Paul Wight admits he probably would have fired himself from AEW three years ago. After six years filled with knee replacements, hip replacements and other physical setbacks, Wight says Tony Khan somehow still hasn’t given up on him.
Speaking to Inside the Ring, Wight was surprisingly self-critical while discussing the difference between his final years in WWE and the opportunity Khan continues to give him in AEW. For Wight, the end of his WWE in-ring career became obvious because of something incredibly small. Vince McMahon called him “Paul.”
“In all the years that I knew Vince McMahon, he never called me Paul. He always called me Show or Big Show. He never called me Paul.”
That suddenly changed around the time of Wight’s program with Randy Orton. The moment McMahon referred to him by his real first name while discussing an interview segment, Wight immediately understood what it meant.
“They said, ‘Well, oh well, Paul can do an interview here.’ And in my brain, I died a little bit in my soul because I knew my opportunities to compete in the ring were pretty much done because Vince didn’t see me as a talent anymore.”
“Vince was going to start moving me into, like, ambassador roles and all these things that at the time I didn’t want to be a part of.”
Wight doesn’t hold that against McMahon. WWE wasn’t trying to push him out entirely and there was still a comfortable role waiting for him. He simply wasn’t ready to accept that wrestling was over.
“There was nothing mean or malicious about it. You know, I could have rolled into that nice role. At the time, I wasn’t ready to give up competing. And that’s where I went to Tony Khan.”
Then his body made things considerably more complicated. Wight has spent much of his AEW run dealing with major physical problems and surgeries, including replacements to his knees and hips. Looking back at how little he has actually been able to wrestle, Wight admits he wouldn’t have shown himself anywhere near the patience Khan has.
“And yeah, sure, I’ve had knee replacements, hip replacements, and I’ve been through hell the past six years. I would have fired me three years ago if you want to be honest about it.”
However, Paul Wight revealed that Tony Khan apparently sees it differently.
“But Tony Khan still sees value in me and sees value that I can give to younger talent, things that I can help within the company on doing different things, and also the potential to get back in the ring.”
That last part explains why Wight is still putting himself through the work. He recently showed off a noticeably leaner physique after 11 surgeries and has made it clear he isn’t chasing another championship run or some perfectly scripted retirement match. He simply wants to get healthy enough to wrestle again.
Wight may think he would have fired himself years ago, but Khan has kept the door open. After everything his body has put him through, that means there’s still at least a chance Big Show hasn’t taken his final bump yet.
What do you think of Paul Wight admitting he would have fired himself from AEW three years ago? Do you want to see him wrestle again? Let us know in the comments below.
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