Legendary wrestling star reveals he was ‘banned’ from joining Gladiator 26 years ago

One of wrestling’s biggest icons, literally and figuratively, has revealed how he was blocked from joining the cast of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator.

AEW star Paul Wight, best known to fans as the seven-foot-tall Big Show in WWE, has recalled a time he had landed a part in the 2000 Russell Crowe classic, only to be effectively banned from taking the role by then-boss Vince McMahon.

Speaking ahead of All Elite Wrestling’s All In London show at Wembley Stadium in August, he exclusively told Metro: ‘I think Nick Cage, years ago, got me a part in Gladiator.

‘I went to Vince and told him, “Hey, I have to be in Spain for six weeks to shoot in this movie, Gladiator”. And Vince – I just signed with WWE at the time, and no one knew that Russell Crowe was going to be an Academy Award winner, that this movie was going to be this big.

‘I just went to Vince for the movie, and he looked me straight in the face and says, “I’m paying you to be a wrestler. Do you want to be a wrestler or an actor? Make the choice.”‘

Of course, the implication was that there was no choice, especially as Paul had just signed his ‘biggest contract’ to date after leaving WCW.

‘I called Nick Cage back, saying, “Hey, man, I really appreciate everything. But I just signed here,” which was, then, the biggest contract I’d ever done in my life. “I’m going to, I’m going to stay here and do this wrestling thing”.

‘So then when Gladiator came out, I was like, “Oh, okay, wow! Missed the boat on that one!”‘

However, the former world champion insisted he doesn’t let himself dwell on missed opportunities or even his past achievements.

That extends to his home, where he only has three items commemorating his wrestling career on display in his office.

There’s a WWE Championship framed by Paul Heyman, a photo of the giant hanging out with Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and John Cena after a WrestleMania, and an AEW folding chair.

‘We can live in yesterday and kind of get stuck, and get upset or depressed or woeful,’ he explained. ‘I’m hopeful. I’m the opposite.’

Paul has dipped his toe into the acting world a few times over the years, in the likes of 1996’s Jingle All The Way, and as Captain Insano in 1998’s The Waterboy.

In 2020, he landed his own Netflix sitcom, The Big Show Show, and last year he played a Viking in the US version of Ghosts.

Now, he’s taking online acting classes to push himself and embrace the ‘challenge’ of the unknown.

‘I know wrestling. I understand what’s expected of me,’ he pointed out. ‘I enjoy and love that acting is a completely different skill set that I love, but I’m also having to learn, and I want to be better at it.’

It would be easy for Paul to bankroll his own movie role or take a part just for the money, but he’s focused on the craft.

‘A lot of the stuff that I’m studying now, I can be honest with you and tell you, there’s no way in hell anybody will ever cast me for that, unless I pay for it,’ he said candidly.

‘But part of that challenge and that drive to keep your motivation, to keep yourself hungry, is trying for things and having a dream to do more stuff like that.’

When it comes to dream roles, he’d love a project to fit a man of his size, or something he can simply pour his ‘heart and guts’ into.

‘Whether it’s making you laugh or making you cry or making you afraid, whatever the emotion is,’ he added. ‘But if you want to do something like this, then you have to put in the reps.’

He’s keen to revisit the sitcom world with another ‘live audience comedy series’ after his Netflix show was axed after one season.

‘I’d love to have another comedy like that,’ he admitted. ‘That would be dream job.’

However, he added: ‘I might be somebody in the wrestling world, but I’m nobody in the acting world, so I’m starting at the bottom, and that’s okay.’

Paul joked that it’s a good job he doesn’t have to pay his bills through acting.

‘Or I’d be starving today,’ he quipped. ‘It’s a great thing for me to pursue now and have fun with and try to get better at.’

He’s also focused on his role with AEW, which has seen him wrestle, but while he’s working on his health, it involves more work behind the scenes, and promoting events like AEW All In London this summer.

‘I definitely think that we’ve made Wembley a global home for us, which is great as a company grows,’ he smiled.

‘I definitely can see AEW in the future making more of a global impact as our brand expands. It’s going to be exciting. I’m happy to be here and be part of the ride!’

AEW All In London returns to Wembley Stadium on Sunday, August 30. Tickets are available now at livenation.co.uk.

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