Eric Bischoff – Hulk Hogan Pitched Paul Wight Being Andre’s Son In WCW

The idea for Paul Wight to be the son of Andre the Giant in WCW came from none other than Hulk Hogan, according to Eric Bischoff.

Wight joined WCW in 1995, seeking ‘revenge’ on Hogan for defeating Andre with the infamous body slam at WrestleMania 3 in 1987.

On a recent episode of “83 Weeks,” Eric Bischoff recalled Hogan discovering Wight and pitching the idea of the Giant being the son of Andre. He said,

“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 Wight.”

“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.”

Wight would join the WWF in 1999 but the promotion would not reference his false connection to Andre the Giant.

In 1999, Wight would feud with the Big Boss Man, who mocked Wight’s father passing away in the storyline. Wight’s actual father, who was not Andre, had died years earlier.

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