The gimmick was very much tongue-in-cheek, as the identities of the masked men were obvious to the fans but frustrating to heels when they were unable to prove them.

He was also beginning to develop health problems from the gigantism that caused his size that led him to having major back surgery and limited his wrestling ability at that time.

To illustrate the obviousness of the ruse, Heenan went so far as to introduce his "new team from Korea" on an episode of Jesse Ventura’s Body Shop.

[10] Later that night, Bobby Heenan sneaked around at ringside taking pictures of the Giant Machine to try to prove his true identity.

Due to the severity of the back injury, Mulligan was brought in to reduce André's wrestling role even further, thereby keeping the popular superstar on TV.

On the WWF show Tuesday Night Titans, Heenan claimed he knew of no Japanese wrestler who was 7'4" tall, weighed over 500 lbs and spoke with a French accent.

[20] In the following weeks the mystery of why André the Giant was reinstated built up until it was revealed that Bobby Heenan had arranged for the suspension to end so he could turn on Hulk Hogan in the buildup to WrestleMania III.