Jacques Rougeau reveals how people were mean to Andre the Giant (Exclusive)
Jacques Rougeau (fka The Mountie in WWE) has revealed that many people were mean to Andre the Giant due to his size. The seven-foot-four Superstar often turned heads during his day-to-day life. However, according to Rougeau, he did not always receive positive reactions from fans and members of the public.
Andre the Giant worked for WWE from 1973 to 1991, during which time he won the WWE Championship and main-evented WrestleMania III. He shared the same locker room as Rougeau, who performed in WWE from 1986 to 1994.
Rougeau appeared on the latest edition of SK Wrestling’s Inside SKoop with Dr. Chris Featherstone. The former WWE Intercontinental Champion made it clear that Andre the Giant struggled to deal with people who thought he was not normal.
“He was so miserable at the end, Andre,” Rougeau said. “I understand him completely, in a way. You live by the sword, you die by the sword, my friend. 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.’”
Due to Andre the Giant’s size and health issues, Vince McMahon decided in 1991 that the legendary Superstar could no longer wrestle for WWE.
How Andre the Giant’s career ended
Andre the Giant continued to wrestle for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and the Universal Wrestling Association (UWA) after he departed WWE. He also made a non-wrestling appearance in WCW in September 1992.
One month after his last AJPW match, Andre the Giant died in January 1993 due to heart failure.
Please credit SK Wrestling and embed the video interview if you use quotes from this article.