10 WWE Worst WrestleMania Gimmick Matches
7. Akebono vs Big Show (WrestleMania 21)
When Paul Wight jumped from WWE to AEW in 2021, it was a huge surprise. Here was a man who’d been one of WWE’s most loyal servants, leaving his tenured post for pastures new.
Remembering how he was treated at times, though, it’s perhaps more surprising he didn’t leave sooner. There’s plenty of scope for debate around the nadir of Big Show’s career, but exhibit A must be the exhibition sumo match with Akebono at WrestleMania 21.
Akebono was a legitimate sumo star, but that fame didn’t translate too well to the US. While we’re by no means sumo experts, this didn’t look like a great example of the form, with Big Show bested by the veteran in a minute, both mercifully and pointlessly brief.
As far as wrestling ribs go, this one’s pretty grandiose. Someone backstage thought it would be funny to dress good old Paul up in sumo garb and have him look a fool at the company’s flagship show (it’s rumoured this was a punishment following weight gain). It’s sort of funny, for a bit, but then it just becomes depressing.