After more than 20 years of chokeslams, is the Big Show is hanging up his singlet for
good?
In March 2017, the World's Largest Athlete told Sports Illustrated he was preparing to
retire in February 2018.
That, plus the news that his hip surgery didn't go as well as he'd hoped, made it look like
the Show was ready for his curtain call.
Then in March 2018, Big Show pulled a fast one, announcing he'd just signed a new "multi-year
deal", blaming fans and the media for the rumors he himself started.
A showman to the end!
Either way, in honor of his Hall of Fame-worthy career, let's take a look at the side of Big
Show's life you might not know about.
"Y'know some people say it's tough being a Big Show, but I gotta tell ya, it has its
advantages"
He could've been Like Mike
It's clear Big Show can wrestle, but it might shock you to learn he knows his way around
a basketball court.
In high school and college, Big Show (going by his real name, Paul Wight stood 7'1" and
weighed 325 pounds.
He won a division title his freshman year with Northern Oklahoma Junior College, then
transferred to Division I Wichita State University, but, according to Sports Illustrated, suffered
injuries and multiple benchings for being, quote, "an arrogant S.O.B."
Years of fame as a WWE superstar have probably soothed the sting of not making the NBA.
The truth about his size
Big Show didn't become a giant from eating all his vegetables.
As a young kid, Show contracted gigantism: involving a tumor that infects the pituitary
gland, causing a rapid increase in growth hormone.
In Show's case, he was 6'2" by age 12, according to Slam Sports.
While his height certainly helped him as an athlete, it could have cost him his life.
In adults, gigantism can become deadly.
Legendary wrestler Andre the Giant had the same disease, which ultimately killed him
at age 46.
Luckily for Show, he underwent surgery to remove the tumor in 1991, leaving him with
all the size and none of the life-threatening side effects.
All thanks to Danny Bonaduce
Big Show made it to the WCW with virtually no training and literally zero independent
wrestling experience.
He got in thanks to a good word from, of all people, Danny Bonaduce of The Partridge Family.
As Big Show told Chris Jericho on Y2J's podcast, he trained at Larry Sharpe's Monster Factory.
Sharpe, however, was never there due to health issues, and nobody taught Show much, except
for how to lock up and run the ropes.
Frustrated, Show left the Monster Factory and started working with a karaoke company.
One day, they were working Bonaduce's morning radio show in Chicago, and Bonaduce was clearly
impressed with Show's size.
He invited the big man to be his "secret partner" in a charity basketball game against Hulk
Hogan and Mr. T.
The connection paid off, as Big Show went from working karaoke gigs to main-eventing
wrestling pay-per-views virtually overnight.
A case of mistaken identity
Big Show started his wrestling career in 1995, but didn't enter the WWE until 1999...thanks
to one of the silliest cases of mistaken identity in scouting history.
As Show recounted to Chris Jericho, he was working as a bouncer when WWE (then-WWF) ref
Mike Chioda was at the bar Show was working at, and Show handed Chioda a tape, which Chioda
passed on to WWE agent Pat Patterson.
Sadly, that gesture went nowhere — simply because Patterson thought Show was another
giant entirely: a wrestler named Robert Maillet whom Patterson had no interest in signing
at the time.
Months later, Show was signed by the WCW and immediately thrust into a main-event feud
with Hulk Hogan.
That, says Show, is how Patterson learned of his big whoopsie.
No Shaq Attack
Though you may not have heard about it on WWE TV, Big Show was hustling behind the scenes
for an epic match for WrestleMania 33 against NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal.
Show would even regularly call out Shaq on social media by detailing his intense Mania
workout.
But depending on who you talk to, the match never happened for a few different reasons.
Big Show claimed Shaq was getting fat, saw Show getting stronger, and got cold feet.
That said, Show told Sporting News he was simply "talking trash."
Meanwhile, Shaq blamed WWE on his podcast for waffling.
Finally, wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio it was
a money issue — WWE simply wouldn't pay Shaq what he wanted, so he bailed.
The only thing we know for sure is that Big Show versus Shaq might be the greatest WrestleMania
match to never happen.
Too big for Big Show
By 2000, Big Show had won multiple world championships and had headlined that year's WrestleMania.
But even so, the WWF demoted him to its minor league system, Ohio Valley Wrestling.
His weight was a big reason why, as he told Slam Sports.
While recovering from knee surgery he ate too much and maxed out at 480 pounds.
Show worked hard to get back to the WWF, losing weight and getting his career back on track
... but a few years later, there was another weight-related setback.
Show found himself getting far too big again.
This time, as he told WWE.com, he took it upon himself to drop weight and get into the
best shape of his life.
He's since lost over 70 pounds and has wisely set himself up for a long, healthy life
Showtime for the Big Show
Big Show isn't the first wrestler to appear in movies and TV, but he might be among the
most prolific, due to his striking size and decent acting ability.
Over the years, Show appeared in movies like Jingle All The Way and The Waterboy.
In 2010, he landed a starring role in WWE Films' Knucklehead.
It wasn't a critical success, but Show was as entertaining as ever.
He even cameoed in the music video for Sisqo's "Thong Song."
Clearly, Big Show's a natural on camera.
If he ever decides to leave wrestling behind for good, the Show will likely go on for a
long, long time.
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