Paul Wight Didn’t Like ‘The Big Show’ Name When Vince McMahon First Pitched It

Former WWE Superstar Paul Wight used to be known as Big Show during his time in Vince McMahon’s former company. He spent more than twenty years in WWE before he decided to leave the company and take his skills elsewhere. Wight eventually made his way to AEW, much to the surprise of the pro wrestling world.

The former multi-time world champion Paul Wight recently made an appearance on Insight With Chris Van Vilet for an in-depth conversation about all things pro-wrestling. During his time on the podcast, Wight also discussed where his well-known WWE nick name, “The Big Show,” came from. It appears, Vince McMahan had something to do with it.

“That was Vince. What was Vince. When I first came into WWE I was Paul Wight, you know? And I just don’t think Vince liked the spelling of my name or liked my name. I mean, what would Vince know about marketing, you know what I mean? But he walked by me one day and he goes ‘So how’s the Big Show today?’ I go ‘I’m good but who the hell is The Big show?’ He goes ‘You! You can walk, you can talk, you’re an athlete. You’re The Big Show.’”

Paul also mentioned his first impression of the name. He claimed that Vince gave Paul the now-iconic moniker “Big Show” and then just left. Paul added that as Vince was walking away, he had the thought, “Oh dear God, I hope that is not my wrestling name.” He further stated,

“But I do think back then it was the Attitude [Era], it was the Monday Night Wars. ‘The Big Show,’ also TBS. So you know, there’s a lot that went into it. And that’s okay.”

“I mean, over the years, just like anything, if you do it long enough, it’s all in what you do and you can make it your own. Just as, as uncomfortable as it was to be known as The Big Show for so many years, and I’m grateful for that opportunity. Now to rebrand, to restart as myself, it’s a little hard. Because I mean, I have a great Big Show autograph. My real autograph is good, but I don’t want to put my real signature out there for document forging. Next thing you know, I’ll end up owning a bunch of timeshares in the Bahamas or something But you know, right now [I’m] just trying to figure out that new identity. And for once, I actually have a little but of input on my character. So hopefully it won’t be as schizophrenic as it was the past four decades, heal one day, babyface the next.”

It should be noted that despite having a successful career in the WWE, Vince McMahon frequently switched up Big Show by abruptly changing his character from babyface to heel. Wight continues to be made fun of by fans for this.

Paul Wight is more than happy where he is in AEW, and that is what matters in the end. Meanwhile, you can check out his interview below. Stay tuned to Ringside News for more.

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