Paul Wight

[8.0] "Big Show is a wrestler where I think his reputation is complicated by the fact that people often judge him based on what they wanted him to be rather than what he actually was. Was he always booked as well as he could have been? Absolutely not. Did WWE and WCW always know how to use him? Definitely not. But when I look at Big Show as a professional wrestler, I see a genuinely talented big man who had a much broader skill set than he is sometimes given credit for. The first thing you have to acknowledge is the sheer presence. Big Show looked like a monster. When he walked into a ring, he immediately had credibility because of his size. But unlike some gigantic wrestlers, he could actually move. For someone his size, Big Show was remarkably mobile, and he had a surprisingly good understanding of how to work with smaller opponents. His athleticism is one of the things I appreciate most about him. People sometimes forget that Big Show could move around the ring extremely well for a man of his dimensions. He could throw convincing strikes, work the ropes, perform power moves and even occasionally show a more athletic side that you wouldn't expect from someone that large. His work with smaller wrestlers is particularly interesting. Big Show understood that his size had to become part of the story. A smaller wrestler wasn't simply supposed to exchange punches with him as if they were the same size. The entire match could revolve around the smaller wrestler trying to find ways around Big Show's physical advantage. That's basic wrestling psychology, but he was very good at executing it. I also think his versatility deserves more recognition. Big Show could be a monster heel, a sympathetic babyface, a comedy character, a tag-team wrestler or a serious main-event opponent. He worked with an enormous number of different wrestlers across WCW and WWE and rarely looked completely out of place. His career is also historically significant. He wasn't just some giant who had a short run at the top. He became a major figure in both WCW and WWE and remained relevant for decades. Very few wrestlers can say they were important parts of two different major wrestling eras and promotions in that way. However, this is where I have to be critical. Big Show's career is full of what could have been. I think he could have had a much stronger singles résumé if he had been booked with more consistency. He was constantly changing alignment, moving between heel and babyface roles, entering and leaving main-event programs, and sometimes being used more as a supporting character than as a serious threat. That hurts his legacy for me. He had the physical tools to be one of the greatest big men ever, but I don't think he consistently had the great singles matches to justify putting him in that very top tier. There are good Big Show matches and memorable Big Show matches, but there aren't enough matches where I come away thinking that I just watched an all-time classic. And that's important to me when giving a rating. His size could also become a limitation in certain matches. When the pacing slowed down too much, some of his matches could feel repetitive. The giant-versus-giant formula can also become difficult to sustain if there isn't a strong story behind it. Still, I think Big Show deserves tremendous respect for his longevity and adaptability. He survived multiple generations of wrestling. He worked with giants, technical wrestlers, high flyers, hardcore wrestlers and some of the biggest stars in the business. He was able to reinvent himself repeatedly and remain useful to WWE long after his original monster presentation had lost some of its impact. And I think that's ultimately the best way to describe Big Show: an extremely talented big man whose career never quite reached its full potential. If I'm rating pure physical presence, he's close to a 10. If I'm rating versatility, he's very high. If I'm rating longevity, he's elite. But when I combine everything and put a lot of weight on outstanding singles matches, I can't go higher than an 8. Big Show was never a bad wrestler. Far from it. He was a very good wrestler who happened to be enormous, had incredible longevity and possessed far more ability than his booking often suggested."

[7.0] "He's ok at every thing. But he's iconic and has very good comedic timing. One of the only wrestlers to break into the mainstream"

"7.0 - The Big Show is an amazing wrestler for his size; just imagine a 500-pound wrestler leaping off the ropes. His character is quite weak, and his mic work is merely acceptable. He had a successful career, though my issue lies with his illogical character turns."

[10.0] "One of if not the best giant wrestler that I've ever seen. Paul Wight started out on the WCW and I think The Giant had a great run there, then he jumped to the WWF in 1999 and although he had his ups and downs, he in my opinion had a great run. At time I was frustrated with his booking but I especially like him around 1999-2000, his WWE Title win in 2002, his ECW run in 2006 and his time from 2008 to about 2012."

[8.0] "my mom's favorite wrestler. I always liked the big show. A very versatile character, shown by the fact that he had about a billion face and heel turns. Believable as an unstoppable monster and a loveable big man. Also very athletic in his prime for a man his size. Definitely one of the best big men in wrestling. Had a great and long career, had some great matches, won a lot of titles, and created some iconic moments. Also, he can cry on command, which is arguably the most impressive thing about him. Other than, y'know, being a multiple time world champion in two different promotions."

[8.0] "One of my childhood favorites. An absolute mountain of a man who could but on a decent match. I really hate that they made him turn on his teammates and throw temper tantrums every other week."

[8.0] "The Giant was a constant through the nineties, a dominating force unlike many we'd seen before and a comparable goliath to Vader, who was another WCW World Champ. He would win the WCW Title in his first match, nuts, but he was a worthwhile champ. He would main event and have great matches all through the nineties, winning the WWF belt as well. When the decade turned it seemed he hit a wall of sorts, and The Big Show character become a wholly different kind of fella. As a young kid, I loved Show, he was someone you could slot in against a lot of guys and still get a decent performance out of him, but nothing like The Giant of years past. I thought the way he aged into those new restrictions his body put upon him was honestly graceful in comparison to many guys, especially of his size. He remained relevant for a long time and was never outright bad, he has a fan in me."

[6.0] "A guy who was awesome from 1996-1999 then completely stalled into mediocrity for the next twenty years."

[8.0] "Over the first 5 years of Paul Wight's career he captured the WWF World Title, WCW World Title (in his first match no less) and Main Evented WrestleMania & various other PPVs against a literal who's who of the 80s & 90s. All of this before the age of 30. He received that instant mega-push right out of the gate almost entirely because his look and natural athletic ability, but he lasted another quarter century in the business in large part due to hard work and dedication to the craft. Many guys in his spot would've called it a day if asked to go to OVW at the stage in the career when Big Show was sent down to Louisville, but he stuck it out and actually made the most of his time there. He came back in better shape and a better worker. He took whatever he was given by WWE creative and gave it his all, for better or worse. The endless face/heel turns eventually burnt fans out, but it took a long while. The only other WWE star whose career petered out in a similar fashion is probably Kane. Wight's signing with AEW received a bunch of mainstream press coverage (one of the few times I can recall this happening in the company's history), only for AEW to stick him behind the desk on one of their now-nonexistent YouTube shows. His first match with the company was a throwaway PPV undercard bout against QT Marshall, with Tony Schiavone and his son somehow involved in the snoozefest. His last match to date was one of AEW's biggest clusters*cks, the Ninja Gaiden multi-man sh*tshow, which unbelievably saw Paul Wight get bodyslammed off of a platform and onto a car in a spot that should've killed him. I doubt he'll get a proper retirement match in AEW, but I sincerely hope that they prove me wrong. A WWE Hall of Fame induction is surely somewhere down the road for Show, unless he continues to receive Khan Family money until the end of time. Whichever Wight ends up choosing, he'll always go down as one of the greatest big men in history. An easy 8"

[9.0] "Big show is what Kane should be remembered for in WWE lore but unlike Kane, big show actually has multiple good to great matches under his belt that don't involve multiple people. He might be the most underrated big man now that I think about it. The running joke of his heels turns will never not pop me but he was legitimately really good. Played his role to the best of his ability"

[9.0] "I love so much Big Shows work, a really underated wrestler and surely one of the most underappreciated i've ever seen, i'm agree his booking could have been terrible in WCW and WWF/E, but Paul Wight is so great and had some great matchs. I'm a big fan of his size too."

[5.0] "Very iconic big guy, however one of the driest and least entertaining wrestlers both in-ring and on the mic I've ever seen. Big men aren't all typically great, however I find Paul's in-ring ability extremely limited and just dull and boring overall. His face and heel turns are also so constant that it just doesn't even matter anymore."

[5.0] "Big Show is obviously a iconic big man, but I don't think he was really special. he got more stuff in his career then probably should have, him being involved in the match at WrestleMania 25 with Edge and John Cena was dumb, him getting in 2012 with Punk and Cena was dumb, he should not have been world champion in 2012/2013. many unnecessary heel and face turns. just did not make me like him much. so people think he should have gotten better in his career, but I think he got more then he should have and just made me groan."

[8.0] "One of the most successful super heavyweights in wrestling history 20+ years and hes still going strong i also loved him in The Waterboy as Captain Insano"

[7.0] "I think people have been too harsh on Big Show over the years given his longevity and dedication to the wrestling business. Yeah, he was on TV a little too much and turned babyface and heel far too often, but he was consistent and reliable. I do feel bad for all the nonsense they made him do over the years because they thought it would be funny to see someone of his size get embarrassed, that isn't really fair on him. Despite those frequent turns, he played both roles well, but he's been better at said roles more times than others during different periods. As far as his match quality, he had some good moves, made smaller guys look great and turned in some solid performances from time to time. Good to see that people are respecting him more now after those 'please retire' chants years ago"

[9.0] "Big show, I think, is heavily underrated because of his booking especially in his later years in WWE. He started young, and for his size, he for sure was athletic and great worker. He is not Vader or Bigelow, but he always gave his all. He did everything management told him to do and put people over."

[7.0] "The Big Show is... well, there's just so much to say about him. He went along with every face and heel turns, trying to make them work. He was made to look ridiculous so many times despite his imposing stature. He was put in matches with little room to have anything good happen. Despite all of that, he still remains a legend of the business. Back in his younger days, he was so damn athletic for someone that gigantic, but even as his agility left him through a combination of not keeping himself in shape at times, getting older and injuries, he was still a quality performer. Never the best, but reliable on most nights. He was also not the most charismatic or captivating person on the mic, despite his best efforts across the various roles he was given. In the end, he was a great soldier for the WWE, and someone who, despite having done a lot, perhaps should have accomplished more."

[6.0] "I do feel a bit bad for him at times, he clearly had a strong passion for wrestling but his size always prevented him from doing that. He was a super cool attraction and had a great presence, unfortunately his matches didn't get to that level. but I think he's solid at the end of the day."

[6.0] "I gotta feel for Paul Wight. One of the most uneven booked wrestlers in WWE history, his list of face/heel turns becoming a meme. As Big Show, he varried from main event monster threat to cartoon character that was around to be humiliated, so much so WWE even once had a storyline about all of Big Shows humiliating moments at WrestleMania. As much as WWF got hit the the tagline "Land of the Giants" during the territory days, Vince McMahon is actually quite garbage at actually booking monster heels. Unfortunately for Paul, the couple of years he spent in WCW are by far the best booked part of his career."

"I always thoughts Big Show was good, but he pretty much took chances that other wrestlers had because he was huge. It feels like if you switched the early and mid stages around the 2000s and the 2010s with Kane they would both be reminded more fondley than they already are. Big Show proved to be a great utility player but anything other than that felt out of place despite being a good big man and a great giant. He became unmotivated in so many points of his career that it affected his legacy. His start stop pushes and constant stamina issues due to his common weight gain cycles really hurt the performer he was meant to be. He was supposed to be arguablythe greatest giant worker of all time but lack of motivation hurt what could've been his exciting potential like he was in his early career in WCW."

[4.0] "I was actually surprised to see him rated as high as he is here. His value is in his size. That's what makes him an attraction. That doesn't earn him the rating he has here. His matches consistently sucked. He had no gimmick. His gimmick was his size which requires literally no character work. He's really all attraction and no skill. I guess we can take the wrestling out of the carnival but not the carnival out of the wrestling."

[10.0] "Big Show/The Giant/Paul Wight might be the most talented and long-lasting wrestler to have a pretty understated career full of truly terrible shit. WCW & WWE both put him in the middle of many, many total dogshit angles, matches, and segments and yet outside of his final WCW days where he clearly just wanted to jump ship he always put in the effort to make whatever he was given work. Show as a talent was a well above-average big man on offense, an underrated seller on defense, shockingly athletic (WCW didn't let him moonsault but he could, in WWE he'd randomly hit some crazy shit just to show off), great at emoting with both body language and his face (which WWE obviously took as "let's make him cry"), great at working with gimmick matches, and extremely naturally funny. He could be anywhere on the card, working with anybody, and either elevate good material or (sometimes) salvage bad material. There's so many sleeper-hit matches in Big Show's career because they were often overshadowed or sandwiched between some awful nonsense he was booked into. Then by the time he left for AEW he was in the twilight of his career, did a few squash matches and seemingly went out with a bang by taking a bump onto the hood of a car to get Hobbs over. I do wonder about Big Show leaving for another company with TV earlier than he did, but then again Hogan-era TNA would've probably been just as bad for him. It's odd to call a guy who was so integral to top American companies for decades a "what if" but there's really so much that could've been done with Paul Wight that was left on the table because of the assumption that he can just get over again at any time by being really big."

[6.0] "It is so strange to give a rate to Big Show. Like, I don't even think he is a level six type of wrestler, but he might be the worst booked wrestler ever. He is pretty famous to have a big moveset and for some fucking reason, his finisher is a punch, he is big as fuck, tall as hell, and had turn from face to heel and heel to face MULTIPLE times in his life. I love some of the matches his did, like the one with Sheamus and Roman, but that is it. Could be better if wasn't so hold to be the big strong scary guy or whatever."

[5.0] "The Big Show is a perfect example of a guy who peaked to early in his career as during the 90s he was fairly athletic and had a good look which could have made him a top guy. But as the 2000s came long it's clear Vince became less and less high on him and effectively booked him like shit for the rest of his career. From the numerous moments of being made out as laughing stock on tv to the countless heel/face not to mention slowing down in ring wise to the point where his finisher became a punch. While certainly not the worst big man in wrestling history it's sad to think about Shows run could have gone differently."

[10.0] "Big Show is GOATed. I'll admit, I prefer the high flying or cruiserweight technician style to Big Show's, but the way he could move at his size is insane. He had a catalog of great matches in his career, helping stake one of the longest relevant wrestling careers of all time. WWE failed with booking him on so many levels, but quite honestly it shouldn't be held against him that he wasn't booked right and worked with crap storylines when he always made the most of his tv time. Best giant in wrestling history imo...all due respect to Andre, another GOAT"

[7.0] "Paul Wight, is one of wrestling's most enduring big men. While his in-ring work varied over the decades, you can't deny his presence or versatility--from monster heel to lovable giant. He's had classic moments in WWE and helped elevate plenty of stars by being a believable threat. His AEW run hasn't been as impactful in-ring, but his longevity, iconic moments, and ability to reinvent himself earn him respect. Not always the most consistent, but a true legend of the big-man style."

[3.0] "I find the Big Show to be very, very dull both in the ring and on the mic. His size should lend itself to a big, hard-hitting kind of affair, like a stan hansen or Vader, but by virtue of working in WWE for the majority of his career, the Big Show has never really been able to lean into that. I'd be curious as to what a Big Show run in Japan may have given us, as I feel they do better with big guys, but in WWE and to be honest WCW, The Giant never did it for me. It doesn't help that he was booked terribly for over a decade and found himself in the weird spot of being a big deal for a midcarder but never a true main event star, Big Show was even more of a jobber to the stars than Kane. I don't hate watching a match with the Big Show in, I just don't enjoy it and what I do hate is pretty much every gimmick or storyline he ever had."

[9.0] "Great wrestler with solid mic skills and charisma but destroyed by bad booking.He won the WCW Title in first ever televised title, was part of NWO, became one of the biggest signings of Monday Night Wars, was in WWE for 21 years with any ups and downs.He is one of the GOATS of pro wrestling."

[9.0] "One of the best big guys of all time. Insanely athletic and mobile for his size in his prime and became a fixture of the WWE midcard for nearly two decades after that."

[7.0] "I always like The Big Show. He never had as much impact as his early debut, but he always served his role as a big nasty heel . His younger years as The Giant were more athletic, but I feel like 2002-2003 was his sweet spot, but then there were so many big guys that were developed that he became fodder or less impactful. He was always serviceable and maybe one of the most underrated big men in wrestling because of how much negativity and cringy moments he's had, but a motivated and intimidating Big Show is what is need on most people's rosters. Really underrated as a big man."

[8.0] "I'm not usually a fan of big men wrestlers, because I find them to be pretty boring. But Big Show is very talented. He's good in the ring and also good at promos, and he has been a part of many great storylines throughout his career. He also used to be surprisingly athletic for his size during the early days of his career."

[8.0] "Hard to rank, at his best, he's one of the best giants of all time, at his worst he was booked like an absolute joke. Unfortunately, he was too willing to do whatever a promoter asked of him, so he was never able to build a mystique like Andre did, but he's one of the longer-tenured WWE stars and even at his lowest, was a threat to beat most top babyfaces on occasion."

[7.0] "The ratings fit perfectly with good old Paul. Show is a truly great athlete, one of few guys of this size who could perform many different kind of moves, convincly sell, take bumps. He is recognisable and the second most iconic giants of wrestling. Unfortunately for the most of his career he was bad booked: he won immediately the title and then he became a joke, a victim of AE no sense, after that he repeatedly change factions for no reasons. He got some good moments, like beating Lesnar, his tag team reigns and IC title win at WM, but overall he was mistreated."

[5.0] "The Big Show. The biggest thing I have gotten from one of his promos or his average match is boredom. He was never able to entertain me. His mic work is forgettable, and his character with constant turns between face and heel made him lose credibility as either. Boring moveset, boring mic work, boring wrestler."

[6.0] "He had a very long career in WWE, and even in WrestleMania 16, he was able to enter Main Event of WrestleMania for the first and last time, despite his big body and body, he did not perform too badly in the ring, and it is one of the last good matches I remember from him. I can mention his match in extreme rules 2015. I hope one day he will be introduced as the hall of fame of wwe company because he deserves it"

[4.0] "He is very tall you know. In the few short years he was able to move he was a half decent but lets be honest his in ring work was not great and he famously has no character consistency. We also need to talk more about the fact that "Big Show" is the worse wrestler name of all time"

[6.0] "Paul genuinely seems like a very lovely and dedicated guy, and especially during his prime moments he was great in the ring, certainly one of the better giants out there in the world, but it always seemed like the booking and storylines he was a part of is what really hampered him. Constant heel and face turns, awful gimmicks, constant humiliation, and always being slotted in as essentially the fall guy. He has always deserved way more, and it seemed like since the beginning of his WWE run he was always viewed as a disappointment, even when he really tried to improve himself."

[6.0] "A legendary powerhouse, without a doubt. Big Show was the natural successor of Andre the Giant, and he always did what he was supposed to do with quality. I'm not a huge fan, but massive respect for this guy, a very good entertainer with a really unique physique... his appeal is enormous."

"Big Show was a great worker for his size. Weirdly enough, it was his longevity that has hurt him as it has resulted in 700 face/heel turns and led to him doing way too many jobs to the point where it wasnt special anymore. He would have been a bigger deal in the territory days where he could have been able to be kept as a special attraction, but in a era where wrestling TV content was king, he was always going to have his drawing power eroded over time."

[3.0] "For every good idea big show had , their is 2 bad coming after , for every good story line he had their is 3 cringe one after. For every decent match he had , their is 10 absolument disaster. Truely a wrestler if he was 5"10 or less would never have at least a tenth of his career. He is not as bad as guy like Omos for exemple but his character got so much useless push that it is really annoying. At least he was "ok" in tag team but just because he was with better wrestler than him like Miz and Chris Jericho"

[8.0] "One of the best giants in the history of the business. Was even a tad bit agile for a guy his size and he had some alright matches over the years, along with feuds and promos. He is somewhat like a good filler for someone's feud or career progress. Always did his roles alright, even though they booked him terribly."

[5.0] "He did have some interesting stuff in his early career and was very athletic for his size. And got himself in good shape towards the end of the WWE run but besides his first few years in WWF/WWE I don't think I ever got excited at the prospect of a Big Show match or feud. He is middle of the road in every aspect of being a professional wrestler except for look/size."

[7.0] "Given how much shit certain wrestling fans, including live crowds have given Paul Wight/Big Show in the past, I was surprised to find out that his score on here wasn't low and actually what I think he should be around. Paul is definitely one of the most, if not the most talented giant wrestler in Pro Wrestling history. He was sometimes slow in the ring, but I don't expect him to wrestle fast and for his size, he did a good job and was very strong and believable whenever he delivered his 'knockout punch' towards opponents, which they often sold very well. He turned face and heel a lot during the years, so much so that he has more turns than John Cena wears different color shirts in one year. He fit way more as a heel than a face, but was likeable as both. As I said in the beginning of this review, "fans" have not treated Paul so well over the years, with some crowds chanting obscene things at Paul, which I'm not going to mention such chants because it's just wrong and not cool whatsoever. I know he's coming into his later years and he may retire sometime soon, if so, I wish Paul the best in his future and a thank you for him being entertaining over the years."

[7.0] "Man, this guy has had a great career. During his WCW days he was very good and was more risqué in regards to what he does in the ring and what he allowed people to do to him. Going from WCW to WWE was the best decision he ever made, they really reeled him in and didn't allow him to take wild bumps nor bumps from the smaller guys. He clearly had some issues during the late 90s and early 2000s, and despite their efforts to put him on TV, he was a little stop and start with his stuff. Finally got his act together and really excelled as a giant from 02 until the mid-late 2010s. Had a lot of good moments, some decent matches... I mean, anybody going to a WWE event and expecting Big Show to put on a 5 star instant classic would be kidding themselves. Can't really blame him for the constant babyface/heel turns but he did well all things considering. He should've seriously packed it up after the "match" with Drew McIntyre. It's sad to see the state he's in now, the guy shouldn't be anywhere near a wrestling ring again."

[9.0] "Total rewrite edit. I will always have a soft spot for Paul Wight. I loved his WCW run aside from any Hulk Hogan involvement (of any sort). I am making an understatement about my affinity for his time there, so pardon me while I yell: I LOVE HIS WCW TENURE! (sans above mentioned). Go out of your way to watch his stuff in WCW, it's a totally different animal/athlete and you will find a new appreciation for the man. I'll eventually relive it for the 4th time but until then... The WWF/WWE stuff was always hit or miss because Vince had no idea what he really had and how to utilize him but whatever. For some reason I even adore the Showkishi/Showster etc era and you can't top this: my seven year old niece knows ONE wrestler, guess who? Lastly, one time I dreamt of a zombie invasion and I was in serious peril; 'twas the Big Show that saved me. Sorry that I wear rose tinted glasses with some wrestlers and that maybe sometimes it's blatant. 8.75"

[8.0] "Arguably the most talented Giant in wrestling history as far as being an all around performer goes. He was doing stuff in the ring as a performer when he first started his career like moonsaults off the top rope. standing dropkicks in the middle of the ring, kip ups to his feet, etc, that most guys his size wouldn't be athletic enough to do, and did it all with ease which was unheard of at the time. Along with the power moves, chops down the chest, hard shoulder blocks in to the corner, hip thrust in to the corner, and things of that nature that you would see from giants of the past. He also showed in certain points in his run that he could be vunerable, that he could do the comedy stuff when called up on, and just be a big cartoon character more the less. The only thing with me was that I felt he kinda got overexposed as a giant due to coming in during the live television era of pro wrestling. Once you're on t.v. every week, you become just another worker, and not the attraction that giants in eras before his would've been, despite being 7'2" and 500 and whatever he was pounds. Anyway, you gotta hand it to him for working through all that, all of the crazy booking that's been thrown his way, etc, and being on television for as he has."

[3.0] "Every single time I hear this guy's music I groan. Have there been times in his career where he was decent? Yes. But for the most part he always felt like a drag. Despite being in the business for 25 years and consistently getting a hard push, I never once felt excited for a Big show match. I have wondered to myself if there is actually any real Big Show fans out there. Is there someone out there with 5 Big Show shirts in his closet with a shelf full of Big Show action figures? If so, good for him. But I think he stinks."

[7.0] "Was brought into the business as the next Andre The Giant in wrestling. Although he wasn't as great as Andre, but Show did have some amazing talent in the ring. His standing dropkicks, moonsaults, and he has the best chokeslam in the business. Always goes high for the Chokeslam"

[5.0] "The Big Show just missed the point of joining wrestling when big men were an attraction. Instead, he was over-pushed, overworked, and overstayed his welcome in the business, and is only gets 5 from me because it's clear he put effort into doing whatever he physically could."

[8.0] "Big Show is an icon in the sport. His WCW run was uninteresting. His WWE run showed that he could improve. His start he was a poor wrestler with no character and mic skills. He developed great charisma and mic skills and his in ring skills was good especially with his size. The constant heel turns/face turns hurt him."