When Big Show announced his retirement from the profession in August 2016, it came as a relief to some fans and a shock to others. He announced that Wrestlemania 33 in Orlando on April 2nd, 2017 will be his final match, and his opponent will be notable basketball player Shaquille O’Neal.
Show then rounded off his statement by saying that he would be getting into the best shape of his life, so as to end his career on a high.
Now this could be easier said than done, as in an interview with ESPN the 44-year-old announced that at his heaviest he has wrestled at 537 pounds, which is an incredible 38 stone. Now bearing in mind that this man once performed moon-saults, proving just how agile he can be for a man of his size, this is nothing short of impressive.
However, true to his word, a visibly slimmer and more lean Big Show took to his personal Twitter account on Boxing Day to show off the results of his training leading up to the wrestling extravaganza in Orlando.
Under the picture, he challenged Shaq once more, asking ‘You ready @Shaq?’ laughing off the notion of holiday rest by announcing ‘Holiday rest? Ha! It’s almost @WrestleMania season.’
If this tweet and accompanying picture is anything to go by, O’Neal will definitely have to bring his A-Game as we are looking at the most physically fit, and intimidating, Paul Wight we have seen in over a decade.
Considering the amount of effort The Big Show is putting in to allow his wrestling career to end on a high note, it would be an extreme shame for the Orlando crowd to dismiss this match off-hand.
For his years of service, whether it be in the early days during his run as The Giant in WCW or as The Big Show in WWE, he deserves a proper send-off; and where better than Wrestlemania!
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