Here's How Much Money Andre The Giant Was Worth When He Died
Andre the Giant is one of those wrestlers whose ring name could not be more self-evident. As Biography tells us, his acromegaly (gigantism) meant he grew continually throughout his life, and at his largest was reportedly around 6'11" and weighed a whopping 500 pounds — not that this was enough for the pro wrestling industry, seeing as he was advertised to be as tall as 7'4". Thanks to his massive stature, he became a beloved wrestling star, who was one of the biggest draws of his era.
How big? Well, as Bleacher Report reminds us, his Wrestlemania III match against Hulk Hogan in 1987 is considered "the greatest match ever promoted by Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment," and the claim is pretty easy to believe. The hype in the build-up before the event "transcended" pro wrestling, as everyone wanted to see what would happen. It was a perfect case of immovable force vs. unstoppable object: Andre walked in the ring with a 15-year unbeatable WWE streak, but Hogan had held the championship belt for three years and his Hulkamania was running wilder than ever. Hogan ended up winning the encounter, but the match and the "slam heard around the world" finish cemented both men as legends of the sport. Not that Andre necessarily needed extra attention: As mentioned, he was already a titan of pro wrestling by then, and he didn't stop there. In fact, he wrestled literally as long as he could: In December 1992, he wrestled in Japan. Around a month later, he was dead at just 46 years old, his condition having finally gotten the better of his heart.
Despite his tragic death at a relatively young age, Andre's in-ring career was truly legendary, and his legacy is truly giant. But how much money does a legend make? Did Andre's peculiar career choice make him rich before his untimely demise? Let's find out how much money Andre the Giant was worth when he died.
Andre the Giant's net worth was fit for his massive stature
Celebrity Net Worth estimates that Andre's net worth at the time of his death was roughly $10 million dollars, adjusted for inflation. It's a nice sum that's fit for his stature, both physical and professional: After all, he was quite literally the largest attraction pro wrestling had to offer. Apart from that, he supplemented his wrestling income with a side gig as an actor, thus paving the way to today's wrestlers-turned-movie stars such as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, John Cena, Kevin Nash, and Dave Bautista. While Andre is perhaps best known and loved for his role as the gentle giant Fezzik in The Princess Bride, his IMDb page reveals that Mr. Giant has quite a bit more to his acting resume, from appearances in TV shows such as The Million Dollar Man and Zorro to bit parts in movies like Conan the Destroyer and Micki + Maude.
How much money would Andre the Giant have if he had worked later?
It's unfair to say that Andre the Giant couldn't have added all that much to his money pile with pro wrestling even if he did live longer than he did. Though he was only 46 years old when he died, his health had been on a fairly steep decline, so chances are there weren't all that many matches left in him. So, barring a major breakthrough in acting (which, to be fair, wasn't completely out of the question, given his success with The Princess Bride), it's probably safe to assume that Andre had already hit his peak net worth. However, it's interesting to think just how much he might have earned in another era, when pro wrestling started to be more established and many wrestlers started to be worth a lot more than you think.
Stars similar in career stature to Andre the Giant
Perhaps Andre's Wrestlemania III dancing partner, who was roughly at an equal level of fame when they encountered, would be a fair comparison. Celebrity Net Worth tells us that Hulk Hogan currently has an estimated net worth of $25 million, and has been as high as $30-40 million. Since Hogan was born seven years later than Andre, maybe Andre could have amassed similar fortunes had his career happened just a few years later than it did. This theory is not exactly debunked when we look at a later giant pro wrestler, Big Show. His star may not shine quite as brightly as Andre's in the annals of wrestling, but his career still has rewarded him with an estimated net worth of $20 million.
One reason Andre the Giant may not have had more money
Then again, it's entirely possible that Andre did earn significantly more during his career than he left behind. After all, Biography reminds us that he was notoriously fond of alcohol and tended to consume 7,000 daily calories in booze alone. And per Fox Sports, Hulk Hogan claims Andre once drank 102 12-ounce beer cans ... on a one-hour layover. That's about two-thirds of a full-sized keg. With appetites like that, the man was bound to pick up some pretty hefty bar tabs.