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In August 1989, wrestling legend André the Giant was arrested by the Linn County, Iowa, Sherriff’s Department for allegedly roughing up a local television camera man. The incident occurred following a WWE house show during which André wrestled the Ultimate Warrior. The camera man had been specifically instructed not to film footage of the wrestling match featuring André the Giant and the Ultimate Warrior, but he recorded segments of the match nonetheless. Angry at the camera man for violating his agreement, André confronted the man, ripping a cable out of the camera and putting the man in a headlock. While he faced charges over the incident, André never spent time in jail.

This event was out of character for André Roussimoff, who was by all accounts a gentle giant. Born in Grenoble, France, on May 19, 1946, André suffered from acromegaly, a painful hormonal condition which results in abnormal growth. Although pop culture stickers list André at 7’ 4” and 520 pounds, in reality he stood approximately seven feet tall and rarely performed at 500 pounds, his peak weight. One of professional wrestling’s most enduring “good guys,” André’s career spanned the 70s and 80s. At the height of his popularity, he appeared on television and in the film The Princess Bride. Roussimoff died in 1993 of heart failure related to his medical condition.

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