The Big Show Reveals How Long New WWE Contract Is For, Why He Missed The Royal Rumble
WWE Hall Of Famer Steve Austin recently caught up with WWE Superstar The Big Show from Broken Skull Ranch 2.0 (and apparently not via FaceTime). Among many other things, Big Show talked about his recent hip resurfacing, the fallout from that surgery, and his new three-year deal with WWE.
On the subject of his hip surgery, The Big Show claimed that the ball joint of his femur bone looked like a bowling ball. Moreover, 'The Giant' said The Undertaker told him that his hip bone looked like a jack-o'-lantern.
"I had a surgery done called a 'resurfacing', which I kept 98% of my bone." Big Show added, "man, if I showed you the pictures of what my femur bone looked like, what the ball socket looked like? I mean, it had holes. It looked like a bowling ball. I showed it to The Undertaker. He sent back [a text] – he said, 'it looked like a jack-o'-lantern'. There were holes from where I wore the bone down so bad."
According to Big Show, a surgical infection further delayed his return to WWE.
"I had a little complication after the surgery, which happens sometimes when you put metal in the body and it was a real trying time. It [postponed] my return. It added about another five months to my return longer than it should've been. I got a surgical infection from it." Show continued, "I had to go in [and] be opened up again. They did a real good job of really cleaning the joint as best they can. I was on an IV drip all through Christmas for seven weeks. I had this thing called a PICC [Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter] line, which was an IV line that went into my arm and went to my heart because the medicine was so strong it'd burn your veins out. I didn't want to ask them what the hell it did to my heart if it'd burn my veins out, but I went through all of that for about seven weeks."
Not helping matters, 'The World's Largest Athlete' began working out against doctors' orders.
"They told me not to work out, but [Austin] know[s] how important my fitness was. I'd made so many changes, and I was like, 's–t, they don't know. I can go work out. I'll do right-handed dumbbell curls.' Do you know what I mean? I could do something. Like a dummy, I'm in there a couple of days after having this PICC line put in, I've got a 20-lbs. dumbbell in my right hand," Big Show recalled, "I'm doing these one-armed dumbbell curls, and, all-of-a-sudden, I'm like, 'whoa, my heart rate's really kicking'. I look down and my Apple Watch is hopping up and down on my wrist, throwing a fit because my heart rate's up to 200. Apparently, when you increase your blood pressure, there's a line in the vein and that line, I guess, can elevate your heart rate. So when they say don't work out, they mean it. It's a shoot."
Apparently, Big Show he was supposed to make his WWE return at the Royal Rumble event, but could not perform due to complications from his operation.
"I missed the Royal Rumble." Big Show explained, "I was supposed to return at Royal Rumble. That didn't come to fruition. Then, my contract expired. I was unemployed for a while, just a couple of days. [Austin] know[s] how that stuff goes. It was a negotiation and both sides were trying to get the best deal that they can."
During the podcast, Big Show revealed that he signed a 3-year deal with WWE in January 2018. Moreover, Show described the contract as "humbling", as the pact showed the seven-time world champion that Vince McMahon and Triple H appreciate and respect his contributions to the company.
"I spent some time with the big man himself. We talked. Hunter and I talked because we were concerned about my hip. We were concerned about a lot of things. And they put together a nice three-year deal for me, so I'm there another three years. I can do a lot more work with things that I'm passionate about, Special Olympics and being a Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics. I get a chance to have a bit more free time now. I'm not in the trenches for five days a week like I was for 20 years at every house show and TV. I was probably on TV too much as a giant when I should have been an attraction. Instead, I was in there working all the time." Show said, "now, I'm in a bit more of a limited role and we're finding the right creative for me. And there's not a lot of pressure on me to be there every week, and get people over, or carry two or three segments, or whatever we're doing. I can kind of show up, help the younger guys here and there, and pursue outside projects that are important to me. All in all, after going through that hell with my hip surgery and Vince and [Triple H] gave me a hell of a deal, Steve. [Austin] know[s] how this business is and after 20 years in this business, I didn't expect to get the respect they gave me by giving me this deal. It's one of those kinds of things that's humbling because both of them really appreciated the work that gave the company and put me in a position to where, I mean, in all sincerity, they gave me this deal in January and I haven't done a damn thing yet."
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Source: The Steve Austin Show