Since his pro wrestling debut, Paul Wight has established himself as being one of the most successful big men of all time. Originally debuting in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as the son of Hulk Hogan, Wight was billed as the son of Andre the Giant, even having the name as "The Giant."
Wight had a successful WCW run, winning WCW World Championship in his first match against Hulk Hogan at the 1995 Halloween Havoc pay-per-view. During this time, Wight was still very large in stature and continuing to get larger.
When he debuted in WWE in February 1999, Wight made an impression by interfering in the steel cage match in favor of Vince McMahon against Steve Austin. His weight was always a topic of discussion, too.
Big Show Gains Weight During WWE Run
During this time, Wight - now known as The Big Show - eventually gained a lot of fat, and started to decline in health. Big Show actually was sent to WWE's then-developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling, to lose weight and work on his in-ring skills.
"My highest was 537 [pounds]," Big Show told Conan O'Brien. "I got down to 463, and now I'm 373."
Big Show also lost a considerable amount of weight after taking time off, and returned in 2008 to feud with Floyd Mayweather heading into WrestleMania 24. However, Big Show would put that weight back on until a conversation with John Cena turned a light on to radically change his career from a physical standpoint.
Big Show Weight Loss
Big Show stated during his Rebuilding Big Show short documentary that for a long time, he hid behind his size, and he knew that at 500 pounds, he was not going to be asked to do a lot of things. As a result, he was limited as a performer, and he realized that having all that weight does is not good as he got older. Big Show's goal was to live longer than Andre the Giant, who unfortunately passed away at 46 years old. Big Show had heard the stories of Vince McMahon and Andre's close friend, referee Tim White, of Andre not taking care of himself.
Joking with John Cena backstage, Big Show said that he was going to get some giant abs and be a bodybuilder, because "who'd want to see a giant with abs." Cena replied with a straight face, "Yeah. A giant with abs. Who would want to see that?" Cena walked off, and this left a lasting impression on the Big Show and made him think about his improper training. This led Big Show to find personal trainer Dodd Romero, and grew a six-pack to prove Cena wrong, which he posted on social media.
Regarding changing his years of improper diet, Big Show told Hot 97, "sometimes you gotta ignore that little fat kid on your shoulder that just wants to go to McDonald's and hang out at the ice cream shop. You gotta ignore him."
His go-to snack were Zebra Cakes, but now he finds different ways to find sweet and healthy alternatives. He expressed during his interview on WWE.com that it took him six or seven months of slowly eliminating things from his diet.
Big Show Diet & Workout Regimen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPT9_wI_XdQ
His workout, according to an interview with Muscle and Fitness, focuses on high-reps and muscle building. The WWE legend is also focused on cutting body fat, so his tendons can stay strong. As a result of his serious commitment to weight loss, Big Show stated that he had to say goodbye to some of his favorite foods, including meatball subs and pizza.
The "World's Largest Athlete" has experienced a very successful wrestling career over the past 20 years, becoming a Grand Slam Champion and one of the most decorated WWE Superstars in history.
Currently, Big Show has been away from the wrestling ring for nearly a year. After feuding with Braun Strowman in 2017, Big Show returned a year later to align with Sheamus and Cesaro (The Bar). This was only short-lived, concluding with a loss against The New Day on the November 20, 2018 episode of SmackDown Live.
