10 Massively Dubious Wrestling Records

4. Big Show: World's Largest Athlete

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WWE.com

WWE liked to promote The Big Show as the World's Largest Athlete, and at his fattest, the billing might have been accurate. Vince was careful enough to go with tallest, given that the nickname was in place by the time the Great Khali first walked to the ring with all the mobility of an effigy.

Beyond the height hyperbole, "Athlete" itself was similarly stretched. We can examine Show's legacy, now that his presence no longer haunts us all the time, and while very entertaining in patches - his 2011-12 work, too, was belated proof of his potential as an amazing wrestling giant - he was hardly an athlete. The first time he ever chain wrestled, years of chain smoking caught up to him, and he coughed himself hoarse in the first 30 seconds.

Viscera was much more bulbous than The Big Show, so even the implication of "fattest" was another McMahon myth. He presumably settled on "Largest" because "If You Combine Height And Girth, He Probably Occupies The Most Mass" doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Perhaps WWE put paid to the idea of Big Show Vs. Shaq at WrestleMania 33, knowing full well that the sight of the stare-down would have visibly debunked the myth.

And, since that match would have lagged more than the Shaq Fu SNES catastrophe, that was probably for the best.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!