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A Big Show: Wrestler Paul Wight has ‘honor’ of singing 7th inning stretch

3 years agoAndy Martinez

After over 25 years in professional wrestling there’s not too much that could get Paul Wight — formerly known as WWE wrestler the Big Show — nervous.

“I’ve worn spandex in front of millions of people all over the world,” Wight joked.

Thursday night at Wrigley Field, Wight met his match. It didn’t come in the ring or in a pay-per-view event. No, Wight sung the 7th inning stretch during the Cubs’ series opener against the Pirates.

“That’s one of the most nerve-wracking things I’ve ever done,” Wight, who had sweat dripping down his forehead after singing it, said. “I’m a Cubs fan, I’m a fan of Wrigley Field, I’m a fan of Chicago and I know what an honor and opportunity this is.”

Wight is in Chicago with the new company he works with, All Elite Wrestling, where he serves as a performer and commentator.

The secret to the stretch, Wight thought, was to go along with the crowd. They would set the tone, he could match it and then he could perform the stretch in a respectable manner.

There was just one problem.

“From so many years of pyro in the ring I think I’m half deaf because I hardly couldn’t hear,” Wight admitted.

So, he continued along, verse by verse belting out the famous words to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”.

“I did the best I could,” Wight said with a laugh.

That put the cap on a fun day for Wight at the Friendly Confines. In addition to throwing out the 7th inning stretch, Wight threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. He received some tips from Cubs’ fan and Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello, who told him to “aim high”. Nothing, though, compared to that seventh inning stretch.

“The adrenaline is still pumping through me like I just won a heavyweight championship,” Wight said. “To be here at this historic field, Wrigley Field, for an incredible team like the Cubs, to sing the 7th inning stretch, it’s one of the high points of getting to do cool things in my life.”

 

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