To wrestling fans around the world, he was larger than life.

André the Giant—the Eighth Wonder of the World—was a spectacle unlike anything professional wrestling had ever seen. Seven feet tall. Over 500 pounds. A living attraction whose mere presence made opponents look small, fans feel awed, and promoters rich.

But behind the gentle smile and booming laugh was a man with an iron code—and a temper that could turn legendary when that code was violated.

André didn’t lose his temper often. But when he did, it wasn’t scripted. It wasn’t part of the show.

It was carnage.

These are the five most infamous, real-life moments when André the Giant snapped—and what they reveal about the man behind the myth.

Within the WWF locker room, André was more than a star. He was the enforcer.

Veterans called him the boss. Not because he wanted the title—but because everyone accepted it. André believed professional wrestling was about respect, order, and entertainment. Anyone who treated it like a personal ego contest or disrespected the business quickly found themselves corrected.

As one wrestler put it:

“This isn’t a business of tough guys. If you’re here, you’re here to entertain. Anyone who thought they were a real tough guy—André straightened them out real fast.”

If André decided you weren’t going to pick him up, throw a punch, or execute a move—it didn’t happen. He was stronger than everyone. Bigger than everyone. And he kept the entire locker room in line.

Number Five: “No Baby Oil” — André vs. Randy Savage

André’s disdain for Randy “Macho Man” Savage was legendary.

Savage was obsessive, intense, and famously slathered himself in baby oil before matches—a habit André absolutely despised. To André, it wasn’t just annoying; it was disrespectful.

According to Savage’s brother, Lanny Poffo, André hated baby oil with a passion. Savage refused to stop using it.

“Andre’s gimmick is being a giant,” Savage reportedly said. “Mine is baby oil.”

The tension spilled into matches. Hulk Hogan once recalled watching André lose patience entirely:

“I watched him just beat the hell out of Randy. Pulling his hair, hitting him hard. Andre had enough of his mouth.”

Savage survived because he ultimately respected the hierarchy. Others weren’t so lucky.

Number Four: André vs. Bam Bam Bigelow — A Lesson in Humility

When Bam Bam Bigelow entered the WWF in 1987, he arrived with size, talent, and an ego to match. At 6’4” and nearly 400 pounds, Bam Bam wasn’t intimidated by pecking orders—and that was his mistake.

During a match at Madison Square Garden, André decided it was time to teach the newcomer a lesson.

From the opening bell, something felt wrong.

“Andre said something like, ‘Young boy, you’re green. This is how it works,’” one witness recalled.

What followed was not a wrestling match—it was a punishment. André stiffened every blow, crushed Bigelow against the ropes, and made the point unmistakably clear.

Backstage, Bam Bam packed his bags and left the building. Within months, he was gone from the WWF.

Years later, Bigelow admitted it was the reality check he needed.

Number Three: Firing the Fabulous Freebirds

In the mid-1980s, the Fabulous Freebirds—Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, and Buddy Roberts—arrived in the WWF with enormous hype and terrible discipline.

They missed flights. Showed up late. Partied relentlessly.

Bret Hart remembered his first day in the company watching the chaos unfold at LaGuardia Airport, where the Freebirds were passed out and blocking the plane door.

André had seen enough.

When the trio finally stumbled into the locker room late for a show, André stood up and delivered a sentence no one dared question:

“You’re fired.”

Michael Hayes argued back, insisting André had no authority. André’s response was final:

“You’ll speak tomorrow. Either you’re gone, or I’m gone.”

The next day, the Freebirds were released.

In one moment, André used his locker-room power to end the WWF run of one of wrestling’s hottest acts—not out of spite, but principle.

Number Two: The Florida Bar Brawl

This is the story that has grown into legend.

Late 1970s. Florida. After a long night on the road, wrestlers spilled into a bar thick with cigarette smoke and spilled beer. André sat quietly at a table, drinking and playing cards.

Then came Blackjack Mulligan and Dick Murdoch.

According to multiple accounts, the two men attempted to confront—and possibly shortchange—André over money. The confrontation escalated fast.

Andre didn’t wait.

Witnesses say he stood up and sucker-punched Mulligan, then dismantled both men with terrifying ease.

What happened next depends on who tells the story.

Ric Flair says André dragged them to the beach and dunked them under the waves repeatedly until they were helpless.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts claims André threw them through a window, flagged a taxi, and shoved them into the trunk with instructions to “take them to the hospital.”

What everyone agrees on is this: after it was over, André calmly returned to his table, ordered another drink, and continued playing cards.

Number One: Cedar Rapids, Iowa — When the Law Got Involved

August 1989. Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

A 43-year-old André the Giant—his health failing—lost a quick house-show match to the Ultimate Warrior. Earlier that day, a local TV cameraman had been given permission to film the crowd—but not André’s match.

After the bell rang, André believed the cameraman had violated that agreement.

And that was enough.

In front of 4,000 stunned fans, André grabbed the camera and attempted to rip it away. The cameraman—23 years old, 160 pounds—clung to it desperately.

André smashed the camera, shoved the man, and put him in a headlock before security intervened.

Police arrived. André initially refused to go anywhere.

A calm sergeant talked him down, joking that standard handcuffs wouldn’t fit—and showing him leg shackles “only if needed.” André laughed. The tension broke.

He was transported to the station in a squad car he barely fit into.

At booking, his fingerprints were too large for standard cards. He chatted with officers and signed autographs.

The result?

Not guilty of assault

Guilty of criminal mischief

$300 in damages

Civil claims settled out of court

The grainy mugshot from that night remains one of the most surreal images in wrestling history.

The Meaning Behind the Rage

What ties these moments together isn’t cruelty.

It’s principle.

André snapped when he felt the business was disrespected, when authority was challenged recklessly, or when someone crossed a line he believed mattered.

Behind the myth was a man who carried the weight of the industry on his shoulders—literally and figuratively.

And sometimes, that weight boiled over.

André the Giant wasn’t perfect. He was human. And when the giant snapped, the world remembered just how human he was.

That, too, is part of his legacy.