Andre The Giant's unique life story comes to Sky Documentaries

One of the nicknames Andre the Giant had during his utterly fascinating life in professional wrestling was 'the eighth wonder of the world'.

At a billed height of 7ft 4in and a weight of 520lbs (that's more than 37 stones), it is easy to see why such a soubriquet slipped so easily onto his enormous shoulders.

Andre Rousimoff was an imposing figure, a literal giant of a man from whom it was impossible for sports entertainment fans to remove their gaze for more than two decades.

Having started out in his native France in the mid-1960s, he moved to Japan and eventually the United States, where his matchless appearance made him a stand-out performer wherever he went.

American wrestling has always been closely associated with the world of the carnival and even today that is a comparison which still holds true. It is, of course, not an actual sport, and so its athletes can compete back-to-back from night to night in a way which would be impossible for legitimate sportspeople. Therefore, like a carnival, they tour.

The ability to catch the eye is a key commodity for both and it is the one through which Andre won his fortune. In the 1970s, before wrestling was controlled by two or three key companies - and broadcast on cable television - a wrestler could make a healthy living travelling from town to town, keeping his act fresh for new faces as he went.

Andre was perfectly suited to this, and quickly found both great fortune and an established reputation as a special attraction, the man so huge that fans would queue up to buy tickets to see in action. In one sense, there was a cruelty to this, a feeling of the 'freak show' about it all but it did nothing to diminish the man's stature. After all, this was the eighth wonder of the world.

In 1974, the Guinness Book of World Records listed him as the highest-paid wrestler of all time with an estimated annual income of $400,000 (about £1.7m in today's money), although his earnings almost certainly passed that figure in the 15 years of fame which followed.

The most well-known moment of his career came in 1987, when Hulk Hogan bodyslammed Andre in the main event of WrestleMania III. With wrestling at the height of its peak in the golden age, it does not take a genius of storytelling to interpret the tale being told - that of the villainous monster being slayed by the conquering hero.

But the story of Andre the Giant is ultimately a sad one and its ending unequivocally cannot be described as happy.

The very thing which made him the giant, which lured wrestling fans into buildings to marvel at his size, was the thing which would lead to his physical deterioration as a performer and, ultimately, his death.

A regular feature of Andre's matches in the 1970s was the dropkick - a move which, at that time, was the height of athleticism and one reserved for the junior heavyweights. It was not used by anyone weighing more than about 250lbs.

It was long gone from his repertoire a decade later, when even the act of walking to the ring was causing the giant visible pain.

Stories of Andre's great feats of drinking are legendary in the world of wrestling and beyond. It has been claimed by fellow wrestler Mike Graham that he witnessed Andre consume 156 United States-sized beers in one sitting. The volume of liquid works out at about 73 litres. Retrospectively, it has been speculated that such acts may have been undertaken as a way of dulling his pain, both physical and mental.

His entire life, Andre had struggled with gigantism, a condition which meant he was 6ft 7in by the age of 15 and which led to the acromegaly disorder.

The condition meant his body produced an excess amount of human growth hormone. Put simply, he could not stop growing.

In 1993, at the age of 46, he died of heart failure in a Paris hotel room, the day after visiting his mother on her birthday and playing cards with some of his oldest friends in France.

His story is told in full in the gloriously in-depth 100-minute documentary Andre the Giant, which is available to stream now on Sky On Demand. As well as interviews with his family members and dozens of other wrestlers, director Jason Hehir was also able to sit down with WWE chairman and majority owner Vince McMahon.

McMahon's global empire was built on the foundations laid down in the mid to late-1980s, and specifically WrestleMania III. Specifically, Andre the Giant.

"He was a lot more subdued than I expected," Hehir told TV Insider of his initial meeting with McMahon. "I didn't know what to expect, but I've seen Vince McMahon the character. I've seen him being interviewed on television and in action at WWE events and on TV. I know what his public persona is. He was a lot more subdued, a lot more quiet, a lot more solemn.

"It was clear from the moment I stepped foot in his office how deadly serious he was of the story of Andre being told the right way. He has an enormous amount of reverence for Andre the Giant. I think part of that is due to the fact that his father, Vince McMahon Sr, was one of Andre's best friends. I think Vince is very cognizant that we have one chance to tell this story, and it has to be told the right way."

Andre The Giant is available to download on Sky On Demand now.