem et Chase, je me souviens de tout ces lutteurs! Mon frère jumeau et moi étions accro au galas NCW ici à Limoilou, dans le sous-sol de l'église près de chez moi, excellent souvenirs! Je ne me souviens pas d'avoir vu un mauvais gala, cette gang de gars là se donnait à fond pour les fans et ça faisait des belles soirées pour les amateurs de lutte. Merci à toute la belle gang de la NCW, bons souvenirs. 👍👏👏✌

[@spacemtfanwdw]

@@jonathanturbide2232 J'assistais a presque tout les galas de 1999 a fin 2000 a Montreal de la NCW. J'ai aussi assister a la IWS a l'epoque et vu les debuts de Kevin Steen et El Generico.

[@patkob2180]

That was Laprade

[@jonathanturbide2232]

@@patkob2180 At the beginning Corny introduces him as Bertrand, and the guy doesn't say otherwise lol 🤨😮

[@josemartinez-pu4vl]

Damn 16 hours and no dislikes for cornette. Good to know there's no haters watching this just the cult of cornette enjoying this amazing interview.

[@JakeMook]

20 hours and still no dislikes

[@vlada]

It bothers you to know that there might be some people watching that don't like him? 🙄 That said, here a little youtube 1010: those people help w/ the algorithm. They watch, that's one. They might then dislike the video... that still helps the algo because it's an interaction. Finally they might even leave a comment, a third interaction, which you guessed it,... helps as well.

[@josemartinez-pu4vl]

Damn bro I honestly forgot about this post and you commented because you felt like you had to say something because of what I said. Yes I understand the algorithm for KZbin most likely recommended this video to you and others but it seems like this bothers you why though? I'm not talking shit about the haters or you im just saying its nice that he's talking about a legend and there's no hater just trying to instigate something but saying something dumb in the comments so I'm praying positive vibes while you sir are trying to make something out of nothing

[@JakeMook]

@@josemartinez-pu4vl ^

[@caseyj8313]

6 mths in 14 dislikes and over 600 up votes

[@daveconleyportfolio5192]

Being a fan in the early 1970s, you could be familiar with Andre without ever seeing him work. He was a house show attraction you had to buy tickets to see. In Detroit they'd maybe have an interview with him or show a few moments of grainy footage, but otherwise the promoters were very careful not to overexpose him. KZbin has always been the best place to see a young Andre in action.

[@ronlitton9885]

Jim is huge !

[@trentaccid2177]

YES HES A HUGE HILLARY CLINTON

[@tonymatrisin4328]

What does that even mean

[@marklogan8112]

Gorilla Monsoon-esque!

[@JorgeRojas-ut3wj]

That's what she said.

[@masonrahal6980]

I’m a huge sports fan, but WWF was my first love. Born in 1977. Andre was such an awe inspiring figure as a kid. He was a real life Giant. It was nuts. My brother and I were mesmerized by him. Close friend of our family owned a superb restaurant on Street -Catherine St in Montreal. Chez Pauzé. Andre was a regular. According to our friend, Andre was a very nice man. I believe him.

[@three-quartersbadger2929]

Je l'ai connu à l’aéroport P-ET, une fois. J'avais à peine 6 ans il était tellement grand et fort que je ne savais que dire à lui.

[@davidgerow]

I didn’t realize Jim was bigger than Andre? 😂😂

[@marklogan8112]

Summer (est. mid-80s) although I can’t dig up any specific Spokane house show dates, me, Mom and my little brother, Erik, were staying at the Spokane Airport Ramada Inn. Erik came blazing back to the room saying, “Andre the Giant is down by the pool!” Sure enough, Andre, Tito and Haku were quaffing beers and playing poker. Knowing now what I know about Andre, I’m glad we didn’t pester him. Instead, we were rewarded w/ giant laughter and quite a sight. They left us the Jokers in card deck after they took off.

[@stephenrogers4537]

This is an excellent interview very informative I learned a lot from listening to it good work🤗👋😉

[@mindlessdroid3630]

Great interview love hearing all these stories of what went on behind the scenes and the history absolutely fascinating. Andre was even ahead of Dusty since he made "Major motion pictures and sitcoms." 😂😂 Before the Dream.

[@dafullclip]

I've read that the man could drink gallons of liquor in one sitting.

[@user-en9he5kf3o]

It's a myth. Bertrand Hebert is a real lightweight.

[@Takemura77]

@@user-en9he5kf3o Nah

[@dafullclip]

@@user-en9he5kf3o So you were the bartender?

[@caseyj8313]

I call bs

[@ncm1022]

The commercials are RELENTLESS

[@davidcota4978]

bravo Travis Heckel

[@GS-ki9ej]

I first saw him live in 84 against Kamala when he still had long wild hair. He was massive

[@mightilyoats2729]

The best part about that picture is Andre only being over 7 feet with the hair. Which is actually true.

[@josephhillman8831]

My daughter was 10 years old we where at the Phil. Spectrum Andre stopped to put his huge hand up to touch her hand on his way back after his match in the tunnel entrance was a great moment her and I still talk about !

[@boringbill88]

I've never heard Bertrand's voice before, but he sounds the exact same as his co-writer Pat Laprade

[@DrEnUkE]

Pat's voice will have an occasional high pitch at moments ;-)

[@zackvanhalen]

I don't see how Andre would have benefitted from having the surgery in 1981, when broke his ankle. He was already 35 by that point and as big as he would get, height-wise and size-wise. Big Show got that surgery when he was 19, I think, and look how he turned out. Plus, I'm sure there was a much greater risk of something going wrong with that type of operation 40 years ago than today. I think Andre would have had a much better later part of his life if he just took care of himself. He should have stopped drinking so much, tried to lose weight, and limited his schedule starting in the mid-80s. He was just addicted to that lifestyle.

[@DUFFYISBACK]

fucking hilarious thumbnail, needs this as a t-shirt.

[@caseyj8313]

Thanks for not calling it cover art

[@Halbared]

Nice how the picture references André's real and kayfabe height.

[@ThePunk01]

@Make Me Believe Andre also hunched, if he was straightened out I guarentee he'd be 7 ft. His body kept growing, we never saw his true height

[@tomjones5650]

Man I stood right next to Andre. I'm 6'3" and 250 and dude was def 7 ft. E-Zily

[@Halbared]

@@tomjones5650 Well it ain't unusual.

[@Halbared]

@@ThePunk01 acromegalics grow out as opposed to up. Personally I reckon peak Andre was in his early 20s, when he was billed as being 6'10/6'11.

[@joepat2788]

​@@ThePunk01Andre was supposedly measured at 6' 10" after he died. It is not far fetched that he had lost several inches and was possibly 7 foot or 7' foot 1 at his peak. I understand that in his early career in Canada that he was measured at 7 foot 1, I believe it was Don Leo Jonathan who stated this. Andre also was not built like most tall people who usually have long legs in comparison to their torso. He was actually and unusually kind of stocky. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXeqqaB5YpydoZI

[@MrJones52]

Jim’s face on Andre with Andres sideburns is terrifying

[@frizzyred1292]

lol thumbnail is classic.

[@Bearwolf13]

Jim should make all these title cards available for purchase on his website lol...

[@shaolin1derpalm]

Tshirts

[@caseyj8313]

Thumbnails?

[@kevinpayton2664]

I first saw Andre in the '70's. He had some agility and wasn't as big as he would later become. At that time he had some pretty good matches.

[@markstaffieri5732]

Great interview! Highly entertaining and this is an outstanding complement to a great watch-along

[@Dakatari]

Andre may have lived longer if he had the surgery. Needless he became a superstar without it Rest in Peace Andre the Giant.

[@marklogan8112]

Just bought the audiobook. Couldn’t recommend it more highly!

[@addidaswguy]

Yeah he probably wouldn't have wanted go anywhere. BUT He could have done what the Big Show did and have a giant RV and have a driver that flew him around, or Vince could have flown him on private jets. Which as bad as the cameras would have been, I bet he would have been SOOOO much happier on a nice private jet or his own custom RV, than being on a plane where he had to have them pull a curtain and deuce in a bucket or into the bathtub. And they would have been much better with medical stuff if he would have been willing to do it nowadays. Andre was such a Legend.

[@elland37]

"Match of the century" vs. Don Leo Jonathan in Montreal for Grand Prix Wrestling.

[@adamjohnston3889]

My Andre story..... A 13 year old me watched Andre get counted out and fined because he ran from Jake the Snake's (What's inthe bag) in Victoria B.C. , after the show my friends and I went to the back of the arena to try to meet wrestlers...Brutus and Valentine who just had a 20 min. match got in the same cab...all the wrestlers jumped in cabs . .. But .. Andre jumped into a Budget moving van, my friends and I gave him the finger...he jumped up and said ...you fuckers want a headbutt?, we ran like bitches and called our Moms☺

[@ralphcopley4766]

Andre!

[@jamesburns248]

Really interesting discussion!

[@84sp84]

Am I the only one that sees some Stan the Man Stasiak in Jim’s thumbnail here?

[@druonyx5625]

Good interview,check out the book, good read.

[@gothchicksbongrips5712]

I just ordered the andre book. First 8 minutes of this sold me.

[@SirVic42]

Can you imagine picking a bar fight with Frenchy Bernard and then have Ronnie Garvin and Andre step in?

[@someparts]

Andre the Giant had a posse, apparently.

[@ferox965]

I picked up that book about 3 weeks ago. It's excellent.

[@jere.nurkka]

Imagine if Jim would be size of Andre

[@Traducteur1]

Corné the Giant!

[@JorgeRojas-ut3wj]

LMAO

[@TheRydog61]

Thumbs up

[@cardcollector102579]

Hey jim what kinda relationshop did u have with andre i know u broke in 82 and u guys never crossed paths as far as i know

[@Burger-urger]

Jim the Giant

[@positively_broad_st3780]

Jimdre...

[@pattaccone]

Corny the giant 👍👍👍😂😂😂

[@gator9339]

Jim The Giant 🤣

[@FreddieBlaze]

Jim Cornette For U.S. President.👑

[@afattori316]

Don’t need any crazy commie liberals in the White House ever again

[@positively_broad_st3780]

Jim Cornette, Candidate from the Swingers Party...

[@johneaston918]

@@afattori316 Biden will be the next president so ...

[@oxyman9604]

It's all the stories ever told about Andre in 1 book we've heard them all 100 folds over

[@jonathanturbide2232]

Yeah but nobody wrote a full book about it, until now. That's the point.

[@jonathanturbide2232]

@P North After the success of the documentary on the life of André, it's obvious that there's still a fascination and an interest for him and his story. No doubt this book will find its fanbase among wrestling fans.