Paulo César da Silva (born July 21, 1962) is a Brazilian former national

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the Brazilian national basketball team and later

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

and

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

, better known by his ring name Giant Silva. He stands 2.18 m (7 ft 2 in) and weighs 159 kg (351 lb). A super-heavyweight wrestler, he was both a

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

and a heel in several professional wrestling promotions. Known for his great height, in 2014 he was described as the sixth tallest professional wrestler in history.

Basketball career

In the 1980s, Silva was originally a professional

player. He played with the senior

Brazilian national basketball team The Brazil national basketball team is governed by the Brazilian Basketball Confederation ( pt, Confederação Brasileira de Basketball), abbreviated as CBB. They have been a member of the International Federation of Basketball (FIBA), since 19 ...

at the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

as Paulão da Silva. Very much like El Gigante/Giant Gonzales, who also started as a basketball player, the 7'2" (219 cm) tall da Silva, played as a reserve

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

on Brazil's national team, wearing the #13 jersey.

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Federation (1998–1999)

After turning pro in late 1997, Silva signed with

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

. After debuting he was given the name: "Giant Silva" and was a member of the Oddities stable. For most of his WWF tenure, Silva was a cornerman for the Oddities and his matches on TV were tag matches, teaming up with Golga and/or

Kurrgan Robert Maillet (born October 26, 1969) is a Canadian actor and retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his time in the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 1999, where he performed under the ring name ...

. His only highlight was at Summerslam 1998 when he, Golga, and Kurrgan defeated

Kai En Tai Kai En Tai (also spelled Kaientai) was a professional wrestling stable made up of Japanese wrestlers Shiryu, Dick Togo and Men’s Teioh, later joined by Sho Funaki and Taka Michinoku. The group was managed by Yamaguchi-San when they were in ...

in a 3 on 4 Handicap match. Silva was released around February 1999. He would reappear only once on the July 4, 1999 episode of

WWF Super Astros The following is a list of all WWE television programs. It also includes programming produced under the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC), World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and World Wrestling Entertainmen ...

in a victory over Pantera.

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (1999-2003)

After his WWF tenure, Silva joined Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and was renamed Gigante Silva. He was introduced by

midget wrestler Midget wrestling is professional wrestling involving people of exceptionally short stature. Its heyday was in the 1950s and 1960s, when wrestlers such as Little Beaver, Lord Littlebrook, toured North America, and Sky Low Low was the first holder ...

Tzuki Tzuki (sometimes spelled Tsuki or Tzuky) is a Mexican '' Luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler, who works as a '' Mini-Estrella'' or "Mini" division in Mexico. Throughout his career Tzuki has worked under various ring names, mo ...

and soon became an ally to ''tecnicos'', often teaming up in tag team matches against numerically superior ''rudos''. Silva struck an occasional team with fellow superheavyweight

Brazo de Plata José Luis Alvarado Nieves (March 19, 1963 – July 26, 2021) was a Mexican luchador best known under the ring name Brazo de Plata, a name he had used since his debut in 1977. He is also well known for his appearances in WWE as Super Porky. A ...

and had part in a feud with Gigante Kurggan, who was brought by Los Capos (the faction led by Apolo Dantes and

Universo 2000 Andrés Reyes González (April 18, 1963 – May 1, 2018) was a Mexican professional wrestler, or luchador, who was best known under the ring name Universo 2000. Reyes made his professional wrestling debut in 1985 and worked for Consejo Mundial de ...

) in order to oppose him. In November 2003, Silva turned ''rudo'' himself and allied with Pierroth Jr. and his valet

La Comandante Norma Martínez (born April 23, 1978), known by the ring name La Comandante, is a Mexican ''luchadora'', or female professional wrestler currently working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) portr ...

before leaving Mexico for Japan full time.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Hustle (2001–2008)

In 2001, Silva joined

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...

. He originally debuted on August 12, 2001 as a member of Masahiro Chono's stable: Team 2000Strong Style Spirit
Puroresufan.com. Retrieved on November 8, 2012. where he was paired up with another Giant: Giant Singh (better known as The Great Khali) as the tag team: Club 7. Silva made his in-ring debut for New Japan when he took part in the G1 World Climax tournament where he finished in 4th place with 4 points. He and Singh made their debut as a tag team at Indicate of Next on October 8, 2001 where they defeated

Hiroshi Tanahashi is a Japanese professional wrestler. He works primarily for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, his accolades in NJPW include a record setting eight reigns as IWGP Heavywei ...

Kenzo Suzuki is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and in the United States with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he was a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion in the lat ...

Yutaka Yoshie , is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer in Japan, performing most notably for All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a former World Tag Team Champion. He has previously worked for promotions such as New Japa ...

, &

Wataru Inoue is a Japanese retired professional wrestler currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Professional wrestling career Inoue made his debut on New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1999. He aligned himself with New Japan Junior Seikigun, a face ...

in a 4 on 2 handicap match. In the fall of 2001, Silva teamed with Chono in the 2001 G1 Tag League with the team finishing in 7th place with 6 points. In 2002, Silva took part in several tournaments. In February he was part of the a tournament for the vacated

IWGP Heavyweight Championship The was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on June 12, 1987, in the final of an IW ...

but lost in the first round to eventual winner:

Tadao Yasuda is a Japanese retired sumo wrestler (''rikishi''), professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. He competed in sumo from 1979 to 1992 under the ''shikona'' of Takanofuji Tadao, achieving the rank of ''komusubi'', and afterwards turned to prof ...

.Strong Style Spirit
Puroresufan.com. Retrieved on November 8, 2012. Two days later on February 3, Silva, Singh, and Chono won the Teisen Hall Cup 6 Man Tag Team Tournament. In March, Club 7 then entered a tournament for the vacated

IWGP Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the . The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event. The ...

.Strong Style Spirit
Puroresufan.com. Retrieved on November 8, 2012. In the first round, they defeated fellow Team 2000 members:

Scott Norton Scott Norton (born June 15, 1961) is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, in which he was a member of the New World Order and nWo Japan. He ...

and Super J, but lost to

Yuji Nagata is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). A two-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, World Heavyweight Champion and a GHC Heavyweight Champion, making him a four-time world champion in major professio ...

and Manabu Nakanishi in the semi-finals. In the spring of 2002, Club 7 broke up and began feuding shortly afterwards. The two were scheduled to face each other at Toukon Memorial Day on May 2, 2002 but an injury to Singh prevented the match from taking place. The two finally fought at Cross Road on August 29, 2002 with Silva defeating Singh. From 2004–2008, Silva wrestled for HUSTLE where he took part in a variety of matches and formed teams with

Toshiaki Kawada (born December 8, 1963) is a Japanese semi-retired professional wrestler best known for his work in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), whom he worked for from his debut in 1982 up until 2008. In All Japan, he was a 5 time Triple Crown Heavyweight ...

, and

Mark Coleman Mark Daniel Coleman (born December 20, 1964) is an American retired mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and amateur wrestler. Coleman was the UFC 10 and UFC 11 tournament champion, the first UFC Heavyweight Champion, and the Pride ...

Independent circuit (2008–2010)

Silva also competed in National Wrestling Superstars.

Mixed martial arts career

Pride Fighting Championships (2003–2006)

After his career in NJPW, Silva was signed by

Dream Stage Entertainment Dream Stage Entertainment (DSE) was a Japanese company that promoted various wrestling and mixed martial arts events, most notably mixed martial arts Pride Fighting Championship and Hustle professional wrestling events. Company history Allegat ...

and competed in Pride Fighting Championships, a defunct

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

organization based in Japan. Although at one time he trained with members of the

Gracie family The Gracie Family () are a prominent martial arts family originally from Belém, state of Pará, Brazil whose ancestors came from Paisley, Scotland. They are known for creating the self-defense martial arts system of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also kno ...

, most notably Ricardo Gracie and

Ralek Gracie Ralek Gracie (born October 4, 1985) is an American Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist. As the son of Rorion Gracie, he is a member of the Gracie family. He was awarded his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu by his grandfath ...

, he only had a crash course in Brazilian jiu-jitsu when he had his debut in Pride Shockwave 2003 against 250lbs

Heath Herring Heath Herring (born March 2, 1978) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division of Rizin. While perhaps best known for competing in PRIDE, he has also formerly competed for the UFC and K-1. ...

. Silva led the more experienced fighter to the third round, absorbing repeated leg kicks and taking Herring down once, but Heath capitalized and reversed it into a

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keiko ...

for the win. In April 2004, Silva took part in the Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament, whose first round saw him facing sumo wrestler Henry "Sentoryu" Miller, only 85lbs lighter. Sentoryu accomplished a takedown on Silva and attacked his guard, only for Silva's height to neutralize his

ground and pound Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

attempts, as the sumo did not reach to his head. Miller finally got side control, but then Silva reversed him with a Kimura lock and made him tap out. The pro wrestler then advanced to the second round, being pitted against former world judo champion Naoya Ogawa, who won the fight by takedown and ground and pound TKO. Silva would then face another professional wrestler,

Pro Wrestling NOAH (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left the ...

Takashi Sugiura is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for Pro Wrestling Noah (Noah). Sugiura, an accomplished amateur wrestler, joined Noah's dojo in 2000, making his professional debut on December 23, 2000, and thus becoming the first wrestler ...

, who used his wrestling acumen to take him down and land knees and punches for the stoppage. The match had some controversy, as a brawl erupted after the bout and Silva had to be restrained by several ring crew men. On December 31, 2006 Giant Silva finally faced a heavier opponent, the former yokozuna

Akebono Tarō is an American-born Japanese former professional sumo wrestler and professional wrestler from Waimānalo, Hawaii. Joining sumo in Japan in 1988, he was trained by pioneering Hawaiian wrestler Takamiyama and rose swiftly up the rankings, r ...

, at K-1 Premium 2006. The sumo clinched Silva and pressed him against the ropes, until Silva broke the hug and transitioned a

Kimura lock An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

in way to the ground, submitting Akebono for his second and last win.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 2–6 ,

Akebono Taro Akebono is a Japanese word meaning ''dawn'' or the color of the sky at dawn. It may refer to: Science * ''Akebono'' (fly), a fly genus in the family Sciomyzidae or Phaeomyiidae * Akebono (satellite), a magnetosphere observation satellite Ships ...

, Submission (kimura) ,

K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!! ''K-1 PREMIUM 2006 Dynamite!!'' was an annual kickboxing and mixed martial arts event held by K-1 and Hero's on New Year's Eve, Sunday, December 31, 2006 at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka, Japan. It featured 10 HERO'S MMA rules fights, and 4 K-1 ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–6 ,

Ikuhisa Minowa is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler currently competing in IGF as . A professional MMA competitor since 1996, he was a longtime veteran of PRIDE and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotions ...

, TKO (knees) , Pride – Bushido 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:33 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–5 , James Thompson , TKO (soccer kicks) ,

PRIDE Shockwave 2005 The year 2005 is the 9th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2005 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 29 - Fists of Fire''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:28 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–4 , Choi Mu-Bae , Submission (arm-triangle choke) ,

PRIDE Shockwave 2004 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:47 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–3 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

PRIDE Bushido 4 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 ,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–2 , Naoya Ogawa , TKO (punches) , PRIDE Critical Countdown 2004 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:29 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–1 ,

Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...

, Submission (kimura) ,

PRIDE Total Elimination 2004 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:04 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

PRIDE Shockwave 2003 The year 2003 is the 7th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2003 had 6 events beginning with, ''Pride 25 - Body Blow''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The follow ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:35 , Saitama, Japan ,

Championships and accomplishments

* Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre **Torneo de Trios (2001) – with

La Fiera Arturo Casco Hernández (March 17, 1961 – September 12, 2010) was a Mexican '' luchador'', or professional wrestler, best known under the ring name La Fiera, which is Spanish for "The Wild Beast". Hernández was a second-generation wrestler, fo ...

**Teisen Hall Six-Man Tournament (2002) – with

Masahiro Chono is an American-born Japanese-American retired professional wrestler and actor best known for his 26 year stint with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). As the leader of nWo Japan, Team 2000 and Black New Japan, he was the promotion's top heel for ...

and Giant Singh

References

External links

Giant Silva at Sherdog.comPride FC Archive Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silva, Giant 1963 births Brazilian male mixed martial artists Brazilian male professional wrestlers Super heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian men's basketball players Olympic basketball players of Brazil Basketball players at the 1988 Summer Olympics Living people Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Basketball players from São Paulo People with gigantism Centers (basketball)