Eric Bischoff Would Have Done Giant’s WCW Debut Differently If He Could

On the latest episode of 83 Weeks, Eric Bischoff talked about The Giant (Paul Wight) making his debut at Halloween Havoc 1995, where he was thrown off a roof only to return and win the World Heavyweight Championship in his first match. Bischoff confirmed this was Hulk Hogan’s idea and explained why he disagreed with it. You can check out some highlights below:

On If The Giant Was Hogan’s Project:

“You’re 100% right. I mean, Paul came to WCW through Hulk. I think Hulk met him in Chicago at a charity event of some kind. And was so impressed with him that I probably got a phone call the next day. Once Paul came into WCW, he was really a project for Hulk. Hulk saw so much in him — again, because of the experience that Hulk had with Andre The Giant. I think in Hulk’s mind at the time, this was, ‘Ah, we have another one.’

“And he had so much success with Andre; obviously, his match with Andre The Giant in Hulk’s mind, I think, was largely responsible for Hulk’s success. This was just another way to recapture some of that magic. He saw the opportunity in Paul. So Hulk was hands-on in just about every aspect of Paul Wight’s career once he got to WCW.”

On How He Would Have Done It Differently Without Hogan:

“I would have done it differently. I was just such a big believer, even back then, of building anticipation. And because Paul was such a unique character — still is — my instinct would have been to look for a different way to build on the anticipation of such a unique performer. As opposed to, ‘Here he is on Sunday, and wait till you see what he does tomorrow.’ It was too much, too soon. You have to give the audience a chance. You hear wrestlers talk about this a lot when they’re talking about the action in the ring, is you have to let it breathe. Let the audience have time to catch up to the emotion you’re trying to create in the ring.

“I think a lot of wrestlers, producers, and writers think that the audience is going to react immediately to whatever you do or say in the ring. And that can be true, but what is more often true — particularly when it comes to the physical match itself — is that things happen so fast that as a performer, you believe. Incorrectly, I might add, but you believe that the audience is paying close attention to everything you’re doing. And their reaction is going to be consistent with the timing of your actions. It’s not true. It takes a while. You’ve got to do something, let it breathe for a half a beat, or a beat. Maybe longer, depending on what you’re doing. And let the audience react almost in a delayed fashion.

“When I’ve heard people talk about laying out a match, the really good ones who know what they’re doing, have that experience, and have learned how to manipulate the crowd. Remember what I said earlier about developing the experience to rely upon — in my case, I relied upon the reaction of the audience and learning how to read, so I could anticipate a reaction. Once you feel like you have a really good understanding of how to manipulate the audience’s emotions? Because you’ve learned timing. And sometimes, especially with younger talent and the nature of matches today, which are generally much more fast-paced, you miss that beat. You miss the opportunity for the audience to really react to what it is you’re trying to do. I would have relied on my instinct to take more time in developing Paul. But like you said, Paul did all right.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit 83 Weeks with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.