Paul Wight has discussed his frustrations during his last WWE appearance at the ‘Legends Night’ episode of Raw in January 2021.
During that appearance Wight, then still going by his Big Show moniker, was verbally dressed-down by Randy Orton. Wight revealed to Chris Jericho on the Talk Is Jericho podcast that more had originally been planned.
Wight explained:
“I was going through contract negotiations then [at Legends Night]. When you are going through negotiations they will try to make things a little more awkward or difficult or to prove a point. It’s part of the psychology to improve the game.”
“So they wanted Randy Orton to pie face me into a chair, and knock me down. I’m just supposed to sit there in a chair and take it. I’m like well he’s not going to shove me on my ass. No disrespect to Randy, but he knows he couldn’t do it if I didn’t want him to. But then to go to the ring and sit on the ramp with Hogan, Flair, Booker, a lot of legends. They’re trying to shove me down the road. They wanted to use my notoriety to do community work, to do overseas media. They were taking my passion away from me, they were taking wrestling away from me. And to just sit there on the ramp and get called a has-been, while I sit there and watch a match.”
Wight then discussed the feeling that made him look for a change in his career:
“You talk so much about respect for legends and respect for the Hall Of Famers, but any time Hall Of Famers are around, they get run into the ground. That machine is always moving forward, any blood they can get out of any stone they are going to get that last drop until there is nothing left for anyone. The talent doesn’t have anything left, the fans don’t either. That was the icing on the cake for me. I have to restart, I have to rebrand myself.”
Paul Wight debuted for All Elite Wrestling in February 2021. The giant star is providing commentary alongside Tony Schiavone on AEW Dark: Elevation.
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