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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
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Jack Thurlow & Graeme Murray

WWE legend 7ft 4ins Andre the Giant so huge he drank 108 beers in 45 minutes

He was instantly recognisable as he towered over everyone at 7ft 4in tall.

But it's not just his height or his 35 stone weight that made French WWE wrestler Andre the Great remarkable.

He also had a vast capacity for drinking beers and once drank 108 beers in 45 minutes.

And fans travelled from around the world travelled to catch a glimpse of the 'The Eighth Wonder of the World' up close.

The 70s and 80s megastar was also known 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.

Andre the Giant and Jake the Snake fight in New York City 1987 during WWE (John Barrett/photolink/Mediapunch/REX/Shutterstock)

Sadly, the 500-pounder passed away in 1993 due to heart failure, with some contributing his extraordinary drinking habits to his demise.

But some of his most incredible drinking stories are told by those who knew him best.

The Daily Star reports Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant rivalry defined WWE in the 1980s.

Hogan revealed Andre downed more than 100 beers in less than an hour.

He said: “I get a call. ‘Hey, boss, I’m at the Tampa airport. I’ve got a one-hour layover.’

Andre The Giant, Mandy Patinkin and Wallace Shawn (Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)

"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.”

The astonishing thing nobody could tell he had drank the huge volume of booze.

And he would also down spirits backstage before getting into the ring.

Backstage WWE producer Gerald Brisco once told how Andre asked to get him six bottles of wine a fight.

Andre the Giant and Big John Studd in New York (Adam Scull/REX/Shutterstock)
He fights during Wrestlemania V at Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1989 (Getty Images)

“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 travelling 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 giant also had a few film appearances including in cult classic The Princess Bride.

Famous French wrestlers, (L) Cheri-Bibi and (R) Andre Roussimoff, aka Andre the Giant (Corbis/VCG via Getty Images)

But after filming was finished he is said to have notched up a £33,000 ($40,000) bar tab at his hotel with co stars, Cary Elwes

He recalled how Du 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 Elwes 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."

On chat show David Lettermen, the presenter asked if it was true that he had drank 117 beers in one sitting.

Andre The Giant acting in The Princess Bride (Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)

Andre 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!"

There have been other clams the giant actually drank 156 beers in one session which makes it an unofficial drinking record.

In the same interview Andre, however, said he no longer beer had quit 14 months ago.

But a taste still remained for wine he admitted in the interview and had two or three bottles when he went out.

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