Wrestlers undoubtedly come and go in the business, and just as one Superstar leaves pro wrestling or takes some time off from the "big leagues", a new star emerges -- that's simply how sports entertainment was designed. The number of wrestlers who have been through WCW and WWE over the years is enormous, and there are dozens upon dozens of wrestlers who we have not really seen or heard from in years -- it's highly probable you'd like to know how some of your favorite former WCW and WWE stars are looking like today...
The sports entertainment industry has always revolved around talent who had superhuman-level shredded physiques, and as we're sure you can imagine, maintaining that kind of shape is incredibly hard given their already grueling wrestling schedules. Some former WWE/WCW wrestlers have managed to stay in shape, where as others have decided to give up on their intense training or have suffered from injuries. The bottom line is that all of the wrestlers featured on this list look much different now -- some for the better, and some for the worse. Today, we will look at 3 former WWE wrestlers who look way different now, and 2 from WCW.
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#5 Former WWE Wrestler: Stevie Richards
Stevie Richards has spent time in pretty well all of the major wrestling organizations throughout his career (ECW, WCW, WWE, TNA and ROH), and while Richards was never a main event caliber talent, he's still very much a memorable wrestler from the WWE's Attitude and Ruthless Aggression Era's. With that said, it's been quite a few years since we've heard from Stevie, but the simple fact remains Richards is in absolutely phenomenal shape -- especially for being 46 years old!
Although Stevie Richards was always in pretty standard wrestling shape, Richards physique is above and beyond what it was back in the 90s and early-mid 2000s. Stevie Richards still takes some Indie wrestling bookings now and again, but the former WWE Hardcore Champion has put forth most of his time and effort into his fitness business -- Stevie Richards Fitness, a company he has used to help others achieve their desired physiques.
#4 Former WWE Wrestler: Nathan Jones
The enormous lumbering giant formerly known to the WWE Universe as Nathan Jones undoubtedly possessed the look Vince McMahon desired in top Superstars during the Ruthless Aggression Era, but unfortunately for Nathan, he never did achieve the success some fans were sure the Australian would... Despite being huge, Nathan Jones wasn't the best in-ring wrestler, and he was actually sent back down to developmental (OVW) in 2003 to improve his wrestling ability.
The highlight of Nathan Jones' WWE career would definitely be his involvement with the "Team Angle" versus "Team Lesnar" storyline where he was aligned with "The Beast Incarnate" for a period of time. Slightly under a year into his WWE run, Nathan Jones would request his own release due to the intense WWE travel schedule, and we haven't seen the 340 pound giant in the ring since the mid 2000s. Since leaving the world of sports entertainment behind, Nathan has seen some success in Hollywood (Mad Max: Fury Road for example), and by all means, he is looking absolutely jacked to the gills as of now.
#3 Former WCW Wrestler: Perry Saturn
By far one of the most underrated WCW wrestlers of all time, Perry Saturn is certainly not looking like how he did during his peak in the business -- this all stems from Perry's troubling life post-wrestling. Throughout his career in professional wrestling, Perry Saturn achieved quite a bit of success, including the WCW World Television Championship, and the WWE European Championship. Following his leave from WCW in 2000, the future remained bright for Perry Saturn in WWE, though a real-life "shoot" attack on an enhancement talent (Mike Bell) put a halt to any push for Saturn.
During his career, Perry Saturn always kept himself in tip-top shape, but since leaving the squared circle behind, Perry has unfortunately fallen apart to some extent -- though we should always look on the bright side and be thankful the Superstar is still with us in reasonable health. The picture above showcases what Perry Saturn is looking like as of 2018, and he definitely does look quite a bit different. It should be noted that Perry has suffered from many injuries, as well as various battles with substances over the years since retiring...
#2 Former WWE Wrestler: Vladimir Kozlov
Like many of the 300 plus pound monsters before him, it was inevitable that Vince McMahon was going to attempt pushing the hulking Vladimir Kozlov to the top following his debut in 2008 -- Kozlov certainly looked the part of a monster heel. For the first bit of 2008, Vladimir was treated like a big deal by creative, and he even picked up clean wins against the likes of The Undertaker. However, as time went on, it became clear to the WWE that Vladimir Kozlov couldn't keep up as a top tier star, and Kozlov was eventually demoted to the typical big man comedy role within short order alongside Santino Marella.
"The Russian Mauler" was released from the WWE in 2011, and since then, Vladimir Kozlov has transitioned from sports entertainment to Hollywood. As you can probably tell by looking at the recent photograph of Kozlov above, the former Tag Team Champion is looking insanely huge these days, and he definitely looks like a badass version of Hugh Jackman -- a much different look compared to his clean cut WWE appearance...
#1 Former WCW Wrestler: Lex Luger
Lex Luger unquestionably had one of the best physiques we've ever seen in professional wrestling, and it was largely responsible for Luger being given main event opportunities in both WCW and WWE -- Lex has two WCW World Championship reigns under his belt. Lex Luger would end up leaving sports entertainment in the early 2000s following World Championship Wrestling's demise, and we really haven't seen much of "The Total Package" in recent years. For those of you unaware of what Lex Luger looks like today, the picture showcased above may surprise you -- Lex Luger is looking much different these days.
In the mid 2000s, Lex Luger unfortunately suffered from a spinal cord injury which left the former World Champion nearly paralyzed. Thankfully, Lex Luger has regained some function in his body, and he is able to walk and drive. This severe injury undoubtedly halted Lex's training hence why he looks so different now. If you didn't know, Lex Luger currently works for the WWE behind the scenes in the Wellness Policy department to prevent the young wrestlers from following in his and other Superstars footsteps in the 80s and 90s (basically, drug prevention).