Revisiting When Andre The Giant Fell Asleep In The Middle Of A Wrestling Match (2025)

In professional wrestling, the phrase "larger than life" applies to no one better than Andre the Giant. Back in the 80s, his size made him not only one of the most popular stars in wrestling, but a household name and pop culture icon. However, because of that size, Andre the Giant moved slowly in the ring, a vast difference from today's superstars, who never let up and move from one spot to another. Four decades ago, though, that didn't matter. In 2025, Andre's style might be seen as boring to many, but back then he was an attraction to be in awe of. Still, despite how methodically he moved, Andre once fell asleep during a match, and he may have actually slept during a second match as well.

Andre the Giant Ruled The 1980s

Few Could Stop The Eighth Wonder Of The World

• Andre the Giant was a locker room leader who put wrestlers like the Ultimate Warrior in their place.
• Andre was so respected that Vince McMahon cried when talking about him in a documentary.
• Andre the Giant was only a brief one-time WWE Champion.

There have been many big men in wrestling, but none are as legendary as Andre the Giant. The Frenchman, dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World, was billed to be 7'4" and over 500 pounds, though many have argued that this was a slight exaggeration. Still, he was huge, no matter what, and became one of the most respected names of all time. There are several stories of cocky wrestlers, like the Ultimate Warrior, who got put in their place by Andre, who was WWE's locker room leader. He was so loved that even Vince McMahon cried in a documentary about his life.

Andre was an attraction. He was there to get fans to gasp in amazement, not to put on technical masterpieces. Andre won nearly every match he was in, keeping up the mystique. That's why he was only briefly a one-time WWE Champion. If you gave Andre the title, this meant someone had to beat him. Andre beat everyone, but one time he got so complacent during a match that he fell asleep. There are reports that it happened a second time too.

Andre The Giant Fell Asleep During A Match With Sgt. Slaughter

Sgt. Slaughter Riled Up The Crowd Because Andre Was Late

• Sgt. Slaughter worked as both a babyface and heel in WWE.
• Andre the Giant's plane was late to a house show.
• Andre was angry at Slaughter for waking him up.

Sgt. Slaughter had a legendary run in WWE as both a babyface and a dastardly heel. One day, during his prime, he was scheduled to face Andre the Giant at a house show in New Jersey. There was just one problem: Andre's plane was running late. To kill time, Slaughter went to the ring and riled up the crowd until Andre appeared. In an interview on the Notsam Wrestling podcast, Sgt. Slaughter described what happened next:

"I got him in a front facelock and he’s got this hair like a lion. I get him in this front facelock and we put some pressure on it pretty heavy a lot of times just to kid around with some of the guys we like. I tell the referee, ‘Ask if he wants to give up to the Sarge?’ The referee picks up his paw and he drops it down and there’s no movement. He lifts it up again, ‘Ask him if he wants to give up?’ Down goes the paw again. All of a sudden, I looked at the referee and said to myself, ‘Something’s not right.’ All of a sudden there was [snoring sound]. Andre fell asleep. He was so tired from the trip that he fell asleep. Now, I’m trying to wake him up. We’d only been in the match five minutes.” (h/t Wrestlezone)

According to Sgt. Slaughter, Andre was angry that he had been woken up. He then chased Sarge around the ring and back into the dressing room before Slaughter escaped in his limo. That might be a wild story, but it may not have been the only time it happened.

Andre The Giant Slept During A Match With Big John Studd

Big John Studd Cried Because Andre The Giant Didn't Like Him

• John Studd sometimes rode with Sgt. Slaughter.
• Andre the Giant didn't like that Big John Studd would try to slam him during matches.
• Big John Studd put Andre the Giant in a front face lock for over eight minutes.

In the same interview, Sgt. Slaughter spoke about Andre's feelings toward another powerful wrestler, Big John Studd. He said:

“He hated John Studd. He hated Johnny and John Studd was terrified of him. Once in awhile, I had John in my car and we’d be traveling. He’d talk about it and get tears in his eyes, ‘I don’t know why he doesn’t like me.’ I said, ‘It’s because you’re trying to slam him. He doesn’t want to be slammed.’”

Not only did Andre not like John Studd, but he apparently slept during one of their matches too. On June 4, 1983, Big John Studd took on Andre the Giant at the Spectrum in Philadelphia. Their match lasted an impressive 18 minutes, but most of it was very awkward, as Studd put Andre in a front face lock prone on the mat that lasted a whopping 8 minutes and 35 seconds! This was because Andre started dozing off. Professional wrestling was slower paced back then, but even these fans started getting frustrated by the lack of action. That may sound disrespectful to do during an actual match, but Andre the Giant was so respected that he could get away with anything, including taking a nap in front of thousands of paying fans.