title: Michael Imperioli

text: Michael Imperioli (born March 26, 1966) is an American actor, writer, and musician. He is best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama "The Sopranos" (1999–2007), which earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2004. He gained recognition in the early part of his career for his role as Spider in Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" (1990). He has had supporting roles in films such as "Jungle Fever" (1991), "Bad Boys" (1995), "The Basketball Diaries" (1995), "Shark Tale" (2004) and "The Lovely Bones" (2009), as well as in the HBO drama series "The White Lotus" (2022-present).


title: Michael Imperioli

text: Imperioli is a successful screenwriter, co-writing the screenplay for "Summer of Sam" (1999) with Spike Lee, writing five episodes of "The Sopranos", and writing as well as directing the feature film "The Hungry Ghosts" (2008).


title: Michael Imperioli

text: Imperioli was born in Mount Vernon, New York. He is the son of Dan Imperioli, a bus driver and amateur actor, and Claire Imperioli, a department store worker and amateur actress. He is of Italian descent. At age 11, Imperioli and his family moved to Brewster, New York, and in high school started watching Broadway plays. After graduating from Brewster High School in 1983,


title: Michael Imperioli

text: Imperioli planned on studying pre-med at the State University of New York at Albany. Shortly before he was to start college, he instead enrolled at Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute to study acting.


title: Michael Imperioli

text: Imperioli has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and five Emmy Awards for his work as Christopher Moltisanti on "The Sopranos". He won one Emmy for the fifth season of "The Sopranos" in 2004.


title: Michael Imperioli

text: In addition to his role on "The Sopranos", Imperioli has appeared in a number of films, including "Goodfellas", "Jungle Fever", "Bad Boys", "Malcolm X", "The Basketball Diaries", "Clockers", "Dead Presidents", "Girl 6", "My Baby's Daddy", "Lean on Me", "I Shot Andy Warhol", "Last Man Standing", "Shark Tale", "", and "Summer of Sam", which he also co-wrote and co-produced. He also wrote five episodes for "The Sopranos".


title: Michael Imperioli

text: Imperioli served as artistic director of Studio Dante, an Off-Broadway theater he formed with his wife. He is an active member of The Jazz Foundation of America and co-hosted their May 2009 annual benefit concert, "A Great Night in Harlem", at the Apollo Theater, which celebrated the foundation's 20th anniversary. He was a guest on the "San Giuseppe" episode of Mario Batali's Food Network television show "Molto Mario". In 2010, Imperioli signed on to play the lead in the ABC television show "Detroit 1-8-7". Working with the writer Gabriele Tinti, he wrote the text "Pride" for Tinti's book "New York Shots", and participated in a reading of "The Way of the Cross" at the Queens Museum of Art in 2011.


title: Michael Imperioli

text: Imperioli won the Tournament of Stars competition on the cooking show "Chopped" in 2014, sending $50,000 to his designated charity the Pureland Project, an organization which builds and maintains schools in rural Tibet. In 2016, he guest starred as the angel Uriel on the Fox show "Lucifer".


title: Michael Imperioli

text: On March 13, 2019, Imperioli was cast in the lead role of Rick Sellitto in the NBC drama series "". Imperioli co-hosts a podcast with Steve Schirripa titled "Talking Sopranos", which began on April 6, 2020. The two provide inside info as they follow "The Sopranos" series episode by episode. By September 2020, the podcast had reached over five million downloads.


title: Michael Imperioli

text: On September 17, 2020, Imperioli and Schirripa signed a deal with HarperCollins book imprint William Morrow and Company to write an oral history of the show; the book titled "Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos" was released on November 2, 2021. In July 2020, he hosted a show on NTS Radio called "632 ELYSIAN FIELDS", which was inspired by "A Streetcar Named Desire". In September 2020, Imperioli provided narration for "The Whistleblower", a podcast about the 2007 NBA betting scandal.


title: Michael Imperioli

text: Imperioli is the guitarist and vocalist for the band Zopa. In 2020, Zopa released their debut album entitled "La Dolce Vita".


title: Michael Imperioli

text: In January 2022, Imperioli was cast in a lead role in the second season of the dark comedy series "The White Lotus" at HBO.


title: Michael Imperioli

text: Imperioli married Victoria Chlebowski in 1996. They have homes in the Upper West Side of Manhattan and in Santa Barbara, California, and have three children. He and his family are avid practitioners of Tae Kwon Do. In 2008, Imperioli became a Buddhist.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a federal district (the city of Washington in the District of Columbia, where most of the federal government is based), five major self-governing territories and several island possessions. The federal government, sometimes simply referred to as Washington, is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, whose powers are vested by the U.S. Constitution in the Congress, the president and the federal courts, respectively. The powers and duties of these branches are further defined by acts of Congress, including the creation of executive departments and courts inferior to the Supreme Court.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The full name of the republic is "United States of America". No other name appears in the Constitution, and this is the name that appears on money, in treaties, and in legal cases to which it is a party (e.g. "Charles T. Schenck v. United States"). The terms "Government of the United States of America" or "United States Government" are often used in official documents to represent the federal government as distinct from the states collectively. In casual conversation or writing, the term "Federal Government" is often used, and the term "National Government" is sometimes used. The terms "Federal" and "National" in government agency or program names generally indicate affiliation with the federal government (e.g. Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service). Because the seat of government is in Washington, D.C., "Washington" is commonly used as a metonym for the federal government.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The United States government is based on the principles of federalism and republicanism, in which power is shared between the national government and state governments. The interpretation and execution of these principles, including what powers the federal government should have and how those powers can be exercised, have been debated ever since the adoption of the Constitution. Some make a case for expansive federal powers while others argue for a more limited role for the central government in relation to individuals, the states, or other recognized entities.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: Since the American Civil War, the powers of the federal government have generally expanded greatly, although there have been periods since that time of legislative branch dominance (e.g., the decades immediately following the Civil War) or when states' rights proponents have succeeded in limiting federal power through legislative action, executive prerogative or by a constitutional interpretation by the courts.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: One of the theoretical pillars of the U.S. Constitution is the idea of "checks and balances" among the powers and responsibilities of the three branches of American government: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary. For example, while the legislative branch (Congress) has the power to create law, the executive branch under the president can veto any legislation—an act which, in turn, can be overridden by Congress. The president nominates judges to the nation's highest judiciary authority, the Supreme Court, but those nominees must be approved by Congress. The Supreme Court, in turn, can invalidate unconstitutional laws passed by the Congress. These and other examples are examined in more detail in the text below.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The United States Congress, under Article I of the Constitution, is the legislative branch of the federal government. It is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The House currently consists of 435 voting members, each of whom represents a congressional district. The number of representatives each state has in the House is based on each state's population as determined in the most recent United States Census. All 435 representatives serve a two-year term. Each state receives a minimum of one representative in the House. In order to be elected as a representative, an individual must be at least 25 years of age, must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and must live in the state that they represent. There is no limit on the number of terms a representative may serve. In addition to the 435 voting members, there are 6 non-voting members, consisting of 5 delegates and one resident commissioner. There is one delegate each from the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the resident commissioner from Puerto Rico.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: In contrast, the Senate is made up of two senators from each state, regardless of population. There are currently 100 senators (2 from each of the 50 states), who each serve six-year terms. Approximately one-third of the Senate stands for election every two years.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The House and Senate each have particular exclusive powers. For example, the Senate must approve (give "advice and consent" to) many important presidential appointments, including cabinet officers, federal judges (including nominees to the Supreme Court), department secretaries (heads of federal executive branch departments), U.S. military and naval officers, and ambassadors to foreign countries. All legislative bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives. The approval of both chambers is required to pass all legislation, which then may only become law by being signed by the president (or, if the president vetoes the bill, both houses of Congress then re-pass the bill, but by a two-thirds majority of each chamber, in which case the bill becomes law without the president's signature). The powers of Congress are limited to those enumerated in the Constitution; all other powers are reserved to the states and the people. The Constitution also includes the "Necessary and Proper Clause", which grants Congress the power to "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers". Members of the House and Senate are elected by first-past-the-post voting in every state except Louisiana and Georgia, which have runoffs, and Maine and Alaska, which use ranked-choice voting.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: Congress has the power to remove the president, federal judges, and other federal officers from office. The House of Representatives and Senate have separate roles in this process. The House must first vote to "impeach" the official. Then, a trial is held in the Senate to decide whether the official should be removed from office. , three presidents have been impeached by the House of Representatives: Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump (twice). None of the three were removed from office following trial in the Senate.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: Article I, Section 2, paragraph 2 of the U.S. Constitution gives each chamber the power to "determine the rules of its proceedings". From this provision were created congressional committees, which do the work of drafting legislation and conducting congressional investigations into national matters. The 108th Congress (2003–2005) had 19 standing committees in the House and 17 in the Senate, plus 4 joint permanent committees with members from both houses overseeing the Library of Congress, printing, taxation, and the economy. In addition, each house may name special, or select, committees to study specific problems. Today, much of the congressional workload is borne by the subcommittees, of which there are around 150.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The Constitution grants numerous powers to Congress. Enumerated in Article I, Section 8, these include the powers to levy and collect taxes; to coin money and regulate its value; provide for punishment for counterfeiting; establish post offices and roads, issue patents, create federal courts inferior to the Supreme Court, combat piracies and felonies, declare war, raise and support armies, provide and maintain a navy, make rules for the regulation of land and naval forces, provide for, arm and discipline the militia, exercise exclusive legislation in the District of Columbia, regulate interstate commerce, and to make laws necessary to properly execute powers. Over the two centuries since the United States was formed, many disputes have arisen over the limits on the powers of the federal government. These disputes have often been the subject of lawsuits that have ultimately been decided by the United States Supreme Court.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: Congressional oversight is intended to prevent waste and fraud, protect civil liberties and individual rights, ensure executive compliance with the law, gather information for making laws and educating the public, and evaluate executive performance.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The executive branch is established in Article Two of the United States Constitution, which vests executive power in a president of the United States. The president is both the head of state (performing ceremonial functions) and the head of government (the chief executive). The Constitution directs the president to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" and requires the president to swear or affirm to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." Legal scholars William P. Marshall and Saikrishna B. Prakash write of the Clause: "the President may neither breach federal law nor order their subordinates to do so, for defiance cannot be considered faithful execution. The Constitution also incorporates the English bars on dispensing or suspending the law, with some supposing that the Clause itself prohibits both." Many presidential actions are undertaken via executive orders, presidential proclamations, and presidential memoranda.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Under the Reception Clause, the president is empowered to "receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers"; the president has broad authority to conduct foreign relations, is generally considered to have the sole power of diplomatic recognition, and is the United States' chief diplomat, although the Congress also has an important role in legislating on foreign affairs, and can, for example, "institute a trade embargo, declare war upon a foreign government that the President had recognized, or decline to appropriate funds for an embassy in that country." The president may also negotiate and sign treaties, but ratifying treaties requires the consent of two-thirds of the Senate.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: Article II's Appointments Clause provides that the president "shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States" while providing that "Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments." These appointments delegate "by legal authority a portion of the sovereign powers of the federal government."


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The Constitution grants the president the "Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment"; this clemency power includes the power to issue absolute or conditional pardons, and to issue commute sentences, to remit fines, and to issue general amnesties. The presidential clemency power extends only to federal crimes, and not to state crimes.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The president has informal powers beyond their formal powers. For example, the president has major agenda-setting powers to influence lawmaking and policymaking, and typically has a major role as the leader of their political party.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The president and vice president are normally elected as running mates by the Electoral College; each state has a number of electoral votes equal to the size of its Congressional delegation ("i.e.", its number of Representatives in the House plus its two senators). (The District of Columbia has a number of electoral votes "equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State"). A President may also be seated by succession. As originally drafted, there was no limit to the time a President could serve, however the Twenty-second Amendment, ratified in 1951, originally limits any president to serving two four-year terms (8 years); the amendment specifically "caps the service of a president at 10 years" by providing that "if a person succeeds to the office of president without election and serves less than two years, he may run for two full terms; otherwise, a person succeeding to office of president can serve no more than a single elected term."


title: Federal government of the United States

text: Under the Presentment Clause of Article I, a bill that passes both chambers of Congress shall be presented to the president, who may sign the bill into law or veto the bill by returning it to the chamber where it originated. If the president neither signs nor vetoes a bill "within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him" it becomes a law without the president's signature, "unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return in which Case it shall not be a Law" (called a pocket veto). A presidential veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress vote to override the veto; this occurs relatively infrequently.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The president may be impeached by a majority in the House and removed from office by a two-thirds majority in the Senate for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors".


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The president may not dissolve Congress, but has the power to adjourn Congress whenever the House and Senate cannot agree when to adjourn; no president has ever used this power. The president also has the constitutional power to, "on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them"; this power has been used " to consider nominations, war, and emergency legislation." This Section invests the President with the discretion to convene Congress on "extraordinary occasions"; this special session power that has been used to call the chambers to consider urgent matters.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The vice president is the second-highest official in rank of the federal government. The vice president's duties and powers are established in the legislative branch of the federal government under Article 1, Section 3, Clauses 4 and 5 as the president of the Senate; this means that they are the designated presiding officer of the Senate. In that capacity, the vice president has the authority ("ex officio", for they are not an elected member of the Senate) to cast a tie-breaking vote. Pursuant to the Twelfth Amendment, the vice president presides over the joint session of Congress when it convenes to count the vote of the Electoral College. As first in the U.S. presidential line of succession, the vice president's duties and powers move to the executive branch when becoming president upon the death, resignation, or removal of the president, which has happened nine times in U.S. history. Lastly, in the case of a Twenty-fifth Amendment succession event, the vice president would become acting president, assuming all of the powers and duties of president, except being designated as president. Accordingly, by circumstances, the Constitution designates the vice president as routinely in the legislative branch, or succeeding to the executive branch as president, or possibly being in both as acting president pursuant to the Twenty-fifth Amendment. Because of circumstances, the overlapping nature of the duties and powers attributed to the office, the title of the office and other matters, such has generated a spirited scholarly dispute regarding attaching an exclusive branch designation to the office of vice president.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The daily enforcement and administration of federal laws is in the hands of the various federal executive departments, created by Congress to deal with specific areas of national and international affairs. The heads of the 15 departments, chosen by the president and approved with the "advice and consent" of the U.S. Senate, form a council of advisers generally known as the president's "Cabinet". Once confirmed, these "cabinet officers" serve at the pleasure of the president. In addition to departments, a number of staff organizations are grouped into the Executive Office of the President. These include the White House staff, the National Security Council, the Office of Management and Budget, the Council of Economic Advisers, the Council on Environmental Quality, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The employees in these United States government agencies are called federal civil servants.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: There are also independent agencies such as the United States Postal Service (USPS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). In addition, there are government-owned corporations such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The Judiciary, under Article III of the Constitution, explains and applies the laws. This branch does this by hearing and eventually making decisions on various legal cases.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: Article III section I of the Constitution establishes the Supreme Court of the United States and authorizes the United States Congress to establish inferior courts as their need shall arise. Section I also establishes a lifetime tenure for all federal judges and states that their compensation may not be diminished during their time in office. Article II section II establishes that all federal judges are to be appointed by the president and confirmed by the United States Senate.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The Judiciary Act of 1789 subdivided the nation jurisdictionally into judicial districts and created federal courts for each district. The three tiered structure of this act established the basic structure of the national judiciary: the Supreme Court, 13 courts of appeals, 94 district courts, and two courts of special jurisdiction. Congress retains the power to re-organize or even abolish federal courts lower than the Supreme Court.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The U.S. Supreme Court decides "cases and controversies"—matters pertaining to the federal government, disputes between states, and interpretation of the United States Constitution, and, in general, can declare legislation or executive action made at any level of the government as unconstitutional, nullifying the law and creating precedent for future law and decisions. The United States Constitution does not specifically mention the power of judicial review (the power to declare a law unconstitutional). The power of judicial review was asserted by Chief Justice Marshall in the landmark Supreme Court Case "Marbury v. Madison" (1803). There have been instances in the past where such declarations have been ignored by the other two branches. Below the U.S. Supreme Court are the United States Courts of Appeals, and below them in turn are the United States District Courts, which are the general trial courts for federal law, and for certain controversies between litigants who are not deemed citizens of the same state ("diversity jurisdiction").


title: Federal government of the United States

text: There are three levels of federal courts with "general jurisdiction", meaning that these courts handle criminal cases and civil lawsuits between individuals. Other courts, such as the bankruptcy courts and the Tax Court, are specialized courts handling only certain kinds of cases ("subject matter jurisdiction"). The Bankruptcy Courts are "under" the supervision of the district courts, and, as such, are not considered part of the "Article III" judiciary. Also as such, their judges do not have lifetime tenure, nor are they Constitutionally exempt from diminution of their remuneration. The Tax Court is not an Article III court (but is, instead an "Article I Court").


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The district courts are the trial courts wherein cases that are considered under the Judicial Code (Title 28, United States Code) consistent with the jurisdictional precepts of "federal question jurisdiction" and "diversity jurisdiction" and "pendent jurisdiction" can be filed and decided. The district courts can also hear cases under "removal jurisdiction", wherein a case brought in State court meets the requirements for diversity jurisdiction, and one party litigant chooses to "remove" the case from state court to federal court.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The United States Courts of Appeals are appellate courts that hear appeals of cases decided by the district courts, and some direct appeals from administrative agencies, and some interlocutory appeals. The U.S. Supreme Court hears appeals from the decisions of the courts of appeals or state supreme courts, and in addition has original jurisdiction over a few cases.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The judicial power extends to cases arising under the Constitution, an Act of Congress; a U.S. treaty; cases affecting ambassadors, ministers and consuls of foreign countries in the U.S.; cases and controversies to which the federal government is a party; controversies between states (or their citizens) and foreign nations (or their citizens or subjects); and bankruptcy cases (collectively "federal-question jurisdiction"). The Eleventh Amendment removed from federal jurisdiction cases in which citizens of one state were the plaintiffs and the government of another state was the defendant. It did not disturb federal jurisdiction in cases in which a state government is a plaintiff and a citizen of another state the defendant.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The power of the federal courts extends both to civil actions for damages and other redress, and to criminal cases arising under federal law. The interplay of the Supremacy Clause and Article III has resulted in a complex set of relationships between state and federal courts. Federal courts can sometimes hear cases arising under state law pursuant to diversity jurisdiction, state courts can decide certain matters involving federal law, and a handful of federal claims are primarily reserved by federal statute to the state courts (for example, those arising from the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991). Both court systems thus can be said to have exclusive jurisdiction in some areas and concurrent jurisdiction in others.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The U.S. Constitution safeguards judicial independence by providing that federal judges shall hold office "during good behavior"; in practice, this usually means they serve until they die, retire, or resign. A judge who commits an offense while in office may be impeached in the same way as the president or other officials of the federal government. U.S. judges are appointed by the president, subject to confirmation by the Senate. Another Constitutional provision prohibits Congress from reducing the pay of any Article III judge (Congress is able to set a lower salary for all future judges that take office after the reduction, but may not decrease the rate of pay for judges already in office).


title: Federal government of the United States

text: Separate from, but not entirely independent of, this federal court system are the court systems of each state, each dealing with, in addition to federal law when not deemed preempted, a state's own laws, and having its own court rules and procedures. Although state governments and the federal government are legally "dual sovereigns", the Supreme Court of the United States is in many cases the appellate court from the State Supreme Courts (e.g., absent the Court countenancing the applicability of the "doctrine of adequate and independent State grounds"). The Supreme Courts of each state are by this doctrine the final authority on the interpretation of the applicable state's laws and Constitution. Many state constitution provisions are equal in breadth to those of the U.S. Constitution, but are considered "parallel" (thus, where, for example, the right to privacy pursuant to a state constitution is broader than the federal right to privacy, and the asserted ground is explicitly held to be "independent", the question can be finally decided in a State Supreme Court—the U.S. Supreme Court will decline to take jurisdiction).


title: Federal government of the United States

text: A State Supreme Court, other than of its own accord, is bound "only" by the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of federal law, but is "not" bound by interpretation of federal law by the federal court of appeals for the federal circuit in which the state is included, or even the federal district courts located in the state, a result of the "dual sovereigns" concept. Conversely, a federal district court hearing a matter involving only a question of state law (usually through diversity jurisdiction) must apply the substantive law of the state in which the court sits, a result of the application of the "Erie Doctrine"; however, at the same time, the case is heard under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and the Federal Rules of Evidence instead of state procedural rules (that is, the application of the "Erie Doctrine" only extends to a requirement that a federal court asserting diversity jurisdiction apply "substantive" state law, but not "procedural" state law, which may be different). Together, the laws of the federal and state governments form U.S. law.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The budget document often begins with the president's proposal to Congress recommending funding levels for the next fiscal year, beginning October 1 and ending on September 30 of the year following. The fiscal year refers to the year in which it ends.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: For fiscal year (FY) 2018, the federal government spent $4.11 trillion. Spending equalled 20.3% of gross domestic product (GDP), equal to the 50-year average. The deficit equalled $779 billion, 3.8 percent of GDP. Tax revenue amounted to $3.33 trillion, with receipt categories including individual income taxes ($1,684B or 51%), Social Security/Social Insurance taxes ($1,171B or 35%), and corporate taxes ($205B or 6%).


title: Federal government of the United States

text: Suffrage, known as the ability to vote, has changed significantly over time. In the early years of the United States, voting was considered a matter for state governments, and was commonly restricted to white men who owned land. Direct elections were mostly held only for the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislatures, although what specific bodies were elected by the electorate varied from state to state. Under this original system, both senators representing each state in the U.S. Senate were chosen by a majority vote of the state legislature. Since the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, members of both houses of Congress have been directly elected. Today, U.S. citizens have almost universal suffrage under equal protection of the laws from the age of 18, regardless of race, gender, or wealth. The only significant exception to this is the disenfranchisement of convicted felons, and in some states former felons as well.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: Under the U.S. Constitution, the representation of U.S. territories and the federal district of District of Columbia in Congress is limited: while residents of the District of Columbia are subject to federal laws and federal taxes, their only congressional representative is a non-voting delegate; however, they have participated in presidential elections since March 29, 1961.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: Residents of Puerto Rico other than federal employees do not pay federal personal income taxes on income that has its source in Puerto Rico, and do not pay most federal excise taxes (for example, the federal gasoline tax); however, Puerto Ricans pay all other federal taxes, including the federal payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare; the FUTA tax; and business, gift, and estate taxes. Puerto Rico is represented in the Congress by a nonvoting Resident Commissioner, a nonvoting delegate.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: State governments have the greatest influence over most Americans' daily lives. The Tenth Amendment prohibits the federal government from exercising any power not delegated to it by the Constitution; as a result, states handle the majority of issues most relevant to individuals within their jurisdiction. Because state governments are not authorized to print currency, they generally have to raise revenue through either taxes or bonds. As a result, state governments tend to impose severe budget cuts or raise taxes any time the economy is faltering.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: Each state has its own written constitution, government and code of laws. The Constitution stipulates only that each state must have, "a Republican Government". Therefore, there are often great differences in law and procedure between individual states, concerning issues such as property, crime, health and education, amongst others. The highest elected official of each state is the Governor, with below him being the Lieutenant Governor. Each state also has an elected state legislature (bicameralism is a feature of every state except Nebraska), whose members represent the voters of the state. Each state maintains its own state court system. In some states, supreme and lower court justices are elected by the people; in others, they are appointed, as they are in the federal system.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: As a result of the Supreme Court case "Worcester v. Georgia", American Indian tribes are considered "domestic dependent nations" that operate as sovereign governments subject to federal authority but, in some cases, outside of the jurisdiction of state governments. Hundreds of laws, executive orders and court cases have modified the governmental status of tribes vis-à-vis individual states, but the two have continued to be recognized as separate bodies. Tribal governments vary in robustness, from a simple council used to manage all aspects of tribal affairs, to large and complex bureaucracies with several branches of government. Tribes are currently encouraged to form their own governments, with power resting in elected tribal councils, elected tribal chairpersons, or religiously appointed leaders (as is the case with pueblos). Tribal citizenship and voting rights are typically restricted to individuals of native descent, but tribes are free to set whatever citizenship requirements they wish.


title: Federal government of the United States

text: The institutions that are responsible for local government within states are typically counties, municipalities, and special-purpose districts, which make laws that affect their particular area. These laws concern issues such as traffic, the sale of alcohol and the keeping of animals. A county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state, while Louisiana and Alaska have county-equivalent subdivisions called parishes and boroughs, respectively. The specific governmental powers of counties vary widely between the states, with those in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and some parts of Alaska and Massachusetts having little or no power, existing only as geographic distinctions. In other areas, county governments have more power, such as to collect taxes and maintain law enforcement agencies. Twenty states further divide their counties into civil townships. Population centers may be organized into incorporated municipalities of several types, including the city, town, borough, and village. These municipal entities also vary from state to state, and typically subordinate to the government of a county or civil township. However, many rural and suburban regions are in unincorporated areas that have no municipal government below the county or civil township level. Certain cities have consolidated with their county government to form consolidated city-counties, or have been legally separated from counties altogether to form independent cities. States may also create special-purpose districts that perform a single function or a set of related functions within an area inside one or more counties or municipalities, like school districts, water management districts, fire management districts, and library districts.


title: Big Show

text: Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, "," under his real name of Paul Wight. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1995 to 1999 as The Giant and with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) from 1999 to 2021 under the ring name (The) Big Show.


title: Big Show

text: Wight played college basketball at Wichita State University before transferring to other schools. Wight began his wrestling career in 1994. In 1995 he signed with WCW, where, due to his very large frame, he was known by the ring name The Giant (and was initially introduced as "the son of André the Giant"). In early 1999, he left WCW to join the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Between WWF/WWE and WCW, he is a seven-time world champion, having held the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice, the WWF/WWE Championship twice, WWE's World Heavyweight Championship twice and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship once, making him the only wrestler who has won all four titles. He is also an 11-time world tag team champion, holding the WWF/World, WWE and WCW World Tag Team Championships multiple times with various partners. Having also won the Intercontinental, United States and Hardcore championships, he is the 24th Triple Crown and 12th Grand Slam winner in WWE history. He also won the 60-man battle royal at World War 3 and the 30-man André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31. He has headlined multiple pay-per-view events for WCW and WWF/WWE since 1995, including the 2000 edition of WWE's premier annual event, WrestleMania.


title: Big Show

text: Outside of professional wrestling, Wight has appeared in feature films and television series such as "Jingle All the Way", "The Waterboy", "", and two USA Network's comedy-dramas "Royal Pains", "Psych" and the action-drama "Burn Notice". He had lead roles in the WWE Studios comedy film "Knucklehead" and the Netflix sitcom "The Big Show Show".


title: Big Show

text: Wight was born February 8, 1972 in Aiken, South Carolina. He was born with acromegaly, a disease of the endocrine system that causes accelerated growth. By the age of twelve, he was tall, weighed , and had chest hair. In 1991, as a member of the Wichita State University basketball team at age 19, he was listed at . He underwent successful surgery in the early 1990s on his pituitary gland, which halted the growth. His shoe size is 22 5E, his ring size is 22, and his chest is in circumference. In 2005, he leased a bus and hired a bus driver because of the practical problems his size presents to air travel and car rental.


title: Big Show

text: He played basketball and American football in high school at Wyman King Academy in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina. He was a standout center for the basketball team and a tight end for the football team. He quit football after his freshman year because of disputes with the coach. He continued to support the team by joining the cheerleading squad as a sophomore, partly from spite. He later called it "the greatest experience of my life... Everybody else was riding a bus with sweaty equipment, and I'm in a van with seven cheerleaders who are all learning about life". The van was driven by "a mom who was deaf in her right ear and chain-smoked".


title: Big Show

text: He played basketball at Wichita State University. Before that, he attended Northern Oklahoma Junior College in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, where his basketball averages of 14 points and 6.5 rebounds earned him all-conference honors and helped the team win the Western Division of the Oklahoma Bi-State Conference. He also attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 1992 to 1993, was a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Cougars basketball team, and is a member of the Xi Beta chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. During his one year at SIUE, he scored 39 points for the Cougars in limited action.


title: Big Show

text: After school, Wight worked various jobs including bouncing, bounty hunting, and answering phone calls. Through doing the latter for a karaoke company, he met Danny Bonaduce in a live microphone amateur contest on his morning radio show. Bonaduce introduced Wight to his friend, Hulk Hogan. They had an informal basketball game, as part of a World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promotion for an upcoming show at the Rosemont Horizon. Hogan liked how Wight worked the crowd and recommended him to World Championship Wrestling's vice president, Eric Bischoff. Wight went to the Horizon show, and was invited into the locker room, where he met Ric Flair, Arn Anderson (his boyhood hero) and Paul Orndorff. He later met Bischoff there and came to a deal. Wight had previously wrestled one match: on December 3, 1994, at a World Wrestling Association show in Clementon, New Jersey, he lost by countout to WWA Heavyweight Champion Frank Finnegan.


title: Big Show

text: Wight had earlier attempted to inquire about joining the WWF, also at the Horizon, during an autograph session. Promoter and scout Bob Collins turned him away after he admitted he had no experience. He paid Larry Sharpe's Monster Factory $5,000, but due to Sharpe's gout at the time, he was only very minimally trained (Johnny Polo taught him the collar-and-elbow lockup). While there, he made an audition tape and gave it to Mike Chioda, whom he had met in a Philadelphia bar. Chioda forwarded it to Pat Patterson, who did not bother watching it because he assumed Wight was another wrestler, Kurrgan. Only when he saw The Giant debut in WCW did Patterson realize his mistake, much to Vince McMahon's displeasure.


title: Big Show

text: In 1995, Wight signed with WCW. He debuted in May 1995 at Slamboree, where he was billed as the son of André the Giant (although this was later dropped) and accordingly used the ring name "The Giant" as a member of Kevin Sullivan's Dungeon of Doom stable. Wight made his professional in-ring debut at Halloween Havoc against Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. He won the match after Hogan's manager, Jimmy Hart, purposely got Hogan disqualified and then turned on him. The next night The Giant showed up on "WCW Monday Nitro" wearing the championship belt; Hart, who became The Giant's manager, revealed that he had put a stipulation in the contract for the match that if Hogan lost via disqualification, he would lose his championship. WCW responded by nullifying the title change due to the circumstances surrounding it and the championship was vacated.


title: Big Show

text: The Giant then entered the sixty-man battle royal contested for the vacant championship at World War 3 in November 1995. He was one of the final six combatants, being eliminated simultaneously with Sting and Lex Luger by Hogan. The Giant did not leave the ring upon being eliminated and pulled Hogan underneath the ropes while Randy Savage was eliminating the One Man Gang from the match. The referee did not see The Giant's actions, only that Hogan was on the floor, and thus awarded the match and the title to Savage. The Giant teamed with Ric Flair to defeat Hogan and Savage at Clash of the Champions XXXII, but was defeated by Hogan in a cage match at SuperBrawl VI. After a short feud with Loch Ness, The Giant regained the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Flair. After Hogan formed the New World Order (nWo), he defeated The Giant for the title at Hog Wild following interference from Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.


title: Big Show

text: The Giant joined the nWo 23 days later, citing Ted DiBiase's money as his primary motivation, feuding with Lex Luger and the Four Horsemen. After winning the battle royal at World War 3, Giant asked Hogan for a World Heavyweight Championship title match. For this, he was thrown out of the nWo on December 30. He fought against the nWo along with Sting and Luger, winning the WCW World Tag Team Championship twice.


title: Big Show

text: In 1997, The Giant began a feud with nWo member Nash, who constantly dodged the Giant, including no-showing their scheduled match at Starrcade. In 1998, at Souled Out, the two finally met in the ring, with Nash accidentally injuring The Giant's neck when he botched his signature jackknife powerbomb finisher. The botch was worked into a storyline, according to which Nash had intentionally dropped the Giant on his head in order to break his neck. When Nash left the nWo and formed his own stable, the nWo Wolfpac, The Giant rejoined the original nWo to oppose Nash and his allies. While back with the nWo, The Giant won two more Tag Team Championships, once with Sting as an unwilling partner (as the match was signed before The Giant returned to the nWo) and once with Scott Hall. In the interim between those two reigns, he lost his half of the titles to Sting in a singles match where only the winner would remain champion and could choose a new partner.


title: Big Show

text: On the October 12, 1998 episode of "Nitro", Bill Goldberg defeated The Giant in a no-disqualification match. In a show of strength, Goldberg executed a delayed vertical suplex before executing the Jackhammer on The Giant. After the nWo Hollywood and nWo Wolfpac stables merged again in January 1999, Hogan declared that there was only room for one "giant" in the group, forcing Giant and Nash to wrestle for that spot. Nash defeated Giant following a run-in by Scott Hall and Eric Bischoff. The Giant was then attacked by the entire nWo. On the "Building An Army" episode of the "Monday Night War" feature from the WWE Network, Wight stated that he was making a fraction of what the main eventers were making and his salary was not increased after he requested it be by Eric Bischoff; as a result, Wight allowed his WCW contract to expire on February 8, 1999, his 27th birthday.


title: Big Show

text: Wight signed a ten-year contract with the World Wrestling Federation on February 9, 1999, debuting under the name of Paul Wight as a member of Vince McMahon's stable, The Corporation, at . During McMahon's cage match against Stone Cold Steve Austin, Wight tore through the canvas from underneath the ring and attacked Austin, establishing himself as a heel. After he threw Austin into the side of the cage, the cage broke, causing Austin to fall outside to the floor, resulting in Austin winning the match. Wight subsequently served as McMahon's enforcer.


title: Big Show

text: Renamed as The Big Show, he made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania XV, facing Mankind for the right to referee the main event between Austin and The Corporation's WWF Champion The Rock. However, Big Show incapacitated Mankind and was disqualified in the process, losing the match. After the match, McMahon slapped him, so he punched McMahon, turning face and leaving The Corporation. After being defeated by Mankind in a Boiler Room Brawl, they formed a stable with Test, and Ken Shamrock known as The Union, who fought against the Corporation and later The Corporate Ministry. On the June 7 episode of "Raw", Big Show faced The Undertaker for the WWF Championship, which ended by referee stoppage and Undertaker retained his title. Big Show later turned heel once again by teaming with Undertaker, wrestling against X-Pac and Kane at SummerSlam, and they won the WWF Tag Team Championship twice.


title: Big Show

text: After The Undertaker was sidelined with injuries, Big Show turned face once again and began a feud with the Big Boss Man around the death of Big Show's father (in reality, Wight's father had died years before). During his feud, they taped a segment where Big Boss Man invaded the funeral and used a chain to steal the coffin. Big Show then took on Big Boss Man, Prince Albert, Mideon and Viscera at Survivor Series in a 4-on-1 elimination match. His feud was poorly received, winning the "Wrestling Observer Newsletter's" "Worst Feud Award" and he won the match after Big Boss Man was counted out. Later that night, Big Show participated in a Triple Threat match against The Rock and the WWF Champion, Triple H, winning the title. At that point, WWF looked for something new and fresh, so they gave the title to Big Show. Despite Big Show retaining the title at Armageddon against Big Boss Man, he lost the title against Triple H on the January 3, 2000 episode of "Raw". Trying to regain the title, Big Show participated in the Royal Rumble match where he was last eliminated by The Rock. They started a storyline where Big Show turned heel once again by producing a videotape that showed The Rock's feet striking the ground first, leading to a match with The Rock at No Way Out, with the WrestleMania title shot on the line. At No Way Out, Big Show defeated The Rock when Shane McMahon interfered, knocking out The Rock with a chair shot. The Rock was desperate to reclaim his title shot and eventually agreed to a match with Big Show on the March 13 episode of "Raw" – if he won, the WrestleMania title match would become a Triple Threat match, and if he lost, he would retire from the WWF. Shane McMahon, now actively supporting Big Show's bid to become champion, appointed himself as the special guest referee. However, The Rock defeated Big Show when Vince McMahon assaulted Shane and donned the referee shirt, personally making the three count. On the March 20 episode of "Raw", Triple H defended the title against The Rock and Big Show on the condition that the match would not take place at WrestleMania 2000, pinning Big Show. Linda McMahon stated this match would not occur at WrestleMania as Triple H would defend the title there in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination match, with Mick Foley as the fourth man. Big Show was the first man eliminated from the match at WrestleMania after the other three competitors worked together against him.


title: Big Show

text: After WrestleMania, Big Show turned face again and took on a comical gimmick where he began mimicking other wrestlers, lampooning Rikishi as Showkishi, The Berzerker as Shonan the Barbarian, and Val Venis as The Big Showbowski. He defeated Kurt Angle at Backlash dressed like Hulk Hogan as the Showster, complete with skullcap/wig and yellow tights. Show began feuding with Shane McMahon after Shane voiced his disapproval of Big Show's antics. At Judgment Day, Shane defeated Big Show in a Falls Count Anywhere match following interference from Big Boss Man, Bull Buchanan, Test, and Albert. Big Show returned two months later, apparently intending to gain revenge on Shane. Instead, he turned heel again and attacked The Undertaker and sided with Shane once more, forming a short-lived stable known as "The Conspiracy" with Shane, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, and Edge and Christian. After The Undertaker threw Big Show off a stage through a table on the August 7, 2000, episode of "Raw", he was removed from WWF television for the remainder of the year. Big Show was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling, a WWF developmental territory, to lose weight and improve his cardiovascular fitness.


title: Big Show

text: Big Show returned at the Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by The Rock. Angered by his quick elimination, Big Show proceeded to chokeslam The Rock through the broadcast table before leaving the arena. He then began competing for the WWF Hardcore Championship and at No Way Out, Big Show defeated Raven to win the championship. He would lose the title to Raven on the March 19 episode of "Raw". Big Show lost to Kane in a Triple Threat match for the Hardcore Championship that also included Raven at WrestleMania X-Seven. Throughout The Invasion, Big Show remained loyal to the WWF. He faced Shane McMahon, the on-screen owner of WCW, in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash and was defeated following interference from Test. He turned face again soon after. Big Show was also part of the victorious Team WWF at Survivor Series, though he was the first man eliminated.


title: Big Show

text: Shortly after WrestleMania X8, Big Show was drafted to the Raw brand. On the April 22 episode of "Raw", Big Show turned heel again when he chokeslammed Stone Cold Steve Austin during a tag team match against X-Pac and Scott Hall, joining the nWo in the process. At Judgment Day, Big Show and Ric Flair were defeated by Austin in a Handicap match. The stable disbanded after Kevin Nash was injured. After the nWo disbanded, Big Show achieved little success on "Raw", losing matches against Jeff Hardy, Booker T, and the Dudley Boyz.


title: Big Show

text: In October, Big Show was traded to the SmackDown! brand, immediately challenging Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. During this time, Big Show adopted a new attire, donning black jeans and taking on a new hairstyle and facial hair. Big Show won the WWE Championship by defeating Lesnar at Survivor Series, ending Lesnar's undefeated streak with help from Paul Heyman. He lost the title to Kurt Angle a month later at Armageddon. Then SmackDown! general manager Stephanie McMahon announced that Big Show would wrestle Chris Benoit on the December 26 episode of "SmackDown!" in a match to determine who would face Angle at the Royal Rumble. He lost to Benoit after Benoit pinned him. After the match, Benoit was brutally attacked by Big Show and Angle. At the Royal Rumble, Big Show lost a Royal Rumble qualifying match to Brock Lesnar. He then began feuding with The Undertaker, after Big Show threw him off the stage, injuring his neck, leading to Big Show and his partner A-Train losing to The Undertaker at WrestleMania XIX. He renewed his feud with Lesnar, wrestling him four times for the WWE Championship (including a Stretcher match at Judgment Day), but was unsuccessful in his attempt to regain the title. On the June 12 episode of "SmackDown!", Lesnar superplexed Big Show off the ropes and the ring imploded, two ring posts moved and three rows of ropes came down. The referee called for the event physician Dr. Burke, EMTs, medics, trainers, and even more referees. This kept the title in Lesnar's hands and both went to the hospital. On the June 26 episode of "SmackDown!", Big Show, Shelton Benjamin, and Charlie Haas defeated Mr. America (a disguised Hulk Hogan), Lesnar, and Angle in a six-man tag team match when Big Show pinned Mr. America. This was Hogan's last appearance as Mr. America. For several months afterwards, WWE hyped up Big Show as the man who retired Hogan.


title: Big Show

text: At No Mercy, Big Show defeated Eddie Guerrero for the WWE United States Championship. He then allied with then-WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. He was eliminated by Chris Benoit at the Royal Rumble. Big Show abandoned a departing Lesnar immediately before WrestleMania XX. At WrestleMania XX, Big Show lost the United States Championship to John Cena. On the April 15, 2004 episode of "SmackDown!", Big Show promised to quit if he failed to defeat Eddie Guerrero that night. He lost to Guerrero after Guerrero performed a Frog Splash, and, believing that Torrie Wilson had laughed at him for losing, upended her car and threatened to throw her off a ledge. Then General Manager of SmackDown! Kurt Angle ascended the ledge to try to talk some reason into Big Show, but he chokeslammed Angle off the ledge, kayfabe concussing him and breaking his leg, as well as causing the back of Angle's head to bleed. After the show, Big Show was neither seen nor heard from on WWE television for months as he had knee surgery on April 24.


title: Big Show

text: In August, Big Show was reinstated by new General Manager Theodore Long, as he interfered during a Lumberjack match between Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle on the September 9 episode of "SmackDown!". Big Show had a choice to face either Guerrero or Angle at No Mercy, choosing to fight Angle, turning face in the process. Big Show defeated Angle at No Mercy. In the weeks before the match, he claimed to have "lost his dignity" when Angle tranquilized him in the middle of the ring using a dart gun and shaved his head on the fifth anniversary episode of "SmackDown!". At No Way Out, he faced John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) for the WWE Championship in the first-ever Barbed Wire Steel Cage match. He chokeslammed JBL through the ring and broke the lock on the door but JBL crawled from under the canvas and won. Big Show attacked JBL but The Cabinet attacked Big Show until Batista attacked The Cabinet and John Cena attacked JBL as he crawled away.


title: Big Show

text: At WrestleMania 21, Big Show faced Sumo Grand Champion Akebono in a worked sumo match; the match was added to the show to attract a strong pay-per-view audience in Japan, where Akebono is considered a sporting legend. In the weeks preceding the match, Big Show pushed over a jeep driven to the ring by Luther Reigns to show that he was capable of moving the marginally heavier Akebono. Big Show lost to Akebono at WrestleMania 21. Big Show subsequently feuded with Carlito and his bodyguard, Matt Morgan, losing a match to Carlito at Judgment Day after Morgan interfered.


title: Big Show

text: On the June 27 episode of "Raw", Big Show was drafted to the Raw brand in the 2005 WWE draft lottery; preventing him from participating in a scheduled Six-Man Elimination match for the "SmackDown!" Championship. He successfully pinned Gene Snitsky in a tag team match, which turned into a singles match when both men's partners brawled backstage. After squashing his scheduled opponents for several weeks, Wight returned to his rivalry with Snitsky. On the August 22 episode of "Raw", he foiled Snitsky's harassment of backstage interviewer Maria. The following week, Snitsky hit Big Show with the ring bell immediately after Big Show had won a match. As a result, Big Show and Snitsky were placed in a match at Unforgiven, in which Big Show defeated Snitsky. On the September 26 episode of "Raw", Big Show defeated Snitsky again in a Street Fight.


title: Big Show

text: On the October 17 episode of "Raw", Big Show defeated Edge and was thus entered in an online opinion poll, with the winner of the poll facing John Cena and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship at Taboo Tuesday. The poll was won by Shawn Michaels, meaning that the other two wrestlers competed for the World Tag Team Championship. At Taboo Tuesday, Big Show teamed with Kane to defeat Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch for the World Tag Team Championship.


title: Big Show

text: In the weeks preceding Survivor Series, Big Show became involved in the rivalry between the Raw and SmackDown! brands. Big Show and Kane invaded the November 11 episode of "SmackDown!" and, along with Edge, attacked Batista (inadvertently injuring him in the process). On the November 14 episode of "Raw", Big Show and Kane defeated SmackDown! wrestlers and reigning WWE Tag Team Champions MNM in an inter-brand, non-title match. On the November 21 episode of "Raw", Big Show and Kane "injured" Batista by delivering a double chokeslam onto the windshield of a car. At Survivor Series, Big Show, Kane, Carlito, Chris Masters, and team captain Shawn Michaels represented Raw in a match with Team SmackDown! (JBL, Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton, and Batista). Big Show was eliminated by Mysterio and Team SmackDown! won the match, with Orton being the sole survivor. On the November 29 "SmackDown! Special", Big Show wrestled Rey Mysterio in an inter-brand promotional match, however, Kane interfered, resulting in the match being declared a no-contest. Following the match, Big Show and Kane attacked Mysterio until The Undertaker chased them from the ring. Big Show and Kane returned to "SmackDown!" on December 2, defeating Mysterio and JBL after JBL abandoned the match, claiming the referee had poked him in the eye. Following the match, Big Show and Kane's attempt to assault Mysterio was once again foiled, this time when Batista ran in to see them off. As a result, on the December 16 episode of "SmackDown!", Big Show and Kane were booked to face Batista and Mysterio, the WWE Tag Team Champions, at Armageddon. Big Show and Kane defeated Batista and Mysterio at Armageddon.


title: Big Show

text: On the December 12 episode of "Raw", Big Show took part in a qualifying match for a shot at the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match at New Year's Revolution. Big Show lost to his opponent, Shawn Michaels, by disqualification after Triple H hit Michaels with a chair, intentionally costing Big Show the match and the title shot. In retaliation, Big Show cost Triple H his qualifying match with Kane later that evening. On the December 26 episode of "Raw", during the contract-signing for the match between Big Show and Triple H at New Year's Revolution, Triple H struck Big Show in the hand that Big Show favored when using the chokeslam with his sledgehammer. The following week, Big Show attacked Triple H while wearing a cast on his hand, using the padding provided by the cast to punch a hole in a chair held by Triple H, destroying a monitor from the broadcast table that Triple H intended to throw at him, and chasing Triple H away from the ring. At New Year's Revolution, Triple H defeated Big Show after striking him in the head with his sledgehammer and a "Pedigree".


title: Big Show

text: Subsequently, Big Show was one of eight participants in the 2006 Road to WrestleMania Tournament, the winner of which would receive a shot at the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 22. On the February 16 episode of "Raw", Big Show faced Triple H in the tournament semi-finals in a match that ended in a double count-out. As a result, Big Show and Triple H faced Rob Van Dam (the winner of the opposing semi-finals) in a Triple Threat match to determine the winner of the tournament on the February 20 episode of "Raw". The match was won by Triple H after he pinned Van Dam.


title: Big Show

text: In the weeks following the tournament, Big Show and Kane feuded with Chris Masters and Carlito, leading to a World Tag Team Championship match being scheduled for WrestleMania 22. At WrestleMania, Big Show and Kane defeated Carlito and Masters, marking Big Show's first victory at WrestleMania. On the following night on "Raw", Big Show and Kane lost the World Tag Team Championship to Spirit Squad members Kenny and Mikey following copious interference from the other members of the Spirit Squad. They faced Spirit Squad members Johnny and Nicky in a rematch one week later, but lost via disqualification after Kane "snapped" and left the ring to attack the other members of the Spirit Squad. The ensuing feud between Kane and Big Show culminated in a match at Backlash that ended in a ruling of no-contest.


title: Big Show

text: At WWE vs. ECW Head-to-Head on June 7, Big Show joined the newly debuted ECW brand as he removed his Raw shirt to reveal an ECW shirt during a twenty-man battle royal including members of the Raw and SmackDown! rosters against members of the ECW roster. Big Show won the match for ECW by eliminating Randy Orton. Big Show then appeared at ECW One Night Stand, attacking Tajiri, Super Crazy and The Full Blooded Italians after their tag team match.


title: Big Show

text: On the July 4 episode of "ECW", Big Show defeated Rob Van Dam to win the ECW World Heavyweight Championship in Philadelphia with the assistance of ECW's Representative Paul Heyman, who declined to make the three-count for Van Dam after Van Dam performed the Five Star Frog Splash on Big Show. Heyman then instructed Big Show to chokeslam Van Dam onto a chair, before making the three-count, meaning Big Show won the title. The fans almost rioted when Big Show won the title, throwing drinks and empty cups into the ring as Heyman and Big Show celebrated, turning heel in the process. The victory made him the first ever professional wrestler to hold the WWE Championship, WCW World Heavyweight Championship and ECW World Heavyweight Championship. He is also the first non-ECW Original to hold the title. Over the next several weeks, Big Show defeated many other wrestlers from other brands, such as Ric Flair and Kane to retain the now renamed ECW World Championship, but lost to Batista and The Undertaker by disqualification. Big Show lost to The Undertaker at The Great American Bash in the first ever Punjabi Prison match, replacing The Great Khali, who was removed by SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long and replaced with Big Show as punishment for an attack on The Undertaker shortly before the match. He also had a brief feud with Sabu, whom he defeated at SummerSlam to retain the ECW World Championship. Also at SummerSlam, Big Show was one of the "resources" used by Vince and Shane McMahon in their match against D-Generation X (D-X). He became further involved in the McMahons' feud with D-X when he teamed with Vince and Shane against Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a 3-on-2 handicap Hell in a Cell match at Unforgiven, which was won by D-X. During the match, D-X shoved Vince's head up Big Show's buttocks in a mockery of Vince's Kiss My Ass Club.


title: Big Show

text: At Cyber Sunday, Big Show faced John Cena and King Booker in a Champion of Champions match. The fans voted for King Booker's World Heavyweight Championship to be on the line. However, Big Show failed to win the match, which was won by King Booker after pinning Cena following interference from Kevin Federline, who was just beginning a feud with Cena himself at the time. At Survivor Series, Big Show competed in the traditional 10-man Survivor Series tag team match which he lost after being pinned by Cena, the final survivor of the match along with Bobby Lashley. Big Show then began a feud with Lashley, who left "SmackDown!" to join the ECW brand to participate in the Extreme Elimination Chamber match at December to Dismember for the ECW World Championship. At December to Dismember, after busting Big Show open by breaking one of the plexiglass pods with his face, Lashley defeated Big Show to win the ECW World Championship. Following an unsuccessful rematch on the December 5 episode of "ECW", Big Show took time off from the ring to heal injuries he had sustained on ECW. After two months of inactivity, Wight's contract expired on February 8, 2007.


title: Big Show

text: After a two-month departure from WWE, Wight replaced Jerry Lawler when the WWE withdrew him from a match with former nWo partner Hulk Hogan at the PMG Clash of Legends on April 27, 2007. Wight was introduced as Paul "The Great" Wight. He stated that "Big Show" was his slave name and that he did not want to be owned anymore. Hogan won the match after he bodyslammed Wight and pinned him following the leg drop.


title: Big Show

text: On February 17, 2008 at No Way Out, Big Show made his return to WWE television, attempted to attack Rey Mysterio after his World Heavyweight Championship match with Edge but got into a physical confrontation with boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. after Mayweather came from the crowd to challenge Big Show. The confrontation ended with Mayweather breaking Big Show's nose with a punching combination. Big Show lost to Mayweather at WrestleMania XXIV by knockout after a shot to the jaw with brass knuckles. He turned face soon after.


title: Big Show

text: At One Night Stand, Big Show defeated CM Punk, John Morrison, Chavo Guerrero Jr., and Tommy Dreamer in a Singapore Cane match. During the bout, he received a black eye and deep gash along the eyebrow, which required stitches after Morrison swung a Singapore cane to his knee, which caused Big Show to fall with the steps. As he fell, the steps accidentally moved to the right, which hit Big Show in the eye. The win gave him contention to face Kane and Mark Henry at Night of Champions for the ECW Championship, which Henry won by pinning Kane.


title: Big Show

text: Big Show was then assigned to the SmackDown brand. Big Show turned heel once again by siding with Vickie Guerrero in her ongoing feud with The Undertaker by attacking him at Unforgiven and later interfering in many of Undertaker's matches on "SmackDown". He defeated Undertaker by knockout at No Mercy. However, Big Show lost to Undertaker in a fan-voted Last Man Standing match at Cyber Sunday and a Casket Match at Survivor Series. Big Show then lost a Steel Cage match against The Undertaker on the December 5 episode of "SmackDown", ending the feud. In March, it was revealed by John Cena that the Big Show was having secret relations with Vickie Guerrero. At WrestleMania 25, Big Show was involved in a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship featuring champion Edge and eventual winner Cena.


title: Big Show

text: On April 13, Big Show was drafted to the Raw brand as a part of the 2009 WWE draft. At Backlash, Big Show interfered in a Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Cena and Edge when he threw Cena into a spotlight, thus resulting in Edge winning the title and Cena being seriously injured. He continued to feud with John Cena, losing to him at Judgment Day by pinfall and at Extreme Rules in a submission match, before defeating Cena on the June 22 episode of "Raw" to end the feud.


title: Big Show

text: In the weeks prior to Night of Champions, Big Show constantly attacked United States Champion Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne among others. He then feuded with Kingston over the United States Championship and earned himself a spot in the six-pack challenge at Night of Champions. At Night of Champions, Big Show was introduced as Chris Jericho's new tag team partner due to Edge needing time off to tend to an injury, thus taking Big Show out of the six-pack challenge for the United States Championship. Together, Jeri-Show were able to successfully defend the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship against The Legacy. Jeri-Show successfully defended the titles against Cryme Tyme at SummerSlam, MVP and Mark Henry at Breaking Point and Rey Mysterio and Batista at Hell in a Cell. At Bragging Rights, Big Show represented Team Raw, but he betrayed and attacked his teammates, which led to Team SmackDown winning, so that he could receive an opportunity at the World Heavyweight Championship. Big Show received his title shot at Survivor Series in a triple threat match against The Undertaker and Jericho, but the Undertaker successfully retained his title.


title: Big Show

text: Jeri-Show lost the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship at to D-Generation X (D-X) in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. As a member of the SmackDown roster, Jericho could only appear on "Raw" as a champion and so D-X intentionally disqualified themselves in a rematch to force Jericho off the show. Eventually the teams had a match with a definitive finish on the January 4 episode of "Raw", though D-X still won, signalling the end of Jeri-Show.


title: Big Show

text: On the February 8 episode of "Raw", Big Show regained the titles from D-X with his new tag team partner The Miz in a Triple Threat Tag Team Elimination match, which also included the Straight Edge Society (CM Punk and Luke Gallows). On the February 16 episode of "ECW", he and Miz successfully defended the titles against Yoshi Tatsu and Goldust on the final episode of the show. On the March 1 episode of "Raw", Big Show and Miz defeated D-X in their rematch. At WrestleMania XXVI, Big Show and Miz defeated John Morrison and R-Truth to retain the titles again. At Extreme Rules ShoMiz was in a tag team gauntlet match where the team that beat them would get a title match the next night on "Raw". ShoMiz beat the first two teams in the gauntlet match, John Morrison and R-Truth, then MVP and Mark Henry. They then lost to The Hart Dynasty, who earned the title shot. On the April 26, 2010 episode of "Raw", Big Show and Miz lost the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship to The Hart Dynasty.


title: Big Show

text: After the title loss, he attacked The Miz with a knockout punch and hugged Theodore Long, turning face in the process. Later on in the night as part of the 2010 WWE draft, Big Show was drafted back to the SmackDown brand. He returned to the brand on the April 30 episode of "SmackDown" and was subsequently named the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, later on in the night, he interrupted World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger as he was giving his "State of Championship Address" and knocked him out with a WMD. On the May 7 episode of "SmackDown", Big Show sat ringside during the Swagger/Kane main event. After Swagger was disqualified, Big Show chokeslammed him through the announce table. He also crashed Swagger's achievement celebration and cost him his match with Kofi Kingston in the next week. Big Show defeated Swagger via disqualification at Over the Limit, but did not win the title. On the May 28 episode of "SmackDown", General Manager Theodore Long scheduled qualifying matches for the World Heavyweight Championship match at Fatal 4-Way and that Big Show had already qualified by defeating Jack Swagger via disqualification at Over the Limit. At Fatal 4-Way, Big Show faced Rey Mysterio, CM Punk and Swagger for the World Heavyweight Championship, but Mysterio won the title. On the following episode of "SmackDown", Swagger debuted his new finishing move, "The Ankle Lock", and applied it on Big Show, thus injuring his ankle and continuing their feud. Two weeks later on "SmackDown", Big Show saved Rey Mysterio, whose ankle was injured by the same move, from Swagger. Later that night, Big Show fought Swagger to a double count-out. Soon he began a feud with CM Punk and his Straight Edge Society, confronting him the Friday night before the Money in the Bank event, and unmasking him to reveal his bald head. After failing to win the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match at Money in the Bank, he fought the mysterious masked member of the SES, also unmasking him as Joey Mercury. Big Show's feud with the Straight Edge Society continued after he defeated them in a 3 on 1 Handicap match at SummerSlam and CM Punk at Night of Champions. Big Show was made Team SmackDown's captain for Bragging Rights on the October 8 episode of "SmackDown". At Bragging Rights, Big Show was counted out with Sheamus during the match but his team ultimately won with Edge and Rey Mysterio left on the team. He was on Rey Mysterio's team for Survivor Series where he was a survivor along with Mysterio. The following episode of "SmackDown", he was unsuccessful in qualifying for the King of the Ring tournament as he was defeated by Alberto Del Rio by count-out thanks to interference by his personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez.


title: Big Show

text: On the January 7, 2011 episode of "SmackDown", Big Show participated in a Fatal 4-Way match to determine the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, losing due to interference by former Nexus leader Wade Barrett. The next week, Show faced Barrett and won via disqualification when former Nexus members Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel attacked him. Moments later Ezekiel Jackson appeared to help him, but instead attacked Big Show. The next week, Barrett, Slater, Gabriel and Jackson informed that they had formed the Corre. In the following weeks, the Corre continued to assault Show, due to the size and power of Ezekiel Jackson. At Elimination Chamber, Show participated in the Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship, eliminating Wade Barrett before being eliminated by Kane. Big Show feuded with The Corre in the following weeks.


title: Big Show

text: On the March 4 episode of "SmackDown", Big Show faced Kane in a confrontation until the Corre interfered on Kane's behalf. However, a miscommunication led to Kane turning on the Corre. Big Show and Kane thus reunited to take on the Corre. At WrestleMania XXVII, Big Show and Kane teamed with Santino Marella and Kofi Kingston to beat The Corre. On the April 22 episode of "SmackDown", the duo defeated Corre members Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, their second championship win as a team. Big Show was drafted back to the Raw brand as a part of the 2011 WWE draft. He and Kane then started feuding with the New Nexus. After defending the titles against Wade Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson at Extreme Rules and CM Punk and Mason Ryan at Over the Limit, Kane and Big Show lost their titles to Michael McGilligutty and David Otunga on the following night on "Raw". After losing the titles, Big Show was run over by Alberto Del Rio's car, driven by his ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez, and was sidelined with an injury for almost a month. He returned during a match between Kane and Del Rio, attacking both Del Rio and Rodriguez.


title: Big Show

text: Big Show then began feuding with Mark Henry after he attacked and injured him on the June 17 episode of "SmackDown", as Big Show's frustrations and anger towards Del Rio was redirected unintentionally to Mark Henry. Henry retaliated by attacking Big Show during his match at Capitol Punishment and attacking him with the World's Strongest Slam through an announce table, causing Big Show to lose to Del Rio by knockout. Henry did the same thing on Kane through the broadcast table the next night on "Raw" after their arm wrestling match, and again on the June 27 episode of "Raw" when Henry then broke the cage door during the steel cage match between Big Show and Alberto Del Rio, allowing Del Rio to escape. He then attacked Big Show with the cage door, breaking the cage viciously. On July 17, 2011, at Money in the Bank, Henry defeated Big Show. After the match, Henry fractured Big Show's fibula, keeping him out of action for almost three months.


title: Big Show

text: On the October 7 episode of "SmackDown", Big Show returned and became number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship after he attacked Mark Henry and chokeslammed him through the broadcast table. At Vengeance, Big Show fought Henry to a no-contest after the ring collapsed following a superplex from Henry, similar to his match with Brock Lesnar in 2003. This time, less damage was done, and the damage mainly occurred around the lower right-hand ring post. Big Show ended up being taken out on a motorized cart with a flatbed. Big Show faced Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship once again at Survivor Series winning via disqualification when Henry hit Big Show with a low blow, afterwards he leg dropped a chair on Henry's leg, much like what Henry did to Big Show months before.


title: Big Show

text: On December 18 at , Big Show finally defeated Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Chairs Match. Afterwards, Henry knocked Big Show out with a DDT onto a chair and Daniel Bryan immediately cashed his Money in the Bank contract on Big Show to win the title. This gave Big Show the shortest-ever World Heavyweight Championship reign at 45 seconds. Big Show challenged Bryan for the World Heavyweight Championship on the January 6, 2012 episode of "SmackDown", but Bryan retained his title by disqualification when he goaded Mark Henry into attacking him. The next week on "SmackDown", Big Show received a rematch for the title contested under no disqualification, no count-out rules. Bryan again retained his title as the rematch ended in a no-contest after Big Show accidentally crashed into AJ (Bryan's storyline girlfriend) at ringside, injuring her. At the 2012 Royal Rumble, Big Show faced Bryan and Henry in a triple threat steel cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship, but Bryan escaped the steel cage to retain his title. At the Elimination Chamber event, Big Show failed again to capture the World Heavyweight Championship in an Elimination Chamber match after he was eliminated second by Cody Rhodes.


title: Big Show

text: In the following weeks, Big Show began a feud with Rhodes after Rhodes highlighted Big Show's embarrassing moments in previous WrestleManias, often costing Big Show to lose matches in the process. At WrestleMania XXVIII, Big Show defeated Rhodes to win the Intercontinental Championship. With this, Big Show became the twenty-fourth wrestler to win the Triple Crown Championship and the twelfth Grand Slam Champion in the WWE, and is currently the most recent wrestler to complete the original Grand Slam format. Big Show then began highlighting embarrassing moments in Rhodes' career. After a four-week reign, Big Show lost the Intercontinental Championship back to Rhodes at Extreme Rules in a Tables match. Big Show received his rematch on the May 7 episode of "Raw", where he defeated Rhodes via countout after Rhodes walked out on the match. After a series of confrontations with Raw and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis, Big Show was fired by Laurinaitis for making fun of his voice on the May 14 episode of "Raw".


title: Big Show

text: Six days later, Big Show returned at Over the Limit, seemingly to help John Cena in his match against John Laurinaitis; instead, he knocked Cena out with a WMD and allowed Laurinaitis to win the match by pinfall, turning heel in the process. The following night on "Raw", Big Show explained that his actions were of necessity to keep his job in the WWE, therefore resulting in Laurinaitis re-signing him to an "ironclad contract with a big fat bonus", also stating that nobody showed him any sympathy when he got fired. Over the next few weeks, he attacked Cena, Brodus Clay, Alex Riley, R-Truth, Santino Marella, Zack Ryder, and Kofi Kingston because of the terms of his contract. On the June 11 episode of "Raw", he accidentally knocked out Vince McMahon after McMahon decided that Laurinatis would be fired if Big Show lost to Cena at No Way Out in a steel cage match. Big Show went on to lose that match at No Way Out and as per stipulation, Laurinaitis was fired. At Money in the Bank, Big Show faced Cena, Kane, Chris Jericho, and The Miz in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, but was unsuccessful as the match was won by Cena. On July 23 at "Raw 1000", Big Show attacked Cena during his WWE Championship match against CM Punk causing a disqualification. He continued the attack on Cena until The Rock made the save. The following week on "Raw", a WWE Championship number one contenders match between Big Show and Cena ended in a no contest due to interference from Punk. Following this, both Big Show and Cena were entered in the championship match at SummerSlam by Raw General Manager AJ Lee. At SummerSlam, however, Big Show was unsuccessful as Punk retained the title.


title: Big Show

text: Big Show returned on the September 24 episode of "Raw", attacking Brodus Clay and Tensai during their match. Four days later on "SmackDown", Big Show defeated Randy Orton to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. Big Show received his title opportunity on October 28 at Hell in a Cell, where he defeated Sheamus to win the World Heavyweight Championship for the second time. On November 18 at Survivor Series, Big Show lost a title rematch to Sheamus via disqualification and retaining the World Heavyweight Championship as a result. After the match, Sheamus attacked Big Show and repeatedly hit him with a chair. This led to a Chairs match on December 16 at , where Big Show defeated Sheamus to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. On the December 24 episode of "Raw", Big Show was defeated by Sheamus in a non-title lumberjack match. On the December 28 episode of "SmackDown", Big Show defended his title against Alberto Del Rio, however, the match ended in a no-contest after Sheamus interfered and attacked Big Show. Three days later on the December 31 episode of "Raw", Big Show defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Del Rio's ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez and defeated him via disqualification after Del Rio attacked Big Show from behind. On the January 11 episode of "SmackDown", Big Show lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Del Rio in a Last Man Standing match, ending his reign at 72 days. Big Show received his rematch for the title in another Last Man Standing match on January 27 at the Royal Rumble, but was again defeated by Del Rio when Rodriguez used duct tape to stop Big Show from getting up. After Big Show repeatedly attacked Del Rio and Rodriguez, Del Rio defeated Big Show via submission on February 17 at Elimination Chamber to again retain his title.


title: Big Show

text: On the March 1 episode of "SmackDown", Big Show knocked out Roman Reigns of The Shield with the "KO Punch" after Reigns was shoved into him during an attack on Randy Orton and Sheamus. After the March 4 episode of "Raw" went off-air, Big Show was attacked by the Shield. Four days later on "SmackDown", Big Show again assisted Sheamus and Orton in warding off The Shield, though he hit Sheamus with a KO Punch and was hit with an RKO by Orton in return. On the March 11 episode of "Raw", Big Show defeated Shield member Seth Rollins via disqualification after the rest of The Shield interfered. Orton and Sheamus were then allowed to pick a third partner to face the Shield in a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania 29 and originally chose Ryback. However, on the March 18 episode of "Raw", Ryback was booked in another match at the event, leaving the spot open. Later that night, Big Show saved the two from an attack by The Shield and was immediately recruited as their partner. On April 7 at WrestleMania, Big Show, Orton and Sheamus were defeated by The Shield, after which, Big Show knocked out both Orton and Sheamus. The following night on "Raw", Orton and Sheamus faced off in a match to earn a match with Big Show, however, the match ended in a no contest after Big Show interfered. Big Show was then defeated by Orton and Sheamus in two handicap matches, first on the April 12 episode of "SmackDown" via count-out, and second on the April 15 episode of "Raw" via pinfall. On the April 19 episode of "SmackDown", Big Show teamed up with old rival Mark Henry to defeat Orton and Sheamus in a tag team match, with Big Show pinning Orton for the win. The feud between Big Show and Orton led to an Extreme Rules match on May 19 at Extreme Rules, which Big Show lost. After Extreme Rules, Big Show took a hiatus from WWE television.


title: Big Show

text: Big Show made his televised return to WWE on the August 12 episode of "Raw", and helped Mark Henry and Rob Van Dam from an attack by The Shield, turning face in the process. On the August 16 episode of "SmackDown", Big Show, Henry, and Van Dam defeated the Shield in a six-man tag team match. After speaking out against COO Triple H on the following "Raw", Big Show was placed into a three-on-one handicap tornado tag team match against The Shield, which he lost. Following this, the Authority (Triple H and Stephanie McMahon) claimed Big Show was broke, and in order to save his job, forced him to knock out his friends including Daniel Bryan, Dusty Rhodes, and The Miz. At Battleground, he interfered in the WWE Championship match between Bryan and Randy Orton (the later of whom was allied with the Authority) and knocked out both of them, ending the match in a no-contest. He then faced Orton for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series but failed to win.


title: Big Show

text: At , Big Show teamed with Rey Mysterio to unsuccessfully challenge Cody Rhodes and Goldust for the WWE Tag Team Championship in a four-way match, also involving RybAxel (Ryback and Curtis Axel), and The Real Americans (Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger). He subsequently started a feud with Brock Lesnar, which was settled at the Royal Rumble, where he was defeated. Big Show later participated in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXX, being the last person eliminated by winner Cesaro. On the September 26 episode of "SmackDown", Big Show started a feud with Rusev, when he defeated him by disqualification, but Rusev was ultimately successful in a rematch at Hell in a Cell.


title: Big Show

text: Big Show turned heel when joined the Authority at Survivor Series when he turned on John Cena and caused him to be eliminated from the Survivor Series elimination match against the Authority. In his first pay-per-view match as part of the faction, Big Show defeated Erick Rowan in a first-ever Steel Stairs match at . Later in the event, Big Show attacked Cena during his match with Seth Rollins but was then confronted by Roman Reigns, leading to Cena winning the match. Reigns went on to defeat Big Show multiple times by count-out and disqualification. On January 25, 2015, at the Royal Rumble, Big Show entered the Royal Rumble match at #29, eliminating five superstars before being eliminated by Reigns, the eventual winner. At Fastlane, Big Show, Rollins and Kane defeated Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback. Big Show went on to win the 2nd Annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31. However, Big Show lost to Reigns in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules.


title: Big Show

text: After a brief hiatus, Big Show returned on the June 1 episode of "Raw", where he knocked out The Miz and confronted Intercontinental Champion Ryback. Big Show challenged Ryback for his title at Money in the Bank, winning the match by disqualification after The Miz attacked Big Show. A triple threat match for the title took place at SummerSlam, where Ryback retained the title. On the August 31 episode of "Raw", Big Show received another championship match against Ryback, which he lost following a distraction from The Miz, ending the feud.


title: Big Show

text: Big Show later became involved in the Authority's feud with Sting, facing him in a match on the September 14 episode of "Raw". The match ended in a disqualification after interference from Seth Rollins. This led to John Cena storming the ring and the match becoming a tag team match with the team of Cena and Sting defeating the team of Big Show and Rollins. He was subsequently defeated by Brock Lesnar in the main event of Live from Madison Square Garden. On the November 9 episode of "Raw", Big Show entered the 16-man tournament to crown the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion and lost to Roman Reigns in the first round. At the Royal Rumble, Big Show entered the Royal Rumble match at #15 and eliminated Ryback and Titus O'Neil before being eliminated by Braun Strowman.


title: Big Show

text: On the January 28, 2016, episode of "SmackDown", Big Show turned face by helping Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Chris Jericho fend off all the members of The Wyatt Family, whom he, Kane and Ryback defeated at Fastlane after several singles matches against the likes of Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman, mostly in winning efforts, leading up to the event. However, the next night on "Raw", The Wyatt Family would defeat the trio in a rematch. At WrestleMania 32, Big Show and Kane participated in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, where Big Show faced off with Shaquille O'Neal, but the other participants would gang up on the two powerhouses and they were eliminated simultaneously. Kane and Big Show subsequently defeated Braun Strowman and Erick Rowan on the April 19 episode of "Main Event", ending their feud the Wyatt Family in the process.


title: Big Show

text: Big Show was drafted to Raw as part of the 2016 WWE draft. During this time, Big Show began appearing mostly on the live event circuit rather than televised events, as he transitioned into a part-time role. At the Royal Rumble on January 29, 2017, Big Show entered the Royal Rumble match at number 9, but was eliminated by Braun Strowman. After defeating Rusev at Fastlane, he competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33, from which he was also eliminated by Strowman. Big Show wrestled Strowman two weeks later on "Raw", where the ring collapsed after Strowman superplexed him, resulting in the match going to a no contest, similar to his matches with Brock Lesnar in 2003 and Mark Henry in 2011, respectively. Throughout the summer of 2017, Big Show feuded with Big Cass, culminating in a match at SummerSlam, where he was defeated. On the September 4 episode of "Raw", Big Show lost to Strowman in a steel cage match and was thrown through the cage after the match. The attack was written to take Big Show off television as he required hip surgery. His next appearance for WWE was on April 6, 2018, when he inducted his long-time friend and rival Mark Henry into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2018.


title: Big Show

text: Big Show returned on the October 9 episode of "SmackDown", where he faced Randy Orton in a losing effort. The following week, on the 1000th episode of "SmackDown", Big Show formed a short-lived alliance with The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) by helping them defeat The New Day for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, thus turning heel in the process. This alliance ended on the November 27 episode of "SmackDown", after Big Show performed a KO Punch on Cesaro backstage. Following this, Big Show was written off television due to him suffering a hamstring injury.


title: Big Show

text: On the January 6, 2020 episode of "Raw", Big Show returned from injury over a year later as a fan favorite, teaming with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe to defeat Seth Rollins and AOP via disqualification. In a match filmed after WrestleMania 36 ended, which aired on the April 6 episode of "Raw", Big Show reverted to a heel after insulting and challenging newly crowned WWE Champion Drew McIntyre for his title. He was subsequently defeated. His heel turn was short-lived, as Big Show turned face again by helping The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders fend off the group of ninjas led by Akira Tozawa on the June 15 episode of "Raw". He last wrestled in an unsanctioned match against Orton on the July 20 episode of "Raw".


title: Big Show

text: On November 22, 2020 he made an appearance at Survivor Series during The Undertaker's retirement ceremony. He made his final WWE appearance on the January 4, 2021 edition of "Raw" for "Legends Night". Wight and WWE parted ways the following month after it was reported the two sides were unable to agree to financial terms on a new contract. Wight also cited "creative frustrations" and lack of ideas as reasons for his exit.


title: Big Show

text: On the June 27, 2022 episode of "Raw", Big Show appeared via video to congratulate John Cena on his career.


title: Big Show

text: On February 24, 2021, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced that Big Show, now known in AEW by his real name, Paul Wight, had signed with the company and would be providing commentary alongside Tony Schiavone for their new YouTube series "", which premiered on March 15. It was also confirmed that while commentary for "Elevation" would be his initial role, he would also compete as an in-ring performer. He debuted on the March 3 episode of "AEW Dynamite" titled The Crossroads and announced he had a "big scoop" that AEW would sign "a Hall of Fame worthy talent that is a huge surprise and a huge asset" at Revolution which was revealed to be Christian Cage. He also had some matches on AEW, most notably, defeating Q. T. Marshall at All Out.


title: Big Show

text: Wight has often been compared to André the Giant throughout his career due to both suffering from acromegaly and having a similar overall body structure to André. Unlike André, who was content with his fate, Wight had surgery of the pituitary gland to halt his condition. The similarities led to WCW billing him as André's son early in his career (despite no biological relation) and WWE involving him in similar angles as André. Wight has also stated that many older fans in the Southern United States (where Wight is from and where André made his home in the United States) not aware of kayfabe have often told Wight during autograph sessions how much they "loved his father when he wrestled", even though Wight's biological father was a mechanic. Wight would also outlive André, who died at age 46.