Wrestling fans were in shock when The Big Show left WWE and appeared in AEW. He was announced as the new signing for the promotion out of nowhere in social media, causing a huge frenzy on Twitter and making fans question everything they’d ever thought about the giant.
Now going by his real name – Paul Wight – the Big Show bad the potential to be an invaluable asset for the AEW roster. While he would never be challenging for the AEW Championship or even wrestling that much, his presence in helping the wrestlers to develop – especially the large ones like Lance Archer – could have a bigger impact than he ever could by stepping into the ring.
That does not preclude him from wrestling in AEW. He made his debut at All Out 2021 in a match against QT Marshall. He won the bout, although his injuries did not lend itself to what some would call a “good match”. He has also spent time on commentary for AEW Dark and has recently had surgery that could help aid his mobility and increase him time in the ring as he comes to the end of his career.
Paul Wight is now signed for a number of years to AEW, but many fans have wondered by The Big Show left the WWE, where he seemed to be a guaranteed lifer and certain to enter the WWE Hall of Fame, to sign for an upstart promotion that does not have the worldwide reach of WWE -although it is doing it’s best to grow as big as the WWE is.
Why Did Big Show Leave WWE?
The Big Show left WWE because he didn’t see a future wrestling in the company as a big star ever again. He thought that Vince McMahon (and now Triple H) would never see him as anything other than an enhancing talent, doomed to put over NXT talent to introduce them to the main roster audience – a sad ending for the career of one of the greatest giants of all time.
The former WWE Champion last main evented a Wrestlemania in 2000 and hasn’t main evented a pay per view (not counting Royal Rumble matches) since Survivor Series 2014. His career is long and storied but it seemed his time was up by the time 2021 rolled around and he seemed lost in the WWE.
Speaking to Kenny McIntosh of Inside The Ropes, The Big Show (now Paul Wight) revealed why he left WWE to sign for AEW in 2021 and what he hopes to achieve in his new role within Tony Khan’s promotion.
“Well, the writing on the wall, when I figured I couldn’t change anything in WWE was 5 years ago. I was told I would never main event at WrestleMania again, I would never main event a pay-per-view again, and I would only be used to get over NXT talent because they had to think about the future of the business.”
“But you know how the pressures are there… ‘What do I have to do to get recognized? What do I gotta do to be back in the mix? Why am I not in the mix? And that’s just upper-level decisions. You’re a number, you’re an algorithm. And they are going to see what makes everything else make the most money possible. It’s not necessarily for your career benefit, it’s for who they think should be somewhere…”
Is The Big Show In The Hall of Fame?
The Big Show is currently not in the Hall of Fame, due to him leaving the WWE to sign for AEW in 2020. Vince McMahon was very hesitant to work with AEW as they are their closest competition, although Triple H has been much more willing to work with outside talent than the previous regime. The Big Show is known as Paul Wight in AEW and wrestles very occasionally, although injuries have stopped him from performing as much as he’d have liked to.
He is one of the biggest stars not yet inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. It is expected that once he retires for good from the ring then he will be honoured by Triple H and co. with a Hall of Fame ring and a speech befitting of the greatest wrestling giant since his “father” Andre the Giant.