WWE History Vol. 10: Bring on the big guys
If there is one thing that the WWE is notoriously famous for, it is for their obsession with 'big men'. Over the years, if you look at the roster, McMahon and company have favored bringing in the big guys as impact players. This is a love story that has stood the test of time with Braun Strowman being the latest example.
Throughout history, professional wrestlers have tended to be larger than the average person. This is true even in cases of men like Adam Cole, whose 220 pound frame is still on the average seventy pounds heavier than the average healthy weight for a man.
But then there are those massive scale tippers, those anomalies of nature that defy description. These men literally have to be seen to be believed. Their gigantic frames lend and extra special quality to their appearances, both on and off the mat.
WWE has been the home of the some of the most famous big men in the history of the pro wrestling game. Some of them made indelible marks upon the business, and some seemed to disappear without making any positive impact at all.
In this week's edition of WWE History, journey back to look at the cream of the crop of the promotion's big men wrestlers. These are not ALL of the big men who laced up the boots for WWE, but they are the ones who are the most memorable.
#1 The Big Show
Real Name: Paul Wight
Active years: 1995-2018
Height and Weight: 7' 0" 383 lbs (Billed at 7'2" and 450 lbs.)
Signature Move: Chokeslam
Paul Wight was brought in as a 'secret weapon' to defeat Hulk Hogan in a charity basketball game in 1995. Hogan told Wight he 'had a hundred dollar bill stuck to his forehead,' and signed him up for WCW.
Initially, he was billed as the son of Andre the Giant (who only had a daughter), but over time this angle was dropped without explanation. Despite some good showings and great agility for a big man he never got much momentum in WCW, constantly flipping between face and heel roles.
Then he joined the WWE, and enjoyed an immediate push. Though some fans complained about his slow, plodding style, the newly christened Big Show would go on to become the twelfth grand slam champion in WWE history, and left an indelible imprint upon the WWE.
For his size and build, he was agile and has been one of the mainstays of the WWE for over two decades.