Andre the Giant disliked WWE rival after growth hormone made him taller, ex-IC Champion claims
According to Ken Patera, Andre the Giant had issues with Big John Studd due to his former WWE opponent's alleged growth hormone use.
It is well known that Andre disliked Studd in the 1980s. Billed at six-foot-10 and 364 pounds, Studd was among the largest wrestlers in WWE. The Undertaker recently claimed that Andre "damn near killed" his real-life rival on several occasions during matches.
Patera, best known for his in-ring career in the 1970s and 1980s, was friends with Andre behind the scenes. In an interview on the GNW Podcast, he explained why the Frenchman changed his opinion of Studd:
"In the beginning, he liked John Studd, but then John started acting like a f***ing giant," Patera said. "He got on that growth hormone and grew three and a half inches. That's when he was in his mid-30s. I didn't know anybody could grow in their mid-30s. Maybe in their early 20s." [0:34 – 0:59]
Andre was billed at seven-foot-four and 520 pounds. In 1985, he defeated Studd in a $15,000 Body Slam Challenge at WrestleMania 1.
Ken Patera warned Andre the Giant's rival about his health
On March 20, 1995, Big John Studd passed away at the age of 47 after a battle with lymphoma cancer.
André the Giant pushing Big John Studd around like it’s nothing! 👀 https://t.co/YOPtQ5DawS
Ken Patera alleged that Studd's use of growth hormones and steroids also played a part in his death:
"He took so much growth hormone, he killed himself. I told him, I said, 'You stay on that growth hormone and all those steroids you've been on for the past five or six years, you're gonna wind up dead,' and he did wind up dead." [1:00 – 1:18]
Studd was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004. Andre the Giant also joined the elite group of legends as the first inductee in the inaugural Hall of Fame in 1993.
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Please credit the GNW Podcast and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.