It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the imprint Andre The Giant left on the wrestling industry was immeasurable. Unfortunately however, for his most ardent fans, the WWE documentary that bears his name is a minuscule effort that pales to compare to anything “The Eighth Wonder of the World†accomplished in the squared circle.
As a matter of fact, after watching this poor excuse for a compilation, you’ll wonder why it was even released in the first place.
With narration by Lord Alfred Hayes, who appears to be shoddily reading from cue cards during the introduction, the DVD has a rustic WWF feel [it was obviously ported from VHS to DVD in an effort to bring the company extra revenue] that has aged worse than an open can of spam in the summer sun. Simply put, Hayes’ commentary is a disaster. While he attempts to discuss Andre as a person, he fails miserably, and in the process, embarrasses himself and the legendary wrestler. Chatting about his love of children and the fact that he’s “a ladies man indeed,†Hayes fails to put a level of professionalism on the mic work, making the dated matches even more difficult to stomach.
Overall, it feels like someone reading a poor, dog-eared script to worn-out matches.
Speaking of the matches, of the already small handful that are featured on the disc, none fail to captivate and show Andre at his best. What a travesty, considering the man made a living for nearly three decades winning battle royals and handicap matches at seemingly his own whim. While there are a few glimpses on the disc that show what he is capable of in the ring, for the most part, this collection is a farce and a total bore.
Bad commentary alone would be enough to keep this collection off your shelf, but the poor selection of matches seal the deal. Even if you are the biggest fan of Andre’s work, stay away from this set and wait for something better to come along.
Because it’s only a matter of time until the WWE understands the huge injustice they’ve made by bringing this sad case to DVD in the first place.
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