Paul Wight is returning to the ring soon.
The former WWE Grand Slam Champion posted a clip to his Instagram account where he announced his impending AEW in-ring return.
Wight last competed on the Chris Jericho Cruise in January. He last competed on AEW TV in November of last year.
You can check out Wight’s clip below:
Paul Wight is slated to make his return to OVW.
Wight will be making his first appearance in OVW since 2006 on Thursday’s episode of OVW television. He had defeated The Miz at a live event in Louisville, Kentucky over a decade ago.
The promotion has gained attention in the wrestling world lately, as it was featured in Netflix’s ‘Wrestlers’ docuseries.
The October 19 episode of OVW TV will be available for live streaming on Fite TV. It will later be added to YouTube.
Source: eWn
A six-man tag team that was discussed for the AEW All In 2023 PPV event has been called off.
According to Fightful Select, a six-man tag team match was discussed for AEW All In 2023, where Captain Insano and The Hardys would have faced Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal, and Satnam Singh.
Fightful Select also reported the match was called off because Jeff Hardy faced travel restrictions preventing his entry into the UK, and there were also indications of potential complications for Satnam Singh’s participation.
Paul Wight, aka Big Show, previously played a new character Captain Insano, which was inspired from a character from the 1998 film “The Waterboy” featuring Adam Sandler. Wight played Captain Insano in The Acclaimed’s Hand for a Hand music video which aired on November 6, 2022 episode of Dynamite.
Wight has participated in a total of four matches within AEW and has maintained an undefeated record since joining the promotion. Paul Wight’s last match was against Austin Green on March 30, 2022, in AEW Dark Elevation taping episode where he successfully defeated Green in a one-on-one match.
Source: ITNWWE
In a recent interview with DAZN Wrestling, Paul Wight (formerly The Big Show) provided an update on his fitness status following the knee surgery he underwent last year.
Wight described the intense recovery process and teased an appearance at AEW All In 2023 at Wembley Stadium.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On bouncing back from his knee surgery in 2022: “It’s amazing how difficult the knee is versus the hip. I think when I had my hips done, they came along a lot stronger, a lot faster. The knees are a lot more difficult. The rehab’s a lot more intensive. The pain afterward is a lot more intensive. They told me that going into it, but I didn’t believe them. But yeah, it’s been pretty intense. I’ve got full range of motion. I have more range of motion with my fixed knee than I did with my knee before. I’ve got 136-degree flexion and I’ve got zero [degree] straightening, so I’m above average. My knee hasn’t moved that good in 14 years.”
On when audiences can expect to see him back in the ring: “I would have to say if I was a betting person because I’m not allowed to stooge, I’d say the odds are pretty good that I’ll be here at Wembley… If I’m a gambling man, which I’m not, I would bet very strongly that there’s a high, high probability that Captain Insano will probably make it to Wembley.”
Source: eWn
After a fan asked current AEW star Paul Wight on Twitter if he was ever going to write a book about being in the pro wrestling business for “nearly 30 years,’ Wight answered that he would, but until he retired. The former WWE superstar, as seen below, also added, that he wants to still have more fun with his character from the 1998 comedy, “The Waterboy” — Captain Insano.
It’s worth remembering that Bobby Boucher’s (main character in “The Waterboy” played by Adam Sandler) favorite wrestler made his first “cameo” on All Elite Wrestling last year. He was part of The Acclaimed’s music video “A Hand for a Hand,” and the music video premiered on the November 16 edition of “AEW Dynamite.”
Wight has not been in the ring since the April 4, 2022 edition of “AEW Dark: Elevation,” when he defeated Austin Green in a little over two minutes. He also did commentary for “Dark: Elevation.” Wight signed with AEW in February 2021. One of his first matches with the company was a win over QT Marshall at AEW All Out on September 5, 2021.
Since joining the promotion, Wight has dealt with a few setbacks — earlier this year, he had knee surgery and had to spend 11 weeks in a wheelchair, as revealed during an interview with the “Metro UK.” Also in that interview, he did confirm that it was a “brand new titanium joint,” and it’s good for 35 years. Before that, he had been dealing with hip issues.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
The Acclaimed had announced “a special guest” would appear in their music video airing on the 11/16 “AEW Dynamite,” and the AEW World Tag Team Champions did not disappoint. For the first time in over two decades, Captain Insano, the fictional pro wrestler portrayed by Paul Wight in the 1998 Adam Sandler movie “The Waterboy,” made a cameo on a wrestling program, and fans on social media loved every second of it.
The video titled “A Hand for A Hand” recreated a scene from “The Waterboy,” where Sandler’s character of Bobby Boucher is mocked when he calls into a live interview segment with Captain Insano, his favorite pro wrestler. Similarly, Anthony Bowens and Max Caster were shown interviewing Insano backstage when they receive a call from parodies of Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland, who proceed to inquire with Insano if they had a shot at reclaiming the AEW World Tag Team titles at Full Gear. In response to Swerve in Our Glory’s question, the trio of Bowens, Caster and Insano began laughing as they mocked the actors depicting Strickland and Lee.
Soon after the video dropped, Bowens shared a backstage photo of The Acclaimed posing with Captain Insano, as seen below.
Wight had previously teased introducing the character to AEW TV, especially after the promotion filed for the Captain Insano trademark in March 2021. In a subsequent interview with Wrestling Inc., Wight noted he just “wanted to have fun” with the character, but did hint at the possibility of wrestling a match as Captain Insano. In September, AEW President Tony Khan teased the likelihood of Captain Insano showing up at Arthur Ashe Stadium for “AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam,” but there was obviously no sighting of Wight or Captain Insano in Queens, NY.
It remains to be seen if Captain Insano gets involved in some capacity during The Acclaimed’s title defense against Swerve In Our Glory this Saturday at the Full Gear pay-per-view.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Former WWE Superstar Paul Wight will make his in-ring AEW debut against QT Marshall at All Out next month.
The legendary Paul Wight will lace up his boots for the first time since July of 2020 when he goes one-on-one with QT Marshall at AEW’s upcoming All Out pay-per-view on September 5th.
Wight announced his imminent return to the ring on the most recent edition of Dynamite, but the catalyst for his return was ignited on Dynamite a few weeks ago when QT Marshall poured a protein shake over Tony Schiavone’s head during a backstage interview. Schiavone had been critical of The Factory (QT Marshall, Aaron Solo, and Nick Comoroto) and their dastardly antics in the weeks leading up to the incident, much to the chagrin of Marshall, who lashed out and tried to make an example out of the veteran broadcaster.
The following week, The Factory continued to torment Schiavone by assaulting his son in front of his eyes. Paul Wight had no intention of letting Marshall and his cronies bully his old friend and current broadcast partner and so he inserted himself into the matter. The artist formerly known as The Big Show came to the ring and hit Solow with a huge Chokeslam while QT and Comoroto got outta dodge.
On this week’s Dynamite, Wight joined Schiavone in the ring for a chat. He explained that it felt good to hit that chokeslam and said he was still hyped up about it. Before he could go any further, QT and The Factory interrupted. Marshall was clearly concerned that Wight was considering an in-ring return because he came prepared with images of Wight’s carious surgeries, which he displayed on the big screen for all to see. Marshall’s attempts to deter Wight from getting back in the ring failed, and Wight revealed that he would be making his in-ring AEW debut at All Out … against QT Marshall.
Wight’s match at All Out will be his first for AEW. His last match took place in WWE back in July of 2020 when he lost to Randy Orton in an Unsanctioned match on Raw.
Source: TheSportster
A match between NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and Paul Wight [fka The Big Show] has been rumored for years. But aside from a brief encounter during the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32, the two giants have never truly locked horns inside the squared circle.
As reported earlier, Shaq told PopCulture.com in a recent interview that his match with Wight could happen “really, really soon” in AEW
“I hear Paul Wight is still talking trash,” O’Neal said. “So I’m going to work out really hard this summer and maybe we can do something really, really soon.”
Shaq added that nothing would prevent the match from happening this time around.
“There shouldn’t be any problems for us getting together now,” O’Neal said of his potential match with Wight. “Last time there was a lot of bureaucracy and red tape. Now there is no red tape. I’m still kind of sore from that table so I’m going to work out during the summer, pump these muscles up and I’ll be waiting for you, Mr. Paul.”
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Paul Wight formerly known as The Big Show has appeared on AEW programming for the first time since he jumped ship from WWE.
Wight returned to TNT for the first time in over 20 years when he debuted on the latest edition of AEW Dynamite.
During his segment, Wight plugged his upcoming color commentating spot on AEW Dark: Elevation. As noted, along with wrestling from time-to-time, Wight will commentate AEW Dark: Elevation on Mondays at 7 pm ET on AEW’s YouTube channel. The show premieres on March 15 and Tony Schiavone is set to be his broadcast partner.
During a chat with his former WCW colleague Tony Schiavone, Wight — who was wearing a t-shirt that said “no more BS” — clarified his new role with All Elite Wrestling.
“Raise your hand if you saw this turn coming,” he joked.
Wight then revealed that AEW has signed a major “hall-of-fame worthy” star, and said that they will debut at AEW Revolution on Sunday.
Check out Paul Wight’s AEW debut below.
Big Show is no longer with WWE.
AEW announced today that Paul Wight has joined the company, signing a long-term contract.
Wight will serve as a commentator for AEW’s newest show on YouTube, AEW Dark: Elevation. Elevation will air on Mondays at 7pm ET, complimenting the weekly AEW Dark show that airs on Tuesdays at 7pm ET. Elevation will showcase AEW’s established and rising talent, as well as top indie talents.https://14833a136a38a5723e97b3b6ff6cff7f.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
Wight said it’s been amazing to watch what AEW has done in a few years since launching.
“It’s been amazing to watch what AEW has built in just a couple of years,” Wight said in a press release. “AEW Dark is an incredible platform to hone the skills of up-and-coming wrestlers, but I also love that established AEW talent can build out their personalities and showcase themselves in new ways on Dark. It’s no exaggeration when they say that AEW is boundless.”
AEW CEO, General Manager and Head of Creative Tony Khan also commented on why Wight wanted to come to AEW.
“Paul Wight is one of the most recognizable and impressive professional athletes in the world,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “He wanted to come to AEW because he believes that we’re the best promotion in wrestling, and we believe that he has a lot to offer us, both in the ring as a wrestler, and also outside the ring as a commentator, host and ambassador for AEW.”
“Paul is one of the most experienced stars in all of wrestling, and he’s eager to work with our diverse roster,” added Khan. “He can benefit and guide our young talent with his mentorship, and his expert commentary on AEW Dark: Elevation will educate and entertain our fans, and also educate the younger wrestlers on the roster. Furthermore, Paul enters AEW as a licensed wrestler, and he’s very much looking forward to studying our talent firsthand from the commentary desk in preparation for his return to the ring!”
AEW is promising more details on Wight’s signing during tonight’s Dynamite show on TNT.
Big Show’s last WWE match came on the July 20, 2020 RAW episode, a loss to Randy Orton. He had only worked a handful of matches last year, and spent all of 2019 on the shelf with an injury. He did appear for The Undertaker’s “Final Farewell” segment at the Survivor Series in 2020, and appeared at RAW Legends Night back on January 4 of this year. Show first signed with WWE back in February 1999. He leaves the company as a Grand Slam Champion – a two-time WWE Champion, a one-time ECW Champion, a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, a three-time WWE Hardcore Champion, a one-time WWE United States Champion, a one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, and a eight-time Tag Team Champion.
Stay tuned for more. Below is the full announcement issued to us today by AEW:
Wrestling Legend Paul Wight Signs Long-Term Deal with AEW
— Wight Joins Commentary for New YouTube Extension, AEW Dark: Elevation —
February 24, 2021 – As 2021 shapes up to be the year for AEW’s biggest shows yet, today the promotion announced that wrestling legend Paul Wight signed a long-term deal, adding yet another universally regarded name to AEW’s roster of stars, legends, and upcoming talent. Wight will have an extensive role within AEW, and on top of his return to the ring, he will serve as a commentator on AEW’s newest show, AEW Dark: Elevation.
Complementing AEW Dark on Tuesdays, AEW Dark: Elevation will air on Mondays at 7 p.m. ET on AEW’s YouTube channel, and will showcase AEW’s established and rising stars, as well as the top independent wrestlers within the industry, competing against each other in the ring in pursuit of wins. AEW Dark: Elevation will also maintain continuity with AEW DYNAMITE, AEW Dark, AEW pay-per-view shows and streaming events, with wins and losses factoring into each wrestler’s ranking in the company.
With new wrestling programming now available three nights per week, AEW continues to solidify its position as the fastest growing and hottest promotion in professional wrestling.
“It’s been amazing to watch what AEW has built in just a couple of years,” said Paul Wight. “AEW Dark is an incredible platform to hone the skills of up-and-coming wrestlers, but I also love that established AEW talent can build out their personalities and showcase themselves in new ways on Dark. It’s no exaggeration when they say that AEW is boundless.”
“Paul Wight is one of the most recognizable and impressive professional athletes in the world,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “He wanted to come to AEW because he believes that we’re the best promotion in wrestling, and we believe that he has a lot to offer us, both in the ring as a wrestler, and also outside the ring as a commentator, host and ambassador for AEW.”
“Paul is one of the most experienced stars in all of wrestling, and he’s eager to work with our diverse roster,” added Khan. “He can benefit and guide our young talent with his mentorship, and his expert commentary on AEW Dark: Elevation will educate and entertain our fans, and also educate the younger wrestlers on the roster. Furthermore, Paul enters AEW as a licensed wrestler, and he’s very much looking forward to studying our talent firsthand from the commentary desk in preparation for his return to the ring!”
Already a monumental day for AEW, be sure to tune in to AEW DYNAMITE tonight on TNT at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT for additional announcements surrounding Wight’s signing, the new AEW Dark: Elevation show, and the identity of Wight’s commentary partner.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
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