Wrestlers' Size

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

So, posting in that Kaval thread got me to thinking.. What would be the "ideal" size for a WWE wrestler? There seems to be a movement to get smaller guys more active in the main event scene. However, there is always gonna be someone like Shaemus or Barrett (both billed at least 6'5").

Does it take away the suspense if someone like CM Punk is beating the Undertaker? Or what about weight? If someone is taller, what about weight?

I think it is a tricky subject. Personally, being 5'3", I really don't like it when you get someone Rey's size beating up on people over a foot taller than him. It just feels so.. Fake.

Dunno. What is your take?

 

[The Holy One]

For me, it's the 6'4''-6'5'' range. Wrestlers such as Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, and Edge fall under this category. I feel the wrestler is not too tall or too short and can be versatile while having power. They can also fued with practically anybody without their being a little man/big man sitgma put on the match.

 

[Hawkeye]

Your size in some ways can limit your attack style.You won't see Khali doing a hurricanrana,but at the same time big boots are out of the question for Air Bourne.In an ideal world,your only limit should be your own mind,but I thin the casual fan would hav trouble suspending their disbelief should either of the two occur. I usually break wrestlers into three types: Technical, Speed, and Power. Technical wrestlers would be anywhere from 5'11" to 6'3 and weigh in between 220 and 240 lbs,usually an average build. Speed types would be either shorter or more lanky,where as power wrestlers would be as tall as they are wide,literally human walls. So the perfect size depends on the moveset, style, and even gimmick a person can have.

 

[red ass skull muhfukkah]

Size is definitely a big advantage to have in wrestling, especially in WWE where you can get far just on how big you are or how impressive a physique you have. More often than not however, someone's size can only take them so far, they have to have something else to go with it. If you look at Khali or Mark Henry, the first time people saw them they were like holy shit they're huge. And that initial shock can become a good push i.e. Khali winning the Heavyweight title but it can only take you so far, as I said before. After a few years of seeing their size we're simply not impressed because they bring nothing else to the table. But then you have guys like Sheamus and Barrett. I'm sure they were noticed for their size initially but what is making them stars is the fact that they have interesting personalities, good mic skills, and are interesting to watch in the ring, because they utilize power and size while also having the proper skills to not over use those aspects in their matches. Look at Big Show for example, he was definitely noticed for his size, but he didn't manage to stick around and be a prominent player for so long simply because he's enormous, it adds too it though. But he has good mic skills and can put on a decent match.

But then you have the other side of the spectrum, smaller guys. They tend to not get as far in WWE unless, once again, they bring something different to the table and use their small size the right way. A lot of the smaller guys in TNA and the Indy's wouldn't get over in WWE because they generally face of against guys their size and use moves that wouldn't be believable anywhere else. Most use power and technical moves that can be used on guys their own size but not on someone bigger. And when these wrestlers continually face off against people their size their whole career, their move set can become broader and use power moves that wouldn't be believable in WWE because everyone is so much bigger, but they don't want to take out of their arsenal because other they and other fans have become accustomed to using it. Look at Petey Williams, the Canadian Destroyer is a devastating Technically Powerful move, but is only believable because he uses it on wrestlers his size or smaller, it wouldn't work on a Sheamus or even a Triple H. The guys that get over in WWE are Rey Mysterio and Evan Bourne, the first to come to mind. Because they use moves that are believable to their size. They stick to speed, high flying moves, and swift strikes in Bourne's case.

So I don't think size is the deciding factor, it's all about how a wrestler uses their size, whether it be big or small, and how they make themselves stand out and make themselves interesting beyond their look and size.

Sorry if I rambled their and if it doesn't make sense. It did to me though lol

 

[Boondocks]

Size does matter. An Evan Bourne can't hit a powerslam on even an Orton or a Cena, just as they won't be able to hit a hurricanrana on him. When it comes to getting over, smaller people definately have more trouble, because they can't just overpower their opponent, they have to work around it. Bigger guys, when trying to get them over quick, have it easy, they dominate a guy with their massive power (See Sheamus, ECW debut), and not even a year later, he's able to run with the big dogs in the WWE Main Event. Size matters, it always has, and always will.

 

[Kenny Powers]

A wrestler could be 7 feet tall and be a total fuck up like Khali and Cottonwood. It doesn't matter what the size is as long as the wrestler can work, but we know that doesn't always hold true. We would like to think that wrestling companies hire and push the talent that is best despite their size. It is a lot harder to break into a wrestling company and be the size of Rey Mysterio or Low Ki then it would be to be the size of Kane or Big Show.

Some wrestlers can be big and still agile like Samoa Joe or Husky Harris. If you get someone that is tall and large that can't do shit like Viscera then that's a problem. If Viscera and other big men weren't big then they probably wouldn't of been hired by the WWE. Giant Gonzales was a waste of a wrestler, but since he was tall he was hired. Bigger isn't better, but it certainly helps you get your name out there and you foot in the door.

 

[Eck]

Hasnt anyone heard the term size doesnt matter. Of corse you have some of you hear it every night. But that term doesnt apply in pro wrestling. My ideal size for a wrestler is around 6 ft to mayb 6'4 its not to big yet not to small. I mean look at HBK and Cena they both fall into this catagory. Cena is the face of the company and HBK has beaten aton of wrestlers taller then him.

Though some of the shorter wrestlers all have these exciting high flying moves that everyone loves. And the biiger wrestlers get all these power moves. So in short you get your good and your bad here

 

[JenksIX]

Wrestler's size DOES matter.
Andre The Giant, Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior etc were such big draws because of their physiques. If size wasn't an issue, they wouldn't bill a guy like Hulk whose around 6'4 to be 6'8 (He's booked at 7'0 400lbs in Rocky 3) If you ever see old promos you see Hulk with VKM and Hulk is much taller, like 10 inches taller, and it's b/c he's prolly standing on a phone book or something.

The whole thing about wrestling is that it's suppose to be larger then life. This goes back to it's origins in the Circus. You would have your lizard boy, your bearded woman, your lion tamer, acrobats, and these massive men who were the size of and acted like bears.

If you want to think of the best type of look/shape of a wrestler ... you gotta think of Arnold Shwartzenegger (Conan The Barbarian), Dolph Lundgren (HE-Man), Superman and whoever that blond guy was from Superman 4. Basically, juice heads lol.

I'm not a fan of steroids, the thing is, it isn't possible to get those physiques w/o them and bodies like a Rick Rude, Ultimate Warrior, Scott Steiner etc .. for w/e reason, ppl are more likely to tune in or buy a ticket b/c of them. Girls are attracted to muscles and guys want to have those same muscles.

This post is probably going to suck b/c times change but I'll try to explain it.
There's a line in Rocky 5 where a promoter tells Tommy Gunn, "Balboa fought wars in the ring." The same goes for Hulk Hogan. If Hogan wasn't fighting an indestructible giant (Andre), or King Kong Bundy, or a crazy movie character (Zeus) ... then Hogan was the American Hero fighting Iranian Iron Sheik and I think possible US traitor Sgt. Slaughter?
I mean Hogan's matches were that of Folk lore. He fought Giants, Enemies of America (Iran/Russia), and a number of men billed as 500 lbs (Tugboat/Earthquake.)
But Hogan's size made him mighty enough to do it. See wrestling is all about selling, or at least it was. If you made a big deal that a guy like Andre couldn't be body slammed, then people believed it and Hogan did the impossible.

I think the great workers are fun to watch, but the realization is that the mass of people out there aren't going to tune in to see Adam Smith vs Taylor Jones, even if they are the two most talented wrestlers ever created. It's all about the mystique.
They want to see gimmicks and storylines and I bet you most people couldn't even tell you how the matches went(from a workers stand point.) Usually they are happy as long as there guy wins.

I mean, if the Undertaker gimmick was done by a guy 5'10 220 lbs ... would it be the same? And if he was doing all these flips and reversals, would the matches gain more attention? It's all about the show of it. Wrestling is a big production.

No one really ever saw Jericho as a main eventer and look at all he had. Moves, looks, Sweet hair, mic skills, funny ... but I still don't think Jericho ever even came near having the presense of Ultimate Warrior who was a bad worker, hard to get along with, blew up after running to the ring. But Warrior was juiced on steroids and over 6'0.

Anyway, if you don't already know ... a lot of wrestling heights/weights are exaggerated and also wrestlers usually have lifts on. Big Show is about 7'0, Kevin Nash just recently said on TNA he's 6'10, Kane/Undertaker are about 6'8, Triple H was listed at 6'5 at one point but is around 6'2 if not shorter. HBK is under 6'0. Chris Jericho is 5'10 max.

But now a days, there's a market for smaller wrestlers since times have changed and wrestling will never be as "fairy tale" as it was. But it also seems fans of wrestling are on the decrease.

I mean if you guys who say you don't mind the size of the wrestlers and just want to see good workers go at it ... you need to check out midget wrestling. I watched every episode of half-pint brawlers and there are a few guys who are amazing in the ring. Thing is one of them is called the ladies man ... do I believe he's a ladies man ... not really. Am I going to spend ANY money to order a PPV to watch midget wrestlers do insane, death defying stuff ... prolly not.

I didn't watch the second MCMG VS Beer money match b/c I was like ..I know it's going to be 7 finishers one after the other by both teams and there will be flips and combo moves galore, but I did see the 3 rd match and it was basically that ... but I did enjoy it. You usually don't see much selling in those types of matches, but there was enough in this one and enough unique moves that made it exciting.
I like MCMG and would like to see more Paparazzi Productions like skits from Shelley/Sabin ... I saw an old clip from TNA where JBorash and Shelley brought Eric Young to store to buy condoms for his first time and James Storm showed up w/ friends and were laughing at EY. I might think MCMG look like your average "alternative" h.s. senior or college freshman, I bet most men would not be intimidated to see either ... buth they can be funny and have talent in the ring so they deserve a spot ... but then you can't also have a generation me who is prolly only good in the ring.

Fluck. I'll sum this up by saying there can be only one Rey Mysterio in WWE. If you had a fed filled w/ Mysterio it would not draw like WWE does. Men the size of The Rock, Austin, Triple H, Sting, Goldberg, Lesnar, Ric Flair, Hogan, Bret Hart ... that's the blue print of what you want your 25-75 percentile of your business to be with your Big men and your acrobats.

 

[Pepsiplunge]

For me, it's the 6'4''-6'5'' range. Wrestlers such as Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, and Edge fall under this category. I feel the wrestler is not too tall or too short and can be versatile while having power. They can also fued with practically anybody without their being a little man/big man sitgma put on the match.

Whoa.. wtf is tall to you if you call 6'4" avarage?



I like the avarage height guy with alot of weight. They seem more muscular. 5'10-6'1" like jericho, hbk, brett hart, mr perfect, kurt angle etc is the perfect height and we can be sure as hell cus they are really over with the crowd.


And btw how come no one barely talks about Cenas height? He is pushing 6 feet, but i belive is a stron 5'11" (180cm) is it because of his bild or what?


edit: keep in mind that i am only talking about REAL height not billed height because then hbk is 6-1 and jericho is 6 fett which they are not.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Well, size is not exactly a cut and dry issue with me. As long as a guy can work, that's really what I care about most. However, perception can be an important factor with the audience. It's certainly possible that some wrestlers get a great reaction based in part on their physical stature and overall appearance.

For instance, look at the reactions wrestlers like John Morrison, John Cena and Randy Orton get. All three are probably what most women would consider to be more or less handsome, all three are probably what most men wouldn't mind looking like or being built like and that can influence the reaction some fans have to these guys. Also, compared to the "average" man, all three of these guys are pretty good sized ol' boys.

On the other hand, some wrestlers get a very similar reaction despite not being as large. Both Rey Mysteiro and Evan Bourne are extremely over with the fans of Smackdown and Raw. Both of them are well under 6 feet and well below 200 pounds in weight, but I think that might make it easier for some fans to identify with them. In terms of size, Mysterio & Bourne are actually a little below "average". They're both in great shape and all, but they don't have that kind of physical presence that a John Cena, Triple H or Sheamus might have and that can be appealing in and of itself to a lot of people. For instance, let's say you took...I dunno....let's say Spider-Man and Captain America and took 'em outta their costumes and put 'em side by side. That'd be like putting Evan Bourne & John Cena side by side. Some'll look at one and say "yeah, I like what this guy's got goin' on" or "I'd like to be built like him" or "Hey, I'm bigger than he is. If he can do it, maybe I can" or "I like this guy more cuz of I've seen what he can do" and so on and so forth.

Some fans are kinda turned off by smaller wrestlers like Rey or Evan Bourne because they do lack that physical presence. I do think that the attitude of a lot of fans is slowly changing. There aren't a whole lot of "huge" guys in WWE or TNA these days.

 

[The Holy One]

Whoa.. wtf is tall to you if you call 6'4" avarage?

For the wrestling and mainly the WWE, that's pretty average for a wrestler to be while you may disagree. I feel that's what a wrestler's perfect height is. The man is not a big giant like the Big Show but he's not going to be overwhelmed by him. He's also not going to be towering over guys like Rey Mysterio and Evan Bourne.

 

[1_2_3 Kid]

I think that a wrestlers size has a lot to do with where he is going to be placed on the card. Normally its always the bigger guys in the ME scene , and the smaller guys usually competed in the "LightWeight" division.

Small guys can get it done in the ring. Yes, if they work hard and are dedicated then it shouldn't matter, its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog. And that's so true, but there is a certain look that a headliner has. He should at least be 6'2 , and be over 200 to be considered a legit threat to a major title. On the t.v. its just not believable that a small guy like Rey is going to beat a monster like Kane. No way in hell does Rey Rey beat Kane in a legit throw down, sorry. And that's where my opinion on this strays because I just feel that you have to be "made of stone" or have an 'addonis" body. And y'all know VKM is high on the big body builder type anyway.

but there is room for the smaller guys. I myself am 5'5, and that's short. I always wanted to be able to step thru that curtian and do everything I seen on the t.v. but I always just felt I would be 2 small, amongst other things that detered my decision. But back to reality ... they really need to bring back the lighter divisions for these guys in WWE. Let them go @ each other as there are so many new and fresh faces due to the new superstar initiative and it would free up the uppercard more for guys like Miz and Truth, JoMo and other threats to the gold can really get some shine and have some camera time. Because in the end that's what it all about. Personality goes a LONG way in this buisness and if you got that plus the mental and physical abilites to do the job, you have yourself a promising carear, be you The Big Show , or Evan Bourne.