3 Myths About Andre the Giant That Are Actually True

In a world of scripted fights and predetermined outcomes, Andre the Giant was the only special effect that was 100% real.

If you ask any wrestling fan about the 1970s and 80s, the conversation eventually turns to folklore. Wrestling history is filled with tall tales—stories that have been exaggerated over decades to make the heroes seem larger than life.

But when the subject is André René Roussimoff—better known as Andre the Giant—the usual rules don’t apply.

Standing 7’4” and weighing over 500 pounds, Andre was a walking anomaly. He was a man who lived in a world made for people half his size. And while wrestling promoters were busy inventing storylines, Andre was busy living a life that was stranger than fiction. 

Here are three of the most famous "myths" about the Giant that, according to those who were there, actually happened.

1. The 156-Beer Night

The Myth:

The story sounds physically impossible. It claims that Andre once consumed over 100 beers in a single sitting without passing out or dying of alcohol poisoning. It’s the kind of number you’d expect from a cartoon character, not a human being. 

The Reality:

It actually happened.

The most famous account comes from fellow wrestlers Mike Graham and Dusty Rhodes. They claim that one night, during a particularly long session, Andre consumed 156 beers in one sitting. That is roughly 14 gallons of liquid. 

For an average human, this amount would be lethal. For Andre, whose body was essentially a massive processing machine due to his size, it was just a way to pass the time.

The Sad Truth: While the story is often told as a party legend, friends of Andre have noted that he didn't drink to get "drunk" in the traditional sense. He often drank to numb the chronic, excruciating joint pain caused by his condition.

2. Flipping a Car With His Bare Hands

The Myth:

Legend has it that Andre was once provoked by some rowdy patrons at a bar. When the men realized they had angered a literal giant, they ran to their car and locked the doors for safety. Andre, not ready to let the conversation end, simply reached down and flipped the vehicle over—with the men inside.

The Reality:

This story has been confirmed by multiple wrestling historians. Andre was generally known as a "Gentle Giant" who avoided confrontation because he knew he could accidentally hurt "normal" people. But when pushed? He had the hydraulic power of a forklift.

There are also confirmed accounts of him moving friends' cars as a practical joke. He would lift the rear of a small car and pivot it so it was wedged between a tree and a building, leaving the owner with no way to drive it out. To Andre, a Honda Civic had the approximate weight of a barstool.

3. Treating The Terminator Like a Toddler

The Myth:

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the benchmark for human strength. The myth is that Andre once picked up the bodybuilding icon like a small child in the middle of a restaurant.

The Reality:

Arnold Schwarzenegger has told this story himself on multiple talk shows. 

He and Andre were filming Conan the Destroyer and went out for dinner. When the check came, Arnold quietly tried to slip his credit card to the waiter. Andre, who was notoriously generous and insisted on paying for his friends, boomed, "I PAY."

When Arnold tried to argue, Andre didn't debate him. He simply lifted the Terminator out of his chair and set him on top of a nearby car (or back in his seat, depending on the version) so he could pay the bill in peace. It was a rare moment where the strongest man in Hollywood looked like a little boy.

The Reality Check

While these stories are entertaining, they highlight the tragedy behind the legend. Andre suffered from acromegaly, a disorder where the body never stops producing growth hormone. 

The same condition that made him a global superstar and a millionaire also made his life incredibly difficult. He couldn't fit in airplane bathrooms. He couldn't sleep in standard hotel beds. He lived in a world made of cardboard.

Andre passed away in 1993, but his footprint on the industry is permanent.