Rumour Around the Water Cooler Is...

[Mr. JL]

Big Show Contemplating Retirement


Posted by: Daniel Pena - October 28th, 2006

source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Bob Collins, a long-time promoter with WWE who worked on WrestleMania III, has been regularly covering the Detroit area in the build to WrestleMania 23. He has been telling Ford Field officials that the only match WWE has decided upon for the show is Hulk Hogan vs. The Big Show. However, that match is not 100% certain for the time being. Though, if it does end up taking place, it could very well be the final wrestling match for not one star, but both stars.

Big Show's contract expires in February and he is in a great deal of physical pain nowadays. Big Show legitimately weighs 520 pounds, finds traveling very difficult, and has already been taken off of most minor ECW house shows. Due to these problems, plans are being made to get the ECW title off of him soon. The problem with this is that Rob Van Dam is the only ECW wrestler in a good position to win it, yet Vince McMahon has been said to be determined to not to let him be the champion again following his arrest the last time around. McMahon also feels RVD cannot draw as a champion, although other WWE officials believe the crowds will be the same no matter who has the belt.

Big Show has been telling people that he is considering leaving wrestling next year and going into acting, since his size and comedic personality makes him rather unique and should get him plenty work. His original contract, signed in 1999, was $950,000 a year for ten years. It was renegotiated in 2000 when management felt he wasn't working hard enough and sent him to Ohio Valley Wrestling, with Jim Ross cutting it down to $1,000,000 a year for eight years. Eventually, Vince got irritated about paying that much for anybody in developmental and they just took him as he was in early 2001.

John Laurinaitis started talking to him about a new deal recently, which involved a major pay cut. After Kurt Angle left the company, WWE had more money available for wages and he was offered a five-year extension at the same wage, which he turned down. The company was shocked by his rejection, yet Big Show doesn't believe that he can continue due to the severe pain he is experiencing. His back is shot and he fears that he may start rapidly physically deteriorating like Andre the Giant did at around the same stage of his life.

Because they cut back his dates, he has agreed to work through February unless things get extraordinarily bad. He will then take a hiatus and hopefully recover enough to return for WrestleMania. Big Show is in a secure financial position, but he may never be able to handle a full-time schedule again. He has not confirmed anything about WrestleMania yet, but the feeling is that he will work the show due to Hogan's involvement unless he is physically incapable.

credit: wrestling-edge.com
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The past few years the WWE has lost a lot of top tier talent and has not really been able to replace them with anyone.

Thoughts?

[Crippla]

I hope he doesn't, I'm enjoying him and think he's doing a good job in ECW.

[Kane Knight]

If they remake the Princess Bride, Big Show can continue to live in Andre's shadow. :y:

[Übermensch]

I can see it now. At Cyber Sunday, John Cena becomes the "new face of extreme."

So long, ECW.

[Gerard]

Big shows improved a ton over the last year or more, i think its safe to say he IS the modern day andre in a lot of ways. If he could cut his weight down he'd have a ton more longevity in wrestling, looking at him in wcw when he started he was probably around 350-400, he got an operation to stop that disease that he had and his metabolism slowed and his weight ballooned.

Saying that though it would be better if he did go out when he was still a good performer, seeing how andre went in his final years was just sad, he pretty much had to spend a load of the match hanging onto the ropes and rely a ton on *rest holds* (*see: Orton, Randy) . :(

[KingofOldSchool]

:(

Might as well just forget about ECW.

They could turn the ECW show into a Velocity/Heat type supershow.


So basically just ECW without the ECW logo.

[Kane Knight]

I can see it now. At Cyber Sunday, John Cena becomes the "new face of extreme."

So long, ECW.

I can't say this makes it any different than the current face of ECW.

[Sickboy]

I think it's always better to quit rather than risk your health permanently. No money and fame is worth having to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of your life.

[Dave Youell]

Fair play to the guy, he's earned his money and from the sounds of it needs to quit whilst he's ahead.

He did get lost along the way after his initial debut (alot of that was to do with the way he was booked. Losing to Austin within a month, The Big Bossman shit etc)

But when he started to feud with Brock Lesner is when i really started to pay attention and give a fuck about him, considering his limitations he put on some really good matches and is a decent mic guy and because of his legt size, he'd always seem a threat no matter how many matches he's loss, which is a valuable talent to have.

Hope he's happy in whatever he does, generally I hear nice things about him, i've met him once, seemed really cool.

All the best to him

[Mercury Bullet]

He's been around quite a while for someone of his size (not that theres that many people of his size to compare him to) so its probably due time to hang it up. Just wish someone could manage to save ECW. I really don't think RVD will ever headline anything under the WWE banner ever again and I dont think that Vince thinks anyone else in ECW is title-worthy. Also, I just read somewhere that ECW house shows are geting axed after November. It'll be lucky to finish out the year...

[Mercury Bullet]

And I can now see Cena winning the ECW title at CyberSunday, brief feud with RVD, and then shut the door on the ECW chapter of wrestling history.

[Kane Knight]

ECW can't really be saved. Not when Vince thinks the reason it's in such bad shape is because it's just not WWE enough for the viewing public.

[Mercury Bullet]

ECW can't really be saved. Not when Vince thinks the reason it's in such bad shape is because it's just not WWE enough for the viewing public.

Unfortunately all too entirely true...

[ClockShot]

All the best to him. He's had some success in acting and it's true he could probably find some work rather quickly. However, I am bothered at how he may go out if he goes up against Hogan at Wrestlemania.

[Londoner]

McMahon also feels RVD cannot draw as a champion, although other WWE officials believe the crowds will be the same no matter who has the belt.

hahahahaha. Wtf? Vince really has lost his mind if he thinks that. Does he not hear the crowd chant 'RVD RVD RVD!" every match? RVD has everything they're looking for in a champion.

As for Big Show retiring, well, for some reason I don't really care.

[KayfabeMan]

Hope TBS does whatever is best for him.

It'd be nice to see TBS and Hogan going out on top of a WM card.

[KingofOldSchool]

McMahon also feels RVD cannot draw as a champion, although other WWE officials believe the crowds will be the same no matter who has the belt.

hahahahaha. Wtf? Vince really has lost his mind if he thinks that. Does he not hear the crowd chant 'RVD RVD RVD!" every match? RVD has everything they're looking for in a champion.

As for Big Show retiring, well, for some reason I don't really care.

Besides him getting arrested and causing bad PR.

[Rammsteinmad]

Meh, I've always been a fan of him, but I guess there isn't really anything left for him to do now anyway.

But PLEASE GOD PLEASE don't let him face Hogan at Wrestlemania. That match will suck more than Lita, and dear god that would be a pretty bad send off for either men (Although I guess Hogan will at least get the chance to rectify it in his next send off).

[Londoner]

Everyone makes mistakes though(in reply to kingofoldschool), he would still draw as champion.

[Rammsteinmad]

Besides him getting arrested and causing bad PR.

Austin get's arrested countless times, yet manages to come in and still always end up giving someone a Stunner.

RVD get's arrested, and suddenly the glass ceiling has been repaired.

[Tb1]

(Flair)

[Evil Vito]

<font color=goldenrod>Big Show always seemed like a cool guy. Hope he's happy in whatever he does.

But yeah, if Show's leaving and Vince won't give RVD the belt, may as well just end it. Split the ECW guys up and throw them into the RAW and SmackDown rosters and just use the ECW timeslot as Velocity</font>

[Übermensch]

Austin get's arrested countless times, yet manages to come in and still always end up giving someone a Stunner.

RVD get's arrested, and suddenly the glass ceiling has been repaired.

Didn't Austin only get arrested once?

And wasn't that after he had won his last title?

Yes, Austin still gives people stunners, but that's an entirely different thing from holding the World Title.

[Übermensch]

Austin get's arrested countless times, yet manages to come in and still always end up giving someone a Stunner.

RVD get's arrested, and suddenly the glass ceiling has been repaired.

Didn't Austin only get arrested once?

And wasn't that after he had won his last title?

Yes, Austin still gives people stunners, but that's an entirely different thing from holding the World Title.

[KingofOldSchool]

Everyone makes mistakes though(in reply to kingofoldschool), he would still draw as champion.

He won't draw as champ, but whatever.

And RVD came across as it was nothing, hardly fessing up and apologizing for getting arrested.

[FourFifty]

...Hogan vs The Show.... No, just no.

[Fox]

I find it to be really a huge waste that Paul Wight never got the big World Title run he deserved. Sure, he's been ECW champion for awhile now, but let's face it: compared to WCW and WWE, being the world champion of "the new ECW" isn't really much to brag about.

The guy is a fucking monster. He deserved a World Title reign lasting at least 9 months. If JBL can have a record breaking WWE Championship reign, why couldn't The Big Show get his due?


But really, if the guy is losing his physical capacity to wrestle, then by all means, he should get out before he's put out. He's given us some really great moments in wrestling and I hope he gets some work in Hollywood, since I've always thought Paul Wight had a well of comedic charisma that's never really been tapped before.


But god oh god, please don't have his last match be against Hogan.

[Shadow]

Hasn't Big Show been contemplating retirement for years though? And nothing's really come of it.

[Chavo Classic]

Big Show to me, is one of those guys who could have dominated the industry. If only he put as much effort into his wrestling as he does (insert generic food joke here). And that's a shame because he has a unique presence and unlike Vince's other hosses, can handle a mic being in his face.

[Kane Knight]

Besides him getting arrested and causing bad PR.

Is it bad PR?

The only real bad PR here, was discovering that the emperor had no balls, and that Bra'tek...Errrr...Sabu was immediately put back on TV, and that Van Dam was only really removed short term. This later was chained with the bad PR that there would be no more punitive effects of drug use besides lack of pay short-term. These are all bad PR deals WWE chose to do. On top of the fact that they were pushing a reputed addict to the top of one of their shows in the first place, which would also seem to indicate they didn't care until he was busted, and even then, only because they had thumped a policy they never planned to use.

[KingofOldSchool]

Is it bad PR?

The only real bad PR here, was discovering that the emperor had no balls, and that Bra'tek...Errrr...Sabu was immediately put back on TV, and that Van Dam was only really removed short term. This later was chained with the bad PR that there would be no more punitive effects of drug use besides lack of pay short-term. These are all bad PR deals WWE chose to do. On top of the fact that they were pushing a reputed addict to the top of one of their shows in the first place, which would also seem to indicate they didn't care until he was busted, and even then, only because they had thumped a policy they never planned to use.

Yeah, but the McMahon will still use that excuse regardless. That's all I'm sayin.

[Übermensch]

Is it bad PR?

The only real bad PR here, was discovering that the emperor had no balls, and that Bra'tek...Errrr...Sabu was immediately put back on TV, and that Van Dam was only really removed short term. This later was chained with the bad PR that there would be no more punitive effects of drug use besides lack of pay short-term. These are all bad PR deals WWE chose to do. On top of the fact that they were pushing a reputed addict to the top of one of their shows in the first place, which would also seem to indicate they didn't care until he was busted, and even then, only because they had thumped a policy they never planned to use.

Regardless, that's an argument agaisnt giving RVD the title now.

[YOUR Hero]

Big Show would make a ton more money in movies and the like than he ever would in wrestling. Even if he wasn't labouring in pain, he'd be wise to make that move.

[Kane Knight]

Yeah, but the McMahon will still use that excuse regardless. That's all I'm sayin.

Oh yeah, Vince won't let anything get in the way of his argument. But was RVD ever really a draw to him?

[Londoner]

Yeah RVD isn't a draw, that's why fans chant his name every single match....

Seriously, he's been improving over the last month or so, he just has the 'it' factor to me.

[St. Jimmy]

If Show and Hogan as the ME at Mania, I will rip up my tickets, eat them, take a power dump near the entrance of Ford Field, and then light the shit on fire.

[Kane Knight]

Yeah RVD isn't a draw, that's why fans chant his name every single match....

Seriously, he's been improving over the last month or so, he just has the 'it' factor to me.

RVD's always had "it."

I've been a fan even when he was phoning it in....

[Übermensch]

If Show and Hogan as the ME at Mania, I will rip up my tickets, eat them, take a power dump near the entrance of Ford Field, and then light the shit on fire.

No, you won't.

[Kane Knight]

If Show and Hogan as the ME at Mania, I will mark out like a little girl, then come back and rant about it on the internet..

What?

[St. Jimmy]

What?

:rant:

[Corkscrewed]

Show's grown on me a lot over the years. He's a great, genial guy, and he really does work hard for a big man. He's improved a lot, and he's actually been a great ECW champ. If he needs retirement, I say let him have it. The last thing anyone wants to see is a Paul Wight RIP thread.