"Never brushed his teeth" – When Vince McMahon sent wrestler to a dentist due to his bad hygiene
Vince McMahon had to deal with a lot of issues behind the scenes during his 40 years as WWE's creative figurehead. He also gave advice to some wrestlers about their lives outside the ring, including Andre the Giant.
Billed at seven-feet-four and 520 pounds, Andre was one of Vince McMahon's marquee attractions in the 1980s. The Frenchman lived a famously unhealthy lifestyle when he was not wrestling. Not only did he drink excessive amounts of alcohol, but he allegedly never brushed his teeth.
Hulk Hogan, one of Andre's most legendary on-screen rivals, once spoke about his old friend on the Bubba the Love Sponge Show. The Hulkster told an amusing story about the day Vince McMahon sent the WWE icon to his own personal dentist:
"Andre didn't brush his teeth," Hogan said. "Never brushed his teeth. Dude, Vince McMahon one time hooked Andre up to go to his dentist. This is a true story. This guy had his office at his house, and when Andre sat down to have his teeth cleaned, that spinning polisher… [impression of Andre screaming in pain], he smacked the thing out of the way. It didn't even last 30 seconds." [0:00 – 0:23]
Former WWE wrestler Mario Mancini said last year that nobody dared call Andre the Giant out for anything. He also revealed that Hogan was genuinely afraid that a drunk Andre was "going to kill him" one time backstage.
Why Andre the Giant sometimes disliked being one of Vince McMahon's top guys
While he enjoyed performing in front of fans, Andre the Giant did not always like interacting with people away from arenas.
Watching the A&E wrestling documentaries and now I am haunted by Andre The Giant’s teeth. https://t.co/RLEeK5r74Y
In 2020, former Intercontinental Champion Jacques Rougeau told Sportskeeda Wrestling's Dr. Chris Featherstone about fans' perception of Andre:
"He was so popular, but everybody that looked at him, whether it was kids or grown-ups, it wasn't like, 'Hey, look, that's Andre.' It was always like [grimacing and pointing at him]. It was always, it was mean. It was like, 'Look at that freak, look at that.'"
Andre passed away aged 46 on January 28, 1993, due to congestive heart failure. Later that year, he was posthumously inducted into the first WWE Hall of Fame class.
What is your favorite Andre the Giant moment? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit the Bubba the Love Sponge Show and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.