AEW veteran Paul Wight (formerly known as Big Show in WWE) has revealed that he once turned down a WWE producer role because he wasn’t ready to stop wrestling.
In a recent interview with Joey Franchize, the 54-year-old looked back on why he joined AEW in 2021. While many expected him to move into a backstage role after leaving WWE, Wight said he still wanted to compete in the ring.
Paul Wight explains why he rejected WWE producer role
Talking about his move to AEW, Wight said the chance to continue competing was the deciding factor.
“When I started with AEW Tony Khan, the biggest thing was I could compete. That was the biggest hang-up for me. I wanted to still compete,” Wight said.
He also explained why he prefers helping younger wrestlers in the ring instead of working behind the scenes.
According to Wight, AEW already has experienced veterans like Bryan Danielson, Adam Copeland, and Christian Cage guiding talent backstage. He believes he can make a bigger impact by wrestling younger stars and helping them improve during matches.
“There’s a lot of great minds back there. That’s not my gig. My thing where I can help out is being in the ring with guys. You understand, when I worked and did my best work was working 5 days a week for 25 years, working with all the young talents that were coming through from Kofi and Woods and Big E and all those guys…Rusev and Cesaro, all those guys. I was on the road with them five nights a week. We were working, and I was in there with them mixing it up, and we were learning about timing and presentation, and a lot of that stuff is where I can help the younger talent,” Wight said.
He believes wrestlers learn more by working matches than by listening to advice backstage.
“When you’re on the outside in the back, like young guys listen in the back, and they’re nice, but they really listen when you’re in the ring because there’s a connection. And I think that’s where I have a lot of value to it. Plus, I have some pretty good old stories from the crazy days that pops the younger guys,” Wight added.
Wight then revealed that WWE had asked him years ago to become a backstage producer. However, he turned the offer down because he never saw himself leaving the ring.
“Being an office guy is not really my thing. I fought that tooth and nail. I remember one time WWE came to me many years before I left. They wanted me to be a producer. I said, ‘Please don’t do that to me. I’ll quit now. I don’t want to be a producer.’ I didn’t want to be on that side of the side of the coin. I’m not a general, I’m not a captain. I’m a soldier. I get in the mud. Let’s mix it up. So, that’s my deal,” Wight said.
Although injuries have slowed him down in recent years, Wight recently confirmed that he is training for another return to the ring.
Read More: AEW Veteran Paul Wight Confirms Plans for In-Ring Return
