Paul Wight recounts a humorous story about his long-running interactions with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
During a recent appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, the former Big Show recalled that the two first bonded while filming Jingle All the Way, where they spoke about cigars and André the Giant. At the time, he believed they had formed a genuine connection.
However, that perception changed during a later encounter when Schwarzenegger reintroduced himself as if they had never met.
“A couple of years go by, doing something, Arnold’s there. I come up. ‘Hey, Arnold.’ He looks at me, ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger, nice to meet you.’ Oh sh*t. He doesn’t remember me. Wow, that sucks, but hey, I get it. He’s Arnold. Who am I at the time? Then some time goes by.”
Paul Wight on initial run-ins with Arnold Schwarzenegger
Wight initially brushed it off, assuming Schwarzenegger simply didn’t remember him due to his busy lifestyle. But as the same interaction repeated itself multiple times, it began to frustrate him.
“Meanwhile, I’m getting a little bit more famous, a little bit more recognizable. I’m starting to understand that people don’t forget me. Run into him again. ‘Hey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, nice to meet you.’ I’m like wow, he really doesn’t remember meeting me. Okay, well, it’s Arnold, you know, busy dude. Lot going on.
Paul Wight recalled bumping into Schwarzenegger again during a backstage meeting at WWE RAW, where Joe Manganiello was also present. Schwarzenegger once again introduced himself the same way, making the situation even more awkward.
“So Arnold’s in a conversation. Arnold turns around, looks right at me, goes, ‘Arnold Schwarzenegger, nice to meet you.’ I’m like, Oh, damn. Really? Now this is four times you’ve met me. I get if you don’t remember my name, but now you don’t remember me. Okay, didn’t sell. Even Joe’s looking at me like, oh, that’s kind of rough. Even Joe goes, ‘Weren’t you in Jingle All the Way?’ I’m like, Yeah. All right, man, I gotta get to work. I’m pissed.”
Paul Wight on Arnold Schwarzenegger acknowledging him publicly
Determined to finally be remembered, Wight said he mentally prepared himself for a confrontation the next time they crossed paths. That opportunity came at the Arnold Classic, where he was scheduled to appear.
“So then I get a call from WWE that I have to go to the Arnold Classic. He’s getting an award. WWE had done something, and he’s getting an award, so they want me to get it. So I’m there with Mark Henry, and Mark Henry knows this whole story, and Mark Henry’s trying to calm me down, because I’m like, No, you know what? If he pulls that ‘Nice to meet you’ sh*t, I’m gonna go off. I said there’s respect, and there’s like, Nah man, you’re gonna remember me this time. You might not ever like me, but you’re gonna remember me. This is bullsht. And Mark’s like, calm down, dude. It’s not that big a deal. I’m like, nah, dude, he’s gonna remember me. No, this is bullsh*t.”
However, the moment unfolded very differently, as Schwarzenegger publicly praised Wight and acknowledged their history in front of the audience, making him realize it had all been an elaborate prank.
“So while I’m waiting off to the side to go out to get this award that he’s presenting. He starts telling stories, ‘My good friend Paul, we were in Jingle All the Way together, and so big and such a tremendous athlete…’ He goes into his whole spiel where he puts you over, and I go out there to get there, where he looks at me and winks. He ribbed me for 12 years! Because that’s how brilliant Arnold is. What’s the one thing that I know I bring to the table? Not the most handsome, not the most athletic, not the strongest, none of that. But you’re going to remember meeting me. I know that I have that gift. You don’t forget meeting me. That’s my ticket to the dance. Sure he knew that would be my card, and he took that from me for 12 years!”
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