Their faces always seem to take on different forms of anguish. Sometimes, the skin ripples like the effect of standing behind a jumbo jet while it's taking off. At others, the recoil resembles whiplash from a head-on car collision … or a train, as one of the victims confessed to WWE.com.
Big Show's Weapon of Mass Destruction, or WMD for short, is arguably the most fearsome finishing move in WWE – and it's not hard to see why. Its purpose is not to simply keep an opponent down for the count, but rather to make sure he stays down for good. In most cases, there is no such thing as a rally or a near-fall after feeling the brunt of Show's right-handed knockout punch, and every Superstar from John Cena to WWE Champion CM Punk can attest to this. As for reversals? That's like trying to stop a sledgehammer with your teeth. (PHOTOS: BIG SHOW'S BIGGEST KNOCKOUTS)
Why is the WMD such a brutally effective blow? WWE.com spoke to The World's Largest Athlete himself, as well as one of the men who has been knocked out cold on more than one occasion, to break down what makes it possibly the most ruthless act of punishment a WWE Superstar can endure.
Taking a mighty right hook from a giant is drastically different than a regular punch to the face. When Big Show throws the WMD, he winds up his entire 7-foot, 441-pound frame and unleashes the full force of his weight. That windup lights the fuse of Show's cannon, with his fist serving as the cannonball.
"My punch has been measured at almost twice that of a normal heavyweight champion," Big Show told WWE.com.
It also helps that The World's Largest Athlete throws his hook with such skill and precision, because even the most powerful weapon is rendered useless if one doesn't know how to use it properly. By leaving such a wide path of destruction in the four years the WMD has been part of his arsenal, the Herculean Superstar has proven conclusively that he's mastered the craft of knocking combatants out.
"Unlike 95 percent of the people in WWE, I actually know how to throw a punch," Big Show said. "I know how to throw a punch with impact and I'm a great puncher."
When asked if the size of his massive fist is a big factor in why the WMD is so feared, Big Show fired back with some choice words at WWE.com for "stating the obvious." Well, forgive us for playing the role of Captain Obvious, but when you're getting smashed in the face, size definitely matters.
In the October 2002 edition of WWE Magazine, Big Show's fist was listed at a whopping 15 inches in circumference. For comparison's sake, former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson's fist is reportedly 13 inches in circumference and another former boxing champ, Lennox Lewis, was reportedly measured at 12 inches. For more fun with numbers, an official softball is 11 inches in circumference and a super jumbo artichoke can be sized up to 14 inches.
We'd choose getting whacked with a super jumbo artichoke any day of the week over Big Show's colossal fist.
"Everyone has a plan … until they get punched in the mouth," Mike Tyson once said in an interview.
That priceless quote from the WWE Hall of Famer undoubtedly holds true for anyone in WWE who tangles with Big Show.
His WMD is usually targeted at an opponent's jaw for good reason. When the punch connects on the button, it causes the Superstar's head to vigorously spin around, which causes head trauma and results in a knockout. The spots particularly vulnerable to knockout-inducing blows are the sides of the chin, where the jaw is hinged to the rest of the skull. Ricardo Rodriguez, who has been floored a couple of times by Big Show, vividly described to WWE.com what this sudden impact feels like.
"It's like you're getting run over by a train over and over and over again," Rodriguez said. "Not because it happens so many times, but because after one punch, your head throbs soooo much. That's as much as I can still remember."
Unless you happen to be a Punjabi Giant, you're not going to be able to stand face to face with Big Show. This means the WMD will be coming at a vicious downward trajectory from the 7-footer, which may tack on extra impact to the punch. For a Superstar like Daniel Bryan, one of Big Show's past rivals, we're talking about a height difference of more than a foot. Picture a boulder rolling down a hill, except the boulder is a fistful of fury.
These four factors add up to a unique world of hurt for whoever Big Show chooses to release the WMD on. Since being granted an ironclad contract from General Manager John Laurinaitis, the list of victims has gotten longer and longer – and even WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon is now on it.
If John Cena can't stop the uncontrollable titan in his tracks at No Way Out Sunday, expect the head-throbbing and bone-crunching knockouts to keep on coming.