Paul Wight (FKA Big Show) Knew The Moment He Was 'Done' As A WWE Performer

Although AEW star Paul Wight is leaving the door open for a return to the ring, the former Big Show hasn't wrestled since early 2024. The last time he stepped foot in a WWE ring was 2020, and sitting down with TMZ Sports, Wight revealed that there was an exact moment when he knew that his time as an in-ring performer with WWE was coming to an end.

"I'll tell you when I knew I was done with WWE — Vince called me Paul one day during the COVID era," he said. "In all the years that I knew Vince McMahon, he never called me Paul. He always called me Show or Big Show."

This happened during Wight's brief 2020 storyline with Randy Orton, which culminated in an Unsanctioned match between the two on "WWE Raw." It would turn out to be Wight's final WWE match.

"He said, '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," Wight continued. "Vince didn't see me as a talent anymore. Vince was going to start moving me into ambassador roles and all these things that, at the time, I didn't want to be a part of."

Wight didn't take it personally, and he says he knew it was a business decision on McMahon's part. Because Wight wasn't yet ready to hang up his boots, he opted to leave WWE in 2021 and approached AEW's Tony Khan, who wound up hiring him. Throughout his time with AEW, Wight has stepped into the ring a handful of times, but has primarily worked as a backstage interviewer, broadcaster, and brand ambassador.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit TMZ Sports and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.