With his massive frame and larger-than-life personality, Andre the Giant was a true spectacle in wrestling and worked with some of the top names in wrestling. At WrestleMania 3, Hulk Hogan beat Andre the Giant, allegedly shattering a 15-year undefeated streak of the Frenchman, but Andre had already tasted defeat before.
Speaking to The Sun Sport, Peter Thornley, better known as British wrestling legend Kendo Nagasaki, spoke about his experiences working with Andre. Thorney shared that he was the first wrestler to beat the Giant long before Hogan and Andre stepped in the ring.
“I was the first wrestler to ever beat André the Giant… before any American wrestler ever beat him. All of them, like [Hulk] Hogan, came after I beat him.”
Andre was ‘green’ a term used for inexperienced wrestlers, when he first came to the United Kingdom, according to Thornley. Due to Andre’s lack of training, the pair spent much of their match in a bear hug before Thornley got the win.
“Eventually, I got out of it, body-slammed him, and pinned him. That was the end of it. We only went two and a half rounds, and that was the first time he was beaten.”
Thornley, as Nagasaki, didn’t just score an upset victory over Andre, but earned three wins over the Giant in 1969. In the interview, Thornley admitted to feeling bad about being the first man to give Andre a loss, adding that he was never billed quite the same in the United Kingdom following these defeats.
Andre the Giant would tragically die young in 1993 and became the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. Today, Andre’s legacy continues to be celebrated in WWE with the annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal that takes place on the eve of WrestleMania. While Hulk Hogan may be known as the Frenchman’s most legendary opponent, it was a wrestler very much unlike the bleach-blond bronzed Adonis who holds the distinction of handing Andre his first defeat.
