Hulk Hogan Came Up With Idea For Paul Wight To Be Andre The Giant’s Son In WCW
Paul Wight was brought into WCW to be the son of Andre The Giant by Hulk Hogan, according to the former WCW boss.
Hulk Hogan was behind the signing of Wight and wanted him to be billed as Andre The Giant’s son, pushing the 7 foot Superstar to the very top of the company.
Wight spent four years working for WCW after signing in 1995. His first match was a battle with Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, which ended in disqualification and started a long feud between the pair.
The rivalry ended after the creation of the NWO which Wight briefly joined before battling with Kevin Nash.
Eric Bischoff was discussing the signing of Paul Wight on a recent episode of 83 Weeks, and opened up on how the deal came about.
The former Senior Vice President of WCW discussed how Hogan had met The Giant at a charity sporting event and wanted to bring him in.
“Hulk was the one that really brought Paul in. I can’t remember the details of how they came together, I think Hulk was at a charity basketball game in Chicago, and Paul was playing on that game,”
“Hogan caught sight of Paul and thought Paul was interested in wrestling. I don’t know enough of the details to even sketch it out, but at the end of that conversation it was Hulk Hogan who said, ‘Hey you got to see what I found.’ Hulk was so excited about Paul White.”
Bischoff would go on to discuss the thinking behind Hogan’s decision to introduce Wight as Andre The Giant’s son, explaining that the Six-Time WWE Champion would look at rivalries that had worked for him in the past and adapt them into a fresh storyline.
Hulk Hogan and Andre shared one of wrestling’s most iconic moments during their match at WrestleMania 3, as Hulkamania ran wild when Hogan lifted and slammed the over 500 pound Andre.
“Hulk or anybody else that’s been successful is going to go with what they know. What’s worked for me in the past? How do I recreate that? Make it feel a little different, but do something that I believe the audience is going to respond to based on my experience in the past. Which is not a bad way to make a decision, generally,”
“Hulk wanted him to be the son of Andre, or whatever he was. That was all Hulk, so there was no discussion of maybe we should make him something else. That never happened.”
Paul Wight joined WWE in 1999 and become a Grand Slam Champion. The 2015 Andre The Giant Memorial winner is now working with AEW and has recently discussed who he would like to face as he plans for an in-ring return.
H/t to WrestlingInc