Last Updated on April 4, 2024 by Avik Das
WWE or professional wrestling, in general, was considered a sport of big men in the early days of the business. In the past, only big men qualified to be at the top of the food chain, as most old school champions were big with impressive physiques. While most top guys didn’t require to be giants, they certainly needed a good height with imposing figures. Hulk Hogan who was the poster boy of WWE in the Golden Era, was six feet and seven inches in his prime and weighed over 300 pounds.
But the trend started changing as the business progressed. Vince McMahon started trusting smaller wrestlers as well and the company even made small wrestlers World Champions. Rey Mysterio was certainly a great example, who was known as one of the smallest wrestlers on the roster, and he ended up winning the World Title thrice in his career. Moreover, WWE’s Wellness Policy has coerced to make wrestlers with smaller statures champions.
In this article, we dive into WWE history and pick some greatest big and small-sized champions in history. This list would include champions by their achievements, not just statures.
5) Big: Kane (7 Feet)
Kane is one of the popular names to emerge from WWE, debuting as the Big Red Machine in 1997. He was the dominant character in the Attitude Era, and he even had further success in the Ruthless Aggression Era as well as PG Era. His stupendous wrestling career lasted nearly two decades as an active Superstar. Kane is one of the tallest men to ever step foot in the ring. The Devil’s Favorite Demon stands at 7 feet, and he is over 300 pounds. In his WWE career, has won the World Championship twice. While he has won the World Heavyweight Championship once, he has also captured the WWE Championship once.
5) Small: Chris Jericho (6 Feet)
Although 6 feet is not totally a short height, a wrestler wouldn’t be called a big guy with this height, especially in this industry. And it was even worse in the past when Chris Jericho wrestling in WWE. The current AEW wrestler’s peak year in WWE was in 2001 when he beat both The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin to win the WWE. He ended up winning the World Title six times in his career. In addition, he also won the Intercontinental Championship a record nine times in his WWE career. Jericho’s billed weight was 6 feet, but he appeared shorter than his actual height.
READ ARTICLE: 5 Greatest Long Haired WWE Wrestlers Of All Time & 5 Greatest Bald Ones
4) Big: Braun Strowman (6 Feet 8 Inches)
Braun Strowman was a recent name to be chopped from the roster, but the Monster Among Men had a fair share of success in his nearly a decade long WWE career. He was booked as an unstoppable force, showing his crazy strength by flipping cars and vans. After separating from The Wyatt Family, he began shining in his singles career and challenged the Universal Championship numerous times, notably against Brock Lesnar. He ended up winning the big gold at WrestleMania 36 against Goldberg. Strowman was called a monster for a reason, as he was one of the biggest men on the roster. His billed height was 6 feet 8 inches, and his billed weight was 385 pounds.
4) Small: Eddie Guerrero (5 Feet 8 Inches)
It might be unfathomable, but Eddie Guerrero’s billed height was only 5 feet and 8 inches. Due to his amazing physique with a great muscle mass, he looked bigger than usual, helping him to become a top guy in the Ruthless Aggression Era. Even though he had a short stature, his weight was 220 pounds in his prime. Eddie Guerrero was known as one of the gifted technical wrestlers of his time, who would produce awe-inspiring matches every week. Eddie’s main event push began in 2004 when he won the WWE Championship. But he, unfortunately, passed away in 2005, else he could have won more World Titles.
3) Big: Andre The Giant ( 7 Feet 4 Inches)
Regarded as the greatest giant in the wrestling business, Andre the Giant was the pioneer to the success of WWE in the 1980s. Standing at seven feet and eight inches and weighing over 500 pounds, he was certainly the first larger than life character in WWE history. Andre the Giant headlined many pay-per-views in the Golden Era, along with Hulk Hogan, including WrestleMania 3. He wore the WWE World Heavyweight Championship once around his waist.
3) Small: AJ Styles (5 Feet 11 Inches)
AJ Styles might have been in WWE for only five years, but he is a seasoned veteran with a two-decades-long career in WWE. The Phenomenal One has been a top guy in top promotions like TNA and NJPW. After signing for WWE, Styles didn’t wait long to get his hands on the WWE Championship. He won the gold twice in his career, including having a long first title reign. Styles is a great high-flyer, but he isn’t a big guy. His height is under 6 feet, standing at 5 feet and 11 inches.
2) Big: Hulk Hogan (6 Feet 7 Inches)
Hulk Hogan might not be a giant like Andre the Giant or Big Show, but he still had a mammoth size in his prime to be called a big man. He was six feet seven inches, just one inch shorter than Braun Strowman. With an incredible physique, he was also over 300 pounds, which allowed him to flex his ’24 inches Pythons’. Hogan left for WCW in the mid-90ss, but before his departure, he won the WWE World Championship five times. Then when he returned to the company in 2002, he won it again, making him a six-time WWE Champion.
2) Small: Kofi Kingston ( 6 Feet 1Inchs)
Like Chris Jericho, Kofi Kingston is also over 6 feet, but his overall size is small, owing to his lack of muscle mass. The Ghanaian born Superstar’s billed weight is just over 200 pounds, and he certainly looks like a lightweight. Kofi is also the leanest looking member of The New Day. The KofiMania began in 2019 when he won the WWE Championship at the Grandest Stage of Them All.
1) The Undertaker ( 6 Feet 10 Inches)
Arguably one of the greatest to grace the ring with a huge legacy, The Undertaker was probably the most notable big guy who had the world titles in WWE. In his thirty-year long incredible career, The Phenom won many accolades to his name. He won the WWE Championship four times, while the World Heavyweight Championship three times, thus making him a seven-time World Champion in WWE. The Undertaker had a gigantic stature, as he stood at six feet and ten inches. Moreover, he also weighed nearly 350 pounds.
1) Daniel Bryan (5 Feet And 10 Inches)
Daniel Bryan emerged as one of the biggest Superstars of the company in the 2010s. Signing for the company, Bryan didn’t take very long to win the World Heavyweight Championship, but he rose to fame in 2014 when he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 30 following the popularity of the ‘Yes Movement ‘.
Bryan has won five World Titles in WWE thus far. Meanwhile, his bill height is only 5 Feet and 10 inches.
Check Article: Top 10 WWE Attitude Era Wrestlers
Avik Das is the founder of Sportsheed. He is a sports lover with broad knowledge of Professional Wrestling, MMA, Football, and Cricket. He has an English major and has previously written articles for various sports and entertainment websites
