Hulk Hogan (Terry Gene Bollea) died of a heart attack on July 24, 2025. During his lifetime, he became the most recognizable wrestling star in history. But every story has a beginning, and Hogan’s international career began as the “runner” for Andre the Giant.

When Hogan began his wrestling career in the late 1970s, Andre the Giant was the biggest name in the business. Years later, Hogan still referred to him as “the boss” in interviews. Hogan got his break when the WWF sent him on a Japan Pro-Wrestling tour. The headliner? Andre the Giant. There was only one catch: Hogan had to do whatever Andre said.

Andre loved the six-figure paychecks he got for his Japanese appearances. But he struggled with the size of everything from vehicles to beds to bathrooms. He reportedly tore the door off one hotel room bathroom so he could sit on the toilet with his legs extended into the rest of the room.

Finding transportation for the 7-foot-5, 500-pound wrestler was a challenge. The promoters ended up buying a bus and removing several rows of seats at the back to create a cabin large enough for Andre. But this solution created another problem.

Hulk Hogan started as Andre the Giant’s ‘runner’

Hogan later told Fox News that Andre didn’t like climbing out of his cramped bus: “It was too hard for him to get up and down from his seat.” So Andre declared the rookie Hogan his errand boy. Hogan explained, “I used to sit in front of him on the bus. I was his ‘runner.’ If he needed something, I would get up.”

What did Andre the Giant need? Usually beer. Hogan said the Giant could drink like nobody’s business, once polishing off 108 12-ounce cans during a 45-minute airport layover. No, that’s not a typo. Andre drank cans of beer like shots. His unofficial record was 156 cans in a single sitting.

Hogan explained, “You’ve got to realize that a 12-ounce beer he can put in his hand and hide it. You can’t see the beer in his hand.”

In Japan, Andre preferred tallboys of American beer, such as Budweiser. He always had at least one flat of 24 cans at his feet. Whenever he drained one, he would crush it flat in his massive hand and throw it at the back of young Hogan’s head. It was Hogan’s job to keep count of the cans thrown his way. Imagine throwing empty beer cans at Hulk Hogan’s head—and living to tell the tale. Life’s a bit different when you’re Andre the Giant.

Whenever Andre’s beer supply was running low, Hogan had to signal the bus driver to stop, run into the nearest convenience store, buy all the beer they had, and lug it onboard the bus.

Andre always laughed his iconic laugh while watching Hogan scramble around the foreign country to re-up his booze supply.

Andre the Giant’s boozy birthday

Hogan never forgot a wild story that occurred on Andre’s birthday. “I went down to the bus at 7 o’clock.” The driver told him, “‘Hogan, it’s Andre’s birthday.’”

Hogan’s response: “I ran down to a little fish restaurant where my buddy lived upstairs… I said, ‘I need a case of wine for the boss.’ So he gave me Pouilly-Fuissé, a French—a very strong French wine. Twelve bottles. I zip back to the bus, I’m on the bus a quarter-to-eight. Here comes the boss, Andre. ‘Andre! Happy birthday, brother!’ I gave him the French wine.”

Less than three hours later, Hogan was jolted. “He kicked my seat, he goes, ‘Hogan, piss stop!’”

Hogan’s response: “Darn Andre, it’s only 10:30, we’ve only been driving a couple hours… give me a hit off of that wine you’ve got.”

That’s when Andre said, “All gone!”

“What? You drank 12 bottles of wine in two-and-a-half hours?”

[Sources: Fox News, CBS News, and Drunkard.com] See another one of Hulk Hogan’s Andre the Giant memories in the video embedded below: