Superstar Spotlight: Big Show
Big Show has been the focus of WWE for several weeks; if you want to argue for anything else, feel free. I would love to see the two main championships elevated to the top of the show, but that is an entirely different argument. Big Show aligned himself with John Laurinaitis and took his anger out on everyone from Kofi Kingston to Zack Ryder. This was all supposed to build up to Big Show versus John Cena at No Way Out, and we got our main event but it all felt disconnected. I didn’t see any kind of threat because Big Show would always just sneak up on Cena. Not only that, but the ‘go home’ episode of Smackdown featured Cena knocking out John Laurinaitis. I get that Cena has conflicts with both men, but you can properly hype your main event by having the participants face off. Here’s what happened: John Cena won, Big Show lost, Johnny was ‘fired’; the most important part of that is Big Show lost. Again.
How many times do we have to see Show turn heel and act like the unstoppable giant he claims to be, only to see him lose? I have grown tired of seeing the same thing over and over, and I haven’t considered him a threat in a long time. Show had a bit of a renaissance in ECW but it all felt like a build up for Bobby Lashley to beat him, which ended up happeneing. How scary can a guy be when he just got out of a feud where Cody Rhodes relived all of his embarrassments? A shortlist of Big Show ‘highlights’ consists of: jumping on his father’s casket, eating a diarrhea-inducing burrito, being covered in feces, and losing at Wrestlemania. I don’t care that he won at Wrestlemania 28 because it was the right thing to do at the time, but the heel turn really didn’t do much for me. Everyone knew it was coming, we knew Cena would beat him, the only thing that was up in the air was the type of character he would play. Some said he would be a reluctant henchmen for Johnny, and others said he would be a full blown heel that didn’t apologize for his actions.
Big Show ended up playing the latter, but he said he didn’t have to explain his actions, then he went and explained his actions. On top of that, but his reason for siding with Johnny was because of the million dollar contract and the ‘huge bonus’. Big Show said he could do whatever he wanted, and he would get paid no matter what, even if he got fired. Forgive me if I am wrong, but wouldn’t you want to be the best at your profession and enjoy all the money? I understand he is providing for his family, but Show didn’t really seem to care that he lost or got Johnny fired. He is rumored to be a challenger for Sheamus’ title, and the matches could be entertaining but I don’t see Show getting a reign out of it.
Big Show could have been the dominant, threatening giant that he has talked about, but WWE has crapped the bed with him too many times to turn it around now. He has even mentioned this on TV since Vince McMahon has come back, but he is threatening for a few weeks and fizzles out. The last feud I remember Show winning was against CM Punk and the Straight Edge Society, but the other embarrassments start to overshadow that. Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio, Cody Rhodes and John Cena are all examples of this; Cena even did it a few years ago after being chokeslammed through a spotlight. WWE likes to use the ‘three month rule’, but how many times can John Cena ‘overcome the odds’ against Big Show. It’s Cena’s character and that is all fine and dandy, but it makes no sense to do the same thing against the same opponent over and over. Cena has had Show’s number since winning the US Title at Wrestlemania XX, and seeing the two together just makes me think Cena is going over.
WWE had a chance to make Big Show something, but like I already mentioned, they continue to piss in our Cheerios and make him a beatable joke character. Mark Henry is out, Kane is back in love/lust and in the WWE Championship title picture, so Big Show could have taken over the role of dominant monster that Henry perfected last year. Big Show had the perfect opportunity to make a statement and take out Cena, and maybe he can recover but I don’t see it happening. Show could get involved in the title picture, but they need to give him decisive wins if they are going to push him as a monster. No one is benefitting from beating the Big Show when most people can say they already beat him; the win doesn’t mean as much.
Paul Wight does his job and he just wants to entertain the fans, but he really could do more if they let him. He is great at playing a heel, but WWE needs to give him the ball and let him run with it. He’s a pretty athletic guy for his size, and whoever eventually beat him would be put over. Big Show has had a very successful and decorated career so far, but he never really got a chance to be ‘the man.’ I know there’s a youth movement and I said I don’t see him beating Sheamus, but prove me wrong and let him be the threat he should be.
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