Who Has The Ideal Build In Wrestling?

[Jack-Hammer]

When it comes to talking about wrestlers and what attributes they bring, one of the msot often mentioned assets is "the look". A huge part of "the look" has to do with how a wrestler is built and whether or not his look/build suits the kind of character he's portraying.

It can be difficult to pick who has the best build in wrestling as wrestling is full of guys tho are in great physical shape. From a wrestling standpoint, I'd probably give the nod to guys like Bobby Roode, Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler. All three guys are in great, athletic shape and they have a very athletic look about them. Roode is a big guy, but he doesn't look too big. His bearing and overall body type reminds me a lot of Triple H if Triple H was about 30 pounds lighter. Orton has this lanky, but muscular slender build that also makes him look athletic. In all honesty, there is a serpent like quality in Orton's build. He's built long and lean, someone that looks like he can move & strike quickly just as a snake does. Ziggler kinda comes off as sort of the ideal, all American build. He's very athletic, has a lot of definition and isn't "too big". His build fits in perfectly with the kind of vain, arrogant model type/beach boy show off that can be attributed to his character.

I also think there's another way to look at who has the ideal build. It's no secret that the vast majority of people either aren't or can't be built like these guys. In the real world, LOTS of people just don't have the time, energy or even desire to devote so much time to physical fitness. However, there are some guys in pro wrestling that are in great shape and can be something of a realistic role model to people. There are guys you can look at and say "with a little work, I can look like that guy". Guys that spring to mind in that light are CM Punk, Daniel Bryan & AJ Styles. All three of these guys are in great shape, but they don't look like they spend a hundred hours a week in the gym. Punk looks more "normal" than damn near anybody. He's in good shape, but he's certainly not a gym rat. I believe Triple H referred to Punk's "skinny, fat ass" as a means of pointing out a lack of muscle tone. Punk looks more like a "regular guy", like someone who does work out and take care of himself but doesn't go nuts. He looks like someone who doesn't fret over sitting down and having a few slices of pizza or a few burgers off the grill while guzzling down a couple of Pepsis at a family cookout every now and then. Kinda the same with Daniel Bryan & AJ Styles. Both guys are built well and have a good amount of muscle tone, but they don't look like guys who obsess over measuring & eating everything in just the right proportion, drinking half a dozen protein shakes every day, going to the gym for 4 hours every single day, etc. In some ways, if you think about it, these three guys are kind of "every day men" that can be kinda inspiring to regular people tryin' to shed a few pounds.

 

[Larry]

Great thread idea Jack-Hammer, I'm surprised people haven't jumped on this one already. This is something I don't see discussed much but you're definitely on to something. People's tastes vary, and that is where the ideal build takes different shapes with people. Over the years there have been a number of people that I thought had an ideal look, but it's a much bigger challenge to pin down one person who stands above all. In my mind a wrestler should be a spectacle, larger than life, and ever impressive to behold. This may be because my earliest and fondest memories come from the days of your Hogan's and Warrior's, both big men who perfectly embodied that very look, or maybe it's because I've learned a lot from Vince McMahon's school of wrestling mentality as well over the years, but I do believe the ideal wrestler should look like they were chiseled out of stone.

They should not look like a Daniel Bryan, or a CM Punk, or an AJ Styles because as you said, that IS attainable, and you don't want your wrestlers to look like average people. A professional wrestler is supposed to be so much more in the eyes of the fan. If Jim, Joe, Jack, and Jacob are sitting in the crowd and they see A.J. Styles and realize "Shit, I'm bigger than that guy, I could kick his ass, he's not even in that great of shape. Hell, I'm in better shape than him, and he's supposed to be some bad ass wrestler?" What appeal does A.J. Styles have to them? The mystique is gone, and you don't get it back either. When people see these guys and realize on any given night they could kick their ass, how believable is it going to be to them to watch A.J. Styles beat the shit out of a lot of the guys they are facing. I realize also, there are those who are drawn to that because they see as A.J. Style, a CM Punk, a Daniel Bryan and think "That could be me, I could actually do this too, I could be the next CM Punk, the next A.J. Styles, the next Daniel Bryan" and in a way they too live vicariously through those characters because they are more like them, and while they suspend their disbelief they imagine that they also can achieve the feats they watch these average looking men achieve in the ring, and that's also apart of being a fan. So, there are two sides of this coin, and I realize both have a place and an audience.

However, I think they ARE supposed to be larger than life. They are supposed to represent the unattainable, they are supposed to be figures that seem to almost come out of our imaginations and embody what we could only dream to be, and that's part of the fun of it. It's like watching real life superhero's in a way, battle it out the way many of us used to read in comic books and watch in cartoons. I don't care to watch two guys go at it on television, presented as these "Superstars", when I could see two guys who look exactly the same going at it at a local bar or something, there's nothing special about that to me. To me, it's like "Hey alright! Let's see who's going to overcome their small mans complex tonight on Raw, or Impact, yaaaaay!" But when you've got bigger guys, guys who look like Atlas himself going at it in the ring, then you've got something, a clash of the titans, men who seem to be able to make the Earth shake beneath their feet and display feats of strength and power that the normal man could only dream of touching.

Even if the person isn't of great stature, if they are in very impressive shape this is still good. I point to guys like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart back in their primes as good examples of that, or Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect. They weren't BIG per-say but they were in great shape, better than most could hope for and that works well too. They were big enough, in good enough shape, and displayed great enough skills that they were exceptional and stood out among normal men. Kurt Angle is another great example. These guys are every bit as good as the bigger guys and can even be more entertaining. But, Hulk Hogan was still a greater sight to behold, Ultimate Warrior was still a greater sight to behold, Triple H still is, Randy Orton is very impressive to see, Brock Lensar in his first run was very impressive to see, Batista was a greater sight to behold than a lot of other guys, Edge was very impressive to see even though he was never really cut he looked very big, Jack Swagger is quite impressive to see in person, then you get to giants like The Big Show, Kevin Nash, Kane, Undertaker, The Great Khali, etc....and they are just as much of a spectacle to see. I think the ideal build doesn't come in one form or one look, but does have certain characteristics.

I would have to point to someone along the lines of Scott Hall in his prime, that's a pretty ideal look if you ask me. He was big, but not so big that it made him cumbersome in the ring, but he was still impressive to see. He was a good wrestler on top of that especially for his size, and while he wasn't like a Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels, he wasn't a Hogan or Warrior as far as what he did in the ring either, he seemed to meet this happy medium is all areas. He was tall but not lanky, he was built but not bulky, he was quick where a lot of guys his size start to be rather slow, he was agile while a lot of guys his size start to be uncoordinated and lose the level of athleticism he possessed. I think he is a good example of the ideal look and build all around. Triple H would also stand right next to him in that department. He's big, a bit more bulky, but he just looks more impressive, and the most important thing is that it's never hindered his ability which is a big plus. It's either one of those two or somewhere in between if you ask me.

 

[bmg82683]

i always thought that the evolution era randy orton was the perfect look for WWE superstar. perfect build, perfect size, perfect grooming. i think that is truly the epitome of what a WWE superstar should look like.

 

[PowerHouse]

The ideal build in wrestling...hmmmmm thats a very hard subject and title to give to just one person. You have so many different types of wrestlers. You have you technical wrestlers like Punk,Bryan,Ziggler and the like. Then you have your high flyer like Aj Stlyes,Sin Cara,Mysterio,Bourne. Some of these guys you could even put in the brawler catagory as a type of blend between techical and brawler and many guys can go into the list who are built well in each and every catagory. You have your power wrestlers as well. Ryback,Hernandez,Morgan,Crimson,Sheamus,Terry,Ryan. How can you really nail down who has the ideal build. You could say Bobby Rhoode does you could also argue that Cena does. Some may say that Ziggler has the ideal build. David Otunga also could be considered to have the ideal build, he isn't the best in ring worker but he is built phenomenal. I think Ryback is built great but I think Hernandez has the perfect power wrestler build. He is very compact thick and explosive. At 285 pounds he may not be as heavy as some of the other Power wrestlers but he has power in abundance and you can see it when he is in the ring with guys his size and bigger. Its all a matter of preference really. But if I had to choose one I would say Santino has the ideal build for Wrestling.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

Variety is the spice of life, so I don't believe in a single "ideal" build. You need your smaller, high-flying guys, you need your huge powerhouse guys and you need guys in-between those two extremes. Having lots of different "looks" are important because they allow for lots of different characters. Size and physique can make a wrestler seem larger than life, that is absolutely true. But there are other ways for a wrestling to be larger than life as well. They can have a larger than life character who says and does things no regular person could or would do, such as Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin was relatable to regular people because he was what many be WANTED to be like, but they couldn't ACTUALLY hit their boss and drink on the job in real life.

Wrestlers can also be larger than life in terms of their athletic ability. If a guy is doing all of these amazingly athletic moves in the ring or taking all sorts of crazy bumps it makes them a larger than life superstar as well. Shawn Michaels is a good example of this as he isn't exactly big or jacked, but the things he was capable of in that ring left you in awe. Maybe his physique was attainable to the regular person, but his skill certainly wasn't.

So ya, variety is key.

 

[ProWrestlingFan]

When it comes to talking about wrestlers and what attributes they bring, one of the msot often mentioned assets is "the look". A huge part of "the look" has to do with how a wrestler is built and whether or not his look/build suits the kind of character he's portraying.

It can be difficult to pick who has the best build in wrestling as wrestling is full of guys tho are in great physical shape. From a wrestling standpoint, I'd probably give the nod to guys like Bobby Roode, Randy Orton and Dolph Ziggler. All three guys are in great, athletic shape and they have a very athletic look about them. Roode is a big guy, but he doesn't look too big. His bearing and overall body type reminds me a lot of Triple H if Triple H was about 30 pounds lighter. Orton has this lanky, but muscular slender build that also makes him look athletic. In all honesty, there is a serpent like quality in Orton's build. He's built long and lean, someone that looks like he can move & strike quickly just as a snake does. Ziggler kinda comes off as sort of the ideal, all American build. He's very athletic, has a lot of definition and isn't "too big". His build fits in perfectly with the kind of vain, arrogant model type/beach boy show off that can be attributed to his character.

I also think there's another way to look at who has the ideal build. It's no secret that the vast majority of people either aren't or can't be built like these guys. In the real world, LOTS of people just don't have the time, energy or even desire to devote so much time to physical fitness. However, there are some guys in pro wrestling that are in great shape and can be something of a realistic role model to people. There are guys you can look at and say "with a little work, I can look like that guy". Guys that spring to mind in that light are CM Punk, Daniel Bryan & AJ Styles. All three of these guys are in great shape, but they don't look like they spend a hundred hours a week in the gym. Punk looks more "normal" than damn near anybody. He's in good shape, but he's certainly not a gym rat. I believe Triple H referred to Punk's "skinny, fat ass" as a means of pointing out a lack of muscle tone. Punk looks more like a "regular guy", like someone who does work out and take care of himself but doesn't go nuts. He looks like someone who doesn't fret over sitting down and having a few slices of pizza or a few burgers off the grill while guzzling down a couple of Pepsis at a family cookout every now and then. Kinda the same with Daniel Bryan & AJ Styles. Both guys are built well and have a good amount of muscle tone, but they don't look like guys who obsess over measuring & eating everything in just the right proportion, drinking half a dozen protein shakes every day, going to the gym for 4 hours every single day, etc. In some ways, if you think about it, these three guys are kind of "every day men" that can be kinda inspiring to regular people tryin' to shed a few pounds.

WWE is a TV show. People watch it for entertainment and and get motivated and inspired when they see "Larger than Life" characters doing things which normal people can't do in real life. Hulk Hogan slamming Andre The Giant, Stone Cold Steve Austin stunning his boss, The Rock cutting Larger than Life promos, Brock Lesnar F5'ing Big Show etc etc.

How can people get inspired by someone who just looks like them. They need someone "Larger than Life" to get inspired.

Why weren't guys like Dean Malenko, William Regal, Lance Storm, etc given World Title pushes like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan ? They had the same look and their Wrestling skills were far better than both of them.

 

[lowandmighty]

To me the ideal wrestler build should be big and burly like Hulk Hogan and Triple H. I don't think pro wrestlers should look "athletic" they should be big, have big arms and at the same time look like they could slam down a few beers any time of the day. I don't like seeing these smaller guys like Daniel Bryan getting serious pushes, its kind of embarrassing to me. CM punk gets away with it cause he has a bit of a tough guy look about him so I wouldn't trust him to be all that affected by anything I did against him in a fight. If Daniel Bryan got in my face I'd just start bitch slapping him straight away despite knowing his impressive wrestling skill level, he just looks like someone who should be bitch slapped. If a big dude like the rock or Hulk Hogan got up in my face I'd back down straight away even knowing about Hogan's age and back problems he'd still scare the shit out of me. Its just the way it is, some people look intimidating and some people don't (daniel bryan) and I just think real wrestlers should look the part. After all it is just for entertainment.
The one exception to this rule is Kurt Angle, he's not that big but he's an Olympic gold medallist - a fucking OLYMPIC GOLD medallist. To me that means at one time he was the best in the world at wrestling and that's enough to be very intimidating and deserving of being a world champion.

 

[mikde_]

I agree that the whole 'big and burly' aspect is important and I think the vast majority should be 'big' built wrestlers. I can get away with punk because like someone already said, he has a badass look that says 'although he ain't a big guy I bet this guy can take as good as he gets!'. As for Bryan, although I'm a huge fan of his, his size and character don't seem to work at a main event level for me. He should add that 'intensity' aspect to his game like angle did, people then will say 'yeah Bryan ain't big but he can snap any bone in your body if he wants.', instead of doing the whole sneaky and sly gimmick that works so much better with guys with less technical skill like The Miz.
As for who I think has perfect build? Id say cena! He stands out on his look alone and looks like a top main event star.
Then there is the likes of mark henry who people may call fat but he is built like every strongman! So it works with for his character.
I think your build should certainly be another aspect of a wrestlers character because if you don't look the part then you can't be the part!

 

[GrandSword]

Back in the day, and I'm not talking Hulk Hogan's rock and wrestling days I'm talking the times of black and white tv, a wrestler was a very big guy over 6 feet tall, quite hairy, had a little bit of a gut on him but looked mean as hell.

These guys looked like wrestlers. Like Vince said, if you saw them walking down the street (with groceries) you would think they were wrestlers. Even before Hogan ushered in the roided freak type wrestlers, we still had guys like Big Bubba Rodgers (Big Boss Man) who was just a big guy that looked like he could beat your ass.

Things have changed alot and thanks to the WWF's "new generation", WCW's Crusierweight Division and TNA's X Division and overall style of wrestler I think what people's perceptions of a wrestler's build have no doubt changed.

But like someone above me said, I think many people want to come to (especially the WWE) a wrestling show and see larger than life men doing extraordinary things. I think the fans really do love the Batista's and the Goldberg's. These huge powerful looking guys who really look like they could be world beaters. The IWC think they are terrible from bell to bell, but they are what a pro-wrestler should look like.

Larger than life guys, like Vader, like Big Show, like Razor Ramon are what people want to see. The Rock underneath all his great promo work, is one huge guy. And if he wasn't famous and he was just walking down the street you'd do a double take and say, "man that is one massive dude."

My favourite wrestlers are guys like Sting, Muta, Bret hart, Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe. So don't get me wrong, but when a little kid sees Kane walking down that isle he knows he is watching a wrestling show!

 

[Alastor]

I assume the 'ideal look' you are looking for is someone who can sell tickets as the main event star or the face of the show. Because as mentioned, wrestling need the variety to spice things up and create different type of match ups that fans want to watch.

For me the ideal look for a wrestler is someone like Cena who is really a big dude but can look small compared to taller/bulkier counterparts but can look huge when next to the non-buffed up wrestlers of similar height.

 

[Jomo_mark]

No one has said this yet, but I immediately thought of Mason Ryan. To me, Mason Ryan has a look that is the closest thing to perfect, it's a shame other factors pull him back. He is huge, but more than that, what inpresses me most is his muscle defination. For guys like Cena and Batista, sure they are big and have some form of muscle defination but Mason Ryan is bigger than most in the WWE and he has a solid six pack. Ryan is 6 ft 5 in (1.96m) and 313 pounds (142kg). Most guys like that in WWE would simply be fat, and that is why Ryan's look impresses me so much.