When Andre the Giant requested time off from WWE to tend to his health and to do a tour of Japan, the company came up with a storyline where he was suspended for failing to show up for a match. Upon his return to the United States, WWE had him wearing a mask to avoid the "suspension". He went by the name of Giant Machine, and he teamed up with masked versions of Hulk Hogan, Blackjack Mulligan and Demolition Ax.