WWE Was The World’s Largest Athlete Until A Recent Change Left Him Unrecognizable

Since the 1990s, Big Show has more than lived up to his stage name. Yes, standing at over seven feet tall and weighing in at over 400 pounds for much of his career, the WWE star has often towered over – and outbulked – most of his opponents. Now, though, the sports legend looks very different from the man who made his Wrestlemania debut all the way back in 1999. And when you see how Big Show has completely transformed himself, your jaw may just drop.

One Big Show

Big Show entered the world in February 1972 as Paul Donald Wight II. And as a child, he had acromegaly – a disorder that is typically a result of the pituitary gland making too much growth hormone. Owing to the condition, then, Wight was much larger in stature as a youngster than other kids his age.

Accelerated Growth

Indeed, Wight measured more than six feet and weighed 220 pounds at the tender age of 12. Seven years later, moreover, he was recorded as being over seven feet tall in his profile for the Wichita State University basketball team. In the early 1990s, though, Wight had a surgical procedure on his pituitary gland, and the effects of his acromegaly slowed down as a consequence.

A True Giant

Nevertheless, Wight was still gigantic at this point; he not only boasted a 22 5E shoe size and a ring size of 22, but also a chest that measured an incredible 64 inches. Thanks to that imposing physique, then, he was perfectly poised to become a famous wrestler.

Not So Glamorous

Yet Wight’s journey to the ring wasn’t exactly straightforward. And prior to becoming a star, he’d actually been employed in a number of jobs – including bounty hunting and bouncing. It would be a gig answering phones that would unexpectedly give him his big break, however.