‘I WANTED TO BECOME A BASKETBALL PLAYER’
Well, it’s the big show… It’s a big bad show tonight… Yeah, it’s the big show… Crank it up and turn on the lights…
Every time the distortion of the guitar chords reverberated from this track in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) arena, fans, all at once, would watch the entrance ramp to see him walk to the ring in his signature black wrestling suit and boots. From being a basketball player in school, to a wrestling legend today, Paul Wight popularly known by his stage name The Big Show, has come a long way.
It all started in 1994 for the 48year-old American wrestler, who says that his initial plan was to become a basketball player. “It is funny because my plan originally was to become a basketball player. However, I always loved two things while growing up — basketball and wrestling. As a youth I didn’t even consider being a professional wrestler,” he says.
Wight, who jokes that “I have been practising social distancing for the longest time because I am giant”, feels that WWE has taken adequate measures to ensure the safety of its staff and talent alike. “Every week before I wrestle, I have to go in a day early and then do a drive through where you don’t get out of the car and they do the swab test. Then you have to selfquarantine for that day, and you get your test result at the end of the day, and then [if it is negative] you are allowed to compete next day.”
Wight, who features as The Big Show on WWE RAW; aired on Sony Ten 1, says that the sport has “changed for the better”. He says, “There has been a tremendous change. Now, there is a lot more focus on making the character.”
The two-time World Heavyweight Champion feels that the women’s division are also doing great. “Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and The Iiconics have changed how you look at women in wrestling. Now, in my opinion, a lot of our women wrestlers are better than the men.”
Recently, in the #Speakingout movement, a lot of wrestlers were accused of sexual assault. Ask him about his stand on sexual harassment within the fraternity, and he says, “I don’t know as I was not a part of it. If our people have gone through something traumatic like that, their voices should be heard. In the last few years, we have learnt that such behaviour is not acceptable. And that is creating a better environment. I’m all about respect and inclusion.”
Wight has also featured in a few movies, but his recent web series titled The Big Show Show sees him in a different comic avatar. Admitting that it is “tough balancing” wrestling and his sitcom, he says, “When I was shooting for the show, I did very less inring stuff. You don’t mind being busy, when you are doing what you love. When you know you are making people laugh, it is easy to work hard.”