Paul Wight has shared new details about the acromegaly diagnosis that changed his life as a teenager and the surgery that doctors warned would be necessary for him to survive long term.

Speaking during an appearance on the High Performance podcast, the former WWE and AEW star recalled learning about the condition while attending Wichita State University. Wight explained that throughout his childhood and teenage years, he simply believed he was naturally gifted athletically because of his size, endurance, and strength.

“I was 19. I went my whole life, I thought I was just gifted because I had incredible endurance. I ate whatever I wanted. I could run all day, and strong and all that,” Wight said.

According to Wight, a doctor at Wichita State immediately recognized physical signs connected to acromegaly due to his previous experience working at the Mayo Clinic.

“He looked at my hands, and there’s different things. Like the roof of my mouth is very high, jawline, sinuses, and stuff like that,” Wight explained.

The doctor then informed him that he believed he had acromegaly, a hormonal disorder caused by excess growth hormone that is often linked to pituitary tumors.

“He says, ‘I think you have acromegaly.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ Then, within a week, I was at the Mayo Clinic, and they’re telling me they got to do this pituitary surgery. What, I had a tumor? This is why I’m this way?”

Paul Wight Says Doctors Warned Him About His Life Expectancy

Wight admitted he nearly declined the surgery despite doctors warning him that refusing treatment could dramatically shorten his life.

“That was just a figure that I was told because I almost didn’t get the surgery,” Wight said. “They were telling me, ‘Well, if you don’t get this surgery, you’ll probably be dead by the time you’re 45.’”

At the time, Wight was preparing for his sophomore athletic season at Wichita State and struggled to fully grasp the seriousness of the situation.

“I remember thinking like, ‘45’s a long time away. I don’t know.’ I mean, you know, I’m going to start my sophomore season at Wichita State. I don’t know. Maybe I should just, you know, not get the surgery.”

He credited his sister for pushing him toward making the correct decision.

“I remember my sister was very adamant at the time. No, you’re getting the surgery.”

Wight also explained that while he was affected by acromegaly, his naturally large family background helped reduce some of the severe physical complications often experienced by others with the condition.

“I would have been big anyway. I would have been probably 6’7”, 6’8”, anyway, because my family’s big,” Wight stated. “I got the benefits of it, but I didn’t have a lot of the trauma that a lot of people that get acromegaly go through because they weren’t made to be bigger people.”

Following a career spanning more than two decades in WWE, Wight joined All Elite Wrestling in 2021, where he worked as a commentator for AEW Dark. In recent months, Wight has also focused heavily on improving his conditioning and physique while teasing a possible return to the ring.

Paul Wight Opens Up About Acromegaly Diagnosis And Life-Saving Surgery

AdvertisementAdvertisement