Despite the long-held belief that you’re only as good as your body in the world of professional wrestling, there are a number of WWE superstars who are challenging that assumption wholeheartedly in this day and age. After all, the likes of Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe use their brilliant wrestling and promo skills to create a situation where it doesn’t matter how they look.
Despite this, it is always easier to get the company – i.e. Vince McMahon – behind you if you look like a million bucks. After all, how else do you explain the likes of Titus O’Neil still hanging around on Monday Night Raw week after week?
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To this effect, there are WWE superstars who have made a concentrated effort to improve their physique in order to give themselves a better chance to have success in the business. But, there is also the other end of the spectrum. There are superstars who have also let their physical prowess fade away. It is a two-way street after all.
So, without any further ado, here is a list of 5 current WWE superstars who have gone through major body transformations:
#1 Jinder Mahal
The most obvious example of a crazy body transformation and the benefits it brings is one Mr Jinder Mahal. Sure, you might argue that Mahal’s push is related to the WWE’s plans to expand into India, but there is no way someone goes from jobber to No 1 contender for the WWE Championship unless they look the part.
When Jinder left the WWE a few years ago, he was in pretty good shape. When he returned to the company this last year in 2016, he looked like something out of a body building magazine. The transformation was beyond incredible.
You can look at the photo above to see the stark changes Yeah, more than putting on just a little muscle. Mahal looks ready to take on some tigers.
#2 The Big Show
The Big Show – as his name might suggest – is a pretty big dude. He earned the moniker The World’s Largest Athlete for being 7 feet tall and weighing in at 500 pounds. But, despite that impressive nickname, Show always seemed fat and bulky...until last year.
Just prior to making his return to the WWE, the giant athlete posted some seriously impressive pictures of his new physique and man were we impressed. Slimming down to 400 pounds, Show was ripped to the bone with a complete six pack. Gone were the days of the bloated tummy. You can see the transformation in the picture above.
The big man credits John Cena as being the inspiration for his incredible change. He has gone to have some of his best matches against Braun Strowman after the physical improvement. It’s just a damn shame we didn’t get to see him beat up Shaquille O’Neil.
#3 Bray Wyatt
Similar to Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens, Bray Wyatt was always an impressive performer despite his size. He could move like someone half his weight and did all the crazy spider walking and what not. It was pretty cool to see. This was true of him even during his days as Husky Harris. You can see what he looked like during that phase in the above picture.
But, the leader of The Wyatt Family decided to up his game and get into shape in order to further his prospects in the company as well as improve the longevity of his career. After all, The Eater of Worlds is only 29 years old. The new and improved Bray Wyatt can be seen in the picture below:
Whether it was required or not seemed to matter very little as Bray picked up his first WWE Championship following this change. It may have just been a coincidence but the fact that he put in the effort and the work to improve himself certainly didn’t hurt his chances.
Also read: 5 reasons why NWO was better than DX
#4 Kane
Remember I said in the intro that some superstars have gone the opposite way and let their bodies get worse? Well, we're at that part of the list, and it is sad to see a legend of the business such as Kane on here.
The Big Red Machine looked like a true monster when made his WWE debut nearly two decades ago and did not let his body slip for a decent chunk of his professional wrestling career. But, over the past few years, it seems like his age has caught up with him.
Gone are the ripped muscles and instead he has a pretty big belly in its place. Just look at the difference between the pics above and below to see the stark difference between Kane in his prime and Kane towards the end of his career.
It doesn't seem like he will be making to much effort to return to his physical peak since he has announced his intention to run for Mayor.
#5 Kassius Ohno
For the last name on this list, we're going to be heading down to NXT where Kassius Ohno is one of the most gifted wrestlers on the payroll. The man known as Chris Hero in the indy scene made the headlines for his weight issues, though, they don’t seem to be hampering his progress currently.
He will have to be wary, though, as this his second run in NXT. Rumour has it that he was let go during his first run as WWE officials were unhappy with the amount of effort he put into maintaining his body. I think this is a little unfair considering how good of a wrestler he is, but you have to say he has put on a lot of weight recently.
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