Big Show Success Story or Disappointment?

[Matisyahu]

Big Show is 2 time WWE Champion, 2 time World Heavyweight Champion, former ECW Champion and 2 time former WCW World Heavyweight Champion and the only man to have held all four championships. He is also a former Intercontinental champion, United States Champion, 3 time Hardcore Champion, 11 time tag champion in WWE and 3 times in WCW.

He also has become known for his special attraction matches at Wrestlemania much like Big John Studd's Body slam Challenge. Show competed in a Sumo wrestling match against Sumo Champion Akebono at Wrestlemania 21 and took on boxing great Floyd "Money" Mayweather at Wrestlemania 24.

The Big Show to me always seemed like someone who had the greatest potential to be one of the best ever in the business because he had the size, the speed, the personality and the look. But throughout his career, he's had many slow periods where he just seemed to be going through the motions or just not really caring all that much about his position and it was very apparent.

The Undertaker prior to Wrestlemania 18 stated that to him the Big Show was the biggest disappointment in this business because he was someone who had all the natural gifts and potential but didn't care enough to stay in shape and spent too much time just generally not giving a shit. And Show even said he was embarrassed himself especially when he got sent to OVW to retrain and get his mind right.

I've always like Show since his debut in WCW and his WWE run has had its share of bumps but overall I'd rate it at least a 7.5 out of 10. It surely could have been better but I'm not sure if Show just got lost in the shuffle or was thrown into the main event before he was ready early in his career and wasn't quite ready for the responsibility.

It seems that in the past year or so, he's began to pick up steam again and has had some good feuds with Mark Henry, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, and seemingly with the Shield currently so hopefully he keeps up the momentum.

What do you guys really think of Show and how would you rate his career overall? Success or bust?

 

[smizzy]

He's been relevant for years, made millions, won various championships.

Success

 

[ABMorales787]

If you consider him a disappointment, then Chris Jericho should fall as one too. He's also had lots of short title reigns, a very lousy period (2003-2005) and a long career.

How can a guy who won a World title in his debut match and would do it again 6 more times be considered a failure? Big Show's had his downs but then again, Undertaker has no room to talk when he has 2000 to 2002 under his resume. Not to mention that when you have long careers times like those are bound to come.

 

[Matisyahu]

I'd just like to see Show get that one big program before its all said and done.

He needs that one career defining moment that doesn't include breaking the ring twice or putting Taker through the ring with the chokeslam.

Again I'd consider Show's career a success but he cant just keep going from monster unstoppable heel, to comedy guy who is still technically a heel, then face again with a big happy demeanor right back to monster again.

Show needs to be the wrecking machine that guys are terrified of again and stay there.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Despite all the hate the man often gets, I fail to see how he could be thought of as anything other than a success. If Big Show had been born in the mid 40s to mid 50s, he would have been every bit the draw that Andre was. Hell, I can see promoters lining up, salivating to bring these two in for some sort of clash of titans match.

When Big Show came into wrestling in the mid 90s, it was a changed environment from the days in which Andre was king. The territories were gone and it was going to take more than being a huge man to ultimately make it to a certain level. For the first several years of his career, Paul Wight was someone that American audiences hadn't seen since Andre was in his prime. Show was athletic, fast, agile and had he size & strength to go with it. In WCW as The Giant, Show was able to perform a moonsault, a HIGHLY uncommon feat for a man his size.

His last years in WCW showed him gaining weight and losing some of that unusual athleticism. Show would slowly but steadily continue to put on weight throughout his first run in WWE, which lead to alleged heat on Show at times for being "lazy", for partying so much and not taking care of himself. Again, that's all alleged to have happened. This picture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Big_Show_1999_WWF_Smackdown_(WWE).jpg was of Show in 1999. It was after this that he really and truly started to let himself go. Show did continue to grow more and more out of shape as the years went by. His sumo match at WM 21 against Akebono happened a little less than 10 years after is debut in WCW. Show had only been 33 years old for about 5 or 6 weeks, still young man, but the guy looked like crap. He must have put been a good 120-140 pounds heavier. By the time he won the ECW Championship, it was said that he was legitimately 507 pounds. I do think that Show's unwillingness to drop weight when asked did hinder his career.

At the same time though, Show was never in the same league as Stone Cold, HBK, Triple H, The Rock & Taker. Even in his physical peak, Show couldn't capture people in the same way those guys did.

He's been involved in some crap angles & feuds. Then again, so has The Undertaker and it doesn't seem to have hurt his spot in history. Depending upon how you personally recognize championships, Big Show is a 6 to 7 time singles World Champion. He's also an 11 time World Tag Team Champion. He's been involved in big angles, big feud, big matches and big events. On top of it all, Big Show's made a lot of money. Hate on the guy all you want but damn many a wrestler would love to have had Paul Wight's career.

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

Big Show is 2 time WWE Champion, 2 time World Heavyweight Champion, former ECW Champion and 2 time former WCW World Heavyweight Champion and the only man to have held all four championships. He is also a former Intercontinental champion, United States Champion, 3 time Hardcore Champion, 11 time tag champion in WWE and 3 times in WCW.

That paragraph alone explains why he is a success. Not many people have a list of accomplishment better, or that compare.

I do feel Big Show is stale now, but in no way does that mean he was a disappointment.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I'm always indifferent to Big Show. Sometimes I enjoy him (mainly as a heel), and sometimes he bores the shit out of me. But you have to respect the man's accomplishments, and durability throughout the years.

The man is in his 40s (I think?), and Big Show can still deliver the goods every now and then. A lot of us (myself included) bitched and moaned, when Sheamus VS Show started to develop, and both men delivered a series of damn good matches, and you can say they had the best match at the HIAC pay per view. On the surface, ADR VS Show wasn't too enticing, but this feud helped Del Rio get over as a face WHC. And a few years ago, I groaned at the thought of a WHC Mark Henry VS Big Show, but they put together an entertaining behemoth VS behemoth feud. Plus, let's not forget, Show played a crucial part in one of the most (if not the most) entertaining wrestler vs legit athlete matches at Wrestlemania, when he faced off against Floyd Mayweather years ago.

I'm not his biggest fan, but I respect and appreciate Paul Wight's tenure in the world of pro wrestling.

 

[oneofakind318]

If you were expecting him to replicate Andre the Giant's career, then it would be fail. But those would be ridiculous expectations.

He's definitely a success story. There's no doubt he had some rough patches. He let himself go towards the end of the WCW run. Lost his motivation again early in his WWE run, but he turned into a reliable guy that could slot into any number of roles/positions on the cards and fit right in. He works hard. His promos are solid. They haven't always given him stories to sink his teeth into, but when they do he carries them well.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I've never understood the hate The Big Show gets from a lot of people. In my opinion he's the 2nd best "big man" in wrestling history, behind Undertaker and tied with Kane. Even at his heaviest, he moves with far more speed and agility than anyone that size should be able to move at. He's held every championship imaginable, main evented two WrestleManias, and is considered to be one of the safest and most trusted guys to work with by the entire roster.

Big Show is a MASSIVE success.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

The man had so much success so early in his career that I think it's natural to become unmotivated later on, after you've already peaked so early.

I mean, the man won the WCW World Championship when he was what, 22-23 years old? He was headlining Pay Per Views with Hulk Hogan at the same time. He won the WWF World Championship in his first year with the company (people overlook this fact, how many other people have done this? Angle and Lesnar?)... I think it's natural that after he climbed to the top of both mountains in such a short time that he's going to become complacent afterwards. And he certainly did. He let himself go, maybe he didn't try so hard, but I think it's understandable.

The biggest thing is that he got his career back on track afterwards. His past year in the WWE can definitely be considered a success, with multiple World Heavy Weight Championship reigns and big time feuds.

He's had a long career, and certainly he's had some disappointing lulls, but he's also had more higher highs than the vast majority of guys who ever work in the business.

Success.

 

[ADLegend21]

Huge success. He's won every major world title, multi time tag champion, and he's in better shape now than he was earlier in his career. He can play a lovable face then turn into a respectable heel at the drop of a hat. I think if you asked any young wrestler if they'd want to have a career like Paul Wight, they'd jump at it in a second.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Is Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair ? Is Steve Austin or The Rock ? I would say no, however, he has had a very good career over all. Granted, some of his title reigns have been relatively short but some have had some length and significance, and through the years he's had memorable moments with a veritable who's who of wrestling post 1990 including HHH, Taker, Kane, Hogan, Flair, Sting, Luger, The NwO, etc.

Some may argue that he had the potential to do more but realistically, how many guys who debuted between 95-98 like he did can you say up till today did more ?

Rick Rude was never World Champion, niether was Tully Blanchard, Id hardly call them less than major successes however.

 

[MWRedskins]

Success in my book. he was never the best in the ring, BUT he did have some entertaining matches, was a nice character (at times) and had some nice moments. there are a few we could do without, sure, but there are some which got people's attention, like Big Show vs. Shaq or Mayweather and his title runs (world, wwe and tag team) werent awful as he had decent feuds and helped be the Miz's and Jericho's muscle for their tag teams.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Let's forget about the title reigns for a minute, and let's look at the childhood. It's easy to claim him a success with fake titles, but when you look at how he came up in his day... you become inspired. Whether you're a "goof" for being bigger or different than the other kids in your class, or just coming from a poor background... both of which Big Show had to overcome. Trust me, I'm not far from Aiken, SC and I can tell you that it's not the best of cities.

I would say that the fact that Big Show made it to the highest point in the wrestling world after being given the hand of cards he was dealt, he managed to bluff his way in the game of cards and made a success out of what was surely destined to be a bust.

 

[Pedigree1]

Oh without a doubt Show is a nothing but a success. For a man of his size he is incredibly strong and literally looks like he could rip someones head off. That kind of strength is just unheard of. But JH is right! Back in WCW this man could perform a moonsault. For someone of his height, weight, it hasnt been seen since.

Plus he could perform a missle dropkick. But as the years went on and on he gained and gained weight like no ones business. By the time WM21 he was pathetically out of shape and when he was ECW i dont buy 507 for a second. It looked like he weighed at least 550 if not more. That is way too much weight even for someone like Show.

But i give him credit he looks good not great but good. I say he could drop another 50 pounds if he cared to do it. But through all that,he still is a 7 time world champion i think? A 11 time world tag team champion hes been involved in some big feuds and some just not good feuds. I am wondering if he kept himself in shape all this time kept his weight under control how many more titles would he have won??

 

[THTRobtaylor]

You have to judge him firstly on his real place - Is he a true success as Andre's replacement?

On that score, absolutely yes - while he doesn't have the legend of Andre, what he does have is a solid body of work that has covered wrestling and movies - he has wrestled boxers at Mania and been a major part of WWE for 15 years.

Could more have been done with him, possibly - but the reality is that he was part of the first age where his size was not unique - there have been people like Khali taller than him, like Kane and Taker who are better workers and that has hurt the aura a little bit, "The Largest Athlete in The World" is not "The Ninth Wonder Of The World". Show did hurt himself a little in the early 2000's, when he put on weight, lost interest a little and got sent to OVW for a year. Sure he was on a million bucks to be there, but for him to get to that stage is probably the period that stops him being a bona-fide legend, he never got back that speed and agility he lost and sure, acromegaly is a dangerous thing, but he had the surgery done young, unlike Khali who only got it done recently, so he shouldn't be facing problems other than being to big for beds and from being a big man who smoked for many years...

What Show has done well is work with 99% of the roster - he can be feuding then teaming with them months later and it doesn't seem dumb. I think his best period was the Jerishow/Showmiz a few years back oh and of course the impersonations of Hogan et al. It's hard to know what Show is best at cos he really is an all rounder in terms of personality - he is a great fun face, he has genuine humor and that translates well, he can also be a nasty, intimitating giant - that is kind of his downfall though - there is no definitive "Big Show" you can point to and say that is who or what he stands for - Punk, Jericho, Ziggler, Cena, Taker - all have that - Show not having it hurts him a little.

How much does Show have left to give?, I think there is one big celebrity mania match left in him - I think a match with Rock or Brock or maybe Shaq that he wins and retires on but at the moment Show is starting to drift a little bit back into that "lost in the shuffle". WWE has kept he and Kane active by rotating them out for time off over the last few years and it is nearly time for one of them to go - Kane seems logical with Hell No coming to an end but Show at this point could easily be written out for 6 months and it not hurt the product at all. - that too is a bit of a problem for him.

Overall he is a success, he could have bombed and didn't - he has main evented Mania and been a memorable part of WWE history - he was never going to be Andre and has other than that WCW abhorration steered his own course. He's one guy I think could retire tomorrow, headline the next HOF class and not one person would begrudge it or say he could have done better - except himself, and I wonder if that's what keeps him going.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

He's a failure. After all these years nobody knows if he's better as a heel or as a face. He's had plenty of fine matches in his career but It was only in September-October of last year where Big Show was in a WWE programme in which he pulled his weight throughout.

Look at the size of Big Show, his charisma, his promo ability and the fact that he can be a competent worker. Why isn't he more successful than he actually is? Big Show should be one of the biggest draws in history. He isn't.

 

[lowandmighty]

Big show did achieve all those things that Matisyahu mentioned but they are just consolation prizes for never having a proper long run as wwe champion.

So in my opinion for somebody who won the wcw heavyweight championship of the world in his first match he has had a career that has not matched up to its potential.

I don't know the Big Show and I don't know what kind of road blocks he's had to deal with in his personal life so I'm not going to comment on things the Undertaker said about him not caring or not trying hard enough.

All I'll say is I find it disappointing to have to watch somebody who could grab anyone in the wwe apart from the Great Kali, throw them on the ground, put his foot in their back and tear their arms clean off their body not be taken seriously as the top guy.

He's a good, funny actor, not slow at all for someone that huge and he could beat the shit out of the whole world so huge disappointment. He should've been the champion for the last 15 years.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Given that we're operating in the fantasy world of pro wrestling, Big Show is a success. He's a huge body, performing exactly the way the company needs him to perform, smart enough to remember and follow the script, and able to maneuver his big body around the ring just well enough to make it look as if he's capable of destroying smaller wrestlers. In a shoot fight or a barroom brawl, he'd be sucking wind in a hurry.

I disagree with those who praise his "speed." He's slow as molasses; it's only that his opponents stand directly in front of him and play into his offense that make it seem as if he's fast in the ring. Only in pro wrestling could an effect like this come into play: In football, if you're a cornerback who doesn't have the speed to cover the wide receiver, the coach is taking you out of the game, right? There's no way the cornerback can pretend to be fast enough; nor is there a way (or reason) the wide receiver would want to help the cornerback cover him.

In wrestling, the smaller guy moves himself into position to receive punishment from Big Show. (Of course, it isn't just catering to guys of larger size. Take Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio: if their opponents didn't hustle to move into position to take their blind, flying leaps, those two guys would spend a lot of time landing face-first on the mat). So, as long as Big Show is able to memorize the script, his opponents will make sure his turtle-like movements won't be a hindrance. This isn't a criticism, by the way. He's a big, fat man with a non-athletic body who functions as a pro wrestler only because of cooperation between the parties in the ring.

Show's success derives largely from his personality. He can change personae and make it look real. Just when I was sick and tired of him as a jolly face, he turns himself into a heel; a guy who walks alone through WWE, liable to turn on anyone, anytime......sort of like a giant Roddy Piper. He's gone back and forth many times, always making it look good.

I believe Big Show to be a success. His range as an "actor" has done it for him. Just don't think of him as fast.....or a dangerous fighting force in real life.....'cause he ain't.

 

[H33LTurn]

Success, but one has to take into account the wide margin of error when it comes to a career in pro wrestling. You could be John Cena, or you could be Colin Delaney. Who? Exactly. Undertaker's description of Big Show during his Off The Record interview with Michael Landsberg was spot on. All the talent in the world, doors flying open for him, but none of the initiative. How can someone who's had the opportunity to work with such big names like Hogan, Cena, The Rock, Undertaker, etc. still have such a mundane career like the Big Show has had? Again, it comes down to initiative. Cena doesnt have a lick of talent in the ring, and during his rise as the "oh shit, Brock quit, find some square headed meathead who can toss people off his shoulders right now" Cena wasn't exactly magic on the mic either. He did, however, have the initiative to walk up to Vince and tell him that he wanted to be the face of the company. I'll let you guess what happened next. Big Show doesnt, for whatever reason, seem to have that same drive and determination. I certainly dont blame him. When you're getting paid millions to be fat as shit, theres always the possibility that you lose perspective of your career. It could be that Show was lunged into so many storylines, worked with such amazing talent, and held so many titles because management wanted to capitalize on his size, not because Big Show had done anything remarkable to get himself over (except eat). So yes, I chalk it up as a success because when you compare the amount of title reigns, the look, and the opponents he's faced, he's a future Hall of Famer without a doubt. But as far as someone in the business who I admire for their tenacity and the way they carry themselves backstage, Big Show is far from the top of my list.

 

[Judah's Lion]

Big Show is, without a doubt, by any standard, a SUCCESS.

he's never been the face of any company. he's never carried a company on his back. he's never been the biggest draw of the card. he's not the most recognizable person in professional wrestling.

none of those equals failure though.

he beat Ric Flair for the WORLD TITLE in his debut match in WCW. he feuded and main evented with Hogan, Nash, Luger, Goldberg... all the top stars in WCW. he debuted in WWF by interfering in a match with Austin and McMahon, arguably the greatest feud of all time. he's won multiple titles, made millions, been in Wrestlemania main events, movies, tv shows... feuded with every top star in the WWE of the last 20 years.

i wish that he'd drop his current angle with the Shield and face Shaq at Mania, but still, his career can only be viewed as a success. yeah, he got extremely overweight, switched from heel to face several times (maybe a few too many times), and had some lulls in his time. who hasn't? seriously. name ONE person that's wrestled as long as Big Show has that has not hit a dull spot in their career.

he's also the proud owner of a few OMG/Holy Sh*t moments: chokeslamming Taker thru the ring, breaking the ring with Brock Lesnar, hitting a missile dropkick/moonsault/top rope elbow rop, etc.

this was meant to be a "quick reply", but i'm finding myself to be increasingly more biased towards Big Show. thru thicker and thinner, i'm a fan.

 

[Alastor]

He is both at the same time. Based on his accomplishments alone, he is without a doubt a success. He was main events with some of the best wrestlers of all time. He was able to work matches as a main eventer or a mid-card attraction. Good in the ring and good on the mic, he is also great at media events to promote WWE. Definitely a success.

But he is also a disappointment when one look at what might have been and Undertaker's quote seem to mean that. Big Show right now is at the level of Undertaker,Kane, HBK, Y2J in terms of what he brings to the business, but he could have been a Hogan, Rock, Austin, Cena with the potential he had if he didn't let himself go. Imagine if Brock didn't leave, and Show didn't let himself go, what might have been? Two agile big men main-eventing, Batista would never have had a wrestling career.

All in all, Big Show is very much like Shaq, both of them have done very well compared to regular 'superstars' but they had the potential to be an all time great and blew it. Big Show let himself go, Shaq didn't take the regular season seriously nor made improvement to his free throws %. Both are unqualified success, but also carry the stigma of what might have been if they possess that single-mindedness some of their 'great' peers Cena or Kobe had.

 

[enviousdominous]

In my opinion, he's damn lucky to be alive today.

The first thing I think about before I cheer for someone is how much they're giving me for what I paid for a ticket.

Paul Wight performs his heart out in promos and in the ring. He may have been cocky before, today he's taking harder bumps than any competitor of his size.

Paul Wight coined the phrase "You can't fake gravity". In his example, he's been taking bumps that leave him in excruciating pain through the next week's show. People with acromegaly do not age well. I honestly expected Paul to retire years ago for his own well being, he's fighting through the pain to entertain us.




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[johnmountain]

Big Show is, without a doubt, by any standard, a SUCCESS.

he's never been the face of any company. he's never carried a company on his back. he's never been the biggest draw of the card. he's not the most recognizable person in professional wrestling.

none of those equals failure though.

Indeed. One doesn't have to be a Stone Cold or a Rock to be successful. It's a major sign of success that Big Show has been in the company this long without having once get fired. He seems to have a great work etiquette and has brought a lot of great memories to WWE. In many ways, he is the reincarnated Andre... just needs to win more matches and seem a little more tougher (he comes off trying too hard) lol