All Elite Wresting giant Paul Wight is focused on ‘quality of life’ as he continues to balance his recovery from knee replacement surgery with preparing for an in-ring comeback.
The AEW veteran – best known to fans as the seven foot tall Big Show – and he’s slowly working himself back into shape after having to adjust his approach to fitness.
He exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ”Right now, I’m at about 414, 413 [lbs]. I wanna try to get back down to about 385, so I’ve still got work to do.’
The 51-year-old wrestling legend – who has dropped a few pounds after chatting to us on his birthday earlier this year – has been ‘pretty solid’ and ‘pretty bulletproof’ for most of his career, and he admitted that’s made things ‘tough’.
‘It’s been a struggle to get that trust and confidence back in that appendage,’ he chuckled, noting he still keeps his spirits up by playing Dungeons & Dragons with his friends.
There’s also the added benefit that Wight – whose last match to date was a two-minute win over Austin Green o in March 2022 – now has the opportunity to ‘slow down’ and focus on himself, rather than just thinking about his career.
He said: ‘I make the joke that I played at a lot of music and the bill came due. I’ve had to do a lot of stuff – I’ve had a chance to slow down in my career, I’ve had a chance to do a lot of maintenance for my own personal health and quality of life and get some things fixed and addressed.
‘We’re still moving forward so it’s great, it’s nice to have new working parts and starting to get the ball rolling again to get back to have some fun!’
When it comes to the fitness drive itself, Wight has been forced to rethink his approach on a number of occasions, whether that’s down to making sure it works physically, or simply finding something he’s happy and motivated with.
‘It’s very intricate! It’s been a tough year for a lot of different things, but we’ve reassessed. I’ve tried some things – absolutely hated it. Rebooted, tired some other things, wasn’t for me – rebooted again,’ he laughed.
‘That’s the thing, you gotta find – your body changes, your environment changes, you have to find that way to adapt and find something that keeps your sanity.
‘I think the two boxes of Krispy Kreme a day, I thought was gonna work! For some reason it didn’t, really surprised by that – I’m kidding! I didn’t do that!’
When it comes down to it, Wight noted it’s simply a case of ‘burning more calories than you take in’, which sounds simple but he’s been trying to get this done during very sociable summer months.
‘The first syllable in the word diets is DIE,’ He quipped. ‘You just have to make lifestyle changes, and you have to burn more calories than you take in. I’ve had a summer with a lot of friends and families around, a lot of things rolling – then there’s this celebration, then this dinner.’
For the former world champion, he has learned that the best way to stay focused is to ‘isolate’ and push himself, and he’s confident he’ll be back in the ring before we know it.
‘You have to stay in something, you have to isolate yourself. I do! I almost have to go to a boot camp and just isolate myself,’ he said, ‘But that’s part of it – I’ve done it before, I’ll do it again!’
AEW Dynamite and AEW Collision air Wednesday and Saturdays at 1am on Fite TV.
