NWO Twenty Years Later: Where Are They Now?

Remember a time when The Big Show was an exciting, valuable part of the wrestling product? No, neither do I. After all, twenty years is a long time.

Maybe not in concrete historical terms, but certainly in wrestling terms, which makes it all the more remarkable that Paul Wight is still, ostensibly, an active in-ring performer. The word 'active' is pushing it a bit, mind. 'Barely mobile' would be a better way of describing it.

Wight made his WCW bow in 1995 as The Giant, part of Kevin Sullivan's ludicrous yet guiltily entertaining Dungeon of Doom faction, a troupe of misfits and freaks formed to bring an end to the ubiquitous (and massively tiresome) 'Hulkamania'.

Despite battling Hogan for WCW's top strap across the previous twelve months, The Giant defected to the nWo thanks to the lure of Ted DiBiase's millions - a clear and non too subtle reference to André the Giant's avarice-fueled switch to the darkside some eight years earlier.

Clearly lacking in social skills, The Giant was thrown out of the group pretty quickly after demanding a title shot from Hogan, but he flitted back and forth to the faction over the next two years. After being denied the opportunity to earn parity with WCW 'headliners', Wight executed his right to sit out his contract, dramatically turning up at the rival product a week after his deal lapsed.

That was 1999. Where is now? Quite unbelievably, the World's Supposed Largest Athlete is still with the promotion some seventeen years later. It's mostly been bloody horrible. Show's career does seem to be mercifully winding down at long last though; now in his mid 40s, it seems the only big money match Wight has left in him is the, er, 'dream' contest opposite Shaq.