As a youth I didn’t even consider being a professional wrestler: The Big Show

In an all-India exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, the American wrestling legend feels that the sport has changed for the better now. He also admits that it is tough balancing to shoot for his sitcom and wrestling

 

Mumbai(Agencies): 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 wrestling legend today, Paul Wight popularly known by his stage name The Big Show, has come a long way in the fraternity.

It all started in 1994 for the 48-year-old American wrestler, who says that his plan during school 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 or a sports entertainer,” he says. 

However, he says that life always has a way out. “Basketball didn’t work out for me and I moved around and did different things like selling cars, being a door man at night clubs to doing karaoke shows. I had lot of unique opportunities to get a perspective on life. I remember, when I was talking to my friend and said that I wanted to try my hands at wrestling. I even said that I might just be one of those guys who gets beaten up every week. Little did I know that I was meant to do it.,” he shares.

Wight, who jokes that “I have been practicing 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 self-quarantine 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 the 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. When I first started there was still a little bit of cartoon atmosphere in terms of characters. It was like a crazy sci-fi movie. Now, there is a lot more focus put on making the character. The character goes through all the gambit of emotions. Besides, with social media, things happen a lot faster now.”

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 competing in wrestling. Around 15 to 20 years ago, there were pillow fight and nonsense like that. Now, in my opinion, a lot of our women wrestlers are better than the men in terms of execution.”

Recently, in the #SpeakingOut movement, a lot of wrestlers were accused of sexual harassment. Ask him his stand on sexual harassment within the fraternity, and he says, “Personally, I don’t know as I was not a part of it. If our people have gone through something traumatic like that, then voice should be heard. In the last few years, we have learnt that such behaviour is not acceptable. And that is creating a better and positive environment for everyone moving forward. I am 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 totally different comic avatar. Admitting that it is a “tough balance” between wresting and his sitcom, he says, “When I was shooting for the show, I did very less in-ring stuff. Mostly I was dedicated to the show. The thing is that you don’t mind being busy, when you are doing the thing you love. When you know you are making people laugh, it is an easy thing to work that hard.”