Andre the Giant '68 Not a Rumble

[Powerboy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5rZ4ddWEU0

This is not a rumble. But we've had rumbles involving Andre before. So I thought I'd post this match with Andre from 1968 to show what he was in his prime.

It's in French but maybe some Canadian posters can comment on the commentary. The match doesn't start until after seven minutes but the buildup is great and shows what a celebrity he was and how popular wrestling was that celebrities apparently showed up to meet the wrestlers.

Clearly worked and yet a decent pretense of being real.

I'm sort of archiving it to use as future ammunition.

[big_adventure]

I'm watching it now. My god you forget how massive Andre was until you see him next to humans.

[big_adventure]

The commentary in the fight is kind of matter-of-fact: Mr Van Buyton has never seen, in all his time as champion, such a big foot. When he (Andre) falls, it's monumental. (this after a takedown by Van Buyton) The tree doesn't give up. (this when VB had an arm lock on Andre, before Andre throws him across the ring one-handed straight from the lock).

The whole structure of the fight is showing that Van Buyton has a big technical edge (well, he was champ, Andre was a newb) but that there's just not much he can do with the beast he's trying to tame. Arm lock, leg lock, head lock - each one lasts a bit then ends with Van Buyton launched across the ring one-handed or one-footed. Some more head locks, throat lock, some leg whip flippy flippy stuff. Basically all of it starts with Andre hugely *******phing something, the quicker, lighter, "more skilled" Van Buyton turning it into something, then Andre just overpowering his way out of each.

The commentary isn't that out of hand, really: there's no Jesse Ventura or anything on there. When Van Buyton tries a flying dropkick, Andre barely steps back and there, they are "He didn't move, he didn't move!!!" And that's about as emotionally charged as they get. They try to sell that Van Buyton's moves are doing something, a little, but you'd have to be blind to believe that.

Getting closer to the end, with each of them launching punches, Van Buyton spearing Andre mid chest with the top of his head (this causes me neck pain just seeing), etc. the commentators start complimenting Van Buyton's courage. It's clear where it's going, as Van Buyton is giving everything and it's doing nothing lasting.

That's it. It wouldn't be out of place as old boxing commentary. Nothing like what you'd see today or even in the 80's on WWF sunday morning television.

[big_adventure]

What's crazy is that Van Buyton was champ at less than 220 lbs (at the end, when Andre's tossing him around, they mention "Van Buyton's almost 100kg."

[Sharpandpointies]

... with andre hugely *******phing something...

why does forum hate word

[Beadle]

why does forum hate word

Meh. So they filter out obsolete forms of communication. Who gives a fax?

[big_adventure]

Meh. So they filter out obsolete forms of communication. Who gives a ***?

FIFY...

and again, FIFY, because quotes aren't part of 10chars.

[Sharpandpointies]

Meh. So they filter out obsolete forms of communication. Who gives a fax?

Appalling.

[Beadle]

Appalling.

I’ll take that as a compliment.

I know it wasn’t intended that way, but that’s how I’m taking it.

[Sharpandpointies]

I’ll take that as a compliment.

I know it wasn’t intended that way, but that’s how I’m taking it.

Hey, any attention is good attention, correct? ^_^

[big_adventure]

There really IS no such thing as bad publicity.

[Little_Mac]

What's crazy is that Van Buyton was champ at less than 220 lbs (at the end, when Andre's tossing him around, they mention "Van Buyton's almost 100kg."

Van Buyton could wrestle now. Van Buyton/Walter (NXT) would be a very entertaining matchup. The diving headbutts/spears aside, he showed some nice moves. The arm and leg locks, the uppercuts were pretty nice. I like how at the end, he just wasn't strong enough to kick out of Andre's pin. It's a nice touch at the end of the match.

However, Rookie Andre the Giant took 3 hurriancianas??? His selling was pretty good. And I didn't know he had European uppercuts like that. Cesaro/Andre would have been an amazing matchup. Andre wins, but I would love to see Cesaro attempt the swing. He would have broken that flimsy ring.

Thanks for the video. If young Andre was this sort of a beast, prime Andre might not be beatable one-on-one.

[Powerboy]

Van Buyton could wrestle now. Van Buyton/Walter (NXT) would be a very entertaining matchup. The diving headbutts/spears aside, he showed some nice moves. The arm and leg locks, the uppercuts were pretty nice. I like how at the end, he just wasn't strong enough to kick out of Andre's pin. It's a nice touch at the end of the match.

However, Rookie Andre the Giant took 3 hurriancianas??? His selling was pretty good. And I didn't know he had European uppercuts like that. Cesaro/Andre would have been an amazing matchup. Andre wins, but I would love to see Cesaro attempt the swing. He would have broken that flimsy ring.

Thanks for the video. If young Andre was this sort of a beast, prime Andre might not be beatable one-on-one.

Hard to say. I think early 1970s Andre had gained some weight but it wasn't bad yet and he was really bulked up as far as muscularity. !960s Andre was big but he still had some of that "taller than he is massive" quality while 1970s Andre was a tank.

[Powerboy]

The commentary in the fight is kind of matter-of-fact: Mr Van Buyton has never seen, in all his time as champion, such a big foot. When he (Andre) falls, it's monumental. (this after a takedown by Van Buyton) The tree doesn't give up. (this when VB had an arm lock on Andre, before Andre throws him across the ring one-handed straight from the lock).

The whole structure of the fight is showing that Van Buyton has a big technical edge (well, he was champ, Andre was a newb) but that there's just not much he can do with the beast he's trying to tame. Arm lock, leg lock, head lock - each one lasts a bit then ends with Van Buyton launched across the ring one-handed or one-footed. Some more head locks, throat lock, some leg whip flippy flippy stuff. Basically all of it starts with Andre hugely *******phing something, the quicker, lighter, "more skilled" Van Buyton turning it into something, then Andre just overpowering his way out of each.

The commentary isn't that out of hand, really: there's no Jesse Ventura or anything on there. When Van Buyton tries a flying dropkick, Andre barely steps back and there, they are "He didn't move, he didn't move!!!" And that's about as emotionally charged as they get. They try to sell that Van Buyton's moves are doing something, a little, but you'd have to be blind to believe that.

Getting closer to the end, with each of them launching punches, Van Buyton spearing Andre mid chest with the top of his head (this causes me neck pain just seeing), etc. the commentators start complimenting Van Buyton's courage. It's clear where it's going, as Van Buyton is giving everything and it's doing nothing lasting.

That's it. It wouldn't be out of place as old boxing commentary. Nothing like what you'd see today or even in the 80's on WWF sunday morning television.

I'm also curious to know who those celebrities were since that would tell us how famous outside of wrestling that Andre was or maybe tell us that wrestling was really mainstream at the time and place.

[big_adventure]

I'm also curious to know who those celebrities were since that would tell us how famous outside of wrestling that Andre was or maybe tell us that wrestling was really mainstream at the time and place.

I didn't recognize them, and the quality of the recording is bad enough that I couldn't clearly make out the names. It sounded like the first woman who walked into the ring and said hi to each of them was a wrestler herself - I'll check again later, but it seemed like the announcer said she was a "catcheuse" which would be female wrestler in French. The big dude who screwed with Andre, doing a handshake "psyche" and what have you could only have been another wrestler or maybe a 2nd line in rugby - he was gigantic, very close to Andre's height and not all that much smaller. I then skipped the rest of the dog and pony show to get to the action.