Big Show is an American wrestler and actor born on February 8, 1972. He’s currently with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he wrestles and has also served as a commentator for their show AEW Dark: Elevation using his real name Paul Wight. Most fans know him best from his days in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as The Giant from 1995 to 1999 and in World Wrestling Federation (WWF now WWE) as The Big Show from 1999 to 2021.
Before wrestling Wight played college basketball at Wichita State University among other schools. He began his wrestling journey in 1994 and joined WCW in 1995. With his massive size, he was named The Giant introduced as the “son of André the Giant.” In early 1999 he moved to WWF.
Throughout his career in WWF/WWE and WCW Wight has won 23 championships including seven world titles. He held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice the WWF/WWE Championship twice WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship twice and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once making him the only wrestler to win all four titles. He’s also an 11-time world tag team champion with various partners.
Additionally Wight has won the Intercontinental United States and Hardcore championships making him the 24th Triple Crown and 12th Grand Slam champion in WWE history. He won the 60-man battle royal at World War 3 and the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31. He has headlined many major pay-per-view events including WrestleMania in 2000.
Outside the ring, Wight has acted in movies and TV shows like Jingle All the Way The Waterboy Star Trek: Enterprise Royal Pains Psych, and Burn Notice. He starred in the WWE Studios comedy film Knucklehead and the Netflix sitcom The Big Show Show.
| Full Name | Big Show |
| Date of Birth | February 8, 1972 |
| Place of Birth | Aiken, South Carolina, United States |
| Occupation | Professional Wrestler, Actor |
| Height | 7 ft 0 in (213 cm) |
| Spouse | Bess Katramados |
| Children | Cierra Wight |
| Net Worth | $16 million |
Big Show Early Life and Education
Paul Wight was born on February 8, 1972, in Aiken South Carolina. He has a condition called acromegaly which makes his body grow faster than normal. By the time he was 12 years old, Paul was already 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed 220 pounds. He even had chest hair at that young age! By 19 while playing basketball at Wichita State University he had reached an impressive height of 7 feet 1 inch. Thankfully surgery on his pituitary gland in the early 1990s stopped his rapid growth. Now Paul wears a shoe size of 22 5E his ring size is 22 and his chest measures 64 inches around.
Paul’s size often made travel difficult so in 2005 he decided to lease a bus and hire a driver to avoid the hassle of flying or renting cars.
In high school, at Wyman King Academy in Batesburg-Leesville South Carolina Paul played both basketball and football. He was a star center on the basketball team and played tight end in football. However, after some disagreements with the football coach, he quit the team. To support his friends Paul joined the cheerleading squad instead. He fondly remembers this time saying it was one of the best experiences of his life especially because he got to ride in a van with cheerleaders while the football team was stuck on a bus.
After high school, Paul attended Northern Oklahoma Junior College in Tonkawa Oklahoma. His talent on the basketball court earned him all-conference honors and he helped his team win the Western Division of the Oklahoma Bi-State Conference. He then played for the Wichita State Shockers during the 1991-1992 season. Later he transferred to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where he joined the NCAA Division II Cougars basketball team and scored 39 points in limited action. Paul also became a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at SIUE.
After college Paul took on various jobs including bouncing bounty hunting and answering phone calls. His diverse experiences and unique background have made him a fascinating figure both on and off the court.
Big Show Career
The Incredible Journey of Paul Wight
Wight started his wrestling journey by paying $5000 to train at Larry Sharpe’s Monster Factory. But because Sharpe was dealing with gout at the time Wight didn’t get much training except for a bit of basics from Johnny Polo. His first match happened on December 3, 1994, when he lost to Frank Finnegan.
When Wight tried to join the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) he was turned down by Bob Collins because he had no experience. But he didn’t give up. While at the Monster Factory, he made an audition tape and gave it to Mike Chioda who passed it along to Pat Patterson. Unfortunately, Patterson didn’t watch it thinking Wight was another wrestler named Kurrgan. It wasn’t until later when Wight debuted in WCW as The Giant that Patterson realized his mistake much to Vince McMahon’s annoyance.
Wight’s luck changed when he met Danny Bonaduce during a karaoke event. Bonaduce introduced him to his friend Hulk Hogan who was impressed by Wight’s charisma during a basketball game. Hogan recommended Wight to WCW’s Eric Bischoff. Wight attended a WCW event and got to meet wrestling legends like Ric Flair Arn Anderson and Paul Orndorff. Eventually, he struck a deal with Bischoff.
World Championship Wrestling
From WCW Debut to Championship Drama
In 1995, a wrestler named Wight joined WCW. He started in May at a big event called Slamboree where they said he was André the Giant’s son (but they later dropped that story). He used the name “The Giant” and was part of a group called the Dungeon of Doom led by Kevin Sullivan.
His first big match was at Halloween Havoc against Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. He won because Hogan’s manager Jimmy Hart did some sneaky stuff getting Hogan disqualified and then turning against him. The next day on WCW Monday Nitro The Giant appeared wearing the championship belt. It turns out Hart had added a rule that if Hogan lost by disqualification he’d lose his title. WCW didn’t like how the match went down so they said the title change didn’t count.
Later The Giant joined a big battle royal to win the vacant championship. He did well but ultimately Hulk Hogan got him out along with two other wrestlers. Even though The Giant was out he grabbed Hogan’s foot which led to Randy Savage winning the match and the title.
There were more matches after that. The Giant teamed up with Ric Flair to beat Hogan and Savage but then Hogan beat The Giant in a cage match. After fighting with another wrestler named Loch Ness The Giant won the championship back by beating Flair. But then when Hogan started a group called the New World Order (nWo) he beat The Giant with some help from Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.
Wrestling Career, nWo Battles, and WCW Departure
The Giant a wrestler joined a group called the nWo because he was promised a lot of money by another wrestler named Ted DiBiase. He started fighting with another wrestler named Lex Luger and a group called the Four Horsemen. After winning a big match called the battle royal he wanted to fight for the World Heavyweight Championship title. But the leader of the nWo Hulk Hogan kicked him out of the group.
Then The Giant teamed up with other wrestlers like Sting and Luger to fight against the nWo. He even won the WCW World Tag Team Championship two times with different partners.
Later he got into a big fight with another nWo member named Nash. They were supposed to have a match but Nash didn’t show up. When they finally fought Nash accidentally hurt The Giant’s neck badly. They turned it into a story where Nash did it on purpose.
When Nash left the nWo and made his group The Giant went back to the original nWo to fight against Nash and his friends. He won more Tag Team Championships with different partners.
Then another wrestler named Goldberg beat The Giant in a big match. After that, there was a fight to see who would stay in the nWo. The Giant lost and was kicked out of the group. He talked about how he wasn’t paid as much as the other top wrestlers so he decided to leave WCW when his contract ended.
World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
The Legendary Wrestling Journey
Paul Wight, known as The Big Show, started his wrestling journey back in 1999 during the exciting “Attitude Era” of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). His debut was quite dramatic – he burst onto the scene on Valentine’s Day at the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: In Your House event. He aligned himself with the notorious Vince McMahon and his villainous crew, the Corporation.
During a heated match between McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin, Big Show made a memorable entrance by tearing through the ring canvas and attacking Austin from below. This action instantly marked him as a bad guy (a.k.a. a heel). However, things took a turn when he accidentally helped Austin win the match by causing the cage to break.
Big Show then became McMahon’s muscle, enforcing his boss’s will. But his allegiances shifted when McMahon slapped him after a match. In retaliation, Big Show punched McMahon, becoming a fan favorite (a.k.a. a face) and leaving the Corporation behind.
He later joined forces with Mankind, Test, and Ken Shamrock to form a group called The Union, fighting against McMahon’s Corporation and the Corporate Ministry. Big Show’s wrestling journey was full of ups and downs, including winning and losing titles, forming alliances, and betrayals.
One of his most memorable feuds was with the Big Boss Man, which culminated in a bizarre and poorly received storyline involving the invasion of Big Show’s father’s funeral. Despite the negative reception, Big Show managed to win the WWF Championship in a Triple Threat match against The Rock and Triple H.
However, his reign as champion was short-lived, and he lost the title to Triple H soon after. Big Show continued to vie for the championship, even resorting to controversial tactics like producing a video to challenge The Rock’s victory in a match. This led to a showdown at No Way Out, where Big Show emerged victorious with the help of Shane McMahon.
But The Rock wasn’t done yet. He challenged Big Show to a rematch on Raw, with high stakes – if The Rock lost, he would retire from the WWF. The match ended with The Rock securing the win, thanks to Vince McMahon’s interference.
Despite his efforts, Big Show couldn’t secure a spot in the WrestleMania title match. He faced disappointment when Triple H pinned him in a match arranged by Linda McMahon, setting the stage for a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match at WrestleMania 2000, where Big Show was the first to be eliminated.
After WrestleMania Big Show changed sides again and started doing funny stuff in the ring. He started copying other wrestlers like Rikishi The Berzerker and Val Venis. He even dressed up as Hulk Hogan once and fought Kurt Angle. But then he got in a fight with Shane McMahon because Shane didn’t like what Big Show was doing. Shane beat Big Show in a match with help from some other guys.
Big Show came back later wanting revenge on Shane but then he changed sides again and attacked The Undertaker instead. He joined up with Shane and a few other wrestlers to form a group called “The Conspiracy.” But after The Undertaker threw him off the stage Big Show disappeared from TV for a while. He had to go to a training place to get in better shape.
He came back as a surprise in the Royal Rumble but got thrown out quickly. Then he started fighting for the Hardcore Championship winning it but then losing it soon after. He was part of Team WWF in a big match but got eliminated first.
Later he switched to the Raw brand and joined a group called the nWo. But that didn’t last long because the group fell apart. After that, he didn’t do too well-losing matches against other wrestlers.
Then he moved to the SmackDown! brand and went after the WWE Championship. He won it from Brock Lesnar with some help but lost it to Kurt Angle soon after. He had a match to decide who would fight Kurt Angle next but he lost that too. He kept fighting with Lesnar and also got into a feud with The Undertaker. At one point Lesnar threw him off the ropes so hard that the ring broke. Eventually, he won a match against Lesnar and some others with his team.
WWE talked a lot about Big Show retiring Hulk Hogan because he beat him in a match.
WWE Rollercoaster
Big Show had quite the rollercoaster journey in the WWE during this period. It all started at No Mercy when he won the United States Championship from Eddie Guerrero and joined forces with Brock Lesnar. But things took a turn when he lost to Chris Benoit at the Royal Rumble and then lost his title to John Cena at WrestleMania XX.
On SmackDown! Big Show promised to quit if he couldn’t beat Eddie Guerrero but he lost and went on a rampage flipping Torrie Wilson’s car and threatening her. He even attacked General Manager Kurt Angle which landed him in hot water. After some time off due to surgery, he returned in August with a vengeance interfering in matches and eventually choosing to face Kurt Angle at No Mercy turning into a good guy in the process.
At No Way Out he faced JBL for the WWE Championship but came up short despite his best efforts. WrestleMania 21 saw him in a sumo match against Akebono which he lost. His feud with Carlito and Matt Morgan didn’t go his way either with losses piling up.
Big Show was then drafted to Raw where he continued to dominate. He had some intense matches with Gene Snitsky including a Street Fight where he emerged victorious.
From Taboo Tuesday to WrestleMania 22
On a Raw episode in October Big Show won against Edge earning a chance to be voted into a match with John Cena and Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship at Taboo Tuesday. Shawn Michaels won that vote so Big Show teamed with Kane to win the World Tag Team Championship instead.
Before Survivor Series Big Show got involved in Raw vs. SmackDown! rivalry. They attacked Batista on SmackDown! then won against SmackDown!’s MNM. They “injured” Batista twice once on Raw and once on SmackDown! Special. At Survivor Series Big Show was part of Team Raw but got eliminated and Team SmackDown! won. Big Show also had a match against Rey Mysterio on SmackDown! but it ended without a winner. Then they returned to SmackDown! to win against Mysterio and JBL.
They were then booked to fight Batista and Mysterio at Armageddon which they won. Big Show also tried to qualify for a WWE Championship match at New Year’s Revolution but lost to Shawn Michaels because Triple H interfered. Big Show got revenge by stopping Triple H from qualifying later. At New Year’s Revolution, Triple H beat Big Show.
Later Big Show entered a tournament for a shot at the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 22. He faced Triple H but it ended in a draw. Then they had a Triple Threat match with Rob Van Dam which Triple H won. After that Big Show and Kane fought Chris Masters and Carlito winning at WrestleMania but losing the title the next night. They had a rematch but lost by disqualification. Their feud led to a match at Backlash which ended without a clear winner.
ECW Reign: From Title Victories to Controversial Feuds
On June 7, at a WWE event where ECW was competing against Raw and SmackDown! Big Show switched sides to join ECW. He won a big match for them by tossing out Randy Orton. Then at another event called ECW One Night Stand he attacked a bunch of other wrestlers after their match.
On July 4, Big Show fought Rob Van Dam for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. With help from ECW’s boss Paul Heyman Big Show won the match by doing some sneaky moves like slamming Van Dam onto a chair. This made the fans angry and they started throwing stuff into the ring. This win made Big Show the first wrestler ever to hold three major titles.
Big Show kept on winning matches against other wrestlers but he also lost a few. He had a feud with a wrestler named Sabu beat him at a big event called SummerSlam and also helped some other wrestlers in their fights against a group called D-Generation X.
At another event called Cyber Sunday, Big Show fought John Cena and King Booker in a match where fans got to pick what was at stake. They chose King Booker’s title but Big Show didn’t win. Then at Survivor Series, he lost again this time to Cena.
After that Big Show had a big match against Bobby Lashley for the ECW World Championship but lost. He tried to get revenge in a rematch but failed. So he took some time off from wrestling to heal from his injuries. Then his contract with the WWE ended in 2007.
Return to WWE
From WrestleMania Brawl to Tag Team Success
On February 17, 2008, something big happened in WWE. Big Show a wrestler returned to TV and tried to attack Rey Mysterio after a match. But boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. jumped in and they ended up fighting. Mayweather even broke Big Show’s nose at WrestleMania XXIV!
Then at One Night Stand Big Show won a match against CM Punk, John Morrison, Chavo Guerrero, and Tommy Dreamer. But he got hurt during the fight. He ended up getting stitches because Morrison accidentally hit him with a stick.
After that Big Show went to the SmackDown show and started being bad again. He teamed up with Vickie Guerrero to fight The Undertaker. They had a bunch of matches and Big Show won some but lost others.
Later on, Big Show moved to the Raw show. He messed with John Cena a lot. He even helped someone else beat Cena in a match. But then he finally lost to Cena in a big fight.
Before Night of Champions, Big Show attacked a bunch of other wrestlers. He wanted a chance to win the United States Championship. But then he became tag team partners with Chris Jericho instead. They won some matches together.
They even won the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship and defended it a few times. But eventually, they lost it to D-Generation X (DX) at TLC: Tables Ladders and Chairs.
Then Big Show teamed up with The Miz and won the titles back from DX in a big match. They defended the titles a few more times but eventually lost them to The Hart Dynasty.
From Feuds to Championships to Injury Setbacks
After losing a title Big Show turned into a good guy by punching The Miz and hugging Theodore Long. Then he got drafted back to the SmackDown team. On his return, he became the top contender for the World Heavyweight Championship by knocking out Jack Swagger. He kept messing with Swagger crashing his celebrations and interfering in his matches. Big Show got a shot at the championship but lost to Rey Mysterio.
His feud with Swagger continued and Big Show saved Rey from Swagger’s brutal move. He then started beefing with CM Punk and his gang the Straight Edge Society (SES). Big Show unmasked Punk and another SES member Joey Mercury in fights. He led Team SmackDown at Bragging Rights and Survivor Series winning both times.
However, he failed to qualify for the King of the Ring tournament because Alberto Del Rio interfered. Big Show tangled with Wade Barrett and his crew The Corre getting into a mess of fights until he teamed up with Kane to defeat them at WrestleMania XXVII. They even won the WWE Tag Team Championship. But soon after they lost the titles and Big Show got injured.
He returned and got into a feud with Mark Henry who had hurt him by mistake during a match. Henry kept attacking Big Show causing him to be out of action for months after a match at Money in the Bank.
From championship Success to controversial reigns
Big Show made a dramatic return to SmackDown on October 7. He quickly became the top contender for the World Heavyweight Championship by attacking Mark Henry. Their rivalry led to intense matches, including one at Vengeance where the ring collapsed! Big Show eventually won the championship from Henry at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs.
But his victory was short-lived. Daniel Bryan cashed in his Money in the Bank contract immediately after Big Show won, making Big Show’s reign the shortest ever. Big Show kept chasing the title, but Bryan managed to keep it through various tactics, including getting disqualified and causing no-contest results.
Big Show’s story didn’t end there. He won the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania XXVIII, adding to his impressive list of accomplishments in WWE. However, his reign was brief as he lost the title back to Cody Rhodes at Extreme Rules.
Things took a turn when Big Show was fired by Raw and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis for mocking his voice. But Big Show returned with a vengeance at Over the Limit, betraying John Cena and siding with Laurinaitis to keep his job.
Under his “ironclad contract,” Big Show went on a rampage, attacking various WWE Superstars to fulfill the terms of his contract. Despite his efforts, he failed to capture the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank and SummerSlam.
Big Show’s quest for gold didn’t stop. He eventually became the World Heavyweight Champion again by defeating Sheamus at Hell in a Cell. But his reign was marred by controversy and interference from rivals like Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio.
Despite his ups and downs, Big Show remained a force to be reckoned with in WWE, participating in high-profile matches and rivalries, including a showdown with The Shield at WrestleMania 29. However, his feud with Randy Orton and Sheamus proved challenging, leading to his defeat in several matches.
After a grueling Extreme Rules match against Orton, Big Show took a break from WWE television, leaving fans wondering what his next move would be.
From Heroic Comebacks to Epic Battles
Big Show made a comeback to WWE on TV during Raw on August 12. He helped Mark Henry and Rob Van Dam when The Shield attacked them. This made him a good guy in the story or “face.” Then on SmackDown Big Show Henry and Van Dam beat The Shield in a tag team match. But then Big Show got into some trouble with Triple H the boss of WWE and his wife Stephanie McMahon. They said Big Show was out of money and had to fight his friends to keep his job. At Battleground he interrupted a match between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton and knocked them both out.
After that Big Show teamed up with Rey Mysterio to try to win the WWE Tag Team Championship but lost. He then had a fight with Brock Lesnar which he lost too. He also took part in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal but didn’t win. Later he started fighting with Rusev but Rusev won in the end.
At Survivor Series Big Show changed sides and joined Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. He attacked John Cena during a match and helped his new team win. He even won a match against Erick Rowan at Tables Ladders and Chairs. But then he got into a fight with Roman Reigns and lost a few times.
At the Royal Rumble, he was in the big match but got thrown out by Reigns. He won a match at Fastlane but lost to Reigns at Extreme Rules. Then he took a break but came back to fight Ryback for the Intercontinental Championship. He didn’t win but tried again at SummerSlam and lost once more.
Later he got involved in a fight with Sting but it didn’t end well for him. He also lost to Lesnar at Madison Square Garden. He tried to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion but lost to Reigns. At the Royal Rumble, he got thrown out by Braun Strowman.
Big Show then turned back into a good guy helping Reigns Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho. They fought against The Wyatt Family and won at Fastlane. But The Wyatt Family beat them later. At WrestleMania 32 Big Show fought with Kane in a big match but didn’t win. They beat The Wyatt Family on Main Event ending their fight.
From Raw Rivalries to SmackDown Surprises!
Big Show switched to Raw in 2016 as part of WWE’s draft. He started showing up more at live events than on TV and became a part-time wrestler. At the Royal Rumble in 2017, he got thrown out by Braun Strowman. He beat Rusev at Fastlane but got eliminated by Strowman again at WrestleMania 33. Strowman and Big Show had a big match on Raw where they broke the ring. Big Show then had a feud with Big Cass and lost to him at SummerSlam. He got tossed through a steel cage by Strowman and had to take time off for hip surgery.
He came back to SmackDown in 2018 but lost to Randy Orton. He teamed up with The Bar but then punched Cesaro and got injured again. Big Show returned in 2020 teaming with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe to beat Seth Rollins and his crew. He later insulted Drew McIntyre and lost to him. He then helped some wrestlers fend off ninjas led by Akira Tozawa. His last match was against Orton in July 2020.
He showed up at Survivor Series in November 2020 for The Undertaker’s retirement. His final WWE appearance was on Raw in January 2021 for Legends Night. Big Show left WWE because they couldn’t agree on money and he was frustrated with the storylines.
From Commentary to Ring Comebacks!
Back in February 2021, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) shared some big news. You know the wrestler Big Show? Well, he’s now with AEW, using his real name, Paul Wight. He’s not just wrestling; he’s also doing commentary with Tony Schiavone on AEW Dark: Elevation, a new show on YouTube that started in March. But wait, there’s more! He’s not just talking; he’s getting back in the ring too.
You might have seen him on AEW Dynamite in March, where he dropped a hint about a big signing. Turns out, it was Christian Cage. And he’s had some matches too, like beating Q. T. Marshall at All Out.
Then, in November 2023, Paul made a comeback on AEW Dynamite. He teamed up with Jericho and Kenny Omega to take on the Callis Family. And let’s just say, things got intense when he knocked out Kyle Fletcher.
The Story of Wight
Wight a wrestler has a condition called acromegaly which makes his body grow larger than usual. People often compare him to another famous wrestler André the Giant who also had acromegaly. But unlike André Wight had surgery to stop his condition from getting worse. Even though they’re not related some wrestling companies promoted Wight as André’s son because they looked alike.
Wight grew up in the Southern United States where André was popular. So some older fans mistakenly think Wight is André’s son. But actually, Wight’s real father was a mechanic. André passed away at 46 but Wight is still alive.
Wight is famous for switching between being a good guy (“face”) and a bad guy (“heel”) many times in his career. It’s become a joke among wrestling fans. Since 1995 he’s changed sides about 34 times! Even though this might confuse fans Wight is proud that he can play both roles well and help younger wrestlers look good in the ring.
What is Big Show’s Net Worth?
Big Show’s Net Worth is estimated to be $16 Million as of 2024, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Big Show Personal life
Marriages, Divorces, and Family
Wight got hitched to his first wife, Melissa Piavis, back in ’97. They didn’t last long though, separating in 2000 and getting officially divorced by 2002. They share a daughter from their time together. In the same year of his divorce, Wight tied the knot with his second wife, Bess Katramados. They’ve got two kids of their own.
Aside from his personal life, Wight has been a big supporter of the Special Olympics for quite some time. He was involved in the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games in New Jersey, taking part in the Opening Ceremony. Then, he was given the title of WWE Goodwill Ambassador for the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. Since 2018, he’s been working as a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics International.
Legal Battles
Back in 1998, there was trouble for Wight when he got arrested by the Memphis Police. They said he showed himself to a woman working at a hotel. But later, they didn’t have enough proof, so they dropped the charge.
Then in 1999, there was another problem. A guy named Robert Sawyer said Wight broke his jaw in a fight at a Marriott hotel in New York. Wight said Sawyer was mean to him first, so he punched him. After a few days, the judge said Wight wasn’t guilty.
