Did Anyone Else Notice A De-Emphasis On Exaggerated Weights?

[Miz_Mark]

Watching Raw last night, something struck me. Perhaps I'm giving too much thought to a random change, but I noticed a night long trend of wrestlers being billed at lower/more accurate weights.

Sin Cara has previously been billed at 196, but was announced at 170.

Khali generally has been announced at 420 (with JR even using that weight again last night) but was announced at 347 (and Cole referred to him as 350)

Christian, Ryder, and Punk are all generally referred to as in the 220s, however last night: Christian 199, Ryder 204, Punk 208.

There may have been other examples, but those jumped out at me.

Did this strike anyone else? And if it did, do you think this was a random fluctuation in announcing, or does it reflect a conscious decision from WWE to represent the weights of their superstars more accurately, perhaps as a subtle continuation of the "Reality Era"?

Discuss.

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

Yes they redo the billing every now and then, which is a good thing. There's not really an accurate way to know whether they're kayfabe or not unless it's intentionally done like Crash Holly's "allegedly well over 400 lbs", which was played for laughs. Great times were had doing Howard Finkel impressions when I was a lad, I tell you.

Everyone's noticeably lighter. Is this an attempt to mitigate Punk's claim that smaller guys are looked down on?

Even Mark Henry was billed roughly 10 pounds lighter.

Christian's been looking extra-lean as of late and he's always been skinny 'round the calves and thighs.

 

[dude_d_dude]

You're right, it shows how exaggerated they can be sometimes, Khali lost 70+ pounds, REALLY?
I mean 5-10 pounds here and there isn't as bad but 70?!

I never saw the point of weight exaggeration, being 225 lb of muscle is pretty damn impressive enough, what's the point of being 250?
I mean I know there's an intimidation factor in doing so but still, at least be REMOTELY realistic.

 

[waylonmercy]

I noticed that last night with Khali becuase Cole called him a 7'1" (315lbs is what i heard but 350lbs is probably what it was really said) and then Jim Ross immediately called him a 7' 400lb giant.

 

[metalbass]

Yes the WWE seem to be heading in that direction. Here's a couple noticable exaggerations from the past:

Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake: 292 lbs. (I don't think he was really any more than about 240 if lucky).

Big Boss Man: 360 lbs. He was easily in the 200's.

Dynamite Kid: 220 lbs. Was actually around 180 lbs.

Yokozuna: 505 lbs. to 550, 568, 641, 668 and I believe was over 700 lbs. at one time. There's no way he gained 200 lbs. throughout his career.

 

[Cebeards]

I think it's just wrestling finally admitting the chagne in bodytype; most top tier guys are smaller now.

Did you see Jackman next to Ziggler, Dolph looked like a high school kid next to Jackman. Hugh Jackman is 6'2, which makes Dolph under 6 foot tall, and he is way to lean to be 225.

John Cena is one of the larger guys, at least larger looking and he is billed at 240, which is a realistic number, if they are gonna bill him at 240, then they can't bill Miz at 242 can they?

You want to talk about the Evolution of a predator? Randy Orton is about 6'4, I know cause he is the same height as me and I've stood next to the guy; but he has always been billed heavy, even when he was slimming down, hell in the height of the Viper character he slimmed down to about 220, yet he was still billed 245 plus.

I worked out next to the Miz, Kofi and Bourne. In person; Miz is just over 200 lbs and benches 185 for partial reps, Kofi is 200 at veeeeery most and did nothing but curls; and even bourne looked like a middle school kid in sweats and had to weight about 150, hell he almost killed himself trying to do cleans with 135..."hang cleans" google it if all else fails.

Hell, I workout next to Monty Brown a couple times a week, he was billed at 6'2, 265...he is that big, probably heavier right now, but Imagine him standing next to the Brutus Beefcake, Monty is a larger guy, you can't bill the Brutus around 300 and Monty at 265; just won't work anymore.

If you really think Hogan is 6'7, go watch a Rent a Center commercial with him next to 6'4 Troy Aikman, Aikman looks taller

I honestly think they are just starting to be a bit more honest, a bit more realistic and are trying to show people that they aren't are roided up monsters, they are leaner athletes.

 

[4realpeoples]

I didn't notice the change in weight billing. I had to youtube the videos to make sure. And they did change them. WWE does weigh ins a couple times per year to change the billings. Billing people higher than they actually are isn't a problem unless its not realistic. There are a few examples of people being billed higher said already but I have another example. The Rock was billed as 260 pounds. He weighed no more than 225 during the time he was billed as that. Right now Kurt Angle is billed as 240 pounds when he is around 210 at the moment.

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

I actually noticed both Zack Ryder and Great Khali were billed as noticably lighter last night on RAW. Ryder was billed as 204 with his usual weight being 214. Khali was put over as 7', 350 by Cole on commentary(with JR going back to the 7'4",420).

I didn't hear Christian's or Punk's weight differences. I'm glad they were finally billed accurately, as I've seen Christian in person. He's maybe 6' at the most with 200 being the max weight for him. Punk and Christian are similar in height and weight, with Punk outweighting him by maybe 10 lbs.

It's about time WWE stops exaggerating heights and weights, b/c when you're fans see you live, you can't fake it. I've been to both WWE and TNA shows, and guys are much shorter and lighter in person than they are normal listed. I'm 5'10 and about 200 lbs, and I'm as big as most of the wrestlers in TNA, and compare to alot of the normal sized guys in WWE. So, to lie about it makes no sense to me. Fans love wrestlers, and it doesn't matter what size they are. I don't care if The Rock was only 6'2" and 220 lbs, he still the same charismatic wrestler. Or if Kurt Angle is 5'10" and 200 lbs, he's still my Olympic Hero. None of that matter if you are talented and earn your place in wrestling.

 

[Wild Bill 89]

Yeah, they used to deduct weight and height for some light heavyweights. I remember when Christian was in the Brood, he was billed as 5'10" and around 215 lbs, now he's all of a sudden over 6' and around 230 lbs. Same for the Hardys.

Sounds like they're may be trying to retcon the stats to provide a more realistic product.

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

If anything, exaggerating heights and weights makes an unrealistic product. Cause like I said, when you see the guys live, you can't fake size. IMO, gone are the days when wrestlers were thought of as some exaggerated comic book characters. Also, I think over the past 15 years or so, gone are the days when big men ruled the sport. So if wrestling has become more real, why keep up exaggerated appearances? Fans are smart enough to know when WWE is embellishing facts. In the end, lying about size is irrelevant and doesn't benefit anyone, other than maybe Vince being in love with bigger guys. I'm glad to see WWE is realizing that and finally evolving in that area.

 

[PowerHouse]

While it seems they are giving realistic weights for some guys they also seem to be Low balling others. The Great Kahli is 7'2 I believe and like 400 lbs. Mason Ryan who I believe is bigger than 290 is still listed at that weight. If you ask me he looks bigger than Batista ever did and no smaller than Eziekel Jackson who is well over 300. Then there is Dolph Ziggler who they announced at 230 lbs,if dolph is 210 i would be greatly surprised. They are picking and choosing the stars who they are releasing more realistic weights for and keeping others fabricated either to high or lower than their actual weight.

 

[Miz_Mark]

Khali is around 7'1, and though a massive man, look at his lower body, not well developed. He could very easily be around 350. Mason Ryan I also believe could easily be 290, in fact Welsh publications chronicalling his participation in Gladiators credit him as a legitimate 280 and I tend to believe that to be fairly accurate.

In the past, it's always seemed that no matter how small a guy was, if he was going to be an upper card talent, they billed him as atleast 220s (Mysterio a noted exception). I hope these new smaller weights are a trend and reflect WWE giving up the idea that they have to artificially inflate the sizes of their athletes.

 

[ccotreau1]

I can understand why they keep it at 1 weight, even tho the wrestler's weight will fluctuate a bit. Instead of having them weigh in every week, they probably weigh them once, and just use that weight for an extended period of time to save time for other things, like working out or whatever

 

[IT Factor]

WWE needs to keep announcing superstars at their accurate weights & heights. In keeping with making everything realistic, it just makes more sense. I do believe that they only weight the WWE superstars once and use that over an extended amount of time. They keep it for months and don't change it. Even when the weights are off noticeably. Good for them, keep it real.

 

[PowerHouse]

If you look at pictures of Mason Ryan from his days in the Gladiator TV show to know he is at the very least 15 pounds heavier now than he was. I bet he is closer to 300 than he is 290. Great Kahli is taller than 7'1 he is 7'2 or better. Not quite Andre's height but taller than Big show who is close to 7'1 himself

 

[Miz_Mark]

Show is an even 7', Khali is 7'1."

I have no problem believing Mason Ryan is 290 or that Khali is 350.

 

[IT Factor]

Isn't Shaq legit 7'1? Because Show was shorter than him. And Nash is billed as 6'10 and he looks just as tall if not taller than Show. Although Show definetely has both of them on the weight front. Khali is NOT 7'4. That's wrong and they need to correct it. He looks legit 350 though.

 

[TUFFY54]

Khali was a mistake. He is easily 400 pounds. As far as the other guys go, WWE jakes up peoples stats to the point of being stupid.

I did a similar thread to this about a year ago after sitting front row at a live event. They've gotten better about it, but the stats were ridiculous. RVD was announced as 6'2'' 230. He's lucky to be 5'10'' and might weigh 210. Sabu was TINY. I'd bet he was 5'8'' and 175. Of course he was announced as 6' and 205. A surprising one was Test. He was big, but no where near 6'7'' and 300. I'd say big show was right on the money. He was the largest man I had ever seen.

I think the UFC is stopping the WWE from jacking everyone's weight up. Look at Rampage Jackson. He's a huge guy. WWE would have billed him as 6'3'' and weighing 250 pounds. However, they broadcast the weigh in to the world that he's 6'1'' and weighs 210. Same with Kurt Angle. WWE said he was 6'2'' and weight 250 pounds. His Olympic stats have him at 5'10'' and 220. Brock Lesnar is a fucking beast in the UFC. He weighs in at 265 pounds. Are we really to believe he had 30 more pounds of muscle in the WWE.

Watch footage of Arnold Schwarzenegger from when he was Mr. Olympia. He was 6'2'' and 240 pounds of pure muscle. There's not a guy on the WWE roster that can come close to how jacked he was. Are we really supposed to believe that he only had 20 pounds on Christain?

 

[MFR0mack]

Yokozuna: 505 lbs. to 550, 568, 641, 668 and I believe was over 700 lbs. at one time. There's no way he gained 200 lbs. throughout his career.

He gained more than that, actually. When he started in '92 he was being billed as 505lbs, but was more around late 300s and wearing pads in his tights to make him seem bigger. By the time he got top-spot, though, he was being flown first-class and stuffing his face with food all the time (Vince encouraged him to gain weight for the benefit of the part).

By '95 he was literally about 600lbs and by the time he was let go in '97, there were many reports (such as from fellow wrestlers like Bret Hart) that said he was seriously close to 800lbs. When he did the Heroes Of Wrestling thing in '99 he looked awful.

 

[Miz_Mark]

Brock Lesnar is a fucking beast in the UFC. He weighs in at 265 pounds. Are we really to believe he had 30 more pounds of muscle in the WWE.

Just a bit of a clarification, Brock Lesnar *fights* at 265, that's not what he actually weighs. He has to cut weight to make 265. Lesnar walks around anywhere from 280-310, and is well over 265 by the time he fights. Remember, UFC has weight classes and as such its fighters are always cutting weight.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I noticed it right away on Raw last night. I remember thinking, jokingly of course, that Sin Cara had dropped 26 pounds since last week as he was announced at 170 lbs last night rather than the 196 lbs he's been announced at since his debut in WWE. Sheamus was listed at 267, which isn't far off the mark at being announced at 272, Khali's announced weight surprised the crap out of me, Punk weighing in at 208 lbs is perfectly believable, Ziggler being announced at only 203 was a little shocking. I'd have legitimately put him about 220 or so.

It doesn't bother me or anything and I don't think it'll really have any effect on any of the fans. Wrestling is changing, generally speaking, when it comes to the size of guys coming in. A lot of the best talent today or coming into the business today are well under the 250 pound mark and maybe WWE just doesn't really feel the need to exaggerate the weight of wrestlers now. After all, you can look at a lot of their roster and tell just with your own eyes that they're considerably lighter than what they're announced as.

 

[metalbass]

He gained more than that, actually. When he started in '92 he was being billed as 505lbs, but was more around late 300s and wearing pads in his tights to make him seem bigger. By the time he got top-spot, though, he was being flown first-class and stuffing his face with food all the time (Vince encouraged him to gain weight for the benefit of the part).

By '95 he was literally about 600lbs and by the time he was let go in '97, there were many reports (such as from fellow wrestlers like Bret Hart) that said he was seriously close to 800lbs. When he did the Heroes Of Wrestling thing in '99 he looked awful.

Actually I think you have something there. When he started there was NO WAY he was 505 lbs. though. He did look way out of shape near the end of his career and when he started talking fluent English "I'm not the same Yoko" I knew something was really wrong with him.

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

Just a bit of a clarification, Brock Lesnar *fights* at 265, that's not what he actually weighs. He has to cut weight to make 265. Lesnar walks around anywhere from 280-310, and is well over 265 by the time he fights. Remember, UFC has weight classes and as such its fighters are always cutting weight.

I'd have to agree here. Lesnar is still as big now as he was in WWE. So, either he's always been 265(which wouldn't be a stretch since WWE exaggerates), or 295 is what he weights by fight night. Although gaining 30 lbs from weigh in to fight kinda seems unrealistic. Not even Hogan's "vitamins" could accomplish that.

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

I want to know Barrett's new billed weight. Looking at him, he's about 6' 5", biled @ 260, whereas Triple H was previously billed at Night of Champions @ 255. No way Barrett weighs more than Triple H.

Bone mass does count for quite a bit in weights though, maybe that counts for the surprising 203 for Ziggler.

 

[Miz_Mark]

I'd have to agree here. Lesnar is still as big now as he was in WWE. So, either he's always been 265(which wouldn't be a stretch since WWE exaggerates), or 295 is what he weights by fight night. Although gaining 30 lbs from weigh in to fight kinda seems unrealistic. Not even Hogan's "vitamins" could accomplish that.

He might not get back up to 295 by fight night, but he could easily weigh in at 265 during the afternoon on Saturday and be up to 280 by Sunday night. A huge amount of weight cutting is dehydrating yourself, and that you can put back on in a day pretty easily. Add to that a few big ol' meals and fighting at 15-20 pounds higher than your weigh in is not unreasonable.


Asd for Ziggler weighing 203, I think Ziggler is a lot shorter than we tend to think of him as, and that contributes to him being smaller.

For Barrett, he's got 2-3 inches on Trips easily, so I'd buy him being around the same weight. What might be more of a hurdle for me is comparing him to Sheamus. He's only 1-2 inches taller than Sheamus, and with Sheamus substantial bulk I'd think he outweighed Barrett by more than 7 pounds...