"There was a little bit of regret" - WWE executive opens up about Vince McMahon's falling out with Hall of Famer
WWE legend Andre the Giant started wrestling in France before doing shows across Europe and then Japan. Andre then moved to Canada and after a run with promotions there, he ended up signing with WWE (then WWF) in 1973.
A larger then life character, Andre the Giant will forever be remembered for his contributions to pro wrestling and WWE. Hulk Hogan bodyslamming Andre the Giant is still one of the most iconic moments in WrestleMania history.
Vince McMahon regretted his falling out with WWE legend Andre the Giant
During a recent episode of Something To Wrestle, Bruce Prichard discussed the WWE Hall of Fame and its inception. Prichard was asked if Vince McMahon already wanted to establish a WWE Hall of Fame before the legendary Andre the Giant passed away. Prichard said that there had already been talk about a Hall of Fame before Andre passed away. His death just hastened up the process so that Andre the Giant could be the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame:
At that time, we had been talking about doing a Hall of Fame. It was unfortunate, Andre’s passing, but I think that kind of sped it up because if there was ever anybody that was worthy of being the first inductee into the Hall of Fame, it was Andre The Giant.
Prichard was also asked about Vince McMahon's reaction to Andre's death. Prichard revealed that McMahon took Andre's death pretty hard and deeply regretted his falling out with Andre the Giant:
Vince took it hard. Vince and Andre were the same age and had birthdays that were fairly close together. Vince considered Andre one of his best friends and really hated the falling out that they had. I think there was a little bit of regret that hadn’t been completely rectified and he didn’t have the opportunity to say goodbye to his friend. H/T: WrestlingNewsCo
Following his death in 1993, Andre the Giant became the first-ever inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame.
You can check out Bruce Prichard's podcast Something To Wrestle HERE.