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192-399: Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), as a wrestler and a former commentator for its web television show, AEW Dark: Elevation , 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 his tenure with

384-435: A bona fide athletic contest or competition. Professional wrestling is not a combative sport. Wrestling constituting bona fide athletic contests and competitions, which may be professional or amateur combative sport, shall not be deemed professional wrestling under this Part. Professional wrestling as used in this Part shall not depend on whether the individual wrestlers are paid or have been paid for their performance in

576-414: 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 . Subsequently, Big Show was one of eight participants in

768-639: 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

960-561: 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 on May 22 after Morgan interfered. 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

1152-415: A performing art evolved from the common practice of match-fixing among American wrestlers in the 19th century, who later sought to make matches shorter, more entertaining, and less physically taxing. As the public gradually realized and accepted that matches were predetermined, wrestlers responded by increasingly adding melodrama, gimmickry, and outlandish stunt work to their performances to further enhance

1344-415: A professional wrestling exhibition. All engagements of professional wrestling shall be referred to as exhibitions, and not as matches. In the industry's slang, a fixed match is referred to as a worked match, derived from the slang word for manipulation, as in "working the crowd". A shoot match is a genuine contest where both wrestlers fight to win and are therefore "straight shooters", which comes from

1536-676: A Casket Match at Survivor Series on November 23. Big Show then lost a Steel Cage match against The Undertaker on the December 5 episode of SmackDown , ending the feud. In March 2009, it was revealed by John Cena that the Big Show was having secret relations with Vickie Guerrero. At WrestleMania 25 on April 5, Big Show was involved in a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship featuring champion Edge and eventual winner Cena. On April 13, Big Show

1728-404: A Cell match at Unforgiven on September 17, which was won by DX. During the match, DX shoved Vince's head up Big Show's buttocks in a mockery of Vince's Kiss My Ass Club. At Cyber Sunday on November 5, 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

1920-532: A Cell on October 4. At Bragging Rights on October 25, 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 on November 22 in a triple threat match against The Undertaker and Jericho, but The Undertaker successfully retained his title. Jeri-Show lost

2112-628: 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

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2304-524: 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

2496-544: 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. 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

2688-413: A background in authentic wrestling no longer mattered. After this time, matches became more outlandish and gimmicky and any semblance professional wrestling had to catch wrestling faded. The personas of the wrestlers likewise grew more outlandish. Gorgeous George , who performed throughout the 1940s and 1950s, was the first wrestler whose entrance into the arena was accompanied by a theme song played over

2880-533: A brief feud with Sabu , whom he defeated at SummerSlam on August 20 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 (DX). He became further involved in the McMahons' feud with DX when he teamed with Vince and Shane against Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a 3-on-2 handicap Hell in

3072-532: A carny term for a shooting gallery gun whose sights were not deliberately misaligned. Wrestling in the United States blossomed in popularity after the Civil War , with catch wrestling eventually becoming the most popular style. At first, professional wrestlers were genuine competitive fighters, but they struggled to draw audiences because Americans did not find real wrestling to be very entertaining, so

3264-519: A central authority. Nor could any of them stomach the idea of leaving the NWA themselves to compete directly with McMahon, for that would mean their territories would become fair game for the other NWA members. McMahon also had a creative flair for TV that his rivals lacked. For instance, the AWA's TV productions during the 1980s were amateurish, low-budget, and out-of-touch with contemporary culture, which lead to

3456-464: 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

3648-585: A champion that Curley put forth: Dick Shikat . The National Wrestling Association shut down in 1980. In 1948, a number of promoters from across the country came together to form the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA recognized one "world champion", voted on by its members, but allowed member promoters to crown their own local champions in their territories. If a member poached wrestlers from another member, or held matches in another member's territory, they risked being ejected from

3840-646: 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

4032-408: A correlation between pituitary gland volume and Social Anxiety subscale scores was identified which provided a basis for exploring mediation. Again controlling for age, sex, and BMI, DHEA and DHEA-S have been found to be predictive of larger pituitary gland volume, which was also associated with increased ratings of social anxiety. This research provides evidence that pituitary gland volume mediates

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4224-437: A degree. Vince Russo, the boss of WCW in 2000, completely disregarded kayfabe by routinely discussing business matters and office politics in public, which alienated fans. I watch championship wrestling from Florida with wrestling commentator Gordon Solie . Is this all "fake"? If so, they deserve an Oscar . Pituitary gland The pituitary gland or hypophysis is an endocrine gland in vertebrates . In humans ,

4416-528: A departing Lesnar immediately before WrestleMania XX on March 14. 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

4608-404: A distinct vernacular . It has achieved mainstream success and influence within popular culture , with many terms, tropes , and concepts being referenced in everyday language as well as in film , music , television , and video games . Likewise, numerous professional wrestlers have become national or international icons with recognition by the broader public. In the United States, wrestling

4800-410: A fee, a visitor could challenge the wrestler to a quick match. If the challenger defeated the champion in a short time frame, usually 15 minutes, he won a prize. To encourage challenges, the carnival operators staged rigged matches in which an accomplice posing as a visitor challenged the champion and won, giving the audience the impression that the champion was easy to beat. This practice taught wrestlers

4992-530: A feud with Lashley, who left SmackDown! to join the ECW brand to participate in the Extreme Elimination Chamber match at December to Dismember on December 3 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

5184-513: 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 . Renamed as Big Show, he made his WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania XV on March 28, 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

5376-470: A karaoke company, Wight met Danny Bonaduce in a live microphone amateur contest on his morning radio show. Bonaduce introduced Wight to his friend, WCW wrestler Hulk Hogan . They had an informal basketball game, as part of a WCW promotion for an upcoming show at the Rosemont Horizon. Hogan liked how Wight worked the crowd and recommended him to WCW's vice president, Eric Bischoff . Wight went to

5568-403: 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. In August, Big Show

5760-405: A legitimate sport. Firstly, wrestling was more entertaining when it was faked, whereas fakery did not make boxing any more entertaining. Secondly, in a rigged boxing match, the designated loser must take a real beating for his "defeat" to be convincing, but wrestling holds can be faked convincingly without inflicting injury. This meant that boxers were less willing to "take dives"; they wanted to have

5952-744: A match against Gus Sonnenberg in January 1929. Bowser then broke away from the trust to form his own cartel, the American Wrestling Association (AWA), in September 1930, and he declared Sonnenberg to be the AWA champion. This AWA should not be confused with Wally Kadbo's AWA founded in 1960. Curley reacted to this move by convincing the National Boxing Association to form the National Wrestling Association , which in turn crowned

Big Show - Misplaced Pages Continue

6144-551: A match at Backlash on April 30 that ended in a ruling of no-contest. 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 on June 11, attacking Tajiri , Super Crazy and The Full Blooded Italians after their tag team match. On

6336-741: A member of the Wichita State University basketball team at age 19, he was listed at 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m). 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 64 inches (1,600 mm) 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. Wight played basketball and American football in high school at Wyman King Academy in Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina . He

6528-424: A more literal meaning in those places. A notable example is India's Pro Wrestling League . In numerous American states, professional wrestling is legally defined as a non-sport. For instance, New York defines professional wrestling as: Professional wrestling means an activity in which participants struggle hand-in-hand primarily for the purpose of providing entertainment to spectators and which does not comprise

6720-430: 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. On December 18 at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs , Big Show finally defeated Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship in

6912-440: A new city, attendance was high because there was a waiting fanbase cultivated in advance by the cable TV shows. The NWA's traditional anti-competitive tricks were no match for this. The NWA attempted to centralize and create their own national cable television shows to counter McMahon's rogue promotion, but it failed in part because the members of the NWA, ever protective of their territories, could not stomach submitting themselves to

7104-486: 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

7296-407: 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

7488-679: 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 on December 18. Big Show and Kane defeated Batista and Mysterio at Armageddon. 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 on January 8, 2006. Big Show lost to his opponent, Shawn Michaels, by disqualification after Triple H hit Michaels with

7680-572: 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, Big Show 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

7872-435: 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 is War , 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. Indicating

Big Show - Misplaced Pages Continue

8064-590: 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. At No Mercy on October 19, 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 on January 25, 2004. Big Show abandoned

8256-421: A submission match, before defeating Cena on the June 22 episode of Raw to end the feud. In the weeks prior to Night of Champions on July 26, 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

8448-528: 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

8640-503: A typical American household only received four national channels by antenna, and ten to twelve local channels via UHF broadcasting . But cable television could carry a much larger selection of channels and therefore had room for niche interests. The WWF started with a show called All-American Wrestling airing on the USA Network in September 1983. McMahon's TV shows made his wrestlers national celebrities, so when he held matches in

8832-586: A victory for all the pain to which they subjected themselves. In the 1910s, promotional cartels for professional wrestling emerged in the East Coast (outside its traditional heartland in the Midwest ). These promoters sought to make long-term plans with their wrestlers, and to ensure their more charismatic and crowd-pleasing wrestlers received championships, further entrenching the desire for worked matches. The primary rationale for shoot matches at this point

9024-400: Is avascular and almost absent in humans. In many animals, these three lobes are distinct. The intermediate lobe is present in many animal species, particularly in rodents, mice, and rats, which have been used extensively to study pituitary development and function. In all animals, the fleshy, glandular anterior pituitary is distinct from the neural composition of the posterior pituitary, which

9216-436: Is a form of athletic theater that combines mock combat with drama , with the premise that the performers are competitive wrestlers. Professional wrestling is distinguished by its scripted outcomes and emphasis on entertainment and showmanship . The staged nature of matches is an open secret , with both wrestlers and spectators nonetheless maintaining the pretense that performances are bona fide competitions, which

9408-629: Is a lobe of the gland that is functionally connected to the hypothalamus by the median eminence via a small tube called the pituitary stalk (also called the infundibular stalk or the infundibulum). It regulates hydroelectrolytic stability (by secreting ADH ), uterine contraction during labor and human attachment (by secreting oxytocin ). The anterior pituitary synthesizes and secretes hormones. All releasing hormones (-RH) referred to can also be referred to as releasing factors (-RF). Somatotropes : Corticotropes : Thyrotropes : Gonadotropes : Lactotropes : These hormones are released from

9600-410: Is a true sport. Wrestlers would at all times flatly deny allegations that they fixed their matches, and they often remained in-character in public even when not performing. When in public, wrestlers would sometimes say the word kayfabe to each other as a coded signal that there were fans present and they needed to be in character. Professional wrestlers in the past strongly believed that if they admitted

9792-405: Is an extension of the hypothalamus . The height of the pituitary gland ranges from 5.3 to 7.0 mm. The volume of the pituitary gland ranges from 200 to 440 mm . Its most common shape, found in 46% of people is flat, it is convex in 31.2% and concave in 22.8%. The anterior pituitary lobe (adenohypophysis) arises from an evagination of the oral ectoderm ( Rathke's pouch ). This contrasts with

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9984-427: Is generally practiced in an amateur context. No professional league for competitive wrestling exists due to a lack of popularity. For example, Real Pro Wrestling , an American professional freestyle wrestling league, dissolved in 2007 after just two seasons. In other countries, such as Iran and India , wrestling enjoys widespread popularity as a genuine sport, and the phrase "professional wrestling" therefore has

10176-437: Is important for mediating the stress response, via the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis). Critically, pituitary gland growth during adolescence can be altered by early life stress such as childhood maltreatment or maternal dysphoric behavior. It has been demonstrated that, after controlling for age, sex, and BMI, larger quantities of DHEA and DHEA-S tended to be linked to larger pituitary volume. Additionally,

10368-470: Is likened to the suspension of disbelief employed when engaging with fiction . Professional wrestlers perform as characters and usually maintain a " gimmick " consisting of a specific persona , stage name , entrance theme , and other distinguishing traits. Matches are the primary vehicle for advancing storylines, which typically center on interpersonal conflicts, or feuds , between heroic " faces " and villainous " heels ". A wrestling ring , akin to

10560-415: Is no pituitary stalk. Rathke's pouch remains open to the outside, close to the nasal openings. Closely associated with the pouch are three distinct clusters of glandular tissue, corresponding to the intermediate lobe, and the rostral and proximal portions of the anterior pituitary. These various parts are separated by meningial membranes, suggesting that the pituitary of other vertebrates may have formed from

10752-430: Is still used as official synonym beside hypophysis in the official Latin nomenclature Terminologia Anatomica . In the seventeenth century the supposed function of the pituitary gland to produce nasal mucus was debunked. The expression glandula pituitaria and its English equivalent pituitary gland can only be justified from a historical point of view. The inclusion of this synonym is merely justified by noting that

10944-536: Is the glandular part that produces and secretes several hormones . The posterior lobe (neurohypophysis) secretes neurohypophysial hormones produced in the hypothalamus . Both lobes have different origins and they are both controlled by the hypothalamus. Hormones secreted from the pituitary gland help to control growth , blood pressure , energy management, all functions of the sex organs , thyroid gland , metabolism , as well as some aspects of pregnancy , childbirth , breastfeeding , water/salt concentration at

11136-482: The Dudley Boyz . 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 on November 17, ending Lesnar's undefeated streak with help from Paul Heyman . He lost

11328-624: The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that professional wrestling is not a real sport because its matches have predetermined outcomes. Shortly thereafter, New Jersey deregulated professional wrestling. The WWF then rebranded itself as a " sports entertainment " company. In the early years of the 20th century, the style of wrestling used in professional wrestling matches was catch wrestling . Promoters wanted their matches to look realistic and so preferred to recruit wrestlers with real grappling skills. In

11520-769: The Rosemont Horizon . Promoter and scout Bob Collins turned him away after he admitted he had no experience. While attending the Monster Factory, Wight 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 later saw The Giant debut in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) did Patterson realize his mistake, much to Vince McMahon 's displeasure. While answering phones for

11712-538: 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

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11904-619: The WWF Championship , which ended by referee stoppage and The Undertaker retained his title. Big Show later turned heel once again by teaming with The Undertaker, wrestling against X-Pac and Kane at SummerSlam on August 22, and they won the WWF Tag Team Championship twice. After The Undertaker was sidelined with injuries, Big Show turned face once again and began a feud with the Big Boss Man around

12096-891: The Wichita State Shockers . Wight subsequently attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 1992 to 1993, where he was a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Cougars basketball team and scored 39 points for the Cougars in limited action; he joined the Xi Beta chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. After graduating, Wight worked various jobs including bouncing, bounty hunting, and answering phone calls. Wight paid $ 5,000 to train at Larry Sharpe 's Monster Factory, but due to Sharpe's gout at

12288-418: 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

12480-486: The World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE ) from 1999 to 2021 under the ring name (The) Big Show . 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

12672-509: The World Wrestling Federation in the midst of the promotion's " Attitude Era " . He debuted on February 14, 1999, under the name "Paul Wight" at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House , establishing himself as a member of Vince McMahon 's villainous stable, the Corporation . 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

12864-400: The anterior pituitary ), the intermediate lobe located between the anterior and posterior pituitary is important to many animals. For instance, in fish, it is believed to control physiological color change. In adult humans, it is just a thin layer of cells between the anterior and posterior pituitary. The intermediate lobe produces melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), although this function

13056-557: The independent circuit , to internationally broadcast events at major arenas. The largest and most influential promotions are in the United States , Mexico , Japan , and northwest Europe (the United Kingdom , Germany/Austria and France ), which have each developed distinct styles, traditions, and subgenres within professional wrestling. Professional wrestling has developed its own culture and community , including

13248-467: The kidneys , temperature regulation, and pain relief. In humans, the pituitary gland rests upon the hypophyseal fossa of the sphenoid bone , in the center of the middle cranial fossa . It sits in a protective bony enclosure called the sella turcica , covered by the dural fold diaphragma sellae . The pituitary gland is composed of the anterior pituitary , the posterior pituitary , and an intermediate lobe that joins them. The intermediate lobe

13440-430: The posterior pituitary , which originates from neuroectoderm . Endocrine cells of the anterior pituitary are controlled by regulatory hormones released by parvocellular neurosecretory cells in the hypothalamic capillaries leading to infundibular blood vessels, which in turn lead to a second capillary bed in the anterior pituitary. This vascular relationship constitutes the hypophyseal portal system . Diffusing out of

13632-505: 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 on April 2, pinning Big Show. Linda McMahon stated this match would not occur at WrestleMania as Triple H would defend

13824-431: The spectacle . By at least the early 20th century, professional wrestling had diverged from the competitive sport to become an artform and genre of sports entertainment . Professional wrestling is performed around the world through various " promotions ", which are roughly analogous to production companies or sports leagues . Promotions vary considerably in size, scope, and creative approach, ranging from local shows on

14016-584: The 1920s, a group of wrestlers and promoters known as the Gold Dust Trio introduced moves which have since become staples of the mock combat of professional wrestling, such as body slams, suplexes , punches, finishing moves, and out-of-ring count-outs. By the early 1930s, most wrestlers had adopted personas to generate public interest. These personas could broadly be characterized as either faces (likeable) or heels (villainous). Native Americans, cowboys, and English aristocrats were staple characters in

14208-400: The 1930s and 1940s. Before the age of television, some wrestlers played different personas depending on the region they were performing in. This eventually came to an end in the age of national television wrestling shows, which forced wrestlers to stick to one persona. Wrestlers also often used some sort of gimmick, such as a finishing move, eccentric mannerisms, or out-of-control behavior (in

14400-509: The 1990s, WCW became a credible rival to the WWF, but by end it suffered from a series of creative missteps that led to its failure and purchase by the WWF. One of its mistakes was that it diminished the glamor of its World Heavyweight Championship . Between January 2000 and March 2001, the title changed hands eighteen times, which sapped fan enthusiasm, particularly for the climactic pay-per-view matches. In professional wrestling, two factors decide

14592-465: The 2006 Road to WrestleMania Tournament, the winner of which would receive a shot at the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 22 on April 2. 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

14784-601: 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 . Outside of professional wrestling, Wight has appeared in feature films and television series such as Jingle All the Way , The Waterboy , Star Trek: Enterprise , and two USA Network 's comedy-dramas Royal Pains , Psych and

14976-513: 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

15168-653: The Atlantic Athletic Corporation (AAC). The AAC shut down in 1960. In 1958, Omaha promoter and NWA member Joe Dusek recognized Verne Gagne as the world champion without the approval of the NWA. Gagne asked for a match against the recognized NWA champion Pat O'Connor. The NWA refused to honor the request, so Gagne and Minneapolis promoter Wally Karbo established the American Wrestling Association in 1960. This AWA should not be confused with Paul Bowser's AWA, which ceased operations just two months prior. Gagne's AWA operated out of Minnesota . Unlike

15360-750: The Barbarian, and Val Venis as The Big Showbowski. He defeated Kurt Angle at Backlash on April 30 dressed like Hulk Hogan as the Showster, complete with skullcap/wig and yellow tights. Big Show began feuding with Shane McMahon after Shane voiced his disapproval of Big Show's antics. At Judgment Day on May 21, 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

15552-483: 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. On the March 4 episode of SmackDown , Big Show faced Kane in

15744-561: 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. 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"

15936-648: The Giant "). In early 1999, he left WCW to join the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Between WWF/WWE and WCW, he has held 23 total championships - including being 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

16128-649: 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. 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

16320-485: The January 3, 2000, episode of Raw is War . Trying to regain the title, Big Show participated in the Royal Rumble match on January 23 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 on February 27, with the WrestleMania title shot on

16512-601: 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

16704-411: 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

16896-509: The March 1 episode of Raw , Big Show and The Miz defeated DX in their rematch. At WrestleMania XXVI on March 28, Big Show and The Miz defeated John Morrison and R-Truth to retain the titles again. At Extreme Rules on April 25, 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

17088-408: The NWA, at which point his territory became fair game for everyone. The NWA would blacklist wrestlers who worked for independent promoters or who publicly criticized an NWA promoter or who did not throw a match on command. If an independent promoter tried to establish himself in a certain area, the NWA would send their star performers to perform for the local NWA promoter to draw the customers away from

17280-408: The NWA, which only allowed faces to be champions, Gagne occasionally allowed heels to win the AWA championship so that they could serve as foils for him. In August 1983, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a promotion in the north-east , withdrew from the NWA. Vince K. McMahon then took over as its boss. No longer bound by the territorial pact of the NWA, McMahon began expanding his promotion into

17472-493: 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 on March 30. He renewed his feud with Lesnar, wrestling him four times for the WWE Championship (including a Stretcher match at Judgment Day on May 18), but

17664-629: 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

17856-610: The Unified WWE Tag Team Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 13 to D-Generation X (DX) 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 DX 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, 2010 episode of Raw , though DX still won, signalling

18048-607: 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 . 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

18240-612: The action-drama Burn Notice . He had lead roles in the WWE Studios comedy film Knucklehead and the Netflix sitcom The Big Show Show . 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 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall, weighed 220 lb (100 kg), and had chest hair. In 1991, as

18432-464: The anterior pituitary under the influence of the hypothalamus . Hypothalamic hormones are secreted to the anterior lobe by way of a special capillary system, called the hypothalamic-hypophysial portal system . There is also a non-endocrine cell population called folliculostellate cells . The posterior pituitary stores and secretes (but does not synthesize) the following important endocrine hormones: Magnocellular neurons : Hormones secreted from

18624-409: The anterior pituitary, but in amphibians , reptiles , and birds , it becomes increasingly well developed. The intermediate lobe is, in general, not well developed in any species and is entirely absent in birds. The structure of the pituitary in fish, apart from the lungfish, is generally different from that in other animals. In general, the intermediate lobe tends to be well developed, and may equal

18816-401: The arena's loudspeakers, his being Pomp and Circumstance . He also wore a costume: a robe and hairnet, which he removed after getting in the ring. He also had a pre-match ritual where his "butler" would spray the ring with perfume. In the 1980s, Vince McMahon made entrance songs, costumes, and rituals standard for his star wrestlers. For instance, McMahon's top star Hulk Hogan would delight

19008-418: The art of staging rigged matches and fostered a mentality that spectators were marks to be duped. The term kayfabe comes from carny slang. By the turn of the 20th century, most professional wrestling matches were "worked" and some journalists exposed the practice: American wrestlers are notorious for the amount of faking they do. It is because of this fact that suspicion attaches to so many bouts that

19200-561: The audience by tearing his shirt off before each match. The first major promoter cartel emerged on the East Coast, although up to that point, wrestling's heartland had been in the Midwest. Notable members of this cartel included Jack Curley , Lou Daro, Paul Bowser and Tom and Tony Packs. The promoters colluded to solve a number of problems that hurt their profits. Firstly, they could force their wrestlers to perform for less money. As

19392-410: The body. This dual-origin structure and function are what make the pituitary gland a unique and critical component of the endocrine system, acting as a bridge between the nervous and endocrine systems. Some of the diseases involving the pituitary gland are: All of the functions of the pituitary gland can be adversely affected by an over- or under-production of associated hormones. The pituitary gland

19584-412: The boundary between the two is often not clearly marked. In elasmobranchs , there is an additional, ventral lobe beneath the anterior pituitary proper. The arrangement in lampreys , which are among the most primitive of all fish, may indicate how the pituitary originally evolved in ancestral vertebrates. Here, the posterior pituitary is a simple flat sheet of tissue at the base of the brain, and there

19776-503: 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 on June 29 for the ECW Championship, which Henry won by pinning Kane. Big Show

19968-581: The broadcast table before leaving the arena. He then began competing for the WWF Hardcore Championship and at No Way Out on February 25, Big Show defeated Raven to win the championship. He would lose the title to Raven on the March 19 episode of Raw is War . Big Show lost to Kane in a Triple Threat match for the Hardcore Championship that also included Raven at WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1. He faced Shane McMahon,

20160-451: 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. On the October 7 episode of SmackDown , Big Show returned and became number one contender for

20352-424: The cartel grew, there were fewer independent promoters where independent wrestlers could find work, and many were forced to sign a contract with the cartel to receive steady work. The contracts forbade them from performing at independent venues. A wrestler who refused to play by the cartel's rules was barred from performing at its venues. A second goal of the wrestling cartels was to establish an authority to decide who

20544-418: The case of heels). The matches could also be gimmicky sometimes, with wrestlers fighting in mud and piles of tomatoes and so forth. The most successful and enduring gimmick to emerge from the 1930s were tag-team matches. Promoters noticed that matches slowed down as the wrestlers in the ring tired, so they gave them partners to relieve them. It also gave heels another way to misbehave by double-teaming. Towards

20736-423: The character in shows must be considered fictional, wholly separate from the life of the performer. This is similar to other entertainers who perform with a persona that shares their own name. Some wrestlers also incorporate elements of their real-life personalities into their characters, even if they and their in-ring persona have different names. Kayfabe is the practice of pretending that professional wrestling

20928-461: The commission. The Commission did on very rare occasions hand out such authorizations, such as for a championship match between Jim Londos and Jim Browning in June 1934. This decree did not apply to amateur wrestling, which the commission had no authority over. Wrestling fans widely suspected that professional wrestling was fake, but they did not care as long as it entertained. In 1933, a wrestling promoter named Jack Pfefer started talking about

21120-497: The company's lack of faith and plans for him at the time, he was completely removed from the upcoming WWF video games WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role and WWF No Mercy which were both released in November 2000. Big Show made a surprise, unannounced return as the #23 entrant in the Royal Rumble match on January 21, 2001, but was immediately eliminated by The Rock less than 2 minutes after his entry. Angered by his quick elimination, Big Show proceeded to chokeslam The Rock through

21312-431: 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 on March 30 by knockout after a shot to the jaw with brass knuckles . He turned face soon after. At One Night Stand on June 1, Big Show defeated CM Punk , John Morrison , Chavo Guerrero , and Tommy Dreamer in a Singapore Cane match . During

21504-540: The current fashion of wrestling is the universal discussion as to the honesty of the matches. And certainly the most interesting phrase of this discussion is the unanimous agreement: "Who cares if they're fixed or not—the show is good." Newspapers tended to shun professional wrestling, as journalists saw its theatrical pretense to being a legitimate sport as untruthful. Eventually promoters resorted to publishing their own magazines in order to get press coverage and communicate with fans. The first professional wrestling magazine

21696-532: 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 on November 14 in a 4-on-1 elimination match. His feud was poorly received, winning the Wrestling Observer Newsletter 's " Worst Feud Award " and he won

21888-565: The developing brain. The upper part of the pouch eventually constricts and detaches from the oral cavity. Cells in Rathke's pouch differentiate to form three parts of the adenohypophysis: the pars distalis, pars intermedia, and pars tuberalis. Formation of the Posterior Pituitary (4th to 8th week): The infundibulum from the diencephalon elongates downward, forming a stalk that connects with Rathke’s pouch. This stalk will develop into

22080-488: The end of Jeri-Show. On the February 8 episode of Raw , Big Show regained the titles from DX 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 ECW . On

22272-405: The end of the 1930s, faced with declining revenues, promoters chose to focus on grooming charismatic wrestlers with no regard for their skill because it was charisma that drew the crowds, and wrestlers who were both skilled at grappling and charismatic were hard to come by. Since most of the public by this time knew and accepted that professional wrestling was fake, realism was no longer paramount and

22464-603: The facade of kayfabe as best as they could. In 1989, Vince McMahon testified before the New Jersey government that professional wrestling was not a true sport and therefore should be exempted from sports-related taxes. Many wrestlers and fans resented McMahon for this, but Lou Thesz accepted it as the smart move as it gave the industry more freedom to do as it pleased, and because by that point professional wrestling no longer attempted to appear real. The demise of WCW in 2001 provided some evidence that kayfabe still mattered to

22656-470: The first place. "Double-crosses", where a wrestler agreed to lose a match but nevertheless fought to win, remained a problem in the early cartel days. At times a promoter would even award a victorious double-crosser the title of champion to preserve the facade of sport. But promoters punished such wrestlers by blacklisting them, making it quite challenging to find work. Double-crossers could also be sued for breach of contract, such as Dick Shikat in 1936. In

22848-604: 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

23040-415: The fusion of a pair of separate, but associated, glands. Most armadillos also possess a neural secretory gland very similar in form to the posterior pituitary, but located in the tail and associated with the spinal cord . This may have a function in osmoregulation . There is a structure analogous to the pituitary in the octopus brain. Although rudimentary in humans (and often considered part of

23232-610: The game is not popular here. Nine out of ten bouts, it has been said, are pre-arranged affairs, and it would be no surprise if the ratio of fixed matches to honest ones was really so high. The wrestler Lou Thesz recalled that between 1915 and 1920, a series of exposés in the newspapers about the integrity of professional wrestling alienated a lot of fans, sending the industry "into a tailspin". But rather than perform more shoot matches, professional wrestlers instead committed themselves wholesale to fakery. Several reasons explain why professional wrestling became fake whereas boxing endured as

23424-453: The giant, until Batista arrived to fight the trio and John Cena warded off JBL as he crawled away. At WrestleMania 21 on April 3, 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

23616-460: The government. They pledged to stop allocating exclusive territories to its promoters, to stop blacklisting wrestlers who worked for outsider promoters, and to admit any promoter into the Alliance. The NWA would flout many of these promises, but its power was nonetheless weakened by the lawsuit. Paul Bowser's AWA joined the NWA in 1949. The AWA withdrew from the Alliance in 1957 and renamed itself

23808-404: The hypothalamus and releases them into the bloodstream. 4. Final Structural Differentiation The pituitary gland achieves its final form, including the complete separation of anterior and posterior lobes, by the end of the first trimester The gland remains connected to the hypothalamus by the pituitary stalk, allowing it to integrate signals from the brain and regulate various endocrine functions in

24000-526: The independent. By 1956, the NWA controlled 38 promotions within the United States, with more in Canada, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The NWA's monopolistic practices became so stifling that the independents appealed to the government for help. In October 1956 the US Attorney General's office filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NWA in an Iowa federal district court. The NWA settled with

24192-480: The industry was anything but a competitive sport. The first wrestling promoter to publicly admit to routinely fixing matches was Jack Pfefer . In 1933, he started talking about the industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , resulting in a huge exposé. The exposé neither surprised nor alienated most wrestling fans, although some promoters like Jack Curley were furious and tried to restore

24384-496: The industry's inner workings to the New York Daily Mirror , maintaining no pretense that wrestling was real and passing on planned results just before the matches took place. While fans were neither surprised nor alienated, traditionalists like Jack Curley were furious, and most promoters tried to maintain the facade of kayfabe as best they could. Not the least interesting of all the minor phenomena produced by

24576-754: The infundibulum to terminals in the posterior pituitary. This simple arrangement differs sharply from that of the adjacent anterior pituitary, which does not develop from the hypothalamus. The release of pituitary hormones by both the anterior and posterior lobes is under the control of the hypothalamus , albeit in different ways. The anterior pituitary regulates several physiological processes by secreting hormones. This includes stress (by secreting ACTH ), growth (by secreting GH ), reproduction (by secreting FSH and LH ), metabolism rate (by secreting TSH ) and lactation (by secreting prolactin ). The intermediate lobe synthesizes and secretes melanocyte-stimulating hormone . The posterior pituitary (or neurohypophysis)

24768-534: 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

24960-423: The link between higher DHEA(S) levels (associated with relatively early adrenarche) and traits associated with social anxiety. Children who experience early adrenarcheal development tend to have larger pituitary gland volume compared to children with later adrenarcheal development. The Greek physician Galen referred to the pituitary gland by only using the ( Ancient Greek ) name ἀδήν , gland . He described

25152-667: The main term hypophysis is a much less popular term. Note: hypophysial (or hypophyseal ) means "related to the hypophysis (pituitary gland)". The anatomist Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring coined the name hypophysis . This name consists of ὑπό ('under') and φύειν ('to grow'). In later Greek ὑπόφυσις is used differently by Greek physicians as outgrowth . Sömmering also used the equivalent expression appendix cerebri , with appendix as appendage . In various languages, Hirnanhang in German and hersenaanhangsel in Dutch ,

25344-462: 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 on December 12 against Big Boss Man, he lost the title against Triple H on

25536-450: 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

25728-457: 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 on November 26, 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

25920-498: The members of wrestling cartels as the champion drew big crowds wherever he performed, and this would occasionally lead to schisms. By 1925, this cartel had divided the country up into territories which were the exclusive domains of specific promoters. This system of territories endured until Vince McMahon drove the fragmented cartels out of the market in the 1980s. This cartel fractured in 1929 after one of its members, Paul Bowser , bribed Ed "Strangler" Lewis to lose his championship in

26112-429: The middle of the ring using a dart gun and shaved his head on the fifth anniversary episode of SmackDown! . At No Way Out on February 20, 2005, 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 ganged on

26304-447: 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. On the October 12, 1998, episode of Nitro , Bill Goldberg defeated The Giant in

26496-413: 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 on July 23 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

26688-420: The on-screen owner of WCW, in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash on April 29 and was defeated following interference from Test. He turned face again soon after. Throughout The Invasion , Big Show remained loyal to the WWF. Big Show was also part of the victorious Team WWF at Survivor Series on November 18, though he was the first man eliminated. Shortly after WrestleMania X8 on March 17, 2002, Big Show

26880-539: The only wrestler who has won all four titles), and 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

27072-607: The pars distalis and the pars tuberalis, and is rudimentary in the human, although in other species it is more developed. It develops from a depression in the dorsal wall of the pharynx (stomal part) known as Rathke's pouch. The anterior pituitary contains several different types of cells that synthesize and secrete hormones. Usually there is one type of cell for each major hormone formed in anterior pituitary . With special stains attached to high-affinity antibodies that bind with distinctive hormone, at least 5 types of cells can be differentiated. The posterior pituitary consists of

27264-555: The pars nervosa, or posterior pituitary. Specialized cells from the hypothalamus, known as pituicytes, migrate to the posterior pituitary, where they help store and release hormones such as oxytocin and vasopressin. 3. Hormone Production and Functional Maturity By around the 12th to 16th week of gestation, the anterior pituitary begins producing hormones like growth hormone (GH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and others essential for fetal development. The posterior pituitary functions primarily in storage, as it stores hormones produced by

27456-463: The pituitary gland as part of a series of secretory organs for the excretion of nasal mucus . Anatomist Andreas Vesalius translated ἀδήν with glans, in quam pituita destillat , "gland in which slime ( pituita ) drips". Besides this 'descriptive' name, Vesalius used glandula pituitaria , from which the English name pituitary gland is ultimately derived. The expression glandula pituitaria

27648-450: The pituitary gland help control the following body processes: The development of the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is a complex process that occurs early in embryonic life and involves contributions from two distinct embryonic tissues. Here’s a detailed explanation: 1.Embryological Origin The pituitary gland develops from two embryonic tissues: Rathke's pouch: An ectodermal outpocketing from

27840-448: The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain , protruding off the bottom of the hypothalamus . The human pituitary gland is oval shaped , about 1 cm in diameter, 0.5–1 gram (0.018–0.035 oz) in weight on average, and about the size of a kidney bean . There are two main lobes of the pituitary, an anterior lobe , and a posterior lobe joined and separated by a small intermediate lobe . The anterior lobe (adenohypophysis)

28032-437: The platform used in boxing , serves as the main stage ; additional scenes may be recorded for television in backstage areas of the venue, in a format similar to reality television . Performers generally integrate authentic wrestling techniques and fighting styles with choreography , stunts , improvisation , and dramatic conventions designed to maximize entertainment value and audience engagement. Professional wrestling as

28224-539: The poll facing John Cena and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship at Taboo Tuesday on November 1. 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. In the weeks preceding Survivor Series on November 27, Big Show became involved in

28416-409: The posterior lobe and the pituitary stalk (infundibulum) that connects it to the hypothalamus. It develops as an extension of the hypothalamus, from the floor of the third ventricle . The posterior pituitary hormones are synthesized by cell bodies in the hypothalamus . The magnocellular neurosecretory cells , of the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei located in the hypothalamus, project axons down

28608-717: The promotion's closing in 1991. In the spring of 1984, the WWF purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), which had been ailing for some time due to financial mismanagement and internal squabbles. In the deal, the WWF acquired the GCW's timeslot on TBS . McMahon agreed to keep showing Georgia wrestling matches in that timeslot, but he was unable to get his staff to Atlanta every Saturday to fulfill this obligation, so he sold GCW and its TBS timeslot to Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP). JCP started informally calling itself World Championship Wrestling (WCW). In 1988, Ted Turner bought JCP and formally renamed it World Championship Wrestling. During

28800-405: The remainder of the anterior pituitary in size. The posterior lobe typically forms a sheet of tissue at the base of the pituitary stalk, and in most cases sends irregular finger-like projection into the tissue of the anterior pituitary, which lies directly beneath it. The anterior pituitary is typically divided into two regions, a more anterior rostral portion and a posterior proximal portion, but

28992-406: 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 on September 18, in which Big Show defeated Snitsky. On the September 26 episode of Raw , Big Show defeated Snitsky again in a Street Fight . On the October 17 episode of Raw , Big Show defeated Edge and was thus entered in an online opinion poll , with the winner of

29184-411: 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

29376-504: 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

29568-511: The roof of the primitive oral cavity, or stomodeum, which gives rise to the anterior pituitary (adenohypophysis). Infundibulum: A downward extension from the neuroectoderm of the diencephalon in the brain, which forms the posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis). 2. Developmental Stages Formation of Rathke's pouch (4th week of gestation): During the 4th week, an invagination of the oral ectoderm occurs, creating Rathke's pouch. Differentiation and Migration (5th to 6th week): Rathke's pouch grows towards

29760-553: 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

29952-575: 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

30144-405: The second capillary bed, the hypothalamic releasing hormones then bind to anterior pituitary endocrine cells, upregulating or downregulating their release of hormones. The anterior lobe of the pituitary can be divided into the pars tuberalis (pars infundibularis) and pars distalis (pars glandularis) that constitutes ~80% of the gland. The pars intermedia (the intermediate lobe) lies between

30336-440: The stamina for an hours-long fight. Audiences also preferred short matches. Worked matches also carried less risk of injury, which meant shorter recovery. Altogether, worked matches proved more profitable than shoots. By the end of the 19th century, nearly all professional wrestling matches were worked. A major influence on professional wrestling was carnival culture. Wrestlers in the late 19th century worked in carnival shows. For

30528-488: 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 . Professional wrestler 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Professional wrestling (often referred to as pro wrestling , or simply, wrestling )

30720-521: 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 . On the January 7, 2011, episode of SmackDown , Big Show participated in

30912-420: The terms are derived from appendix cerebri . The pituitary gland is found in all vertebrates, but its structure varies among different groups. The division of the pituitary described above is typical of mammals , and is also true, to varying degrees, of all tetrapods . However, only in mammals does the posterior pituitary have a compact shape. In lungfish , it is a relatively flat sheet of tissue lying above

31104-426: The territories of his former NWA peers, now his rivals. By the end of the 1980s, the WWF would become the sole national wrestling promotion in the U.S. This was in part made possible by the rapid spread of cable television in the 1980s. The national broadcast networks generally regarded professional wrestling as too niche an interest, and had not broadcast any national wrestling shows since the 1950s. Before cable TV,

31296-474: The time, he was only very minimally trained ( Johnny Polo taught him the collar-and-elbow tie-up ). Wight wrestled the first match of his career on December 3, 1994, at a World Wrestling Association (WWA) show in Clementon, New Jersey ; he lost by count-out to WWA Heavyweight Champion Frank Finnegan. Wight attempted to inquire about joining the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during an autograph session at

31488-409: The title change due to the circumstances surrounding it and the championship was vacated. 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

31680-399: The title shot. On the April 26, 2010, episode of Raw , Big Show and The Miz lost the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship to The Hart Dynasty . 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

31872-409: 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. 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

32064-420: The title to Kurt Angle a month later at Armageddon on December 15. 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 on January 19, 2003. He lost to Benoit after Benoit pinned him. After the match, Benoit was brutally attacked by Big Show and Angle. At

32256-515: 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

32448-519: The trial, witnesses testified that most of the "big matches" and all of the championship bouts were fixed. By the 1930s, with the exception of the occasional double-cross or business dispute, shoot matches were essentially nonexistent. In April 1930, the New York State Athletic Commission decreed that all professional wrestling matches held in the state had to be advertised as exhibitions unless certified as contests by

32640-471: The truth, their audiences would desert them. Today's performers don't "protect" the industry like we did, but that's primarily because they've already exposed it by relying on silly or downright ludicrous characters and gimmicks to gain popularity with the fans. It was different in my day, when our product was presented as an authentic, competitive sport. We protected it because we believed it would collapse if we ever so much as implied publicly that it

32832-535: The way of proceedings: the "in-show" happenings, presented through the shows; and real-life happenings outside the work that have implications, such as performer contracts, legitimate injuries, etc. Because actual life events are often co-opted by writers for incorporation into storylines of performers, the lines between real life and fictional life are often blurred and become confused. Special discern must be taken with people who perform under their own name (such as Kurt Angle and his fictional persona ). The actions of

33024-420: The winner of the tournament on the February 20 episode of Raw . The match was won by Triple H after he pinned Van Dam. 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

33216-420: The wrestlers quietly began faking their matches so that they could give their audiences a satisfying spectacle. Fixing matches was also convenient for scheduling. A real ("shoot") match could sometimes last hours, whereas a fixed ("worked") match can be made short, which was convenient for wrestlers on tour who needed to keep appointments or share venues. It also suited wrestlers who were aging and therefore lacked

33408-425: Was Wrestling As You Like It , which printed its first issue in 1946. These magazines were faithful to kayfabe . Before the advent of television, professional wrestling's fanbase largely consisted of children, the elderly, blue-collar workers and minorities. When television arose in the 1940s, professional wrestling got national exposure on prime-time television and gained widespread popularity. Professional wrestling

33600-459: 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

33792-488: Was challenges from independent wrestlers. But a cartelized wrestler, if challenged, could credibly use his contractual obligations to his promoter as an excuse to refuse the challenge. Promotions would sometimes respond to challenges with "policemen": powerful wrestlers who lacked the charisma to become stars, but could defeat and often seriously injure any challenger in a shoot match. As the industry trend continued, there were fewer independent wrestlers to make such challenges in

33984-432: 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 is War , Big Show faced The Undertaker for

34176-530: 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

34368-492: 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 on May 19, 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

34560-489: Was drafted to the Raw brand as a part of the 2009 WWE draft . At Backlash on April 26, 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 on May 17 by pinfall and at Extreme Rules on June 7 in

34752-633: Was driven by "a mom who was deaf in her right ear and chain-smoked". After leaving high school, Wight 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 went on to attend Wichita State University , where in 1991-1992 he played for

34944-455: 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. On February 17, 2008, at No Way Out , a much slimmer looking 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

35136-503: 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 on August 23, MVP and Mark Henry at Breaking Point on September 13 and Rey Mysterio and Batista at Hell in

35328-571: Was previously considered a niche interest, but the TV networks at the time were short on content and thus were willing to try some wrestling shows. In the 1960s, however, the networks moved on to more mainstream interests such as baseball, and professional wrestling was dropped. The core audience then shrunk back to a profile similar to that of the 1930s. In 1989, Vince McMahon was looking to exempt his promotion (the World Wrestling Federation ) from sports licensing fees. To achieve this, he testified before

35520-485: 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

35712-444: 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

35904-404: 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. 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

36096-415: Was something other than what it appeared to be. I'm not sure now the fear was ever justified given the fact that the industry is still in existence today, but the point is no one questioned the need then. "Protecting the business" in the face of criticism and skepticism was the first and most important rule a pro wrestler learned. No matter how aggressive or informed the questioner, you never admitted

36288-417: Was the "world champion". Before the cartels, there were multiple wrestlers in the U.S. simultaneously calling themselves the "world champion", and this sapped public enthusiasm for professional wrestling. Likewise, the cartel could agree on a common set of match rules that the fans could keep track of. The issue over who got to be the champion and who controlled said champion was a major point of contention among

36480-455: 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 on September 7 and later interfering in many of The Undertaker's matches on SmackDown . He defeated The Undertaker by knockout at No Mercy on October 5. However, Big Show lost to The Undertaker in a fan-voted Last Man Standing match at Cyber Sunday on October 26 and

36672-543: 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. Wight signed a ten-year contract with

36864-594: 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

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