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Paul Wight believes his association with WCW ultimately prevented his Big Show character from achieving more success in WWE.
Wight recently joined AEW as a commentator and in-ring talent after technically competing in four decades in WWE. Prior to that, he performed under the ring name The Giant in WCW from 1995 to 1999.
Speaking on Talk Is Jericho, Wight implied that he was held back because he was not a WWE creation:
“I wasn’t theirs. I came from WCW. It doesn’t matter [that he only spent four years in WCW]. Jim Ross [WWE’s former Head of Talent Relations] called me after Halloween Havoc and offered me double what WCW was paying me if I’d leave. Me not knowing any better I just said, ‘Well, no, I signed a contract here, so when it expires I’d be happy to talk to you.’ The thing is, I tried really hard to come to WWE first, and then I wasn’t trained.”
As Wight alluded to, he made his WCW debut at Halloween Havoc 1995. He defeated Hulk Hogan that night to become the youngest WCW World Heavyweight Champion in history at the age of 23.
Paul Wight still had a lot of success in WWE
Despite wishing he could have achieved more, Paul Wight is still one of the most decorated Champions in WWE history.
Performing as The Big Show, the seven-foot former WWE Superstar won the WWE Championship (x2), World Heavyweight Championship (x2), and ECW Championship. He is also a former Intercontinental Champion, United States Champion, and Hardcore Champion (x3).
In addition to his success as a singles competitor, Wight is an eight-time WWE Tag Team Champion. He won titles with Chris Jericho (x2), Kane (x2), The Miz (x2), and The Undertaker (x2). One of Wight’s last major WWE accomplishments came at WrestleMania 31 when he won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
Please credit Talk Is Jericho and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
