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Eric Bischoff Reveals Why He Made Big Show Smoke Cigarettes On WCW Nitro

Big Show

• OLD SCHOOL HISTORY (November 12, 1998) – WCW Thunder

On this day in 1998, Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling aired an episode of their weekly TV show ‘WCW Thunder’.

This episode was pre-taped at the Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia and featured matches & storyline segments on the road to the ‘WCW World War 3 1998’ PPV.

The card of the show can be found here:

1. Glacier vs. Chris Adams

2. Kenny Kaos vs. Kendall Windham

3. Stevie Ray vs. Jerry Flynn

4. Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Juventud Guerrera

5. WCW World Cruiserweight Title: Kidman vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

6. Dean Malenko vs. Kanyon

7. The Giant vs. Konnan

• Eric Bischoff Reveals Why He Made Big Show Smoke Cigarettes On WCW Nitro

During a recent edition of 83 Weeks podcast, former WCW President Eric Bischoff talked about his decision of having The Big Show (The Giant) smoke cigarettes on WCW Nitro.

Below is what Bischoff said:

“It wasn’t random because Paul smoked like a chimney and that was as much my idea, I don’t think that was part of a group discussion. I was trying to get Paul over. I was trying to figure out what to do with Paul to try and give him a unique character other than being 7’4, 400 pounds or whatever he was.

To create this character that is so strong, so powerful, but didn’t really care because he would beat people so easily that he didn’t really have to work at it and was almost loathsome as a result where he was just arrogant and nasty and out of the ordinary just coming to the ring and smoking a cigarette and just crush people.

That was my attempt to make him dislikable, good or bad, clearly bad, I don’t think it is up for a vote, but that was my reasoning behind it.

Nobody else was really doing it. I know you are going to throw The Sandman in my face but I wasn’t watching ECW back then, so I couldn’t get it on Channel 92 at 3 o’clock in the morning. That didn’t exist in my world.

Big Show Smoking Cigarette On WCW Nitro GIF

That was really Paul Wight’s personality, but let’s just turn the volume up on this and see if we can make him this big stinky, despicable giant. That was my call.”


        
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