Summary

Paul Wight has revealed that his WrestleMania 24 program with Floyd Mayweather was initially mapped out as a tag team match instead of the celebrity singles bout that ultimately made the card.

Speaking in a new interview, Wight said the original idea called for him to team with Mayweather against Batista and Rey Mysterio. According to Wight, injuries to both Batista and Mysterio changed those plans before the angle fully launched, which led to WWE pivoting to Wight facing Mayweather one on one on the WrestleMania stage.

That WrestleMania 24 feud started at No Way Out, where Mayweather famously broke Wight's nose. Wight said he had no hesitation about the switch once the new plan was presented, especially with Mayweather's star power at the time.

Quote from Paul Wight

"That angle came about, just not meaning to cut you off, but originally that was supposed to be a tag. It was supposed to be Floyd Mayweather and I against Batista and Rey Mysterio, and in the events leading up before we launched that angle, Rey and Dave both got hurt. I think Dave tore a bicep or a lat and Rey did something. So then it was brought to me, ‘hey, would you consider working Floyd in a singles match?’ I’m like, ‘at WrestleMania?’ At the time, he’s the hottest boxer on the planet. Absolutely, 100%, I’m in, whatever we need to do."

How the Batista and Rey Mysterio injuries reshaped WrestleMania 24

Batista and Rey Mysterio getting hurt changed the structure of the entire celebrity program, because it turned what would have been a four-man attraction into a straight showcase between Wight and Mayweather. That left Wight carrying the full in-ring side of the feud and made Mayweather's WrestleMania appearance an even bigger standalone hook.

It also adds a little more context to that era of WWE creative. A tag match would have tied two established stars into the celebrity angle, while the final version centered almost entirely on the novelty of Mayweather stepping into the ring with Wight. Readers who followed Wight more recently may also remember his weight-loss update from this month, which came during the same media run.

Sources

Paul Wight while speaking with Gareth A Davies