Paul Wight on retirement: ‘I’m not ready to hang up the boots yet’
Paul Wight says he’s still got one run left in him.
It’s been over two years since Wight wrestled a match for AEW. During a recent appearance on Not Sam Live, he told host Sam Roberts that he recently had back surgery but is not ready to hang up the boots just yet.
Big Show was quoted as saying (transcriptions via Wrestlepurists):
“It’s just a week-by-week thing. I had a small back surgery done a couple months ago… I’ve had like a major surgery every frickin’ year for about the past five, whether it’s a knee surgery or a hip surgery… I’m working with the best people I can work with in South Florida. I got a lot of great people on the team. I’ve got great support medically. Tony Khan’s been extremely supportive. So, we’re just plugging away.”
“I don’t plan on going anywhere. I like being in AEW, so it’s just getting my sh*t together and getting ready, and also bringing a good product out. The last thing I’m gonna do is go out in the ring and have people go, ‘Aw, poor Paul. They should just kill him like Old Yeller’ or something. We’re not gonna have that. If I’m not out there humping and bumping and getting after it and slapping people’s souls out of their chests and carry that presence, then it’s time to hang up the boots. So I’m not ready to hang up the boots yet.”
Wight has said that he would like to have a run as his Captain Insano character in AEW. He filed to trademark the term with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in January. His last appearance with AEW took place at the Full Gear Tailgate Brawl, where he got involved in the match between Roppongi Vice and QT Marshall & Big Boom AJ while on commentary. Wight’s last match for AEW was a street fight on the November 15, 2023 Dynamite, where he teamed with Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, and Kota Ibushi in a win over The Don Callis Family.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.