How A Chance Meeting With A Former Child Star Led To Paul Wight's Wrestling Career
Standing 7 feet tall and weighing over 400 pounds, Paul "The Big Show" Wight has always been a larger-than-life individual. Wight has had a historic wrestling career, winning seven world championships and being a major figure in all of the major promotions of his era — WWE, WCW, and ECW. He currently is signed to All Elite Wrestling, stepping into the next era of his profession as a commentator. Despite 28 years in the wrestling business, Wight didn't grow up with dreams of being a wrestler.
Growing up in Aiken, South Carolina, Wight was diagnosed with acromegaly — a hormonal disorder caused by the overproduction of growth hormone in the pituitary gland — which is the reason for his giant size. He underwent surgery to treat his condition, and became a fairly successful basketball player, earning a scholarship to play hoops at Wichita State University. Following his college playing days, he started working various odd jobs to support himself. During this time, he'd have a meeting that would change his life forever.
The Meeting That Would Change His Life
Paul Wight began working for a moving company after college. Hired to do a job moving karaoke equipment back in Wichita, he met the two men that would usher him into the wrestling business — actor and former Partridge Family member Danny Bonaduce and WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan. In recalling how he met them both, he told Fox News that he "drove a semi from Wichita to Chicago. Hung out with a guy doing karaoke shows for two months. Met Danny Bonaduce, introduced me to Hulk Hogan and that was that."
Impressed by Wight's size and aware of his background in basketball, Hogan invited him to play a celebrity basketball game as part of a WCW promotion. Wight would then get the opportunity to go backstage at the subsequent WCW show, which is where he had the opportunity to meet WCW President Eric Bischoff. Fascinated by Wight, Bischoff signed him to a deal; he would debut in 1995 as The Giant, the storyline son of the late Andre the Giant. He would go on to have his first match in WCW that year in the main event of Halloween Havoc against the man who helped get him signed — Hulk Hogan. "I met Hulk Hogan December '94, February '95 I had a contract with WCW," Wight explained. "October '95, I beat Hulk Hogan for my first match."