Big Show on His Advice for Up-and-Coming Superstars, Why He Will Never be a WWE Producer

– Newsweek.com recently spoke to WWE Superstar Big Show ahead of last night’s episode of Raw. Below are some highlights.

Big Show on his unsanctioned Raw match with Randy Orton: “I’ve been a fan of Randy Orton since I saw him in Louisville, Kentucky, in OVW. Randy doesn’t realize sometimes how good he is, you know? And one of the great things now is that Randy has his head on straight. Stepped into a leadership role here, not so much holding meetings in the back or holding court or any of that kind of stuff—just the way he’s performing raises the bar for everyone else around him. And it’s nice to see him have that focus and that intensity, and it’s paid off for him. I don’t think we’ve seen a sharper, better Randy Orton. He’s involved now. That’s the biggest difference now, and he’s committed 100 percent. For me, it’s fantastic to see that with a competitor who I’ve been a fan of. He makes everything look so easy and effortless. It’s one of those kinds of things that you envy as a performer when someone can make it look like pouring water out of a pitcher.”

On if his advice is to not put too much pressure on yourself: “Yeah. The biggest advice is, to not use an over-coined term, be authentic. Be yourself, because it’s your character out there and if it’s anything contrived, the audience will see right through it. Appreciate every day and understand that just because you made it to the main roster or you get signed or become the champion it doesn’t mean you’ve “made it.” It just means that you’re doing something right and you have to work harder. Trust me, what’s here today can be gone tomorrow, so don’t take it for granted.”

Big Show on why he doesn’t want to be a backstage WWE producer: “Being a backstage producer, I may as well put my head under a car and back over it. I wouldn’t want the headache that our backstage producers go through. I’m in a unique position that I don’t have to work five nights a week like when I was full time. If you have a talent that is on their way as a big guy or medium-sized guy and I get the chance to get in the ring and work again and ride with this guy for a few days and help them that way, that’s where I get to do my best work—being in the ring with them and work out their timing and what’s going on in their head, and take them where they need to be. The toughest part is getting the younger talent to let loose and relax, and let the flow of the match be fluid, and not force stuff or plan a bunch of spots in the back and hope they work out. It’s different now because they don’t have an audience to have a connection with, so they have to create a connection with hard work in the ring.”

“As far as me: I’m around as long as I’m still able to compete and produce. I know that those times are not as much as they used to be back in the day. Father Time is undefeated, but I’ll always respect and love this business and I’m always around to help anyone, whether it’s a talent from the Cruiserweights on up, I’m willing to help anybody. If the experiences that I’ve been through can help and make things easier, I’m always willing to give it.”