Giant Machine was André the Giant in a mask. In 1986, the WWF used that deliberately obvious disguise to turn André’s suspension into a comic identity ruse, placing him alongside Super Machine (Bill Eadie) and Big Machine (Blackjack Mulligan). The Machines were a brief act—not a long-running faction—and their story blended a Japanese-inspired presentation with reported real-world concerns about André’s health and schedule.
Who were The Machines?
The core Machines were three established wrestlers presented under matching masked personas and managed by Captain Lou Albano:
| Machine persona | Performer | Role in the act |
|---|---|---|
| Giant Machine | André the Giant | The masked identity at the center of the storyline |
| Super Machine | Bill Eadie | A prominent in-ring member; the name echoed Eadie’s earlier Masked Superstar persona |
| Big Machine | Blackjack Mulligan | Added shortly after the group’s television arrival |
The WWF also used other Machine personas for allied or one-off appearances: Animal Machine, Hulk Machine, Piper Machine, and Crusher Machine. They were not part of the core trio.
How did the Giant Machine storyline work?
The story began after André failed to appear for a match with King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd. WWF President Jack Tunney suspended him in the storyline. André then returned wearing a mask as Giant Machine, while manager Bobby Heenan, Bundy, and Studd tried to prove that the newcomer was André and secure a permanent suspension.
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The mystery was transparent to viewers: Giant Machine looked and moved like André. The joke was that Heenan could see the truth but struggled to establish it within the story. The mask was therefore less a serious disguise than a comic device for stretching out André’s return and frustrating Heenan.
Why did André wrestle as Giant Machine?
The suspension was a fictional plot point, not an explanation of André’s actual circumstances. Retrospective accounts describe him as dealing with health problems and having a planned tour of Japan around this period. They also describe the masked team as giving him a lighter tag-team role. The addition of Mulligan as Big Machine meant André could remain visible on WWF television without carrying as much of the in-ring workload.
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Those accounts provide context, but they do not establish a single definitive reason for creating the act. The angle worked on screen as comedy; off screen, André’s health and schedule are reported factors rather than confirmed sole causes.
What inspired the Japanese presentation?
The masked identities and Japan framing echoed New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Super Strong Machine, the character played by Junji Hirata. The WWF presented its masked wrestlers as a team from Japan even though viewers could recognize the performers. That contrast helped make the identity storyline knowingly absurd: the audience did not need to solve who was under the masks to enjoy Heenan’s attempts to expose them.
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When did The Machines appear, and how did the act end?
The Machines arrived on WWF television in the summer of 1986. Super Machine wrestled while Giant Machine initially remained at ringside; Big Machine joined shortly afterward. The group mostly faced members of Heenan’s faction, with occasional six-person matches and brief appearances by other Machine personas. A retrospective history dates the act’s final match to October 1986.
After the final broadcast, André was announced as reinstated in late November. The Machines were a short chapter between his suspension storyline and the WWF story that led toward his 1987 heel turn and challenge to Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III.
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Further reading
For broader context on the WWF of the 1980s, see Brian Shields’s Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s (4th edition, Pocket Books, 2006). It is an account of the era, not a book devoted specifically to The Machines.
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