Career Timeline of Big Show: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Big Show made an impact.

Paul Donald Wight II, known as Big Show in WWE and Giant in WCW, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He gained prominence in WCW (1995-1999) and later achieved significant success in WWE (1999-2021) under the Big Show moniker. Currently, he is signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) using his real name.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

December 3, 1994: First wrestling match

On December 3, 1994, Paul Wight wrestled the first match of his career at a World Wrestling Association (WWA) show in Clementon, New Jersey, losing to WWA Heavyweight Champion Frank Finnegan by count-out.

1994: Wrestling Career Begins

In 1994, Paul Wight began his wrestling career.

October 1995: WCW In-Ring Debut and Championship Win

In October 1995, Paul Wight, as "The Giant", made his WCW in-ring debut at Halloween Havoc, defeating Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship after Jimmy Hart turned on Hogan, though the title change was later nullified.

1995: WCW Debut

In 1995 Big Show made his WCW Debut.

1995: Joins WCW as The Giant

In 1995, Paul Wight joined World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and was known as The Giant.

1995: Signed with WCW

In 1995, Paul Wight signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he was known as "The Giant".

1995: Headlining WCW/WWF events

Since 1995, Paul Wight has headlined multiple pay-per-view events for WCW and WWF/WWE, including WrestleMania.

January 1996: Teamed with Ric Flair

In January 1996, The Giant teamed with Ric Flair to defeat Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage at Clash of the Champions XXXII.

March 1996: Defeats Loch Ness

In March 1996, The Giant defeated Loch Ness at Uncensored.

April 22, 1996: Team Match with all Titles on the Line

On April 22, 1996, The Giant teamed with WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair to face WCW World Tag Team Champions Sting and Lex Luger in a match where all three titles were on the line; the match ended in disqualification.

April 29, 1996: Giant wins WCW World Heavyweight Championship

On April 29, 1996, The Giant defeated Ric Flair to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship for a second time.

May 1996: Defends title against Sting

In May 1996, The Giant successfully defended the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Sting at Slamboree.

June 1996: Defends title against Lex Luger

In June 1996, The Giant successfully defended the WCW World Heavyweight Championship against Lex Luger at The Great American Bash.

July 1996: Teams with Kevin Sullivan

In July 1996, The Giant teamed with Kevin Sullivan to defeat Arn Anderson and Chris Benoit at Bash at the Beach.

August 10, 1996: Giant loses WCW World Heavyweight Championship to Hulk Hogan

On August 10, 1996, at Hog Wild, The Giant lost the WCW World Heavyweight Championship to Hulk Hogan due to interference from Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.

September 1996: Joins the nWo

In September 1996, The Giant joined the New World Order (nWo), citing Ted DiBiase's money as his primary motivation.

October 1996: Defeats Jeff Jarrett

In October 1996, at Halloween Havoc, The Giant defeated Jeff Jarrett by disqualification after Ric Flair gave him a low blow.

November 1996: Wins World War 3

In November 1996, The Giant won the World War 3 match at World War 3.

December 1997: Feud with Kevin Nash and No-Show at Starrcade

In December 1997, The Giant's feud with Kevin Nash escalated, with Nash no-showing their scheduled match at Starrcade.

January 1998: Match with Kevin Nash at Souled Out

In January 1998, The Giant finally faced Kevin Nash at Souled Out, where Nash accidentally injured The Giant's neck with a botched jackknife powerbomb.

October 12, 1998: Defeated by Bill Goldberg

On October 12, 1998, Bill Goldberg defeated The Giant in a no-disqualification match on Nitro.

January 11, 1999: Final WCW Appearance and NWO Attack

On January 11, 1999, The Giant made his final appearance in WCW, being attacked by the entire nWo after losing to Kevin Nash due to interference.

January 1999: Joins original NWO to oppose Kevin Nash

In January 1999, The Giant re-joined the original NWO to oppose Nash and his allies.

February 8, 1999: WCW Contract Expires

On February 8, 1999, Paul Wight's WCW contract expired, which was his 27th birthday.

February 14, 1999: WWF Debut as Paul Wight

On February 14, 1999, Paul Wight debuted in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House as "Paul Wight", aligning himself with Vince McMahon's Corporation.

1999: Leaves WCW, Joins WWF/WWE

In 1999, Paul Wight left WCW and joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), later known as WWE.

January 3, 2000: Loses WWF Championship to Triple H

On January 3, 2000, Big Show lost the WWF Championship to Triple H on Raw is War.

January 21, 2001: Royal Rumble Match

On January 21, 2001, Big Show made a surprise return as the 23rd entrant in the Royal Rumble match, but was immediately eliminated by The Rock.

March 17, 2002: Drafted to Raw Brand

On March 17, 2002, after WrestleMania X8, Big Show was drafted to the Raw brand.

January 19, 2003: Royal Rumble Qualifying Match Loss

On January 19, 2003, at Royal Rumble, Big Show lost a Royal Rumble qualifying match to Brock Lesnar.

January 25, 2004: Royal Rumble Elimination

On January 25, 2004, at the Royal Rumble, Big Show was the last man eliminated by Chris Benoit.

January 30, 2005: WWE Championship Triple Threat Match

On January 30, 2005, at Royal Rumble, Big Show unsuccessfully challenged John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) for the WWE Championship in a triple threat match also involving Kurt Angle.

2005: Feud with Gene Snitsky

In 2005, Big Show feuded with Gene Snitsky after being drafted to Raw. They faced each other in singles and tag team matches on Raw, culminating in Big Show defeating Snitsky at Unforgiven and in a Street Fight on Raw to end their feud.

January 8, 2006: Loss of Qualifying Match

On January 8, 2006, the week prior on Raw, Big Show lost a qualifying match for a shot at the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match at New Year's Revolution to Shawn Michaels by disqualification after Triple H intentionally hit Michaels with a chair. Big Show retaliated by costing Triple H his qualifying match.

March 8, 2007: WWE Contract Expiration

On March 8, 2007, it was announced that Big Show's WWE contract had expired.

April 27, 2007: Defeat by Hulk Hogan

On April 27, 2007, Wight replaced Jerry Lawler and faced Hulk Hogan at PMG Clash of Legends, where he lost. He was introduced as Paul "The Great" Wight, stating that "Big Show" was his slave name.

February 17, 2008: Return to WWE Television

On February 17, 2008, at No Way Out, Big Show returned to WWE television, getting into a physical confrontation with boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., which ended with Mayweather breaking Big Show's nose.

February 15, 2009: WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match

On February 15, 2009, at No Way Out, Big Show competed in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship, but was eliminated by Triple H.

January 4, 2010: Loss to D-Generation X

On January 4, 2010, Jeri-Show lost to D-Generation X (DX) on Raw, ending their team.

2010: Drafted Back to SmackDown

In 2010, Big Show was drafted back to the SmackDown brand as part of the WWE draft. He turned face, attacked The Miz, and became the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.

January 7, 2011: Fatal Four-Way Match Loss

On January 7, 2011, Big Show lost a fatal four-way match on SmackDown to determine the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship due to interference by Wade Barrett.

2011: WWE Tag Team Championship Win and Loss

In 2011, Big Show reunited with Kane, defeating The Corre at WrestleMania XXVII. On April 22nd, they won the WWE Tag Team Championship, but lost them on Raw to Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga. Big Show was also drafted back to Raw.

January 6, 2012: Title match against Daniel Bryan

On January 6, 2012, Big Show faced Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Championship on SmackDown, but Bryan retained the title by disqualification after goading Mark Henry into attacking him.

January 29, 2012: Triple threat steel cage match

On January 29, 2012, at Royal Rumble, Big Show competed in a triple threat steel cage match against Daniel Bryan and Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship. Bryan escaped the cage to retain his title.

2014: Special Olympics USA Games supporter

In 2014, Big Show was an active supporter of the Special Olympics, including the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games in New Jersey.

January 25, 2015: Royal Rumble match

On January 25, 2015, at the Royal Rumble, Big Show entered the Royal Rumble match at number 29, eliminating five wrestlers before being eliminated by the eventual winner, Roman Reigns.

2015: WWE Goodwill Ambassador for Special Olympics

In 2015, Big Show was named WWE Goodwill Ambassador for the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Los Angeles, California.

January 28, 2016: Big Show turns face

On January 28, 2016, Big Show turned face on SmackDown by helping Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Chris Jericho fend off The Wyatt Family.

2016: Drafted to Raw

In 2016, Big Show was drafted to Raw as part of the WWE draft.

January 29, 2017: Royal Rumble appearance

On January 29, 2017, Big Show entered the Royal Rumble at number 9, but was eliminated by Braun Strowman.

2018: Global Ambassador for Special Olympics International

Since 2018, Big Show has served as a global ambassador for Special Olympics International.

2018: Estimated number of face and heel turns

Through 2018, it was estimated that Big Show had made approximately 34 turns between face and heel since his WCW debut in 1995.

January 6, 2020: Big Show returns on Raw

On January 6, 2020, Big Show returned from injury as a face on Raw, teaming with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe to defeat Seth Rollins and AOP via disqualification.

January 4, 2021: Final WWE appearance

On January 4, 2021, Big Show made his final WWE appearance on the Legends Night edition of Raw.

February 24, 2021: Signs with All Elite Wrestling (AEW)

On February 24, 2021, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced that Big Show, under his real name Paul Wight, had signed with the company and would be providing commentary for AEW Dark: Elevation.

2021: Leaves WWE

In 2021, Paul Wight's tenure with the World Wrestling Federation/WWE came to an end.

November 1, 2023: Return to AEW Dynamite

On November 1, 2023, Wight returned to television on Dynamite, where he was announced as part of Jericho and Kenny Omega's tag team to face The Don Callis Family in a four-on-four Street Fight, knocking out Kyle Fletcher.

November 23, 2024: Commentary at Full Gear

On November 23, 2024, Wight returned at Full Gear, joining the commentary team for the match between Q. T. Marshall and "Big Boom" A.J..

November 22, 2025: Intervention in tag team match at Full Gear

On November 22, 2025, Wight returned at Full Gear to join commentator for the tag team match of "Big Boom" A.J. and Q. T. Marshall versus the RPG Vice, he later intervened during the match and knocked out Trent Beretta, allowing "Big Boom" A.J. and Q. T. Marshall to pick up the win.