In addition to being one of the most well-known professional wrestlers of all-time, Andre the Giant was also a legend when it came to consuming alcohol. There are countless stories about the 550-pounder drinking more than 100 beers in a sitting in hotel lobbies, but apparently he liked to catch a good buzz before getting into the ring, too.
In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times (that has apparently since been deleted), retired wrestler Gerald Brisco claimed Andre used to drink multiple bottles of wine before a match.
“Andre used to ask me to get him six bottles of Mateus wine and ice them down,” Brisco said, according to Timothy Burke of Deadspin. “He would drink those before we went to the ring and no one could tell.”
For a guy who can supposedly drink 150 beers before passing out, six bottles of wine isn’t much. Brisco says he also witnessed plenty of the legendary beer-drinking antics.
“One night in Sarasota, Andre is traveling with us. So we pull over and get two cases of tall boys,” he recalled. “By the time we get from Sarasota to the Tahitian Inn on Dale Mabry, the two cases were bone dry.”
Man, what I wouldn’t give to see Wade Boggs and Andre the Giant in a drinking competition.
