Big Show

Paul Wight
Born	(1972-02-08) February 8, 1972 Aiken, South Carolina
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	The Big Show The Giant Paul Wight
Billed height	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Billed weight	485 lb (220 kg)
Trained by	Larry Sharpe Jim Duggan
Debut	July 16, 1995

Paul Wight, Jr. (born February 8, 1972), better known by his ring name, The Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its Raw brand as one-half of the reigning Unified WWE Tag Team Champions with The Miz.

In professional wrestling, Big Show is a five time world champion, having won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice, the WWF/E Championship twice, and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once, making him the only professional wrestler in history to have held all three championships. In addition to these championships, he has also won the United States Championship once, the World Tag Team Championship five times (twice with The Undertaker, once with Kane, once with Chris Jericho, and once with The Miz), the WWE Tag Team Championship twice (with Chris Jericho once and The Miz once) and the Hardcore Championship three times.

The Big Show initially came to prominence through his career in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1995 until 1999 as The Giant.

Professional wrestling career

World Championship Wrestling (1995–1999)

Wight made his first appearance at Slamboree in 1995 as an unknown giant man during the main event of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage versus Ric Flair and Vader. Wight debuted in WCW at The Great American Bash on June 18, 1995 as a plant during the match between Arn Anderson and The Renegade, who was accompanied by manager Jimmy Hart. Nearly a month later at a Main Event show, prior to Bash at the Beach, Wight interfered in an interview between Hulk Hogan and "Mean" Gene Okerlund. Wight introduced himself as The Giant, and claimed in the storyline to be the son of André the Giant and blaming Hulk Hogan for the death of his "father". The Giant joined the Dungeon of Doom, who were at war with Hogan and his allies, and immediately began a heated feud with Hogan. At Fall Brawl, after his team won a WarGames match, Hogan earned five minutes fighting the leader of the Dungeon of Doom, "The Taskmaster" Kevin Sullivan, in the cage alone – at this point, Giant attacked Hogan, saving Sullivan.

After The Giant destroyed Hogan's Harley-Davidson Motorcycle using a monster truck, Hogan challenged him to a "Monster Truck Battle" at Halloween Havoc. On October 29, the battle took place atop Cobo Hall, with each man driving a monster truck and trying to force the other truck out of a circle, as in a sumo wrestling contest. Hogan won the match when Giant descended from his vehicle and appeared to fall from the roof. Later that night, The Giant came to the ring with The Taskmaster and challenged Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, making his WCW in-ring debut. Giant was awarded the victory by disqualification after interference from Jimmy Hart, Hogan's manager. Hart then revealed that the contract Hogan signed (which he had written) had a clause stating that the title would change hands on a disqualification, and, as Hart had intentionally caused a disqualification, the Giant won the title. The Giant was, at 23, the youngest WCW World Heavyweight Champion. The title was held up one week later as a result of the controversial finish of the match.

The Giant tried to reclaim the title at World War 3 but was foiled by Hogan. Randy Savage won the vacant title. The Giant teamed with Ric Flair to defeat Hogan and Savage at Clash of the Champions XXXII, but was decisively beaten by Hogan in a cage match at SuperBrawl VI.

After a short feud with The Loch Ness Monster, The Giant won the World Heavyweight Championship a second time by defeating Ric Flair. After Hogan formed the New World Order (nWo), he defeated The Giant for the Championship at Hog Wild following interference from Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. The Giant joined the nWo twenty three days later, citing Ted DiBiase's money as his primary motivation, feuding with Lex Luger and the Four Horsemen. The Giant was thrown out of the nWo on December 30 for asking Hogan for a World Heavyweight Championship title match. He fought against the nWo along with Sting and Lex Luger, winning the WCW World Tag Team Championship twice.

In 1997, The Giant began a feud with nWo member Kevin Nash, who constantly dodged Giant, failing to appear for their scheduled match at Starrcade. In 1998 at Souled Out the two finally met in the ring, with Nash accidentally injuring Wight's neck when he botched a Jackknife Powerbomb. When Nash left the nWo and formed his own stable, the nWo Wolfpac, The Giant rejoined the original nWo to oppose Nash and his allies. While back with the nWo, The Giant won two more tag team championships, once with Sting as an unwilling partner (as the match was signed before The Giant returned to the nWo) and once with Scott Hall. In the interim between those two reigns, he lost his half of the tag team championship to Sting in a singles match where the winner would remain champion and choose a partner for the second half of the team.

On the October 11, 1998, episode of WCW Monday Nitro, Goldberg defeated The Giant in a no-disqualification match; in a show of strength, Goldberg executed a delayed vertical suplex before hitting the Jackhammer on The Giant. After the nWo and the nWo Wolfpac merged together again in January 1999, Hogan declared that there was only room for one "giant" in the group, and forced Giant and Nash to wrestle for that spot. Nash defeated him following a run-in by Scott Hall and Eric Bischoff. The Giant was then attacked by the entire nWo. Unhappy with his remuneration, Wight allowed his WCW contract to expire on February 8, 1999 at his 27th birthday.

World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment (1999–2006)

Debut

Wight at Smackdown 1999.

Wight signed a ten-year contract with the World Wrestling Federation on February 9, 1999, debuting as a villain and a member of Vince McMahon's stable, The Corporation, at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House. During the McMahon versus Steve Austin cage match, Wight tore through the canvas from underneath the ring and attacked Austin. However, Wight cost McMahon the match when he threw Austin into the side of the cage and the cage broke, spilling Austin outside to the floor and granting him the victory. Wight subsequently served as McMahon's bodyguard.

Wight performed as "Big Nasty" Paul Wight for several weeks before being renamed "Big Show" Paul Wight. He then gradually dropped his real name, eventually being referred to simply as (The) Big Show. McMahon wanted to ensure that Corporation member The Rock would retain his title at WrestleMania, so he had Wight wrestle Mankind at WrestleMania XV for the right to referee the main event. Wight incapacitated Mankind, but got disqualified in the process, meaning that he could not be referee. Mankind won the right to be the official but was taken to a hospital following the match with Wight (although he eventually returned during the Championship match). After a furious McMahon slapped Wight, he punched McMahon. Wight concluded his feud with Foley in a Boiler Room Brawl before turning into a fan favorite and joining Mankind, Test, and Ken Shamrock in a stable known as The Union who fought against the Corporation, and later against The Corporate Ministry. On the May 10 edition of Monday Night Raw, Wight was against The Undertaker's manager Paul Bearer. On the June 7 edition of Raw, Wight faced The Undertaker for the WWF Championship. Undertaker attempted a clothesline from the top turnbuckle however Wight caught him and delivered a chokeslam which sent Undertaker crashing through the ring mat; the referee was forced to stop the match so the Undertaker retained his title. Following the match Bradshaw, Faarooq, and Mideon all ran down to attack Wight and were all subsequently chokeslammed as well. Wight and The Undertaker later formed an unlikely alliance, wrestling against X-Pac and Kane. As a team, Wight and The Undertaker won the WWF Tag Team Championship twice.

When The Undertaker was sidelined with injuries, Wight set his sights on the WWF Championship. After Steve Austin was injured at the 1999 Survivor Series, Wight was given his place in the triple threat match for the WWF Championship. In that match, which also featured The Rock, he pinned Triple H to become champion. At the same time, Wight feuded with the Big Boss Man. After it was announced that Wight's father was terminally ill with cancer, the Boss Man had one of his crooked police colleagues inform Wight that his father has died, and then mocked Wight's tearful reaction. Several weeks later, when it was announced Wight's father had actually died (in reality, Wight's father had died years before), the Boss Man interrupted the ten bell toll by reciting an offensive poem. Later, Boss Man invaded the funeral and used a chain to couple the coffin to the hearse, towing the coffin away with a grief stricken Wight clinging on to it. At Armageddon, Wight defeated Boss Man to retain his championship, despite interference by Bossman's protégé Prince Albert.

On the January 3, 2000 episode of Raw, Triple H defeated Wight for the WWF Championship. Trying to regain the title, Wight participated in the Royal Rumble match and became a villain when he antagonized The Rock. The Rock eliminated him to win the Royal Rumble. Wight was convinced that he had won, and eventually produced a video tape that showed The Rock's feet striking the ground first. He was then given a match with The Rock at No Way Out, with the WrestleMania title shot on the line. Wight defeated The Rock when Shane McMahon interfered, knocking The Rock out with a chair shot. The Rock was desperate to reclaim his title shot, and eventually agreed to a match with Wight on the March 13 episode of Raw - if he won, the WrestleMania title match would become a triple threat match, and if he lost, he would retire from the WWF. Shane McMahon, now actively supporting Wight's bid to become champion, appointed himself as the special guest referee. However, The Rock triumphed when Vince McMahon assaulted Shane and donned the referee shirt, personally making the three count following a Rock Bottom.

On the March 20 episode of Raw, Triple H defended the title against The Rock and Wight on the condition that the match would not take place at WrestleMania, pinning Wight. Linda McMahon stated this match would not occur at WrestleMania as Triple H would defend the title there in a fatal four way elimination match, with Mick Foley as the fourth man. Wight was the first man eliminated from the match at WrestleMania 2000 after the other three competitors worked together against him.

After WrestleMania, Wight became a fan favorite again by starting a comical gimmick where he began mimicking other wrestlers, lampooning Rikishi as Showkishi, The Berzerker as Shonan the Barbarian, and Val Venis as The Big Showbowski. He defeated Kurt Angle at Backlash dressed like his friend and role model Hulk Hogan, complete with skullcap/wig and yellow tights. Wight began feuding with Shane McMahon after Shane voiced his disapproval of Big Show's antics. At Judgment Day, Shane defeated Wight in a Falls Count Anywhere match following interference from Big Boss Man, Bull Buchanan, Test, and Albert. Wight returned two months later, apparently intending to gain revenge on Shane. Instead, he became a villain again and attacked The Undertaker thus siding with Shane once more, forming a short-lived stable known as "The Conspiracy" with Shane, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, and Edge and Christian. After The Undertaker threw Wight through a table, he was removed from WWF television for the remainder of the year. Wight was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling, a WWF developmental territory, to lose weight and improve his cardiovascular fitness.

Various feuds (2001–2002)

Wight returned at the 2001 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by The Rock. Angered by his quick elimination, Wight proceeded to chokeslam The Rock through the announcer's table before leaving the arena. He then began competing for the WWF Hardcore Championship, which he lost to Kane in a Triple Threat match which also included Raven at WrestleMania X-Seven.

Big Show competing for the Raw brand.

Throughout The Invasion, Wight remained loyal to the WWF, which made him a fan favorite again. He faced Shane McMahon, the on-screen owner of WCW, in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash and was defeated following interference from Test. Wight was also part of the victorious Team WWF at Survivor Series, though he was the first man eliminated.

Wight was drafted by Ric Flair (representing the Raw brand) in the 2002 draft. He then immediately became a villain again by turning on Steve Austin in tag team match that included him and Bradshaw. At Judgment Day, Wight and Ric Flair were defeated by Austin in a Handicap match. Wight once again joined the New World Order, but the stable disbanded after Kevin Nash was injured. After the nWo disbanded, Wight achieved little success on Raw after losing matches against Jeff Hardy, Booker T, and the Dudley Boyz.

SmackDown! (2002–2005)

Show in December to Dismember.

In late 2002, Big Show was traded to SmackDown!, immediately challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. Big Show became a two-time WWE Champion defeating Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. He lost the title to Kurt Angle a month later at Armageddon. At the Royal Rumble, Big Show lost a Royal Rumble Qualifying Match to Lesnar. He then began feuding with The Undertaker, after Big Show threw him off the stage injuring his neck, leading to Big Show and his partner A-Train losing to The Undertaker at WrestleMania XIX. He renewed his feud with Lesnar wrestling him four times for the WWE title (including a Stretcher match at Judgment Day) but was unsuccessful in his attempt to regain the title. On the June 26, 2003 edition of SmackDown! Big Show, Shelton Benjamin, and Charlie Haas defeated Mr. America, Brock Lesnar, and Kurt Angle in a six-man tag team match when Show pinned Mr. America. This was Hulk Hogan's last appearance as Mr. America. For several months afterwards, WWE hyped up Big Show as the man who retired Hogan. At No Mercy, Big Show defeated Eddie Guerrero for the WWE United States Championship and then formed an alliance with the then WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.

Big Show abandoned a departing Lesnar immediately before WrestleMania XX. At the pay-per-view, Big Show lost the United States Championship to John Cena. On the April 15, 2004 episode of SmackDown!, Big Show promised to quit if he failed to defeat Eddie Guerrero that night. He lost to Guerrero, and, believing that Torrie Wilson had laughed at him for losing, upended her car and threatened to throw her off a ledge. Then-General Manager of SmackDown!, Kurt Angle ascended the ledge to try and talk some reason into Big Show, but he chokeslammed Angle off the ledge, kayfabe concussing him and breaking his leg. After the event, Big Show was not seen nor heard from on WWE television for months.

In mid-2004, Big Show was reinstated by new General Manager Theodore Long, as he interfered during a Lumberjack match between Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle. Big Show had a choice to face either Guerrero or Angle at No Mercy, choosing to fight Angle, thus becoming a fan favorite. Big Show defeated Angle at the event. In the weeks before the match, He claimed to have "lost his dignity" when Angle tranquilized him in the middle of the ring using a dart gun and shaved his head.

On April 3, 2005 at WrestleMania 21, Big Show faced Sumo Grand Champion Akebono in a worked sumo match; the match was added to the show to attract a strong pay-per-view audience in Japan, where Akebono is considered a sporting legend. In the weeks preceding the match, Big Show pushed over a jeep driven to the ring by Luther Reigns to show that he was capable of moving the marginally heavier Akebono. Big Show lost to Akebono at WrestleMania. After WrestleMania 21 Big Show subsequently feuded with Carlito Caribbean Cool and his bodyguard, Matt Morgan.

Raw (2005–2006)

On June 27, Big Show was drafted back to Raw in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery; preventing him from participating in a scheduled Six-Man Elimination match for the SmackDown! Championship. He successfully pinned Gene Snitsky in a Tag Team match which turned into a singles match when both men's partners brawled backstage. After squashing his scheduled opponents for several weeks, Wight returned to his rivalry with Snitsky. On August 22, he foiled Snitsky's harassment of backstage interviewer Maria. On August 29, Snitsky hit Wight with the ring bell immediately after Big Show had won a match. As a result, Big Show and Snitsky were placed in a match at Unforgiven in which Big Show defeated Snitsky. On September 26, Big Show defeated Snitsky again in a Street Fight.

On October 17, Big Show defeated Edge and was thus entered in an online opinion poll, with the winner of the poll facing John Cena and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship at Taboo Tuesday. The poll was won by Shawn Michaels, meaning that the other two options would wrestle for the World Tag Team Championship. Big Show teamed with Kane to defeat Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch for the Tag Team Championship.

In the weeks preceding Survivor Series, Big Show became involved in the rivalry between the Raw and SmackDown! brands. Big Show and Kane invaded the November 11 episode of SmackDown! and, along with Edge, attacked Batista (inadvertently injuring him in the process). On the November 14 episode of Raw, Big Show and Kane defeated SmackDown! wrestlers and reigning WWE Tag Team Champions MNM in an inter-brand, non-title match. On November 21, Big Show and Kane "injured" Batista by delivering a double chokeslam onto the windshield of a car. At Survivor Series, Show, Kane, Carlito, Chris Masters, and team captain Shawn Michaels represented Raw in a match with Team SmackDown!: JBL, Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton, and Batista. SmackDown! won the match, with Orton being the sole survivor. On the November 29 edition of SmackDown!, Big Show wrestled Rey Mysterio in an inter-promotional match, however, Kane interfered, resulting in the match being declared a no-contest. Following the match, Big Show and Kane attacked Mysterio until The Undertaker chased them from the ring. Big Show and Kane returned to SmackDown! on December 2, defeating Mysterio and JBL after JBL abandoned the match, claiming the referee had poked him in the eye. Following the match, Big Show and Kane's attempt to assault Mysterio was once again foiled, this time when Batista ran in to see them off. As a result, on the December 16 edition of SmackDown!, Big Show and Kane were booked to face Batista and Mysterio at Armageddon. They won the match, which pitted the Tag Team Champions from each brand against one another.

On the December 12 episode of Raw, Wight took part in a qualifying match for a shot at the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match at New Year's Revolution. Wight lost to his opponent, Shawn Michaels, by disqualification after Triple H hit Michaels with a steel chair, intentionally costing Wight the match and the title shot. In retaliation, Wight cost Triple H his qualifying match with Kane later that evening. On the December 26 episode of Raw, during the contract signing for the announced match between Wight and Triple H at New Year's Revolution, Triple H struck Wight in the hand that Wight apparently favors when using the chokeslam with his sledgehammer. The following week, Wight attacked Triple H while wearing a cast on his hand, using the padding provided by the cast to punch a hole in a chair held by Triple H, destroying a monitor from the announcers' table that Triple H intended to throw at him, and chasing Triple H away from the ring. At New Year's Revolution, Triple H defeated Wight after striking him in the head with his sledgehammer.

Subsequently, Wight was one of eight participants in the 2006 Road to WrestleMania Tournament, the winner of which would receive a shot at the WWE Championship. On the February 13 episode of Raw, Wight faced Triple H in the tournament semi-finals in a match that ended in a double count out. As a result, Wight and Triple H faced Rob Van Dam (the winner of the opposing semi-finals) in a Triple Threat match to determine the winner of the tournament on the February 20 episode of Raw. The match was won by Triple H after he pinned RVD.

Big Show in the WrestleMania XXV Fan Axxess.

In the weeks following the tournament, Wight and Kane feuded with Chris Masters and Carlito, leading to a World Tag Team Championship title match being scheduled for WrestleMania 22. Wight and Kane defeated Carlito and Masters, marking Wight's first victory at WrestleMania after suffering six defeats. On the following evening, Wight and Kane lost the World Tag Team Championship to Spirit Squad members Kenny and Mikey following copious interference from the other members of the Spirit Squad. They faced Spirit Squad members Johnny and Nicky in a rematch one week later, but lost via disqualification after Kane "snapped" and left the ring to attack the other members of the Spirit Squad. The ensuing feud between Kane and Wight culminated in a match at Backlash that ended in a no contest.

ECW and departure (2006)

At WWE vs. ECW Head to Head on June 7, Big Show jumped to the newly debuted ECW brand; he removed his Raw shirt to reveal an ECW shirt during a twenty man battle royal including members of the Raw and SmackDown rosters against members of the ECW roster. Big Show won the match for ECW by eliminating Randy Orton. Big Show then appeared at One Night Stand, attacking Tajiri, Super Crazy, and the Full Blooded Italians after their tag team match.

On the July 4 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Big Show beat Van Dam to win the ECW World Championship on an ECW show in Philadelphia with the assistance of ECW's General Manager Paul Heyman, who declined to make the three-count for Van Dam after Van Dam hit his finisher Five Star Frog Splash on the Big Show. Heyman then instructed Big Show to chokeslam Van Dam onto a steel chair, before making the three-count. The fans almost rioted when Big Show became the ECW World Champion, throwing drinks and empty cups into the ring, as Heyman and Big Show celebrated, making him a villain again. The victory made him the first ever professional wrestler to hold the WWE Championship, WCW World Heavyweight Championship, and ECW Championship. He is also the first non ECW Original to hold the ECW title. Over the next several weeks, Wight defeated many other wrestlers from other brands, such as Ric Flair, Kane, and Batista to retain his championship. He lost to the Undertaker, however, at The Great American Bash in the first ever Punjabi Prison match; he was a substitute for The Great Khali, who was removed by SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long and replaced with Big Show as punishment for an attack on The Undertaker shortly before the match. He also had a brief feud with Sabu, whom he defeated at SummerSlam.

At Cyber Sunday he faced John Cena and King Booker in a Champion of Champions match. The fans voted for King Booker's World Heavyweight Championship to be on the line. Booker won the match following interference from Kevin Federline, who was just beginning a feud with Cena at the time. At Survivor Series, Cena wrestled Big Show in a traditional 10-Man Survivor Series Tag Team Match, with Cena and Bobby Lashley leaving as the sole survivors of the match after Cena pinned Big Show to claim the victory due to a double team with Lashley. Big Show then began a feud with Lashley, who left SmackDown! to join the ECW brand to participate in the Extreme Elimination Chamber match at December to Dismember for the ECW Championship. After busting Big Show open by breaking one of the plexiglass pods with his face, Lashley speared and pinned him to claim the ECW Championship. On December 6, 2006 following an unsuccessful rematch, WWE.com announced that Big Show was taking time off from the ring to heal injuries he had sustained on Raw.

PMG Clash of Legends (2007)

After two month departure from WWE, Wight replacing Jerry "The King" Lawler when the WWE withdrew him from a match with former nWo partner Hulk Hogan at the PMG Clash of Legends on April 27, 2007. Wight was introduced as Paul "The Great" Wight. He stated that "Big Show" was his slave name and that he didn't want to be owned anymore. Wight lost the match after Hogan picked him up and bodyslammed Wight and pinned him following the leg drop. Wight had also been offered a role in the television pilot, Extreme Golf TV, but nothing ever materialized from the offer. Wight also tried to pursue a professional boxing career but nothing came out of it

Return to WWE (2008–present)

SmackDown (2008–2009)

Big Show at a WWE event

A noticeably slimmer Wight returned to WWE under his last used ring name (The) Big Show, at No Way Out, on February 17, stating that he has lost 108 pounds, previously weighing at least 500 pounds when he took time off from injuries. Wight then attempted to attack Rey Mysterio after his World Heavyweight Championship match with then champion Edge but got into a physical confrontation with boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. after Mayweather came from the crowd to defend his friend Rey. The confrontation ended with Mayweather breaking Wight's nose with a punching combination. Big Show was then assigned to the SmackDown brand. In the following weeks, Big Show was portrayed as a heel, yet fan majority continued to support him over his rich, boastful adversary. Their characterizations began shifting to suit this, and at WrestleMania XXIV, Big Show became a fan favorite during their match as Mayweather used various villainous tactics and received a negative reaction from the crowd. Big Show lost via knockout after a shot to the jaw with brass knuckles. Shortly after, Big Show entered a feud with The Great Khali, concluding at Backlash, where Big Show defeated Khali pinning him after executing a chokeslam.

At One Night Stand, Show defeated CM Punk, John Morrison, Chavo Guerrero, and Tommy Dreamer in a Singapore Cane match. During the bout, he received a black eye and deep gash along the eyebrow which required stitches after John Morrison dropkicked the steel steps onto him. The win gave him contention to face Kane and Mark Henry at Night of Champions for the ECW Championship, which Henry won by pinfall.

Big Show once again became a villain by siding with Vickie Guerrero in her ongoing feud with The Undertaker by attacking him at Unforgiven, and later interfering in many of Undertaker's matches on SmackDown, most notably against Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Chavo Guerrero, and The Great Khali. He went on to defeat Undertaker by knockout at No Mercy. However, Show lost to him in a fan voted Last Man Standing match at Cyber Sunday and a Casket Match at Survivor Series. Show would then go on to lose a Steel Cage match against The Undertaker on SmackDown, ending the feud. At No Way Out, Show wrestled in the Elimination Chamber for the WWE Championship, but lost after being the third person eliminated by Triple H. In March, it was revealed by John Cena that the Big Show was having secret relations with Vickie Guerrero. At WrestleMania XXV, Show was involved in a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship featuring champion Edge and John Cena. Once again, he was unsuccessful as Cena won.

Raw (2009–present)

Show at Royal Rumble 2010.

On April 13, Big Show was drafted to the Raw brand as a part of the 2009 WWE Draft. At Backlash, Big Show interfered in a Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Cena and Edge when he threw Cena into a spotlight, thus resulting in Edge winning the title and Cena being seriously injured. He continued to feud with John Cena, losing to him at Judgment Day by pinfall and at Extreme Rules by submission by Cena's submission known as the STF-U, before defeating Cena on the June 22 edition of Raw to end the feud.

In the weeks prior to Night of Champions, Big Show constantly attacked U.S. Champion Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne among others. He would go on to develop a feud with Kingston for the U.S. Title and earn himself a spot in the six-pack challenge at Night of Champions. At the event, Big Show was announced as Chris Jericho's new tag team partner due to Edge needing time off to tend to an injury, thus taking Show out of the six-pack challenge for the U.S. Title. Together, they were able to successfully defend the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship against The Legacy when Big Show forced Ted DiBiase to submit to the Colossal Clutch. At WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 13, D-Generation X (Shawn Michaels and Triple H) defeated Jericho and Show to win the titles in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. However on the February 8 edition of Raw, he regained the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship from DX with his new tag team partner The Miz in a Triple Threat Tag Team Elimination match which also included the Straight Edge Society (CM Punk & Luke Gallows). He and the Miz picked up their first title defense win against Yoshi Tatsu and Goldust on the February 16th edition of ECW, its final airing. On the March 1 episode of Raw, ShoMiz defeated D-Generation X in their rematch as The Undertaker distracted Shawn Michaels long enough for the Miz to recover and roll him up for the win. At WrestleMania XXVI, Big Show and The Miz defeated John Morrison and R-Truth to retain the Unified WWE Tag Team Championships again.

Media

Wight has been featured in infomercials for Stacker 2 with NASCAR drivers Kenny Wallace, Scott Wimmer, and Elliott Sadler, crew chief Jeff Hammond, and 2002 and 2005 Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart. In addition, Wight made a cameo appearance on the "Thong Song" remix music video by Sisqó and Foxy Brown. Wight was featured on the Jeff Foxworthy hosted game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, winning $15,000 for his chosen charity, United Service Organizations Inc.

Television appearances

• Thunder in Paradise (1994)
• Figure It Out (1998)
• Cousin Skeeter (March 18, 1999) in episode "Skeeter's Suplex"
• Shasta McNasty (October 5, 1999) in the pilot episode (as himself, wearing a pizza delivery guy's uniform)
• Appeared in Sisqó's music video "Thong Song" remix
• The Cindy Margolis Show (September 8, 2000)
• The Weakest Link (November 12, 2001) - WWF Edition (First one voted off 6 votes)
• Saturday Night Live (April 13, 2002)
• TV total (April 29, 2002)
• One on One (November 25, 1994) in episode "Is It Safe?" as "Miles"
• Player$ (2004) in episode "Barenaked Players"
• MADtv (March 13, 2004)
• Star Trek: Enterprise (October 29, 2004) in episode "Borderland" as "Orion Slave Trader #1"
• Hogan Knows Best (2004–2005, 2007)
• Late Night with Kevin (September 27, 2005)
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien (2008, 2009)
• Attack of the Show! (October 2, 2008)
• VH1 Top 20 Countdown (2009)
• Are You Smarter than A Fifth Grader? (Australian version) (August 10/17, 2009)
• The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (August 26, 2009)

Acting career

• Reggie's Prayer (1996) as "Mr. Portola"
• Jingle All the Way (1996) as "Huge Santa"
• McCinsey's Island (1998) as "Little Snow Flake"
• The Waterboy (1998) as "Captain Insano"
• Little Hercules in 3-D (2006) as "Marduk"
• Knucklehead (WWE Studios Production) (2010)
• MacGruber (2010) (Pre-Production)

Personal life

Like Andre The Giant, Wight has acromegaly, a disease of the endocrine system. Wight underwent successful surgery in the early 1990s on his pituitary gland which halted the progress of this condition. By the age of twelve, Wight was 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall, weighed 220 lb (100 kg), and had chest hair. In 1991, as a member of the Wichita State University basketball team at age nineteen, Wight was listed at 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m). His shoe size is 22 5 E, his ring size is 22.5, and his chest is 64 inches (160 cm) in circumference. In 2005, Wight leased a bus and hired a bus driver because of the practical problems his size presents to air travel and car rental.

Wight played basketball and football in high school at Wyman King Academy in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina. He was a standout center for the basketball team and a tight end for the football team. While at Wichita State University, Wight played basketball, and is a member of the Xi-Beta Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Wight also attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 1992 to 1993 and was a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Cougars basketball team. During his one year at SIUE, Wight scored a total of thirty-nine points for the Cougars in limited action.

In December 1998, Wight was arrested and detained for allegedly exposing himself to a hotel clerk in Memphis, Tennessee. Wight was later released due to a lack of evidence.

Wight married his first wife, Melissa Ann Piavis, on February 14, 1997. They separated in 2000 and their divorce was finalized on February 6, 2002. Together they have a daughter named Cierra. He married his second wife, Bess Katramados, on February 11, 2002.

In March 1999, Wight was charged with assault by Robert Sawyer, who alleged that Wight had broken his jaw during the summer of 1998 in the course of an altercation at Marriott Hotels & Resorts in Uniondale, New York. Wight claimed that Sawyer had verbally abused, threatened, and shoved him, and that he had responded by punching Sawyer. After three days, Judge Thomas Feinman gave a verdict of not guilty.

In wrestling

• Finishing moves
  • Showstopper (Chokeslam)
  • Colossal Clutch (Camel clutch) - 2009
  • The Right Hand (Right-handed knockout hook) – 2008–present
  • Final Cut (Spinning headlock legdrop bulldog)

• Signature moves
  • Abdominal stretch
  • Bearhug
  • Big boot
  • Cobra clutch backbreaker, sometimes segued into a cobra clutch or thrown into a twisting slam
  • Elbow drop
  • Headbutt
  • Hog Lock (Inverted leg drop bulldog)
  • Military press slam
  • Open-handed chop to a cornered opponent's chest
  • Reverse powerbomb
  • Sidewalk slam
  • Spear

• Managers
  • The Taskmaster
  • Ric Flair
  • Jimmy Hart
  • Jim Strauser
  • Robert "Leprechaun" Taylor
  • Paul Bearer
  • Joy Giovanni
  • Shane McMahon
  • Vince McMahon
  • Paul Heyman
  • Vickie Guerrero
  • Chris Jericho
  • The Miz

• Entrance themes
  • "Rockhouse" by Jimmy Hart and J. Helm (used while a part of the New World Order) (WCW/WWE) 1996-1997,1998-1999,2002
  • "No Chance in Hell" by Jim Johnston (WWF) 1999
  • "Big" by Jim Johnston (WWF/WWE) (1999–2006)
  • "Big (Remix)" by Mack 10, K Mac, Boo Kapone, and MC Eiht (WWF) (2000)
  • "Crank It Up" by Brand New Sin (WWE) (2006, 2008–present)
  • "Crank the Walls Down" by Maylene and the Sons of Disaster (Used while teaming with Chris Jericho)
  • "I Came to Play" by Downstait (2010-present) (While teaming with The Miz)

Championships and accomplishments

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI Rookie of the Year (1996)
  • PWI Wrestler of the Year (1996)
  • PWI ranked him #2 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the year in the PWI 500 in 1996

• World Championship Wrestling
  • WCW World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
  • WCW World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Lex Luger (1), Sting (1) and Scott Hall (1)
  • WCW World War 3 (1996)

• World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
  • ECW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
  • WWE Tag Team Championship (2 times, current) – with Chris Jericho (1) and The Miz (1)
  • WWE United States Championship (1 time)
  • WWF/E Championship (2 times)
  • WWF Hardcore Championship (3 times)
  • WWF/E World Tag Team Championship (5 times, current) – with The Undertaker (2), Kane (1), Chris Jericho (1), and The Miz (1)
  • Slammy Award for Tag Team of the Year (2009) with Chris Jericho

• Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
  • Rookie of the Year (1996)
  • Worst Feud of the Year (1999) vs. The Big Boss Man
  • Worst Wrestler (2001, 2002)
  • Most Embarrassing Wrestler (2002)

External links

• Big Show Profile at WWE.com
• Paul Wight at IMDb
• "Big Show interview on the Best Damn Sports Show Podcast"