WWE is all about entertainment; however, the superstars put their bodies on the line every time they enter the ring as they aim to perform stunts for the fans.
Throughout the history of the organisation there have been some horrible injuries, with several superstars being forced to retire or take a long time out to recover.
Witnessing or causing these horrible injuries can have a seismic impact on the athletes due to how close the roster can be outside of the ring.
An incident that has lived long in the memory of the Big Show, Paul Wright, is when he fought against Rey Mysterio in WWE Backlash in the year 2003.
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No harm came to the Mexican fighter; however, an incident has stayed with Wright ever since, and he still doesn’t like watching it back with it giving him nightmares.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Wight talked about the famous stretcher spot that didn’t go as planned.
The Big Show would dominate the fight before Rey Mysterio would be forced to leave on the stretcher; however, Wight came up with the idea to make the moment more dramatic.
Wright’s new plan was that he would swing the stretcher into the ring post to create a wild visual, but this did not go to plan.
He said: “I hate that spot. That gives me nightmares. That went so bad. Oh, that went terribly because it was my idea, because Rey was tied in it, and then I thought I’d rib him in the afternoon, where I was, ‘Oh, I’ll just pick him up, scare him.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I can... This isn’t that tough.’ I said, ‘So what about swinging the pole?’ And he was, ‘Oh my God, that’ll look crazy.’ But the whole thing was, I was gonna swing him on the pole, swing him on the pole again, and I was gonna shove him back in the ring.
“So, when I swung Rey into that pole, that thing popped right out of my hands, like it squeezed, like a hard-boiled egg or something. It just popped right out, then I saw Rey go, and I went, ‘Oh, I just killed Rey. Oh, Jesus!’ So I’m freaking out on the inside, but we’re still doing our thing. He’s moving. ‘Oh god, they’re putting him in the ambulance. Oh my god.”
While in front of the fans, the Big Show had to remain in character, but as soon as he got backstage, he wished to check on his fellow performer and drove straight to the hospital to check on the well-being of Rey Mysterio. As he made his way to the emergency room, he even contemplated leaving WWE behind him.
Wright said: “I ran back to the locker room, grabbed my clothes, threw them in the car, and drove to the hospital in my rental car, because I’m thinking, ‘Man, if Rey’s seriously f*cked up, I’m done. I’m quitting. I’m done.’ Because I really cared about taking care of the other guys.”
Topics: WWE, Rey Mysterio
Brendan McGilligan