Andre Rene Roussimoff was larger than life, literally. He was billed at 7 feet, 4 inches tall and weighed more than 500 pounds. Better known as Andre the Giant, he was a legendary professional wrestler in the WWF in the 1970s and 1980s and starred in the hit movie "The Princess Bride." He was also known for his larger-than-life appetite, including for alcohol. Andre the Giant was known for consuming 7,000 calories a day in just alcohol. Moreover, according to WWE Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco, Andre would even drink six bottles of wine before wrestling — with no one being able to tell. His ability to drink beers was also record-breaking.
There are several stories that illustrate his prowess when it comes to downing beers. In a 1984 appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman," Andre confirmed, when asked by Letterman, that he drank 117 beers in one sitting, noting that he couldn't remember if he was drunk as he thinks he "passed out." Another story involved Andre drinking more than 125 beers in New Orleans with Harley Race, as told by journalist Bill Apter to WWE. During the "Legends of Wrestling" series, wrestler Mike Graham spoke of how Andre once drank 156 beers in one sitting, which fellow wrestlers Dusty Rhodes and Michael Hayes confirmed.
A record that's tough to beat
Although Andre the Giant's beer-drinking feats were never recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records (who also stopped publishing drinking records in 2004, despite being created by that Guinness, makers of the most popular Irish beer), it is widely accepted that he is the record holder for the most beers consumed in one sitting. It's also a record that's unlikely to be broken anytime soon, if ever.
Competitive eating and drinking champion Peter Dowdeswell probably came the closest to Andre the Giant's beer-drinking record. He set a record for downing 90 pints in 3 hours. Then there's baseball hall-of-Famer Wade Boggs, who's known to enjoy his beer, especially when flying. According to Charlie Day, during an episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimy Fallon," Wade Boggs confirmed to him while filming an episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (where the gang tries to beat Bogg's record for number of beers during a flight) that his record for beers while flying across the country was actually 107, though that included pre- and post-flight drinks as well.