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Former WWE Superstar Jacques Rougeau recently recalled how Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan had contrasting experiences with fans outside of the ring.
Rougeau, who worked for WWE between 1986 and 1994, was friends with both superstars in real life. While Hogan often had pleasant interactions with fans at airports, the same could not be said for Andre the Giant.
Speaking to WSI’s James Romero, Rougeau said Hogan usually had no issues dealing with fans during the height of his popularity. By contrast, the seven-foot-four Andre the Giant was often viewed as a “monster” by people who met him.
“Hulk was always nice to everybody. No matter how tired he was, no matter what time it was, he would always make somebody happy by doing autographs. But when it came to Andre, the people didn’t always come up to [get] an autograph from him. The people would come close to him and they’d go like, ‘Look at that, look at him, look at that monster,’” Rougeau said.
Rougeau added that Andre the Giant became “very unhappy” with fans who disrespected him. On one occasion, the Frenchman even tipped over a car after someone confronted him at a restaurant.
Jacques Rougeau says Andre the Giant disliked “being a freak”
Andre the Giant legitimately weighed over 500 pounds, making him one of the largest WWE Superstars of all time.
Jacques Rougeau used to play cribbage with Andre the Giant backstage at WWE shows. He said the legendary superstar was always nice to him, but he could sometimes be unpleasant to fans who bothered him.
“He was this amazing guy who was sour of being a freak. When people would come up to him, not always nice to him, then I’ve seen the other side of Andre. Sometimes I was so embarrassed, and I felt so bad because sometimes it was nice people that would come up to him but at the wrong time, and then they’d come up to him and he just wasn’t feeling good,” Rougeau said.
Andre the Giant passed away at the age of 46 in 1993. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the same year.
Please credit WSI and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
