![Former WWE Champion Big Show [Image Credit: wwe.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/02/9b089-17394581184726-1920.jpg)
![Former WWE Champion Big Show [Image Credit: wwe.com]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http%3A//www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns%3Axlink='http%3A//www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20viewBox='0%200%2010%205.625'%3E%3Cfilter%20id='b'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20color-interpolation-filters='sRGB'%3E%3CfeGaussianBlur%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20stdDeviation='.5'%3E%3C/feGaussianBlur%3E%3CfeComponentTransfer%3E%3CfeFuncA%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20type='discrete'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20tableValues='1%201'%3E%3C/feFuncA%3E%3C/feComponentTransfer%3E%3C/filter%3E%3Cimage%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20filter='url(%23b)'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Jim Ross was a WWE commentator and talent relations executive when Paul Wight, aka Big Show, joined the company in 1999. The legendary announcer recently recalled how management often had problems with the former WCW star's weight.
Big Show was billed at seven-foot-two and 500 pounds when he debuted in WWE. In reality, the 53-year-old is seven-foot tall and his weight fluctuated between 383 and 537 pounds during his wrestling career.
Ross said on his Grilling JR podcast that The World's Largest Athlete often ignored fitness and nutritional advice from WWE's higher-ups:
"It's always the same issue with big guys like that. How committed are they to getting in shape, staying in shape, and being able to physically perform at a high level? And we knew he had it in him. It's just a matter of can we convince him that being in great condition and being leaner than not is a good thing." [37:39 – 38:02]
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Big Show played college basketball before joining the wrestling business with WCW. In 1995, he defeated Hulk Hogan at Halloween Havoc to win the World Heavyweight Championship on his debut.
How Jim Ross monitored Big Show's weight
According to Jim Ross, some within WWE viewed Big Show as the next Andre the Giant. Advertised as seven-foot-four and 520 pounds, Andre was one of wrestling's marquee attractions in the 1970s and 1980s.
Ross was so concerned about Big Show's food intake that he regularly measured the wrestler's weight before television tapings.
"I weighed him a lot of times at TV just to see how he was doing to get a measurement on him," the commentator added. "He didn't like it, so I think what it said to him was that we didn't trust him with his weight. If the weight gets out of control, the downhill slide has started, and we didn't want that." [39:03 – 39:24]
Big Show won several titles during his 21-year association with WWE, including the WWE Championship twice and the World Heavyweight Championship twice. In 2021, he joined AEW as an ambassador, commentator, and occasional in-ring performer.
Please credit Grilling JR and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use Jim Ross' quotes from this article.
