Author: Drinking has always played a significant role in the world of professional wrestling. From legendary tales of Andre the Giant drinking tankards the size of tanks to cautionary tales for future generations, like a good BBQ marinade, the industry is soaked in beer and whisky.
Hell, arguably the most popular superstar of all time’s gimmick was throwing a beer bash while his stunned opponent lays at his feet. So it makes perfect sense that in this recent wave of celebrity-endorsed beverages, wrestlers should get in on the act.
So pour yourself a tipple of your choice and enjoy this list of wrestler-owned or endorsed beverages!
1. The Undertaker And Ultimate Warrior
In September of 2020, in a move no one saw coming, WWE decided to release two bottles of wine to the world. A Cabernet Sauvignon based on The Undertaker and a Zinfandel based on the Ultimate Warrior.
“It was an amazing experience to collaborate with the team at Wines That Rock on this special Ultimate Warrior wine project,” Dana Warrior said on the collaboration between WWE and Wines That Rock.
“From the quality of the wine to the unique bottle, label, and signature wax colors, it was clear they were committed to capturing his essence and honoring his legacy with impeccable attention to every detail.”
As for the Deadman, his wine consists of a 30-barrel production to tie in with his 30th anniversary with the WWE.
Sadly, although he was quoted as picking each grape individually and stomping them with his size 16 feet while guesting on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull sessions, this may have just been some gentle joking on the part of The Phenom.
Undertaker Cabernet Sauvignon and Ultimate Warrior Zinfindel can be purchased here.
2. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho has made no secret that he is a massive fan of the movie “This Is Spinal Tap.
His band Fozzy later started as a comedy rock troupe, not unlike Tufnell, Smalls, and St Hubbins, with each member playing their own character, Chris himself as frontman “Mongoose McQueen.”
After winning his first AEW championship at the inaugural All Out, the man of 1004 holds coined his next legendry line during the latest tribute.
After mimicking Nigel Tufnell’s disdain at the backstage catering, like how some olives have a “little guy” inside while others do not, Chris spotted a bottle of champagne, and his acknowledgment of “A little bit of the bubbly!” became an overnight sensation.
“Did I plan it as a big catchphrase? Of course not,” Jericho admitted on his Talk Is Jericho podcast, reliving the moment his off cuff line became a sensation.
“It’s just me walking around backstage trying to think of stuff to say that’s entertaining and funny.”
Jericho continued, “The first one I saw was on Twitter, and it was the Lou Bega of Mabo No. 5. I just thought that was the dumbest thing I had ever seen in my life.
“I was definitely going to put it up on my Twitter, and somehow Nita Strauss from Alice Cooper‘s band and her boyfriend Josh DM’d me that one, so I was able to save it on my phone and post it on Instagram.
“We were doing Fozzy shows, I don’t really encourage wrestling chants, but I can hear the crowd going, ‘A LITTLE BIT OF THE BUBBLY!’
“Of course, everyone tries to say it like me. Now I was trying to say it like Jim Carrey, just to be an idiot, but that’s the beauty of it. People are trying to use the voice, which makes it even funnier!”
Luckily, Arrow star and friend of Cody Rhodes, Stephen Amell, is the founder and co-owner of Nocking Point Wine and got straight to work on capitalizing on the meme.
“It came together remarkably fast,” said Amell, speaking to Wine Spectator.
This thing went from a viral sensation to wine being finished and television being produced around it within six weeks.
“Now we can say ‘A little bit of the bubbly’ with A Little Bit of the Bubbly!” jokes Jericho, proudly.
“How ridiculously cool is that? It tastes good. You can catch a little buzz off of it. You can spray some across the room—you can all feel a little bit like Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle!
“There is a cool factor here with ‘A Little Bit of the Bubbly,'” says Jericho in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “And let’s be honest—unless it’s pure crap, they all pretty much taste the same. This is a good-tasting wine, and the packaging is amazing.
“Iron Maiden has Trooper Beer, and I bought a case of it when it came out because the label is so cool. It’s not the best beer I’ve ever had, it’s not the worst either, but it’s good—and it’s cool to have some. That’s what we’re doing with the bubbly.
“It’s tasty, but more importantly, it’s the cool factor and the presentation.”
Chris Jericho’s A Little Bit of the Bubbly by Nocking Point Wines can be purchased here.
3. Niles Plonk
Kraig Keesaman had been wrestling since 1999 under many gimmicks and guises, but it wasn’t until 2016 when he took the old wrestling adage of taking his true self and amplifying it.
With that kind of background, it only made sense for Kraig to enhance his knowledge of wine snobbery and create an uptight, vino aficionado heel persona named Niles Plonk.
“Basically, every negative stereotype you can think about wine is him: snob, hoity-toity, uptight, better than everybody, he’s definitely a bad guy,” said Niles, speaking to Wine Spectator.
“Niles is kind of a cliché name—no offense to anyone named Niles—for that type of snobbery, [and] obviously Plonk is a reference to the wine world. He likes to correct people and tell them that it’s Plonké.”
Despite being a very successful winemaker and using his carrier to help bring “Class in a glass” to the ring, Keesaman is also adamant that he isn’t an utterly villainous egotist, unlike his wrestling persona.
“Our personalities are completely different. I’m not a bad guy; I’m not an elitist in the least bit. To me, wine is not a social status; wine is about having fun with your peers and opening up.”
You can purchase wine from “The Connoisseur” Niles Plonk’s Windy City Wines here.
4. Carmella
We all know that ‘Mella is money, but the first winner of the women’s Money in the Bank and former WWE Women’s Champion is quite the entrepreneur.
Wine has always played a large part in Van Dale’s life, as she revealed in an interview with winemag.com.
“Sunday dinners were a weekly occurrence growing up. Even as kids, we had a glass of wine with our pasta. It was just normal for us and not at all a big deal.
“I would say, in my adult life, when I was living in L.A. and dancing for the Lakers, a few of my girlfriends and I were just sitting in my little bungalow in Laurel Canyon and drinking some wine with cheese and crackers, and we stayed there all night talking and laughing together.
“I loved that feeling the wine provided for us to all be able to sit and converse.”
Leah’s Italian heritage and brash screen personality combined to help name her brand, as “Capo Canga” translates to “Boss Bitch.”
“I don’t like to tell anyone what to expect from my wines, other than the fact that they taste amazing. I want for my wine to make everyone embrace their inner ‘boss bitch,’ whatever that means to them individually.”
“It’s all about embracing the boss bitch that you are. You could be working 9 to 5, on Wall Street, a stay-at-home parent, or a broke college student searching for a job.
“My wine isn’t going to break the bank, but it will make you feel like a million bucks. Bougie on a budget.”
Carmella’s Capo Canga Wine can be purchased here.
5. The Good Brothers – Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows
Much like the glasses you wear to watch a 3D movie, or the soundbar plugged into your television to enjoy stereo sound, The Good Brother’s Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have their own method to help enhance the entertainment of their products. Booze!
“[We’re working with] Leatherwood Distillery out of Tennessee,” revealed Gallows on the Talk is Jericho podcast.
“Talk N Shop Whiskey, coming your way! I think we’ll be drinking it by the next Talk N Shop pay-per-view. It’s good. I got s***-faced, felt terrible in the morning. You’re gonna love it.”
The whisky, of course, is just another business endeavor the two have put together since being released by WWE last year.
Their can-do attitude has paved the path to help them enjoy quite possibly the most successful year in the duo’s career despite the pandemic.
Gallows continued to explain his approach to building an empire to entrepreneur.com.
“We like to have a drink, but now we’re in the [drink] business, and we’re figuring all this out. We’re figuring out liquor laws, and, you know, can we ship this stuff here? And how does this work?”
Gallows continued, admitting, “We knew nothing about any of this. We just went, ‘Well, we want to have a whiskey, and we have a cool brand, and we know we’re great.’ So there’s a lot of flying by the seat of your pants. It’s not always gonna be perfect, but you can’t take no for an answer. No’s just another question.”
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson of The Good Brothers’ Talk’n Shop Bourbon Whiskey can be purchased here.
6. Chavo Guerrero
Viva la Raza! If you need some liquid courage to aid you in lying, cheating, and stealing, then look no further than Chavo Guerrero Jr.’s Los Guerreros lager!
Brought to you by the Alosta Brewing Co., Los Guerreros celebrates over 80 years of one of pro wrestling’s most famous families.
“When I do something, I don’t do it half-a**ed. I do it 100 percent,” said Chavo on Chris Van Vilet’s Insight podcast as he explained the origins of his family beer.
“If you put your name on anything you do, whether I’m washing a car or building a house, I’m putting my name on it. So if I can’t do it like a pro or better than a pro, I’ll hire someone. I won’t do it.
“My beer, for instance, I teamed up with a brewing company called Alosta Brewing Company in California. They had this master brewer, who was kind of one of the first homebrewers in the 1980s, he’s been around.
“So I was tasting their beers, and I was like, wow! These beers are incredible! They’re great! I’m a beer drinker, and I love it, you know.
“We went back and forth about a year, and they came up with this really awesome recipe.”
Brewed with Yucatan salt and lime, Los Guerreros is said to be relatively light and refreshing, so perfect for the summertime when you’re out enjoying some Latino heat.
Los Guerreros Mexican style lager by Chavo Guerrero Jr. can be purchased here.
7. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
If you want to get a repost from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on social media, it’s pretty simple, really. Record yourself enjoying his Teremana Tequila!
“Tequila has been in my family for a very long time,” said The Great One, speaking to CNBC about the genesis of his business venture.
“I’ve always been a tequila drinker, an enjoyer, if you will, for the good times, the not-so-good times, and everything in between. So it was about ten years ago I thought it would be a good idea for us to go into the spirits business.
“I just wanted to take my time and do it right, surround myself with the best partners.”
Johnson continued, “About three or four years ago, we decided to put our best foot forward and started to put all the pieces together.”
The People’s Champ’s latest gift to, well, the people, is to help people support their local restaurants with his “Guac On The Rock” scheme, giving customers free Guacamole with every Terremana cocktail.
You can find where to purchase Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Teremana Tequila on their website here.
8. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Like any great pay-per-view of the late ’90s, we’re ending our list with a good old-fashioned beer bash with Stone Cold Steve Austin.
“Way back in the day when I was doing WWE, we were going to come up with a Stone Cold beer. We were pretty far into the project, and it imploded. So, all these years later, I’ve always wanted to come out with my own beer.”
Austin continued, “I drank light beer for 30 years of my life. It’s good. I’ve got no problems with it, but I started drinking the craft beer because I [wanted to] try some of these things that I’ve been seeing laying around the store and experience what the craft beer movement is all about.
In the wrestling world, you had WWE, WCW, and smaller promotions that were like the independents. I look at it as craft beer being the independent beer makers.
“It’s the indie scene. You could be as little as you want or as big as you want. I started drinking these beers, started off with the pale ales, and then graduated to the IPAs, and that’s just what really resonated with me: the hops.
“We went down to Texas to look for some breweries because that’s where I’m from, but everyone was at capacity or had their own plan going on.
“We hooked up with El Segundo Brewing Company, which is just right down the road from where I live. We went in there and had a meeting with Rob Croxall, the owner and founder. We talked about doing a collaboration thing. I liked him. He liked me. I said, ‘Hey, let’s do this project. Let’s come up with an IPA.’
“He concocted this formula. He presented it to me. We went down, and we brewed that batch of beer — I poured all the ingredients in — and a month later, I came back, and we tasted the beer.
“I was really nervous when we were about to drink this beer because we’re trying to come up with a really, really good IPA that I’m going to put my name on.
“Who knows how long it’s going to take to do this? We’re sitting at the bar, and he pours us both a glass. I hesitated for about five or six seconds, and I said, ‘That’s a good f***in’ beer.’
“I took another swig. I had to confirm what I’d just tasted: ‘Man, that’s a good f***in’ beer!’
On April 1st, 2021, Austin revealed he was working on a banana-flavored hard seltzer!
Fortunately, it turned out the Texas Rattlesnake was only April Fools ribbing his fans and that Broken Skull will be producing a larger shortly.
Perhaps the Bionic Redneck can take a note from his own book and dispense free samples to his fans using the same technique he used to give free beer back on the March 22nd, 1999 edition of Raw.
You can find where you can purchase Steve Austin’s Broken Skull IPA from El Segundo Brewing Company on their website here.
This article is not a paid endorsement for any of the above brands. If you purchase any of the above after reading our article, do let them know we sent you!
These stories may also interest you:
- Asuka and Her Surprising Life Outside of Wrestling
- 4 Wrestlers Who Live Unique Lives Outside of the Ring
- Lou Thesz INC. – The Arcane Business Ventures of a Champion Wrestler
We have hundreds of great Pro Wrestling Stories, but of course, you can’t read them all today. Sign up to unlock ten pro wrestling stories curated uniquely for YOU, plus subscriber-exclusive content. A special gift from us awaits after signing up!
Want More? Choose another story!
Be sure to follow us on Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, and Flipboard!
Pro Wrestling Stories is committed to accurate, unbiased wrestling content rigorously fact-checked and verified by our team of researchers and editors. Any inaccuracies are quickly corrected, with updates timestamped in the article's byline header.
Got a correction, tip, or story idea for Pro Wrestling Stories? Contact us! Learn about our editorial standards here.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps us provide free content for you to enjoy!
