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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsArnold Schwarzenegger’s version of the story is simple: when he tried to pay for dinner in Mexico City, Andre the Giant lifted him onto a cabinet and paid the bill himself. Later retellings add Wilt Chamberlain and a trip out to the car, but that ending is not in the interview transcript where Schwarzenegger tells the story directly.
What happened at the restaurant?
Schwarzenegger recalled that Andre took him to dinner after wrestling matches in Mexico City. Arnold tried to pay as a thank-you for the tickets and hospitality. Andre refused, lifted him “like a little kid,” placed him on a cabinet or credenza, and settled the bill.
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In his conversation with Rich Eisen, Schwarzenegger said he and Wilt Chamberlain had attended Andre’s matches while they were in Mexico City filming. He described trying to pick up the check and Andre putting him out of reach. Schwarzenegger later called the incident “Absolutely hilarious.” Read the Rich Eisen Show transcript.
Why was Arnold Schwarzenegger in Mexico City?
Schwarzenegger’s interview places the dinner during a period when he was filming in Mexico City and Andre was wrestling there. Later accounts identify the production as Conan the Destroyer, the second Conan film, and describe several dinners involving Schwarzenegger, Andre, and Wilt Chamberlain. The interview transcript itself does not name the film. A later account identifies the film as Conan the Destroyer.
How does the car-roof version differ?
There are two endings in circulation, and they should not be treated as one verified sequence.
| Account | What it says | Source detail |
|---|---|---|
| Schwarzenegger’s Rich Eisen interview | Andre lifted Arnold onto a cabinet or credenza, then paid for dinner. | The direct interview transcript does not include the car-roof ending. Transcript. |
| Later expanded retelling | Arnold secretly gave his credit card to the waiter; after Andre objected, Andre and Wilt reportedly carried him outside and sat him on the car roof. | This fuller ending appears in later secondary accounts, including a 2023 compilation. Pro Wrestling Stories’ 2023 account. |
| TheWrap’s 2018 summary | Andre picked Arnold up and put him on an armoire “like he was a rag doll” after Arnold tried to pay. | A shorter description of the dinner anecdote in coverage of the HBO documentary. TheWrap’s report. |
The cabinet scene is supported by Schwarzenegger’s interview. The car-roof scene belongs to expanded later versions, not the direct transcript.
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What details are known—and what remains unclear?
- Arnold’s reported weight: Schwarzenegger said he weighed 235 pounds at the time. That is his recollection in the interview, not an independent measurement tied to the incident. Rich Eisen Show transcript.
- Restaurant: The reviewed accounts do not identify its name.
- Date: The exact dinner date is not given.
- Verification: The anecdote is Schwarzenegger’s account, repeated in later reports; the reviewed sources do not independently verify every physical detail.
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