Paul Wight has revealed the moment he realised Vince McMahon no longer viewed him as an active WWE wrestler.
Paul Wight spent more than two decades with WWE as Big Show before leaving the company and signing with AEW in February 2021. According to the former WWE Champion in an interview on TMZ’s Inside The Ring, a subtle change in how Vince McMahon addressed him during the COVID era made him realise his in-ring opportunities were coming to an end.
“I’ll tell you when I knew I was done with WWE. Vince called me Paul one day during the COVID era,” Wight said. “In all the years that I knew Vince McMahon, he never called me Paul. He always called me Show or Big Show. He never called me Paul.”
The moment occurred during a production meeting, potentially while WWE was working on Wight’s storyline with Randy Orton.
“We were doing something, I think it was maybe during the Randy Orton angle or something like that. They said, well, Paul can do an interview here.”
Although seemingly insignificant, Wight immediately understood what the change meant.
“In my brain, I died a little bit in my soul, because I knew my opportunities to compete in the ring were pretty much done. Vince didn’t see me as a talent anymore.”
Wight believed WWE was preparing to transition him into ambassadorial positions rather than continue using him as an active wrestler.
“Vince was going to start moving me into ambassador roles and all these things that at the time I didn’t want to be a part of.”
However, Wight stressed that there was no hostility involved. He simply wasn’t ready to stop competing.
“There was nothing mean or malicious about it. I could have rolled into that nice role at the time. I wasn’t ready to give up competing, and that’s where I went to Tony Khan.”
Wight subsequently joined AEW in February 2021, bringing his WWE tenure to an end. His time in AEW has largely been spent on commentary, with physical issues limiting his opportunities inside the ring. Now 54, Wight revealed that he has undergone replacements on both knees and both hips.
“I’ve had knee replacements, hip replacements, and I’ve been through hell the past six years. I would have fired me three years ago, if you want to be honest about it.”
Despite those issues, Wight said AEW President Tony Khan still sees value in what he can offer the company.
“But Tony Khan still sees value in me, and sees value that I can give to younger talent, things that I can help within the company on doing different things, and also the potential to get back in the ring.”
Paul Wight Still Hopes To Wrestle Again
Paul Wight remains interested in returning to the ring, but stressed that he has no intention of pursuing another championship run.
“I’m not going to get back in the ring and win championships and have one last title run or tell my story or some short-sighted s*** like that,” Wight said. “It’s not about doing that. It’s about me being able to do something that’s important to my heart and still contribute in a positive way.”
Instead, Wight believes returning in tag team matches could allow him to pass his experience on to younger wrestlers in ways that are difficult to replicate backstage.
“I can get in the ring in tag situations. There’s a lot of teaching that I can do in the ring, which is hard for me to teach outside of the ring.”
Wight said that desire has motivated him through his recent training and weight loss. He has now reduced his weight to under 360 pounds as he works towards potentially competing again.
“And it’s not for money. It’s not to be more famous,” Wight said. “It’s because of the love I have in my heart to get in the ring and help those kids and help them be stars and help them be successful.”
Wight began his major wrestling career in WCW as The Giant in 1995 before joining WWE in 1999. During his career, he became the only wrestler to hold the WWE, WCW, ECW and World Heavyweight Championships. He returned to AEW commentary earlier this month.
