AEW star reveals what he felt about working with Andre the Giant

Andre the Giant was dubbed "the Eighth Wonder of the World", and the moniker justified his personality and on-screen character. He was among the biggest names in the pro wrestling business in the 1970s and 1980s.

In the late '80s, Andre was engaged in a feud with AEW star Jake "The Snake" Roberts. The storyline revolved around the late legend's fear of snakes. Time and again, Roberts used his pet snake, Damian, to gain a psychological edge over the giant.

Jake Roberts recently appeared on the Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway podcast, where he was asked about his experience working with Andre the Giant. Recalling his bout with Andre in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Roberts said he never thought the bout would turn out to be realistic.

"I thought there was just no way in h*ll I could make that match work. Because you look at Andre. He's a huge guy. Beyond huge. There's nobody like him and never will be. But I'm thinking to myself how in the h*ll are we going to make this believable?"

Andre the Giant was a commendable performer, despite his size. Roberts described how the Hall of Famer quickly improvised when a 12-year-old girl intervened in their match by demanding security arrest her, staying in character as the scene played out.

"If not for Andre selling that snake the way he did it would not have been believable (...) Andre was a thinker. He saw a perfect moment and made it work (...) That's how good that guy was. He can make sh*t work. When they told me that I was going to be wrestling Andre, I was like, 'Oh, my God. This is either the kiss of death or whatever.' Because I just didn't see it working at first but he made it work." [1:03:30 - 1:06:26]

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Andre the Giant was not afraid of snakes

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Bill Apter, Jake Roberts revealed that Andre the Giant was never afraid of snakes. The AEW star said Andre was such a good actor that he convinced the wrestling universe otherwise.

"Well, that's what TV got [the perception that Andre disliked snakes]. He wasn't afraid of no da*n snake. No, he wasn't. Just a great performer."

The WWE Hall of Famer died on January 28, 1993, due to congestive heart failure and a heart attack in his sleep. He was only 46 years old at the time.

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If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway podcast and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.