Jake Roberts Names Andre the Giant, “The Smartest Man in Wrestling”

ndre the Giant is known for his sheer size and strength, but according to Jake “The Snake” Roberts, he also boasted a supersized wrestling IQ. On Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway, Roberts recalled facing Andre in Grand Rapids. During a moment when Andre was in control, Roberts was surprised that the giant backed away in fear.

Roberts was confused—until he turned and saw a 12-year-old girl standing in the ring, holding his snake. Rather than break character, Andre improvised by rolling out of the ring, grabbing a microphone and demanding security arrest the child. Andre’s performance clearly worked, as cops got in the ring and grabbed the girl, who was crying while Andre laughed in character.

“Andre was a thinker. He saw a perfect moment and made it work.”

Roberts and Andre would feud on TV with the French giant being petrified of Jake’s snake Damian. Despite initial concerns about working with Andre, Roberts is thrilled that fans still remember their program to this day.

“I thought, ‘There’s no way in hell I can make this match work’… Most guys would have just thrown the snake out of the ring. Andre turned it into something that people still talk about today.”

The Undertaker, also a massive Andre fan, was awestruck as he heard of the Giant’s in-ring wisdom and described Andre’s ability to adapt on the fly “next level storytelling.” Even decades after Andre’s tragically young passing in 1993, stories like these prove why the Giant wasn’t just an in-ring spectacle, but a mastermind of the craft.