Eric Bischoff Details Hulk Hogan’s Role In Launching Paul Wight’s WCW Career

Posted By: Ben Kerin on Nov 23, 2025

Paul Wight’s first steps into wrestling were unlike anything most newcomers experience. At just 23, with only a small amount of training from the WCW Power Plant, he was launched into the spotlight in WCW as The Giant, introduced as the son of Andre the Giant. From the moment he arrived, he was placed at the centre of the Dungeon of Doom’s wild feud with Hulk Hogan, creating chaos almost every week. His early run even saw him briefly win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and take part in the infamous moment where he fell from the roof of Cobo Hall after the Sumo Monster Truck battle with Hogan.

Eric Bischoff recently looked back on those early days during an episode of 83 Weeks, highlighting how central Hogan was to shaping Wight’s career. Hogan had been the one to discover him and immediately pushed for WCW to bring him in.

"I mean, Paul came to WCW through Hulk," Bischoff said. "I think Hulk met him in Chicago at a charity event of some kind, and was so impressed with him that I probably got the phone call the next day. And once Paul came into WCW, he was...he was a project for Hulk. Hulk saw so much in him, again, because of the experience Hulk had with Andre the Giant.

"This, I think in Hulk's mind at the time, was 'Ah, we have another one.' And he had so much success with Andre, obviously his match with Andre the Giant, really, in Hulk's mind I think, largely responsible for Hulk's success. This was just another way to recapture some of that magic. He saw the opportunity in Paul. So he...Hulk was hands on in just about every aspect of Paul Wight's career once he got to WCW."