To borrow from the lyrics of his entrance music, fans didn’t see it coming, but Paul Wight, also known as The Big Show, has officially signed with All Elite Wrestling.
A lot of the buzz about this move has focused on its potentially massive impact for AEW. But on the other hand, it’s fair to wonder what happened between Wight and his former employer, WWE.
According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, Wight’s contract with WWE ended in January, and the two sides failed to agree to a new deal.
“PWInsider.com is told that WWE and Wight were unable to come to terms on a new deal financially and his final contract with the company [expired] last month, days after he made an appearance being verbally bullied by Randy Orton on the Raw Legends Night episode on 1/4.,” wrote Johnson. “One source stated that Wight was very open that night about his unhappiness about the situation.
Wight was also moved to WWE.com’s Alumni section this week. His last “official” match was a six-man tag team match on RAW on July 3, 2020, where he teamed with the Viking Raiders in a loss to Andrade, Angel Garza and Randy Orton. Two weeks later, he lost an “unsanctioned” match to Orton on the July 20 episode of RAW. His last on-air appearance for the company came on the Raw Legends Night show on January 4, 2021, where he was berated by Orton.
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