Paul Wight, most commonly known as The Big Show from his 22-year tenure in WWE, has spoken out about his recent conversation with Vince McMahon regarding his recent signing with AEW.

Wight revealed on a media call after AEW Revolution, that he and McMahon spoke on the phone after the former four-time WWE Champion signed for rivals All Elite Wrestling.

The 49-year-old assured that there is no tension between the pair following Wight joining the opposing company.

“Vince actually called me the day that it was announced that I signed with AEW. He wished me a lot of luck, agreed that I’m a huge asset at AEW and thanked me for all the years that I worked in WWE.

“There’s no animosity, there’s no anger, there’s no dirt, so to speak. It just came down to contract negotiations and opportunities. Let’s face it, in over 20 years at WWE, I have done everything there is to do.

“I needed a fresh start. For me, I think Vince understands that and understands that for me, as a talent, this was the opportunity to do that. But you follow the rules.

The four-time WWE Champion joins AEW in a dual-role, working as both an in-ring performer and as a color-commentator on the company’s new Monday night YouTube show AEW Dark: Elevation.

Big Show/ Paul Wight

The 49-year-old who will be sharing the commentary desk with Tony Schiavone, added:

“I couldn’t reach out to [AEW president] Tony Khan or AEW while I was still under contract. I came to terms with a mutual dissolution of services when I left WWE. There’s no anger.

“I needed the freedom to pursue different opportunities and when that contract came to an end, I took the leap of faith.”

Paul Wight and Randy Orton

Wight, who lost his last match in the ring against Randy Orton in July, continued:

“I hoped that my reputation, and the industry in the work that I’ve done, would earn me a meeting with Tony Khan and just to be able to talk to him and hope that he would understand that I can be an asset for AEW.

“And when my contract expired, I had a chance to drive up to Jacksonville and Tony and I had a meeting at 10pm in his office.

“We talked about wrestling and psychology and what I want to do in AEW and one of the big passions that I’ve had for a long time is getting into colour commentary and trying to bring my experience from the ring.”