One of the most famous figures in wrestling history, it was only a chance encounter that helped the Big Show finally realise his potential.
Unmistakable for his black leotard, bushy beard and extraordinary 7ft 2in frame, the Big Show, real name Paul Wight, is one of the most important athletes in wrestling history.
Now on the All Elite Wrestling roster, which comes to Wembley on August 27, talkSPORT was lucky enough to sit down with the iconic American and find out about his journey to the top.
Looking at the giant Wight now, it seems inevitable wrestling was always destined to be his final goal, but his enormous size was helpful for a number of other sports, too.
“I was a basketball player to start with,” he explained. “I went to college at Wichita State, played basketball, I was an outstanding high school basketball player.
“The wrestling came after about a year-and-a-half of one tragic event after another.
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“I lost my grandfather, I lost my father to cancer, my coach Mike Cohen who recruited me through high school - he got fired halfway through the season so I lost my coach,. That's three very influential men in a young man’s life I lost.”
That run of tragedy saw Wight’s potential NBA career grind to a halt, and things soon ended up very difficult indeed.
He explained: “I quit school, I didn’t like the new coach that came in. I had nothing against him and I’m sure he was a great guy but we didn’t click.
“I started just meandering around, I was selling used cars, I was working as a bouncer, I did some bail bond work for a guy who had a licence.
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“I was a door-to-door chemical salesman selling bathroom cleaners and deodorisers, you talk about learning rejection, being a door-to-door cold call salesman is the worst.
"I even answered phones for a karaoke place.”
Everything then changed thanks to a chance encounter, but Wight surprisingly flirted with the NFL before settling on wrestling.
“I ran into a guy that was a hustler and a motivator,” Wight continued. “He saw that I had a lot of personality and a lot of athletic talent and he was like ‘what are you doing?’
“He was a Chicago Bears fan and he wanted me to play football for the Bears, he had some friends that were going to get me a try out and a walk-on thing and try and make the practice team and go from there.
“It still would’ve been more money than I was making at the time, everything I owned I carried in a laundry basket, I didn't have anything.”
Later on, though, he revealed his real passion, and the rest was history.
Wight explained: “He said ‘what do you want to do? I said, ‘well I’ve always been a big wrestling fan’.
“I grew up in the south, I was a big fan of Ric Flair, I loved the Four Horseman and Dusty Roads, I remember the WWF stuff back then with Hulk Hogan and Andre [the Giant] of course.
"I owe everything to Hulk, Hulk's the one that found me and gave me my first match, he took a hell of a risk on me.
"To take someone who was as unknown as I was and as big as I was and give me that opportunity, he put me into the sink or swim and I went right into the frying pan right off the bat."
Still going strong at 51, Wight explained his attitude has changed as an AEW star.
"At this stage I'm not trying to win championships or carry companies," he said.
"I did that over 20 years at five days a week all over the world.
"If I do one or two days a week it's just about enough for me, throughout most of my career I was pretty much injury free.
"But my bill came due around 2018, I've had my left hip and right hip replaced and I just had my right knee replaced last August.
"The difference now is I'm more judicious about my choices, you won't see my big ass going to the top rope anymore."
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And the stars of AEW are happier for it.
All Elite Wrestling comes to London on 27 August at Wembley Stadium. For tickets, visit allelitewrestling.com
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