WWF
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World Wrestling Federation Wight signed a multi-year contract with the WWF in early 1999. He debuted as a member of Vince McMahon's heel stable, The Corporation, at the February 1999 St. Valentine's Day Massacre event. During the McMahon vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin cage match, Wight broke through the ring and attacked Austin. However, he cost McMahon the match when he threw Austin into the side of the cage and the cage broke, spilling Austin outside to the floor and granting him the victory. This meant that Austin would face The Rock at WrestleMania XV for the WWF Championship. Wight performed as "Big Nasty" Paul White for several weeks (a jab at "Big Sexy" Kevin Nash) and was eventually renamed "The Big Show" Paul Wight and acted as McMahon's bodyguard. Wight later dropped his real name, and was from then on referred to simply as "The Big Show". McMahon wanted to ensure that Corporation member The Rock would retain his title at WrestleMania, so he faced Mick Foley (Mankind) at WrestleMania for the right to referee the main event. Wight incapacitated Mankind, but disqualified himself in the process, meaning that neither man would be referee. After a furious McMahon slapped Wight, he punched McMahon and was arrested, turning face. Wight concluded his feud with Foley in a Boiler Room Brawl before joining Mankind, Test and Ken Shamrock in a stable known as "The Union" who fought against the Corporation, and later against the Corporate Ministry. Wight and Undertaker later formed an unlikely alliance against X-Pac and Kane, with Wight turning heel in the process. Wight and The Undertaker twice won the WWF Tag Team Championships. When The Undertaker was sidelined with injuries, Wight set his sights on the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, turning face once more. He participated in the Six Pack Challenge for the belt at the 1999 Unforgiven, but failed to win. After Steve Austin was run-over at the 1999 Survivor Series, Wight was given his place in the triple threat match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, where he pinned Triple H in a match that also featured The Rock to become champion. At the same time, Wight feuded with The Big Boss Man. After it was announced that Wight's father was terminally ill with cancer, the Boss Man had one of his crooked police colleagues (falsely) inform Wight that his father had died, and then mocked Wight's tearful reaction. Several weeks later, when it was announced Wight's father had actually died (in reality, Wight's father had passed away years before), the Boss Man first interrupted the ten bell toll, then later invaded the funeral and used a chain to couple the coffin to the hearse, towing the coffin away with a grief stricken Wight clinging on to it. He also visited Wight's mother and forced her to reveal that Wight's father was a different man, leading Boss Man to refer to him as a "bastard" on every possible occasion (this would later become one of Wight's nicknames, with a piece of WWF merchandise even bearing the slogan "Big Nasty Bastard"). During the 1999 Armageddon, The Boss Man faced Wight for the title, but even the presence of his protégé Prince Albert did not offset Wight's considerable size advantage, and Wight defeated him to retain the title. On the January 3, 2000, episode of RAW Triple H defeated Wight for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, using a title shot that he had won from Vince McMahon at Armageddon. Trying to regain the title, Wight participated in the 2000 Royal Rumble, and was the runner up, losing to The Rock. Wight was convinced that he had won, and eventually produced a video tape that showed The Rock's feet striking the ground first. He was then given a match with The Rock at No Way Out, with the WrestleMania title shot on the line. Wight defeated The Rock when Shane McMahon interfered, knocking The Rock out with a chair shot. The Rock was desperate to reclaim his title shot, and eventually agreed to a match with Wight on the March 13, 2000 episode of RAW - if he won, the WrestleMania title match would become a triple threat match, and if he lost, he would retire from the WWF. Shane McMahon, now actively supporting Wight's bid to become champion, appointed himself as the special guest referee. However, The Rock triumphed when Vince McMahon assaulted Shane and donned the referee shirt, personally making the three count following a Rock Bottom. On the March 20, 2000 episode of RAW, Triple H agreed to defend the title against The Rock and Wight on the condition that the match would not take place at WrestleMania. Triple H managed to pin Wight, but Linda McMahon forced him to defend the title at WrestleMania in a fatal four way elimination match, with Mick Foley as the fourth man. Wight was the first man eliminated from the match at WrestleMania 2000 after the other three competitors worked together against him. After WrestleMania, Wight began to turn face once more. He would wrestle his matches while mimicking other wrestlers, lampooning Rikishi as Showkishi, The Berzerker as Shonan The Barbarian and Val Venis as The Big Showbowski. He faced Kurt Angle at Backlash 2000, and came to the ring dressed like his friend and role model Hulk Hogan. "The Showster" defeated Angle with ease. Wight began feuding with his former manager Shane McMahon after he was shown mocking Wight as slow, stupid and highly suggestible. At Judgment Day 2000 on May 21, Shane defeated Wight in a falls count anywhere match following interference from Big Boss Man, Bull Buchanan, Test and Albert. Wight returned two months later, apparently intending to gain revenge on Shane, but instead sided with him and formed a short-lived stable known as "The Conspiracy" with Shane, Chris Benoit, Edge, Kurt Angle and Christian. After Undertaker threw Wight through a table, he disappeared for some time (he was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling to lose weight). WWF management was so unhappy with his inability to lose weight and sharpen his skills that he was removed from two of their video games: WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role for the PlayStation and WWF No Mercy for the Nintendo 64, where his character was replaced with Steven Richards. In both games, certain aspects of Big Show were still usable through the use of a GameShark: his face could be hacked in No Mercy, while his entire unfinished character (along with Ken Shamrock) was playable in SmackDown! 2. Wight returned at the 2001 Royal Rumble, but after taking out all of the competitors with chokeslams and eliminating Test and K-Kwik, he was eliminated by The Rock. Angered by his quick elimination, he proceeded to chokeslam The Rock through the announcer’s table at ring side before he left the arena, this however did not eliminate The Rock as he never went over the top rope. He then began competing for the Hardcore Championship, which he lost to Kane in a triple threat match which also included Raven at WrestleMania X-Seven. Throughout The Invasion later that year Wight remained loyal to the WWF. He faced Shane McMahon, the onscreen owner of WCW, in a last man standing match at Backlash 2001, and was defeated following interference from Test. He was also part of the victorious Team WWF at Survivor Series 2001, though he was eliminated early in the proceedings. The Bigshow WWF |
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