Former WWE World Champion on how Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes inspired him to sign with AEW (Exclusive)
A former WWE Superstar recently stated that Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes were catalysts in his switch to AEW from Vince McMahon's company.
Since AEW opened the floodgates in 2019, many WWE stars have signed with Tony Khan's promotion. Some of the biggest names on the ever-expanding list are Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and Claudio Castagnoli.
The pro wrestling community was surprised when WWE legend Paul Wight (fka Big Show) decided to become All Elite in February 2021. Speaking about the decision in an interview with Sportskeeda, Wight revealed his reasoning behind the switch:
"After establishing that 'renown-ness,' I saw an opportunity to build something with AEW. Like a lot of times in your career you achieve your own success and then you start to look for other ways to keep your passion going and stay motivated, and I saw a lot of great things in my friends Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes at the time, Young Bucks, what they were doing with AEW, and I really wanted to be a part of that. I thought I could slide in and really work on a personal goal of mine. It has been probably 15-17 years I have wanted to do commentary." (from 1:53 to 2:30)
While Wight's time in WWE played a major role in establishing his legacy, he hopes to follow his passion for commentary in AEW.
AEW Dynamite - Fyter Fest Night 1 will be live on Eurosport and Eurosport HD from 5:30 am onwards on 14th July 2022, Thursday.
The WWE Legend is currently a commentator in AEW
While Paul Wight has made a name for himself in the ring, he's currently working as a commentator on AEW shows alongside Tony Schiavone.
So far, Wight has had a few in-ring appearances in AEW, most notably his match with QT Marshall at All Out 2021. Unsurprisingly, the former WWE star won.
#AEWAllOut Predictions 4/10
Paul Wight vs QT Marshall
Winner: Paul Wight https://t.co/Pjgkd0qNVV
As of now, Paul Wight shows no inclination to join the in-ring action. It remains to be seen whether he will continue as a commentator in AEW.
If using quotes from this article, please embed the exclusive video and give a H/T for the transcription.