Eric Bischoff has stated that he believes Paul Wight as ‘The Giant’ never really clicked during his 5 years with WCW.
Speaking on his 83 Weeks podcast, Bischoff was breaking down an episode of WCW Nitro from 1997 when the subject turned to AEW’s latest signing Paul Wight.
Surprisingly, Bischoff never really saw Wight as the A+ player that many believe him to have been during his run with WCW which included holding the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and joining the New World Order in 1996.
Giant [Paul Wight] never really clicked, he never clicked in WCW. It just wasn’t there for some reason. Despite the fact he’d a very successful and long career in WWE, he was never really a big star, he was never ‘the face’.
He was never the guy that was in 3, 4 or 5 main events of pay-per-views a year. He just wasn’t that guy, he was an important guy and a talented individual and a good human being – I like Paul – but he just didn’t have that star power.
Initially billed as ‘the son of Andre The Giant‘, Paul Wight debuted with WCW in 1995 at the Slamboree PPV. He made his in-ring debut against Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship which he won.
Wight tagged with Ric Flair to defeat Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage at the Clash of the Champions XXXII PPV, and had memorable matches and feuds with the likes of Goldberg, Sting, Lex Luger and Kevin Nash. All of which would suggest he was quite the draw for WCW during the late 90’s before he signed with the WWE in 1999.
The Giant’s last few months with WCW in fact revolved around Wight believing that he was being underpaid compared to the other main-eventers on the card – Bischoff apparently not increasing his salary and Wight then allowed his contract to run out with it did in February 1999, on his 27th Birthday.
Ironically, 22 years later the tables have turned – Paul Wight unable to agree financial terms on a new contract with the WWE this time has resulted in him leaving the company and sign with All Elite Wrestling!