‘Big Show’ Paul Wight Named in Federal PED Investigation

Paul Wight was named in unredacted federal investigation documents from an investigation of the Biogenesis clinic in 2013, according to ESPN (per Fightful). U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents were looking into steroid use in baseball, and Tony Bosch as well as seven others were convicted. In a 2014 interview, Bosch said he treated Wight in 2009-2010 and revealed his partner, Jorge “Ugi” Velazquez, was giving the professional wrestler performance-enhancing drugs behind his back. Wight “advised him that wrestlers wanted stronger substances, such as Winstrol and Deca-Durabolin — which didn’t mesh with Bosch’s doping protocols.”

Through his attorney Edward Brennan, Wight said that Bosh was home for a  “Thanksgiving open house” that included other wrestlers, but he only met with Bosh one other time. Brennan said the former WWE Superstar never failed a drug test and added any involvement with PEDs would pose a serious risk due to him having an endocrine system disorder. 

“Paul never treated with Bosch,” Brennan said. “Paul never took any PEDs from Ugi or anyone else. He is as clean as you can be. More importantly, he would never take any PEDs because of his underlying medical condition.” Brennan added: “What I believe it is, when you are doing a deal with the government, you need to bring stuff to the table to make yourself bigger so you can have more value. [Bosch] is trying to make himself bigger than he is, like always. He is a nobody.” 

Wight, 51, works for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer and commentator. He joined AEW after competing in WWE from 1999 to 2021. Formerly called Big Show, Wight won the WWE Championship twice, the ECW Championship, the World Heavyweight Championship twice, the United States Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, the Tag Team Championship eight times and the Hardcore Championship three times. 

In August, Wight spoke to DAZN Wrestling about coming back from his knee surgery in 2022. “It’s amazing how difficult the knee is versus the hip,” he said, per 411 Mania. “I think when I had my hips done, they came along a lot stronger, a lot faster. The knees are a lot more difficult. The rehab’s a lot more intensive. The pain afterward is a lot more intensive. They told me that going into it, but I didn’t believe them. But yeah, it’s been pretty intense. I’ve got full range of motion. I have more range of motion with my fixed knee than I did with my knee before.”