Big Show Discusses Return On WWE Raw And Tonight’s Fist Fight

– Big Show spoke to ESPN about his return last Monday on WWE Raw. Highlights are below.

On His Time Away: “I’ve been chomping at the bit, actually. I was in a pretty rough patch the last two years. I needed five surgeries in a year and a half. You’re trying to do recovery therapy, and then there’s a setback. It was very frustrating for me for a while. This opportunity came up, and I was blown away by it. Right fit, right time. But the problem with an infection is that once it gets on the metal, you kind of have to take the metal out and start over. The infection is so smart now that it literally hides from antibiotics. I’ve learned more about infections and antibiotics and physical therapy than I ever, ever wanted to know.”

On Finding Out About His Return: “A lot of the mystique that we had in the business 20 years ago is gone because of access and informational overload. There are so many websites, social media outlets, podcasts, people involved that tell a friend who tells a friend. There’s so many more people involved now. Everybody has access to information. If I had had a fax machine, they probably would have faxed it. I’m surprised a pigeon didn’t drop it off at my front door. It was really old school. One of those 2 a.m. phone calls from someone who never sleeps and also built a billion-dollar company.”

On Nerves For His Return: “I’ve had plenty of butterflies before WrestleMania or some of the bigger shows we had around the world. But there were so many little battles that I had in the last year and a half that I fought and won, that this moment for me was … I was calm. Calm when I got the phone call, on the flight to Oklahoma City, on the way to the arena and waiting to come out. I knew I had fought for this. I had earned this. This moment is yours.”

On His Career: “I was always what you called an interim champion. If I was a heel, I’d take it off one babyface to pass it to another babyface, you know what I mean? But I’m not a John Cena or a Hulk Hogan or someone that’s going to lead the charge. I’m the guy trying to get them over so they can do that. It’s really one of the oldest stories: the hero overcoming insurmountable odds. It resonates with people on a basic level that if something bigger is attacking something smaller, you naturally root for the underdog. For me, it was an easy role to assume to create validity for the other guy.”

On The Fist Fight: “I have no idea. I learned about it after Raw. I’ve had thumbtack matches and barbed wire matches and cage matches and inferno matches and casket matches … never had a ‘fist fight’ match. Is it free-for-all brawl like in the Old West, and we’re taking off the doors of the saloon? Am I allowed to throw a front kick? It is Queensbury rules? We’ll see. In the evil creative genius’ mind at WWE, I’m sure they’ve come up with something and we’ll find out on Monday.”