Paul Wight, better known to pro-wrestling fans as WWE star ‘Big Show,’ was involved in a bone-breaking bar room altercation in the summer of 1998 that was caught on CCTV.
At the time, Wight was working for the WCW promotion as part of the ‘New World Order’ wrestling stable, and was simply known as ‘The Giant’.
It was an apt ring name as Wight stood no less than 7ft tall and weighed 420lbs due to suffering from a rare condition known as ‘Acromegaly,’ which causes the pituitary gland to produce too much growth hormone.
Given his enormous size you would think that no one would purposefully attempt to start trouble with the wrestler in real life, but that’s exactly what a foolish fan named Robert Sawyer did on the night in question.
After having competed in a wrestling show earlier that evening at the Nasseau Coliseum in New York, Wight headed across to the nearby Marriott Hotels and Resort to check in and then made his way to the bar.
Around 100 wrestling fans were enjoying a drink in the bar along with Wight when the 30 year-old, 6ft 6, 220lb Sawyer tapped him on the shoulder and began antagonizing the star.
According to a witness, Sawyer was trying to goad ‘The Giant’ into fighting him, saying things like, you’re not that big and go to another federation.
When Sawyer then made an obscene gesture in Wight’s direction, he approached him and, in his own words, I asked him, very politely, to stop doing all the cursing and stuff. Stop doing what he was doing.
Sawyer didn’t take his advice however, and instead pushed the wrestler in the chest, at which point Wight reacted by unleashing a hard right hook that floored the troublemaker and left him with a broken jaw.
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Despite having caused the incident, Sawyer filed a complaint and Wight found himself facing an assault charge, but in March of 1999 the wrestler was successfully able to argue that he was acting in self defense after being abused, threatened and shoved, leading to the judge rendering a ‘not guilty’ verdict.
A month prior to the court case, Wight signed for the WWE, where he remains to this day as one of the promotions biggest and best-paid stars.
