Paul Wight has shared a wild behind the scenes story from his early days in wrestling, recalling the moment Hulk Hogan personally called him out after an unexpected high flying move in Japan.

During an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Wight explained how he once pushed the limits of what a seven foot giant was “supposed” to do inside the ring. While competing in Japan, Wight hit a shocking dropkick off the top rope, showing off athleticism that went against the traditional big man style many veterans expected.

That decision quickly caught the attention of Hogan, whose real name Terry Bollea appeared in a message waiting for Wight back at his hotel.

“I had Hogan call me in Japan. I threw a dropkick in Japan off the top rope and hit Yasuda with it. And I got to my room, there was a blinking light in my hotel, in my room, and the message says, please call Mr. Bollea when you get to your room. Oh, hell, they didn’t even Hulk it. It’s Mr. Bollea. Sh*t, I’m in trouble. So I called Terry collect, Japan, back then. He goes, ‘brother, did you just do a dropkick off the top rope in Japan?’ I went, ‘Yeah, I did.’ He just, ‘brother, you ever do that again, I’ll never work with you.’ Click.”

The moment summed up the pressure Wight faced early in his career. Veterans wanted him to follow a strict blueprint, modeling himself after legendary giants like Andre the Giant, Kane, and The Undertaker, rather than embracing his unique blend of size and agility.

“There were guys that they wanted Andre, you know, I wasn’t Andre. I wasn’t Kane or Taker either. Those guys are tremendous athletes. Like Kane and Taker, in my opinion, they’re the two of the best big men ever. So I wasn’t them either. I was kind of a weird hybrid. So we tried to find along the way.”

Wight also revealed that Vince McMahon once fined him 500 dollars for jumping over the top rope, reinforcing the idea that giants were expected to wrestle in a slower, grounded style.

Interestingly, Hogan’s influence showed up again later in Wight’s career in a very different way. When auditioning for the role of Captain Insano in The Waterboy alongside Adam Sandler, Wight admitted he landed the part by doing a full Hogan impression.

“I just took the verbiage and did Hogan, ripped him off, and then she said, ‘oh my God, that’s what we’re looking for. That’s it. Congratulations, you’re Captain Insano.’ Oh, I’m like, okay, what did I just do?”