10 Terrible Wrestling Debuts (That Led To Awesome Careers)
2. The Big Show
The Debut:
In quite incredible farce, Paul Wight debuted in the WWF as the 'World's Largest Idiot'. He was Mr. McMahon's insurance policy in his St. Valentine's Day Massacre Steel Cage match against Steve Austin. He emerged from underneath the ring, in a great visual, before sending Austin through the cage door, securing victory for the wrong man. Imagine the pitch meeting for Wight's big moment. McMahon was desperate for his signature because just look at the f*cker. "This will put over his strength huge." "Yeah, but he'll look stupid." "This is Vince Russo's RAW in 1999. Everything is stupid, but we've got Austin and Rock, so it doesn't matter."
"Very well".
The Career:
'Awesome' is as much of a stretch as his 'World's Largest Athlete' athlete nickname - there were taller and fatter wrestlers, unless it was a euphemistic blend of the two - now that Show isn't a fixture on TV, his legacy can be evaluated away from the bias of overexposure. Totally incoherent his career may be on the whole, but some awesome moments elevate it: his big time-feeling smoke and mirrors masterclass with Floyd Mayweather, awe-inspiring chemistry with Brock Lesnar, and the realisation of his giant potential in wars with Sheamus and Mark Henry, most notably.