It's staggering to think how poorly booked Big Show was during his first few years in the company. What should have been a world-beating, modern day Andre the Giant was booked like a comedy character before being sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling to lose weight. When he returned he was, once again, booked like a total jabroni. losing easily to Steve Austin, Booker T, Jeff Hardy and The Dudleys. Show had took a serious hit and needed rebuilding. After all, this was a man who still had seven years left on his contract, which was worth $1m per year, downside guarantee. Enter Paul Heyman. Show was drafter to Smackdown in late 2002 with a new look and brand new attitude. He was no longer doing bad comedy and staring at the ceiling. He was booked as a serious threat, immediately targeting WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. Show dethroned Lesnar for the title at Survivor Series, thanks to a little help from Lesnar's manager Heyman, who turned and aligned himself with Show. Although his title run only lasted until the next PPV (Armageddon, where he fell to Kurt Angle), Show was now established as a force to be reckoned with. High-profile feuds with The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero followed over the next year. Heyman's Smackdown definitely benefitted from having a serious, motivated Show in its ranks.
