10 Times WWE Sabotaged WCW Wrestlers
4. Big Show Debuts, Loses To Steve Austin
Speaking of super heavyweights that made their name in WCW, Paul Wight also had a tough time in his early days of WWE. Similar to Vader after his 1996 debut, the man known as The Giant in WCW also had his plans changed, shortly after debuting at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House in February 1999.
In early '99, WWE was already working on a rough draft for the WrestleMania 2000 main event. Paul Wight had been brought in as a member of Vince McMahon's Corporation with plans to be built up strong over the next year, culminating in a match against Steve Austin at the super-show.
Though Austin vs. Big Show happened, it was much sooner than anyone would've imagined.
On March 22, 1999, the go-home Raw for WrestleMania XV and mere weeks after Wight's debut, Steve Austin pinned the Big Show after a chair shot to the head and a Stone Cold Stunner. This outcome was rumored to be a political move demanded by Austin to which Vince McMahon obviously acquiesced. Show's legs had been cut-out from under him before his WWE career even began.
The rest of '99 wasn't any kinder to Big Show and, although he main-evented WrestleMania 2000, it was hardly the singles match against Austin that had been planned.