Although the Big Show is one of the biggest and most iconic names in WWE history, in addition to being one of its physically largest athletes, he ended up becoming a meme over the years for how he was booked.
A fixture in professional wrestling from the 90s and into the 2020s even, as Show got older and had to become less of a focus due to wear and tear, he ended up transitioning nicely into a comedic relief role that showcased an underappreciated side to him as a performer.
All the while, WWE increasingly utilized him as a different sort of plot device and something of an inside joke to fans, as Big Show became most famous for turning on his teammates at the drop of a hat.
Natalya turned heel on Maxxine Dupri
You just never knew when he would turn face or heel, and it got to the point where you almost predicted that he was going to turn – and even turn again within the same match.
On the January 19th episode of WWE Raw in Belfast, Natalya suddenly swooped in and turned on former friend and mentee Maxxine Dupri in a turn that few saw coming going into the show – but that few truly saw as unpredictable afterwards.
Natalya is, like the Big Show, a respected name in professional wrestling who understands that business as well as anyone and has been around for a while with her own fair share of iconic programs and memories (as well as a whole lot of comedic relief spots).
And now, as a veteran in the locker room, Nattie is no longer a focus for WWE but a plot device. And she, too, has been turning quite a bit at whim over the years, with this latest heel turn being another example of that.
Nobody will ever confuse the Big Show and Natalya, but the two have similar careers in terms of their longevity and probably being made fun of a little too much by wrestling fans in comparison to how little credit they have gotten for their often unselfish work in elevating others at their own expense.
And now, like Show, Natalya is a veteran glue profile in the locker room who is there for comedic relief, to nurture young talent, and to provide a brief shock or laugh with a sudden heel turn. It seems strange to think of her as the new Show, but that’s kind of who she is at this point.
Joe helped manage the pro wrestling site Daily DDT from 2017 to 2019. He has appeared in many wrestling podcasts and has had his work featured by mainstream media sites and professional wrestlers themselves. Joe also covers soccer, writing about Tottenham for Hotspur HQ, Real Madrid for A Trip to Cibeles, and general world football for The Trivela Effect.