Paul Wight has opened up about his complicated relationship with Vince McMahon and revealed the subtle moment that convinced him his days as an active WWE performer were coming to an end.

During an appearance on TMZ’s Inside The Ring podcast, the former Big Show looked back on his lengthy WWE career and acknowledged that while McMahon could be difficult at times, he remains grateful for the opportunities and experiences he had with the company.

Wight also explained that despite being one of WWE's most recognizable stars, he never felt completely secure in his position. He believed his place on the roster depended on continuing to prove his value.

“Some of the sh*t he did was pretty mean. At the same time, do I have anything to complain about? No. I had a great career. I did a lot of things. I worked with some of the greatest people, the greatest talents that have ever been in this business.

But I never for once laid back on my ass and thought that I had it made. No, there was a lot of anxiety and a lot of stress daily, making sure I knew I was only going to be there as long as I was valuable, as long as I produced. And when I stopped producing, I wasn’t going to be there anymore because that’s the role that he saw me in.”

Interestingly, Wight said the moment he realised WWE was beginning to view him differently came during the COVID era. After years of McMahon referring to him exclusively as "Show" or "Big Show," he suddenly heard his real first name being used.

“And I’ll tell you when I knew I was done with WWE: Vince called me ‘Paul’ one day during the COVID era.

In all the years that I knew Vince McMahon, he never called me Paul. He always called me Show or Big Show. He never called me Paul.

And we were doing something. I think it was maybe during the Randy Orton angle or something like that. They said, ‘Well, Paul can do an interview here.’ And in my brain, I died a little bit in my soul because I knew my opportunities to compete in the ring were pretty much done because Vince didn’t see me as a talent anymore. Vince was going to start moving me into, like, ambassador roles and all these things that, at the time, I didn’t want to be a part of.”

Rather than moving into an ambassador-style position, Wight decided he still wanted the opportunity to compete. That ultimately played a part in his decision to leave WWE and join AEW in 2021.

Wight admitted that injuries have made the years since his WWE departure extremely challenging, including undergoing knee and hip replacements. However, he credited Tony Khan with continuing to see value in what he can offer AEW, particularly when it comes to helping younger wrestlers.

“So that was a lot of my decision of knowing and being around him long enough. And there was nothing mean or malicious about it. You know, I could have rolled into that nice role at the time. I wasn’t ready to give up competing.

And that’s where I went to Tony Khan. And yeah, sure, I’ve had knee replacements, hip replacements, and I’ve been through hell the past six years. I would have fired me three years ago, if you want to be honest about it. But Tony Khan still sees value in me and sees value that I can give to younger talent.”