While many credit the invention of The Pedigree to Triple H, the move’s origin actually comes from Andre The Giant.
Andre The Giant invented the Pedigree when Triple H was just 8-years old! The legendary Frenchman used the move to great effect whilst working in Japan in 1977, with footage showing his using the move against Antonio Inoki.
Andre The Giant used The Pedigree for the first time on record during his match with Antonio Inoki in the NJPW Golden Fight Series 1977.
The main event of the show was an IWGP Heavyweight Championship clash between Antonio Inoki and Andre The Giant, and was one of two one-on-one encounters that year between the pair (although they competed in multiple tag team matches in 1977).
In the middle of the match, Andre The Giant shoved Inoki’s head between his legs, before grabbing at the Japanese legend’s wrists.
Walking towards the middle of the ring, he suddenly jumped into the air, falling to the ground and using his weight to drive Inoki’s head into the mat. The move was not given a name, but it is clear for all to see that this was what is now known as Triple H’s Pedigree.
The move was not used as a finisher, however. Inoki immediately sat up and grabbed his head after the impact, before Andre the Giant locked in a headlock.
The match ended via a double count out, meaning that Andre The Giant’s undefeated streak was kept alive, but not at the expense of Antonio Inoki’s reign as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion (Did you know that WWE refuses to acknowledge Antonio Inoki’s WWE Championship reign?).
It is unknown if Andre The Giant used the Pedigree prior to his fight with Antonio Inoki, but this is the first known footage of the move being hit.
However, this was not the inspiration for Triple H inventing his own Pedigree, as he came up with the idea of the move independently of Andre.
In fact, Triple H talked about how he invented the Pedigree in a recent interview with Loudwire – click the link to learn about how Triple H invented The Pedigree.