The Big Show, also known as Paul Wight, is an American professional 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 | Paul Wight |
| 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.
Career
Paul Wight known as The Big Show in wrestling started his career in 1994 after training at Larry Sharpe’s Monster Factory. He had limited training due to Sharpe’s health issues but learned some basics like the collar-and-elbow tie-up from Johnny Polo. His first match was in December 1994 where he lost.
He tried to join the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) but was turned down initially due to lack of experience. However, he got noticed after sending an audition tape to Pat Patterson through Mike Chioda. Initially mistaken for another wrestler he eventually caught Vince McMahon’s attention.
Wight’s big break came when he met Hulk Hogan through Danny Bonaduce. Hogan recommended him to WCW’s Eric Bischoff leading to Wight’s signing with WCW in 1995. He debuted as The Giant billed as the son of André the Giant but later dropped that storyline. He had notable matches with Hulk Hogan and eventually joined the New World Order (nWo).
Throughout his career in WCW, he won the World Heavyweight Championship and the Tag Team Championship multiple times. He clashed with wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash with whom he had a memorable match that led to a storyline neck injury.
Wight was frustrated with his pay and contract issues in WCW. He allowed his contract to expire in 1999 and later joined WWF/E where he continued his wrestling career under the name The Big Show.
Paul Wight known as The Big Show in wrestling joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during the “Attitude Era” with a ten-year contract. He debuted in February 1999 at an event called St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: In Your House. Initially part of Vince McMahon’s villainous group the Corporation Wight made a dramatic entrance during McMahon’s cage match against Stone Cold Steve Austin by tearing through the canvas from under the ring. This move established him as a heel (a villainous character).
The Big Show had his first WrestleMania appearance at WrestleMania XV. He wrestled against Mankind aiming to become the referee for the main match between Austin and The Rock who was the WWF Champion representing The Corporation. This led to a feud with McMahon where he turned face (became a good guy) by punching McMahon and leaving the Corporation. He formed alliances and feuds over the years switching between being a fan favorite and a villain multiple times.
Big Show won and lost various championships including the WWF Championship during his tenure. His career also saw him involved in memorable storylines like invading a funeral during a feud and mimicking other wrestlers for comedic effect.
He continued to evolve his character switching between different wrestling brands and alliances engaging in high-profile matches and feuds with notable wrestlers like John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and others.
Throughout his career, The Big Show’s character underwent several transformations from being a menacing villain to a comedic figure and back making him a versatile and enduring presence in professional wrestling.
In June 2006, Big Show switched from Raw to ECW debuting in a battle royal. He later won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship with help from Paul Heyman defeating Rob Van Dam. This victory made him the first wrestler to hold WWE, WCW, and ECW titles. He defended his ECW title against various wrestlers but lost to The Undertaker in a Punjabi Prison match and had feuds with others like Sabu and D-Generation X.
Big Show faced John Cena and King Booker in a Champion of Champions match at Cyber Sunday but didn’t win. He then competed in Survivor Series and feuded with Bobby Lashley losing the ECW World Championship to him at December to Dismember. After a brief break due to injuries, he returned but later moved to SmackDown where he feuded with The Undertaker again. He also had a storyline with Vickie Guerrero and competed in WrestleMania 25.
In 2009, Big Show moved to Raw and interfered in a match resulting in Edge winning the World Heavyweight Championship. He continued feuding with John Cena eventually defeating him to end their rivalry. Later he teamed up with Chris Jericho as Jeri-Show winning the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship. They defended their titles successfully but eventually lost them to D-Generation X. Big Show later won them back with The Miz but lost them to The Hart Dynasty in 2010.
After losing his title Big Show threw a punch at The Miz and hugged Theodore Long which turned him into a good guy. He returned to SmackDown during the WWE draft in 2010. On his first night back he was made the top contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Big Show interrupted the champion Jack Swagger and knocked him out.
The feud continued with Big Show slamming Swagger through a table and causing him to lose matches. Big Show later qualified for a championship match at Fatal 4-Way but Rey Mysterio won the title instead. His rivalry with Swagger intensified when Big Show was injured by Swagger’s finishing move and they fought to a double count-out.
Big Show then began feuding with CM Punk and his Straight Edge Society unmasking Punk and his teammate Joey Mercury. He won matches against them at major events like SummerSlam and Night of Champions. He also led Team SmackDown at Bragging Rights and Survivor Series emerging as a key player. The feud with CM Punk continued with Big Show participating in high-stakes matches like the Money in the Bank ladder match but coming up short.
In 2011, he faced new challenges including a feud with The Corre faction and Mark Henry who sidelined him with a leg injury. Big Show returned and won the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Mark Henry at TLC: Tables Ladders and Chairs only to lose it in record time to Daniel Bryan due to a cash-in of the Money in the Bank contract. His pursuit of the title continued with various matches including a memorable feud with Cody Rhodes over the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania XXVIII.
The storyline took a turn when Big Show under a new contract turned against his former allies and caused chaos in the ring. This led to intense matches and rivalries with top WWE stars culminating in his pursuit of the WWE Championship. His journey through these years saw ups and downs but Big Show always remained a formidable presence in the wrestling world.
Big Show came back to WWE on August 12’s Raw to help Mark Henry and Rob Van Dam against The Shield switching to being a good guy. On SmackDown five days later Big Show, Henry, and Van Dam beat The Shield in a six-man match. After criticizing COO Triple H on Raw Big Show faced The Shield in a tough three-on-one match which he lost.
Then Triple H and Stephanie McMahon said Big Show was broke and made him knock out his friends like Daniel Bryan and Dusty Rhodes to keep his job. At Battleground he disrupted the WWE Championship match between Bryan and Randy Orton causing a no-contest. He later challenged Orton for the title at Survivor Series but didn’t win.
In 2015, Big Show won the André the Giant Memorial Trophy by winning a battle royal at WrestleMania 31. At TLC he and Rey Mysterio tried but failed to win the WWE Tag Team Championship in a match involving several teams. He then had a rivalry with Brock Lesnar culminating in a match at the Royal Rumble which Big Show lost. At WrestleMania XXX he was last eliminated by Cesaro in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He also began a feud with Rusev defeating him once but losing in a rematch at Hell in a Cell.
Big Show turned bad when he joined the Authority at Survivor Series attacking John Cena during a match. He won a match at Tables Ladders and Chairs against Erick Rowan and later fought with Cena and Roman Reigns. He entered the Royal Rumble but was eliminated by Reigns. At WrestleMania 31, he won the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal for the second time. At Extreme Rules he lost a Last Man Standing match to Reigns.
After a break, Big Show came back to Raw and started a feud with Intercontinental Champion Ryback. He challenged Ryback at Money in the Bank but won by disqualification. At SummerSlam Ryback retained the title in a triple threat match. Big Show faced injuries and returned to help Roman Reigns and others against The Wyatt Family. He then teamed up with Kane at WrestleMania 32 in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. They fought with Shaquille O’Neal but were both eliminated.
Big Show moved to SmackDown in the 2016 draft and wrestled less on TV mainly appearing at live events. He entered the Royal Rumble but was eliminated by Braun Strowman. He feuded with Big Cass in 2017 and faced him at SummerSlam but lost. He was injured in a steel cage match with Strowman and needed hip surgery staying off TV for a while.
Big Show returned to Raw in 2020 and teamed up with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe to beat Seth Rollins and AOP. He then turned bad again by challenging and losing to WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. But he soon turned good once more by helping other wrestlers against ninjas led by Akira Tozawa. His last match was an unsanctioned fight with Orton on Raw.
Outside WWE Big Show joined AEW in 2021 as Paul Wight doing commentary and having some matches including a win at All Out. He returned to AEW Dynamite in 2023 to team with Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega against the Callis Family.
Net Worth
Big Show has an estimated net worth of $16 Million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The main source of Big Show’s net worth comes from his successful career as a professional wrestler. Known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Big Show earned significant income through wrestling matches, merchandise sales, and pay-per-view events.
Additionally, he has appeared in movies and TV shows, which contributed to his earnings. His long-standing presence in WWE, combined with endorsements and acting roles, has solidified his financial status.
Personal life
Big Show 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.
