The Big Show Reveals Why Vince McMahon Was Upset With Him Before WrestleMania 21
As previously noted, WWE Superstar The Big Show was recently a guest on the award-winning podcast that hasn't won any awards, The Steve Austin Show. Among many other topics, Big Show discussed his future in pro wrestling as well as his WrestleMania 21 match versus sumo wrestler Akebono Taro.
According to The Big Show, who opted for a hip resurfacing over a full out replacement to preserve the possibility of returning the ring, he is faster now, has better range of motion, and has more to give in the squared circle.
"Right now, [my] quality of life is really good. There's no stiffness. My range of motion is ridiculous." Big Show said, "I'm not done in the ring yet. Hell, I'm 380 lbs. I feel now, especially in my hip, has more range of motion now, and I'm faster than I moved in 17 [or] 18 years. I wrestled with Fit Finlay a little bit at WrestleMania. I got in there and rolled around the ring with Fit and the doctor. And Fit was laughing. He was like, 'you're fast again', which made me feel good because my mobility is back and I had lost so much mobility before. Fit laughed at me and he goes, 'yeah, you used to lean to the left and go that way or lean to the right and go that way' because I couldn't. I didn't have the ability to plant my foot and turn because there was no joint space, so it [has] been rough, man."
Notably, Big Show recalled WWE Chairman Vince McMahon being upset with him for outweighing 'The World's Largest Athlete”s WrestleMania 21 opponent, sumo champion Akebono Taro.
"I think my heaviest I was 537 lbs." Big Show recalled, "when I did that match with Akebono, I think Akebono, for a shoot, weighed 488 [lbs.] and I weighed 509 [lbs.] because I remember Vince being pissed at me because Akebono was supposed to weigh more than me. And [McMahon] looks at me and goes, '509 lbs.?' He shook his head and walked off. I was like, 'I'm a quarter-ton of fun! What do you want me to say?'"
When Austin asked Big Show when he hopes to return to WWE, the big man replied, "soon", noting his other upcoming commitments.
"Hopefully soon." Show continued, "I know this month, I've got a lot of commitments as far as the Special Olympics. I'm getting ready for the USA Games on July 1st in Seattle [Washington]. I'm looking forward to that. I'm visiting with a lot of athletes in different states now."
Dudes don't FaceTime dudes and that's the bottom line. If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit The Steve Austin Show with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: The Steve Austin Show