Big Show made the jump to All Elite Wrestling back in 2021 and since then he’s been competing under his real name Paul Wight. The former WWE Champion last stepped into the ring on Jericho Cruise on 1/29/24 when he teamed with Chris Jericho & Mike Bailey to defeat Kyle Fletcher & Powerhouse Hobbs & Lance Archer.
During a recent appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Paul Wight talked about how much longer he wants to be an in-ring competitor, and he made it clear that he doesn’t want to return to the ring unless he can get himself to a certain level.
“It’s funny, with wrestling, I think for me to get back in the ring and compete, I’m going to have to be a certain level. I’ll never be what I was. Got two fake knees and two hips. The proprioception is different. The connection between your joints is different. You feel different as an athlete, so I have to accept what am I now, and does that enhance the product that I’m doing? Sure, I’m smart enough and old enough. There are certain things that I can do that will still give a little kickback to nostalgia, will still look like a big, dangerous giant that is my character and teach. But at the same time, if it looks like, oh, put a bullet in [him], well, I’m not going to do that. So that’s what all this hard work now is, okay, what’s the one thing that I can really control? That’s conditioning and weight. I don’t need to be 500 pounds anymore. I need to be about 350.”
While talking about his future Wight also noted that he may not get a retirement match when he added, “I know there’s a big current thing where everybody wants to write their story, which I’m so sick of hearing. Not everybody gets a story. I may not get a story. I may not get a retirement match. I’m very real about this. I have to do certain things and hold myself accountable to get to a position so that I can compete for fun. For no other reason other than I want to have fun in the ring.”