Paul Donald White II, better known by the pseudonym Big Show, is an American actor and professional wrestler currently associated with the RAW World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) brand. A native of South Carolina, he did odd jobs when he met Danny Bonadhuis, who later introduced him to the Hulk Hogan. The Big Show got into wrestling precisely thanks to him. White's presence in the ring deeply impressed Hogan, who talked about a novice fighter to several of his colleagues, including Eric Wischoff, vice president of the world wrestling championship. In 1995, he made his debut in professional wrestling at WCW under the pseudonym The Giant. At this time, he became part of the New World Order (nWo) team, which practically controlled the content of WCW in the late 1990s. In February 1999, White left WCW for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and received a new name - Big Show. In subsequent years, the Big Show became one of the most successful and influential professional fighters in the history of sports entertainment. He was twice the WCW world heavyweight champion, twice the WWF / WWE champion, twice the world heavyweight champion.
Childhood and youth
Paul White was born February 8, 1972 in Aiken, the largest city in Aiken County, South Carolina.
Like his idol Andre Giant, White suffered from acromegaly, a disorder in which the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone. At 12 years old, he was 6.8 feet (1.88 m) tall and weighed 220 pounds (100 kg). By the time he was 19 years old and was playing for the Wichita State University basketball team, his height was already 7 feet 1 inch (2.16 m).
White in his youth was a very promising athlete. In his high school, he was a member of the basketball and American football teams.
However, he decided to stop playing football after a quarrel with the coach. In his second year, he continued to support his club as a member of the cheerleader team.
After graduating from high school, White studied for a while at North Oklahoma College in Tonkawa, where he played basketball. Then he entered Wichita State University, where he practiced the same sport.
From 1992 to 1993, he studied at the University of Southern Illinois at Edwardsville, where he joined the basketball team of Division II Cougars of the National University Sports Association (NCAA), as well as the C-beta division of the Tau Kappa epsilon fraternity.
Carier start
After White finished his studies, he was engaged in not quite standard work, such as headhunting, and also answered phone calls for a karaoke company. During this period, he and Danny Bonadhus met at an amateur competition live on the morning radio show. Through Bonadhuis, White met the Hulk Hogan.
Hogan, seeing White during an advertising basketball game, quickly realized that he had potential, and later talked about him with Eric Bischoff. The Big Show originally wanted to join WWF, but they refused him due to lack of training.
He then turned to Larry Sharp's Monster Factory and paid them $ 5, 000 for training. However, at that time, Sharpe was suffering from gout, and White finished training under the guidance of Johnny Polo.
White made his debut in the ring on December 3, 1994 in Clementon, New Jersey, against WWA heavyweight champion Frank Innegan. The first WWA match was his only promotion match. After that, in 1995, he signed a lucrative contract with WCW.
During the first months he was announced as the son of Andre Giant, but this version was quickly abandoned. He played his first match as a Giant at the 1995 Halloween Havoc against WCW Hogan, world heavyweight champion. White won the match and, as a result, the champion’s belt, which he stayed for the next few days before being stripped of his title.
After several weeks of hostility with new members, he joined the team in 1996 and stayed part of it until December. During this period, he won the Royal Battle and tried to challenge Hogan for the world heavyweight title. He was denied.
By 1999, White had given up on his career at WCW. He realized that he earned significantly less money than the main fighters. After the contract expired on February 8, 1999, on his 27th birthday, he became a free agent.
Professional growth
On February 9, 1999, White joined WWF after signing a ten-year contract, and then adopted a new name - the Big Show. He began as a member of the Vince McMahon team, which debuted in 1999.
In the following months, he was at enmity with Rock, Kane, Undertaker, and McMahon himself and briefly entered into an alliance with Undertaker. At the 1999 Survivor Series, the Big Show won the WWF Championship for the first time, defeating The Rock and Triple H.
The Big Show held the belt until January 3, 2000, when he lost to Triple H. He continued to fight with Triple H and The Rock for the next few months and was one of the WrestleMania 2000 headliners.
For a while, he was part of a team called Conspiracy. Then the boss of the Big Show, Shane McMan, disappointed in his favorite, sent him to the developing territory of WWF Ohio Valley Wrestling to lose weight and improve his shape.
He returned in 2001 to Royal Rumble and played a significant role in The Invasion storyline. At the 2002 Survivor Series, the Big Show defeated Brock Lesnar to become WWE champion for the second time. A month later, he lost the belt to Kurt Engle.
In 2003, he won the US Championship by defeating Eddie Guerrero. The Big Show was defeated by Japanese sumo legend Akebono in a match for the rules of the sport at WrestleMania 21.
As part of the new WWE brand, he won the ECW World Heavyweight Championship on July 4, 2006. However, his stay here was overshadowed by several serious injuries. He had to take leave to restore his health, and during this time his contract with WWE expired.
After participating in one match for Memphis Wrestling, he returned to WWE and reunited with Kane in 2011. At TLC 2011, he first won the world heavyweight championship. After losing it the same day to Daniel Brian, he will take him to the 2012 Hell. Since then, it has been part of most WWE storylines, including The Authority.
2012 was marked by the conflict of the Big Show against Sina. They intersected with varying degrees of success on Over the Limit (2012), Pay-Per View No Way Out (2012) and Money in the Bank PPV.
After retiring from professional wrestling in September 2017, having undergone surgery, he returned on April 4, 2018 to introduce his longtime friend Mark Henry to the WWE Hall of Fame.
During his fruitful career, the Big Show took part in several memorable matches. His fight against Undertaker in 2008 is undeniably the greatest match of his career in terms of history. In the end, he won a decisive victory over the Undertaker.
Actor career
The Big Show made his film debut in the 1996 sports drama Reggie's Prayer, in which he played a character named Mr. Portola. In the same year, he also got the opportunity to work with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad and Phil Hartman in the Christmas family comedy "Christmas Present" (Jingle All the Way).
In 1998, he starred in two films. The first was the action movie McKinsey Island, in which he starred with the Hulk Hogan. Then he played a cameo role in the sports comedy "Sissy" (The Waterboy - "water carrier"). His next film was the 2006 family film Little Hercules in 3D.
White played the role of Brick Hughes in the 2010 action movie McGruber.
In the comedy Knucklehead, White played the main character, Walter Krunk. In recent years, he played with Dean Cain in "Blood Vengeance" (2015) and in "Countdown" (2016), and also voiced the character in "The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania!"
Over the course of his career, White has participated in several television shows, including Shasta McNasty (1999), Star Trek: Enterprise (2004), and Crazy (2013).
