Every Wrestling Rookie Of The Year: Where Are They Now?

27. 1996: The Giant

Essa Rios Lita
AEW

The Giant - Paul Wight - was a ridiculous prospect in 1996. How he hurtled one of the biggest frames in wrestling history around the ring like he did defied physics.

He lost motivation to be the most special athlete of his era by the very next year, pretty much, but even then, a great promoter should have made a f*cking fortune out of him. A terrible drive, combined with the horrendous, fitful booking of Vince McMahon’s WWE monopoly, led to a wildly uneven career. There were highlights - the man was a slow but effective destroyer in 2012 especially - but he was more meme than attraction for how many times he turned.

He's kicking about in AEW at time of writing, doing what appears to be nothing now that Elevation has been canned.

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!