One of the best rivalries in WCW was between Hulk Hogan and the Giant (Paul Wight) during the mid 90s as it rekindled the feud Hogan had with Andre nine years earlier, and it came to a head on This Day in Wrestling History.
On August 10, 1996, Hollywood Hulk Hogan was chasing the WCW World Heavyweight Championship to return the greatest prize to the nWo in the faction’s early days.
Perfect scenario
This felt perfect for many of us as it took place at the pay-per-view Hog Wild at Sturgus, South Dakota’s annual motorcycle rally.
Hulk Hogan shared his thoughts about it in his Hollywood Hulk Hogan book. Special thanks to @awrestlinghistorian for the excerpt.
“He was a giant, and we wanted him to wrestle for us. We put him in the Power Plant, which was WCW’s wrestling school, for about a year. That’s where he learned how to hit the ropes and fall and run around.
“But we didn’t leave him in there too long. We didn’t want him to learn too much because he would start working like a two-hundred-pound guy instead of a five-hundred-pound guy. So we waited just long enough and then we pulled him out of there.
“Then we called him The Giant and shot an angle that he was Andre’s son because he did look a lot like Andre. But unlike Andre, he had long hair. The fans seemed to like him and we made him a star as fast as we could. When he met me in a title match at Halloween Havoc in October 1995 and won the belt from me, it started one of my bigger rivalries in WCW.
“At the Hog Wild Pay-Per-View in August 1996, I beat the Giant and got my belt back. But I’ll tell you what, brother, he looked even better after I was done beating him.
“In wrestling, you can’t humiliate your opponent. You’ve got to make sure he’s okay because you’re going to need to work with him again. That’s why I’ve always had a revolving door of people to work with. I make my opponents look good. After you’ve wrestled me, people are going to think you’re a god.
“As for the Giant…he’s wrestling for WWE now under the name Big Show. I wish him luck. He’s one of the nicest guys in the business.”
Over the years, Hulk Hogan has given us plenty of memories and This Day in Wrestling History is one that helped launch Paul Wight higher in the business as he began his road to becoming a legend.
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