Story: When The Giant made his debut back in 1995, WCW officials portrayed the man as the son of the legendary Andre The Giant. The idea was simple, that wrestling fans would look at the history and stature of Andre, and then directly associate The Giant with the iconic Frenchman. The story led to a feud with Hulk Hogan, as though The Giant was out to avenge his father's loss to Hogan at WrestleMania III. It was a simple tale, but one that unfortunately sums up where WCW were as a company in the mid-90's. Hulkamania wasn't exactly running wild in the promotion, and this storyline was perhaps exactly why - fans had a hard time accepting this new giant as the son of Andre, and after a while it was phased out, The Giant simply became his own man. Why People Believe It: In truth, a lot of people didn't, but the mid-90's was a very different time for pro wrestling. The internet was still in its infancy, and whilst it's not fair to say that many fans believed everything presented to them, they were certainly more tolerant of wacky characters, angles and suggestions. Should We Believe It: Absolutely not, Paul Wight is obviously not the son of Andre Roussimoff, with the only comparison being their height and gimmicked names. 'The Giant' was supposed to be a direct homage to 'Andre The Giant', but it didn't really work all that well.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
