Paul Wight AKA Big Show has signed a “long-term deal” with AEW (All Elite Wrestling) – and nobody saw it coming.
When you think of so-called “WWE lifers”, Big Show sits alongside Kane, The Undertaker, John Cena, Mark Henry, and even Triple H, as someone you’d never expect to see anywhere else. Excluding a brief hiatus between February 2007 and February 2008, Wight has exclusively appeared for Vince McMahon’s WWE since signing with the company back in 1999. His last appearance for the company was on the 4th January 2021 episode of WWE Raw, dubbed “Legends Night”.
AEW President, Tony Khan, said of Big Show in AEW, “He can benefit and guide our young talent with his mentorship, and his expert commentary on AEW Dark: Elevation will educate and entertain our fans, and also educate the younger wrestlers on the roster. Furthermore, Paul enters AEW as a licensed wrestler, and he’s very much looking forward to studying our talent firsthand from the commentary desk in preparation for his return to the ring!”
Luckily for fans, AEW has a pretty great track record when it comes to its use of pro wrestling “legends”. Unlike WWE, which often seems intent on pushing them above new and potential stars, or bringing them in for a quick ratings boost on gimmick shows such as January’s Legends Night, AEW position them where they can both entertain and benefit the stars of the future.
Look at Sting – perhaps AEW’s biggest signee to date. So far, his run hasn’t been without fault. But, in his current position, he’s there solely to help get young talent over. As Darby Allin’s manager/ally, and rival to Taz’s faction of Brian Cage, Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs, Sting is raising the profile of all those men. The same can be said for Chris Jericho (AEW’s original big signee) and the effective utilisation of legends as managers elsewhere on AEW programming.
Of course, wrestling history teaches us there is a large margin for error here. WCW rested its success too heavily on legends from the past, and ultimately succumbed to WWE at a time when it was promoting fresh and dynamic programming complimented by young wrestlers. TNA (now Impact Wrestling) also suffered this fate in 2010 when it brought in Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. That decision set in motion a chain of events that nearly put them out of business a few years ago. Hopefully AEW don’t make the same mistake. Thankfully, thus far, they haven’t. And Tony Khan’s statement on Paul Wight’s signing goes a long way in abating those concerns.
So, how did Big Show in AEW even happen? It stands to reason that his relationship with WWE may have wavered over the years. He’s clearly a guy who loves the business. And his treatment on Legends Night was widely viewed as unfair, when he was called a coward by Randy Orton. Of course, this is all conjecture. But one has to wonder what happened to make this “WWE lifer” sign with their biggest competition.
In terms of what we can expect, Tony Khan was quite explicit that we will see Wight, a 25+ year veteran, step back into the ring. While it’s not something I particularly want to see at this stage in his career, he has undoubtedly gotten himself into increasingly better shape over recent years. Not only that, but so long as it’s few and far between and for the benefit of young and upcoming talent, it may turn out to be a surprising positive for the budding promotion.
Big Show on AEW commentary is a novel concept, too. Unlike fellow legend, Taz, who was already an experienced announcer, Show has no real history at the announce booth. That said, he’s always been a great talker. And I have no doubt that the freedom AEW’s onscreen talent enjoys compared to their WWE counterparts can only mean good things for Big Show as a commentator.
It’s safe to say this isn’t news any wrestling fan was expecting to see today. But it sets a healthy precedent for the intense competition between WWE and AEW. It shows anyone can be poached, and it might just be the person you least expect. And, ultimately, I think Big Show has the potential to be a huge positive for AEW.
What did you think to Big Show signing with AEW? Let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to check out our other pro wrestling articles…
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Featured image credit: All Elite Wrestling
