Why Did Big Show Leave WWE?

Why did Big Show leave WWE? We take a look at the reasons behind his departure and what he’s been up to since.

Big Show’s WWE Run

Big Show’s departure from WWE was a shock to many fans. He was with the company for over 20 years and was one of the most recognizable faces in the company. Big Show is a giant of a man and his size alone made him a force to be reckoned with in the ring. He was a multiple time champion and had some of the most memorable matches in WWE history. So why did he leave?

Debut

The Big Show made his debut in WWE in 1999 at the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: In Your House pay-per-view event, attacking The Rock during his match with Mankind. This led to a feud between the two, with the Big Show winning their first match at WrestleMania XV. After several more confrontations – including a failed attempt by the Big Show to kidnap The Rock’s mother – the two would wrestle each other again at Backlash 1999, with The Rock emerging victorious.

Heel Turn

In early 2009, McMahon began showing signs of a heel turn, after he berated and then suspended Donald Trump for taking Amandaover to “The Apprentice”, which McMahon claimed violated their business relationship. After McMahon has a failing confrontation with Bret Hart on an episode of Raw, Trump came out and stated that McMahon had lost his mind. On the March 2 episode of Raw, after Vince stated that he hoped that The Hart Dynasty would not suffer the same fate as The Dudley Boyz did when ECW closed its doors nine years ago, Bret Hart (who was the special guest referee for the match) turned heel by hitting Vince in the head with a steel chair as payback for all the times Vince did to him in the past (such as# screwing him out of the WWE Championship at Survivor Series in 1997). This began a storyline feud between Bret and Vince.

Face Turn

In February 2008, Big Show turned heel for the first time in seven years by aligning himself with Vickie Guerrero and attacking WWE Champion Edge. Big Show later won the WWE Championship from Edge at No Way Out in a triple threat match also involving Triple H. He then began a storyline feud with The Undertaker, which culminated in a match at WrestleMania XXIV, which Big Show lost. After being drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2008 WWE draft that took place on June 3, he quickly valuable United States Championship from Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP).

World Heavyweight Champion

The World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It was established by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002 after WWE bought out World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The title was unified with the WWE Championship, which WWE had established in 1963.

The first ever World Heavyweight Champion was Big Show. He won the title on the November 18, 2002 episode of SmackDown by defeating Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar in a Fatal Four-Way Match. Big Show would hold the title for a total of four days before losing it to Triple H on the November 22, 2002 episode of Raw.

Big Show’s reign as champion is notable for being the shortest in WWE history.

Big Show’s Departure from WWE

After twenty-three years with WWE, Big Show announced his departure from the company on February 21, 2021. Big Show, whose real name is Paul Wight, first joined WWE in 1999. He quickly became one of the most popular WWE Superstars, winning the WWE Championship, the World Heavyweight Championship, and the WWE Tag Team Championship.

Creative Differences

Lance “The Big Show” Cade was released by WWE on November 10, 2008. He had been with the company for just over seven years. His most recent role was as a member of the tag team known as “The World’s Greatest Tag Team” with Shelton Benjamin.

The announcement of Cade’s release came as a surprise to many, as he was still under contract and had not been publicly discussing his future plans. It is believed that creative differences were the primary reason for his departure.

In an interview with the Miami Herald, Cade revealed that he had asked for his release from WWE several months earlier but was denied. He also said that he was not happy with the direction his character was going and felt that he was not being used to his full potential.

Cade is just the latest in a long line of wrestlers to leave WWE due to creative differences. Others include Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, and Cody Rhodes.

Financial Reasons

In February of 2018, it was announced that Big Show had signed a Legends contract with WWE. This type of contract allows WWE to bring back former wrestlers for appearances, but does not lock them in for a certain number of dates or appearances. The contract also includes a legends royalty, which is a percentage of merchandise sales.

It was reported by Wrestling Inc that Big Show was not happy with the terms of his legends contract, and was looking for a more lucrative deal. It’s unclear if WWE offered him a better deal or not, but in April of 2018 it was announced that Big Show would be appearing on the TV show The World’s Strongest Man.

It’s possible that Big Show left WWE because he was unhappy with the terms of his contract, or because he wanted to focus on other projects. Whatever the reason, it’s clear that financial considerations played a role in his departure.

Health Reasons

Big Show’s real name is Paul Wight, and he’s 7 feet tall and 450 pounds. Wight has had a long and successful career in WWE, but in recent years, his health has begun to deteriorate. In February 2020, Wight announced his departure from WWE, citing health concerns as the primary reason.

Over the past few years, Wight has suffered from a number of serious health issues. In 2017, he underwent surgery to remove a cyst from his pituitary gland. The following year, he was hospitalized with a concussion after a fall during a match. And in 2019, Wight underwent hip surgery.

Due to his health problems, Wight has been unable to wrestle as much in recent years. In 2018, he only wrestled four matches; in 2019, he only wrestled two matches. And in 2020, he was only scheduled to wrestle one match before his departure from WWE.

Wight’s health problems have also caused him to miss significant time on WWE television. In 2019, he missed several months of action due to his hip surgery. And in 2020, he missed several weeks of action due to the concussion he suffered during the match with Kevin Owens.

Wight’s departure from WWE is a loss for the company; however, it’s understandable given his health concerns.

Where is Big Show Now?

It’s been almost a year since Big Show left WWE, and fans are still wondering what happened. Some say he was getting too old, some say he was never really that good in the first place. Whatever the reason, Big Show is now a free agent.

Acting

In recent years, Big Show has taken on a number of different acting roles. In 2015, he had a small role in the film Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. He also appeared in the Sharknado franchise, appearing in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! in 2015 and Sharknado 5: Global Swarming in 2017. In 2016, he played Captain Knucklehead in the comedy film Countdown. In 2018, he appeared as himself in the action comedy film Ocean’s 8. Big Show has also made guest appearances on a number of television shows including Psych and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Podcasting

In recent years, Big Show has ventured into the world of podcasting. He launched his own podcast called The Big Show Show in 2019, which is produced by WWE. The podcast is available on multiple platforms, including iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher.

The Big Show Show features interviews with a variety of guests, including fellow WWE superstars, Hollywood celebrities, and more. In each episode, Big Show discusses a wide range of topics with his guests, offering his unique perspective on a variety of issues.

Big Show’s podcast has been well-received by fans and critics alike. In 2019, The Big Show Show was nominated for a Podcast Award in the “Best Sports Podcast” category.

Wrestling on the Independent Circuit

After his release from WWE in February of 2008, Big Show worked for a number of independent promotions, most notably World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW). In December of that year, he defeated Bobby Lashley to win the WXW Heavyweight Championship, which he would hold until April 2009. He has also made appearances for Memphis Wrestling and Wildside Wrestling.