Given that you were reading the Observer in '96, was there any reason why The Giant joined the nWo in the early stages of the stable? Wasn't the original concept that it was WWF guys…Hogan, Hall, Nash, and Diabase? The Giant just doesn't make any sense in that respect.
My only guess is that they needed a huge massive guy to join to make it look believable when the nWo fought the entire WCW roster? If that is the case, why not go with John “Earthquake/Avalanche” Tenta? He was a massive monster, a legitimate real life tough guy, and a well-known WWF guy. Was he ever an option?
Not that I know of. Giant was just added because they wanted a big name WCW guy to switch sides as far as I remember. Regardless, I wasn't reading the Observer in 96, because I barely had money to eat at that point and Observer subs are expensive. I've been a subscriber since 2000, however.