Does Size Matter?

[Spidey Revivey]

No pun intended for the title. Couldn't think of a better name.

So anyone who watches wrestling has realized two important things: The face of your company/champion should sell merchandise and have a look. They go hand in hand, no matter if you're watching TNA, WWE, ROH, JCW, etc.

There has been quite a marketable selling point in wrestling today: superstars that are on top of the world are most likely the slimmest, trimmest guys on the roster. It's been an occurence for practically 10 or so years now, with the minor exception of guys like Abyss and Big Show. I am not including a champion like Big Daddy V (ECW) because he was not legitimately the face of the company. Doesn't matter what you're watching really, because the results are the same; young attractive guy that has hardly any fat.

My question is this: Can wrestling profit today with an obese/heavyset wrestler as champion?

I realize it's 2010 and the media likes rail thin models, but does sports entertainment really need to follow these same guidelines? I mean is it in the best interest of a show like WWE (who caters to children) to have this same settup?

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Wrestling can profit so long as the suspension of disbelief doesn't far exceed the realm of plausibility. Simple as that.

If said overweight (or even underweight) wrestler simple doesn't look as though there's anything in their arsenal to truly beat their opponents — who I presume would be much larger than them — then no, it's not good for the business at all, because it's not even remotely believable.

If you ask me, though, smaller guys have it rougher than large guys in this respect. It was perfectly believable to presume the likes of Yokozuna, Vader or Bam Bam could have done what they did — it's quite the opposite to presume Rey Mysterio can actually beat Kane, or that Amazing Red is a World Champion in the making.

 

[excel_excel]

I don't think so. Wrestling hasn't had a 'obese/heavyset' top guy for years for the simple reason that it would look unrealistic alongside all the muscleheads that are wrestling now and are normally pushed to the top. I think that, well in WWE at least, theres an unwritten rule that top guys have to be super toned at the top, the same way the Diva's have to be thin and have a sizeable chest. If a guy who doesn't have a good physique gets a push then he either gets over with his gimmick (Umaga, although I didn't think he was obese at all) or sticks out like a sore thumb and not in a good way (Trevor Murdoch, but then again, unlike Vader and co, Trevor didn't have any talent)

As for WWE, they don't have to follow those guidelines but they do, because looking at all the TV shows aimed at kids these days its all slim teens staring in them.
Is it shallow? Yes. But is it the natural way the business has progressed? Yes.

 

[Ferbian]

Benefit is a tough thing to answer. Could they make it work? Most definitely. Someone with the size of Big Show could easily become a world champion and make it work right now. Someone like Umaga could've easily become champion and make it work.

It just really depends how the champion is handled. We all know that Umaga was made out to be a dominant ass-kicker from Samoa. However, had he been made out like a guy who couldn't be a strong dominant champion, then he wouldn't have become a strong dominant guy. So in terms of credibility, it's just like anybody else, it depends on the booking.

Other than that, I see absolutely no reason how professional wrestling couldn't be doing just fine with a super-heavyweight as their champion.

 

[Reddannihilation]

When you say heavyweight/obese are we talking Samoa Joe/Umaga/Big Show kinda obese? Or Viscera obese? Joe and Show are overweight guys but they're fit and they can easily be seen as champions due to their ability in the ring. Guys like Viscera, who at one point was in the same category of fat but fit, unfortunately are often a health risk to both themselves and their opponents. In the case of a guy like Rikishi, he was let go due to weight issues. Joe was rumoured to have been ordered to lose weight in TNA. The big problem faced by overweight wrestlers is that their bodies are much more susceptible to injury, as far as a heavyset champion? Yeah, guys like Joe and Big Show can be champion there's no damage done by their appreance. Guys who's weight hurts them or in the case of Viscera presents an unhealthy image probably not.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Size of wrestlers can be something of a complex question to American wrestling. In America, we've gotten very much used to larger wrestlers being physically dominant. After all, when you put Evan Bourne next to Rob Terry, can you seriously say that Terry doesn't look like the more impressive and imposing of the two?

It's much easier to believe and accept a much larger wrestler can defeat a much smaller opponent. Truth is, it's quite logical to assume that in most basic settings. Humans rely on sight quite a bit when it comes to things like this. Guys like Yokozuna might not have been all that great in the ring, but Yoko's sheer size was convincing enough for people to believe that it'd be very difficult for him to lose a match. Wrestling has shifted, however, because the general opinions of people have changed. Most 350+ pound wrestlers simply aren't all that much fun to watch in the ring and that's something that a lot of people have really noticed. If you were to take Jerry Blackwell circa 1985 and put him in a WWE or TNA ring today, people would either be laughing their asses off or trying to boo the guy out of the building. Simply being big isn't really enough to do it anymore.

I have little problem with smaller wrestlers being given opportunities, but I do think that there's such a thing as going too far. I like Evan Bourne and Rey Mysterio, but should these guys be World Champions because of their size? Ideally, it should be about the ability of the wrestler but we don't live in an ideal world. On the other hand, suspension of disbelief is key to enjoying pro wrestling. Could Spider-Man beat Superman in a "real fight"? Hell no. But, what if you put 'em in a pro wrestling match? :

 

[RickRaspberry]

It all depends on the kinda fat guy he is.

Fat guys who can work like Bam Bam Bigelow, Yokozuna, Samoa Joe, Rikishi, Vader, Umaga, Big Show, etc is all based on gimmick and ability. Some big guys can actually move, look at NFL offensive and defensive linemen. By doctor standards they are all morbidly obese.

I think if the right one with the right ability and character came along it could happen.