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At 7ft 4in tall and weighing more than 35 stone, Andre the Giant is one of the most iconic and instantly-recognisable wrestlers of all time.
Thousands of people travelled from all over the world just to see 'The Eighth Wonder of the World' up close.
A megastar of the 70s and 80s, Andre was famous for his feuds with legends like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase.
But behind the scenes, he was also famed for his drinking ability, able to put away remarkable amounts of booze in an incredibly short space of time.
Sadly, the 500-pounder passed away in 1993 due to heart failure, with some contributing his extraordinary drinking habits to his demise.
Here are some of Andre's most incredible drinking stories – told by those who knew him best.
108 beers in 45 minutes
The rivalry between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant defined WWE in the 80s.
Hogan body slamming the giant during their Wrestlemania 3 clash was an industry-defining moment – but despite being fierce enemies on-screen, the two were buddies off it.
During one interview, Hogan told an almost unbelievable story about Andre's appetite – revealing that the big man downed more than 100 beers in less than an hour at the Delta Crown Lounge.
He said: “I get a call. ‘Hey, boss, I’m at the Tampa airport. I’ve got a one-hour layover.’
"I was like OK, it’s 15 minutes or so from my mom’s house. So I drive over the airport and I met him at the Delta Crown Lounge.
"By the time we sat down, we had about 45 minutes before he had to walk to the next gate. He drank 108 12-ounce (350ml) beers.”
Six bottles of wine before a match
What was amazing about Andre was not only that he was able to drink an ungodly amount of booze, but that most of the time nobody could even tell.
Incredibly the giant would sometimes down spirits backstage before heading out to the ring.
Backstage WWE producer Gerald Brisco shared a story once about Andre asking to get him six bottles of wine at a show.
“There are a lot of crazy stories about Andre that sound fake but most are true, especially his drinking," Brisco said.
"Andre used to ask me to get him six bottles of Mateus wine and ice them down.
"He would drink those before we went to the ring and no one could tell. One night in Sarasota, Andre is traveling with us. So we pull over and get two cases of tall boys.
"By the time we get from Sarasota to the Tahitian Inn on Dale Mabry, the two cases were bone dry."
The $40,000 bar tab
As well as being an icon of the wrestling business, Andre also made a few appearances in films too, one of which was a cameo in cult classic The Princess Bride.
After the shooting of the film was over, Andre had reportedly racked up a $40,000 bar tab at his hotel and one of his co-stars, Cary Elwes, revealed another insane drinking story.
During a visit to a bar, Andre ordered what Elwes said was 'The American' – a concoction of "various liquors."
We couldn't even begin to guess what was in that dastardly cocktail, but Elwis said for Andre it was "like chugging water."
"I’ve never tasted airplane fuel," Elwes said.
"But I imagine it’s very close to what that must taste like. It’s very potent indeed, and I remember coughing a lot. But to him, it was like chugging water."
117 beers in one sitting
During an interview with American talk show host David Lettermen, the presenter asked Andre if it was true that he had once put away 117 beers in one sitting.
The giant nodded and replied: "Yes, one night."
After asking if he was drunk by the end of the night, Andre laughed and said: "I don't know, I passed out!"
Others have claimed that Andre actually drank 156 beers in one sitting – handing him an unofficial drinking record.
Andre also revealed in the interview that he no longer drank beer and had quit the beverage 14 months prior.
He still drank wine though, saying in the interview that he drank two or three bottles when he went out…
Well, at least he kicked the beer.
- WWE
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