Paul Wight Says Leaving WWE For AEW Was "Like A Blood Transfusion"
Recent AEW signing Paul Wight fka Big Show revealed AEW's big signing at AEW Revolution, and the big announcement turned out to be multi-time champion Christian Cage. Wight was later on the post-game media scrum where he discussed Christian in AEW, and he revealed which AEW star he wants to work with in the future.
"I haven't seen any of the reactions," Wight admitted. "I watched this pay-per-view backstage, and this is the first one that I really had to sit and study. This is where I'm working now. I thought it was great storytelling all the way through. I like how the pay-per-view built. I was really impressed with the tag team [battle royal].
"I thought they did a great job with the finish at the end where you wound up with [Rey] Fenix, [PAC] and Jungle Boy. That was a great story. Those are very hard matches to have let alone a tag team battle royal. I thought there were some great stories in there. I thought all the tag teams involved, everyone came out with a little bit of a shine, which is hard to feature that many guys. I thought they did a great job with that.
"I was really impressed with the cinematic match with Sting, and Darby [Allin]. Brian Cage just looked like a monster to tonight. All I kept referencing was Cage looked like Incredible Hulk from Avengers with the shadow and the lighting. He did a great job of establishing himself. Darby's actually on my list. Hopefully, one day I get to work with him. You know me, I've had more turns than NASCAR, so hopefully by then, I'll be a heel, and it'll be a lot of fun."
Wight then gave his thoughts on the Barbed Wire Deathmatch in the main event of Revolution. He discussed his favorite beats of the match while noting his hardcore match experience from his days in ECW.
"The main event tonight, incredible," Wight expressed. "That's one of those kind of matches where there's such a potential of things not coming off the way you want them to, and everything that needed to come, I think they did a fantastic job with. Their story, the fight, the cringing moments with Mox landing the barbwire. I thought it was really intricate how a lot of things were protected even with Kenny's finish where Mox kicked the ropes, and it blinded Kenny so the finish was still protected.
"A lot of those things that are put in a match are things that I look for, and I really enjoy the effort those guys put out, even the referee. A referee does their job. You don't notice them, but the things I paid attention to, the ref did a great job of selling the action that was going on. I think both of those guys really told that part of the match and that story.
"They really knocked it out of the park. It was really enjoyable, and you heard the people backstage reacting to it with the different pyro and the barbwire being tangled up. I've had a few of those hardcore matches in the ECW days. I haven't had a barbwire one. I had a thumbtack one. I think this one definitely beats the thumbtack one for sure."
Wrestling Inc. Managing Editor Nick Hausman was part of the post-game scrum, and he asked Wight about the locker room atmosphere in AEW. Wight discussed how he would describe the differences between the AEW and WWE locker room environments.
"The atmosphere is completely different. I think any time you start over new somewhere, it's automatically going to be refreshing but even more so here," Wight said. "The one thing that is different here that I really enjoy is the support and the fight that the talent have over here, the respect and recognition and the drive. That's the heart of professional wrestling and doing entertainment. It's not guys stepping on each other's toes, cutting each other's throat to get a position.
"You want a team where everybody is trying to get over and everybody is trying to make the best possible product for the fans, and that kind of environment I thrive on and I love this environment. I haven't seen a locker room with this kind of positive energy in a long long long time. I've heard the stories from some of the guys. I heard the stories from [Chris] Jericho about how nice it was here, and I talked to Cody, and Billy Gunn and people I've known for a long time.
"They said it's different over here Paul. It's different, and to come over here and actually see that and see that support and see just the attitude in the locker room, it's so invigorating. It's like getting a blood transfusion I would have to say. I feel like a young kid all over again. I can't wait to get out there and do my job, and then lace up my boots and get to perform with these athletes and get to know them."
Wight mentioned before that he wanted to face Allin in a match someday. He named other AEW talent that he would like to get in the ring with.
"Well in AEW, there's such a tremendous amount of talent here that I've already kind of scoped out if you will and put on my list. One of them is definitely Darby Allin," Wight expressed. "I love his presence in the ring and his character. We're such opposites in size and careers that I would love to work with Darby.
"Kenny Omega, of course. I would love to team up again with Jericho or Billy Gunn. I would love to work with those guys in a team. There's some big guys here that I would definitely like to work with. Lance Archer is probably at the top of my list right now. Luchasaurus, Brian Cage [and] Wardlow, these are all big guys that I think, if I get a chance to work with them, I could do the best that I could for them by being the ring and working with them.
"You can talk to people in the back and all that but actually getting in the ring and letting the guys experience a different pace, a different tempo and a different kind of action really can help them come into their own. That's why I'm still doing what I'm doing because I love helping the talent. Don't get me wrong. I love performing too but also making the business better."
AEW Dynamite can be seen every Wednesday night at 8/7c on TNT. You can find the full audio from Wight's AEW Revolution media scrum via the embedded players below: