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- Wrestlers will do drastic things to their bodies to keep in the best shape they can. Nobody can blame them as professional wrestling is a very physical sport that only so many choose to do because the toll it can and will take on someone's body. But even with all of that in mind, some wrestlers will go to extremes and permanently do some damage to themselves and look worse for wear.
The 1980s is considered the Golden Age of professional wrestling. The sport became a popular form of entertainment. During this transformation from local territories to worldwide media, the muscleman became en vogue. The sport's technicians were replaced by massive physiques that popped on camera and helped sell out arenas around the world. In WWE, Hulk Hogan would become a popular culture phenomenon with his 24-inch pythons. To this day, WWE is infatuated with muscleman. Physical specimens like Bobby Lashley and Braun Stowman still stick out on WWE television. Bray Wyatt has even popularized his character with a muscleman dance gimmick. Yet, WWE wasn't the only home of the muscleman.
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At the turn of the decade, World Championship Wrestling launched and would become a rival promotion to WWE throughout the 1990s. WCW would tap into the success of the muscleman popularity and promote some of the most massive physiques in professional wrestling history including a slimmed-down version of the Hulkster.
UPDATE: 2023/04/07 07:30 EST BY Ethan Schlabaugh
Wrestlers will do drastic things to their bodies to keep in the best shape they can. Nobody can blame them as professional wrestling is a very physical sport that only so many choose to do because the toll it can and will take on someone's body. But even with all of that in mind, some wrestlers will go to extremes and permanently do some damage to themselves and look worse for wear.
Whether it is working out way too often and becoming the size of two or more people, or the more frowned upon way in sports entertainment and taking any sort of performance-enhancing drugs. Some wrestlers come out looking a bit too muscular and look completely unnatural. While WWE is known as the land of the giants, WCW was no stranger to booking some absolutely gigantic wrestlers on its shows.
13 Davey Boy Smith
Davey Boy Smith, a.k.a. The British Bulldog, would have two major runs in WCW. The first came around 1993 when he still had his longer hair and would see himself form an alliance with Sting and feud with wrestlers like Vader and Sid Vicious.
The second run saw him in his later years team alongside Jim Neidhart. In both runs, Smith would easily be one of the largest men on the roster making his opponents look small in comparison. It is worth noting that near the end of his first run in WWE, he was fired by the company for testing positive for steroids as noted in Bret Hart's autobiography.
12 The Ultimate Warrior
While James Hellwig would be considerably slimmer from is time in promotions like the UWF and WWE, The Warrior still looked like a comic book character dropped into the real world. His time in WCW would be short, and he would retire the year he debuted only having a handful of appearances for the company.
He has admitted in the past that he was a frequent user of steroids to achieve his body type, and he also talked about experimenting with growth hormone supplements around the time of his 1992 WWE release.
11 Tony Atlas
Tony Atlas has biceps the size of a normal person's head, he is easily one of the most ripped and largest men to ever grace the sport of professional wrestling. Even pictures of him recently show that he hasn't changed much since his time in the spotlight.
Atlas would have a short run with WCW from 1992-1993 where he partnered with The Barbarian and wouldn't see much success in the promotion before leaving to return to the independent scene.
10 Sean O'Haire
Sean O'Haire was the brightest young star on the dying days of World Championship Wrestling. O'Haire stood 6'6 and weighed 270 pounds of chiseled muscle. The Natural Born Thriller had a dynamic looked that popped on the screen. The Thrillers were all jacked, but rushed to television too soon.
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As a muscleman, O'Haire could fly around the ring. Wrestling Observer would name Sean O'Haire the 2000 Rookie of the Year. The 3-time WCW World Tag Team Champion was a genuinely tough guy participating in toughman competitions before joining professional wrestling. Sean's contract was eventually picked up by WWE after WCW went out of business in March 2001.
9 Doom
Doom would debut as mask wearing, brawny, stiff tag team that pinned the Steiner Brothers, kicking off their careers. Both men stood 6'2 and weighed 260 plus pounds of athletic muscle. Soon the team would unmask under manager, Teddy Long. Unmasking revealed Butch Reed and Ron Simmons. Reed was a former college football player and WWE performer. While Simmons was a former college football star and top ten Heisman finalist. Together the muscular combo would win the World Championship Wrestling tag team titles. The All American Ron Simmons would move on to become a WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
8 Buff Bagwell
At 6'1 and 245 pounds Buff Bagwell was a star athlete in high school. Bagwell would spend 10 years in World Championship Wrestling and capture 5 World Tag Team Championships. Bagwell would become the narcissist Buff, when he turned on his tag team partner, Scotty Riggs in 1996. Bagwell's heel turn, coincided with his decision to join the New World Order. As a member of the nWo, Bagwell would become a grand stander and spend time in the ring posing and strutting. His Buff gimmick would be the most successful of his career. During the final years of WCW, many fans felt that Bagwell would be the future of the company.
7 Goldberg
Bill Goldberg would debut on WCW Monday Nitro in September 1997. From that point forward, Goldberg would destroy opponents on his way to becoming an undefeated World Heavyweight Champion. Goldberg would go on one of the most iconic undefeated streaks in professional wrestling history. Goldberg, the explosive athlete stood 6'4 and weighed 285 pounds. Goldberg's muscles led to some of the most phenomenal strength the world of professional wrestling would ever see. Goldberg would jackhammer the largest competition on the WCW roster, including giants like Paul Wight (the Big Show) and Ron Reis. The WCW Triple Crown Champion's muscular physique would also lead to 3 world championships in WWE.
6 Sting
Sting would be a bodybuilder before breaking into professional wrestling. Billed as 6'2 and 250 pounds, the original surfer Sting of WCW was a muscleman. His moveset consisted of powerful high spots. His gorilla press slams of Ric Flair during their matches are legendary. Similar to Hogan, Sting would slim down during the later part of his WCW career. Yet, Sting's muscles and athleticism led to him becoming the franchise of World Championship Wrestling. The Stinger is a former 6 time WCW Heavyweight Champion, 2 time United States Champion and 3 time World Tag Team Champion. Sting most definitely walked the walk in WCW.
5 Road Warriors
Like Sting, the Road Warriors used their muscles and face paint to win a psychological advantage before the bell during their World Championship Wrestling tag team matches. The massive Road Warriors are still on the short list of greatest tag teams of all time. The Warriors had multiple stints in WCW. Road Warrior Hawk stood 6'3 and weighed 275 and the more compact of the powerhouses, Animal stood 6'1 and weighed 285. The Road Warriors used their power in the ring to dominate their opponents. What a ruuuuush.
4 Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious is billed as 6'9 and weighing 317 pounds. His body was shredded with muscles upon muscles. No matter where Sid Vicious was he stood out. In WCW, he would be a member of the Skyscrapers, the Four Horseman and become the Millennium Man during the end of WCW.
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A former 2-time WCW World Champion and 2-time United States Champion, Sid dominated and ruled the World Championship Wrestling world. Sid would also win 2 WWE World Championships. Sid's monstrous physique is one of the best in professional wrestling history.
3 Lex Luger
Lex Luger was the Total Package. Luger, the former NFL player, would rise to superstardom in World Championship Wrestling. At 6'4 and 275 pounds, Luger was jacked to the gills during his WCW heyday. Luger used the torture rack as his finisher, lifting his opponents on his shoulders and forcing them into submission. Luger is a former 2 time WCW World Champion, 5 time WCW United States Champion and 3 time World Tag Team Champion. The powerful Luger, was known for his posing in the ring. Always willing to show off his impressively strong physique.
2 Scott Steiner
Scott Steiner had two different careers in the 1990s. During the first part of the decade he was the technically sound tag team specialist with his brother, Rick. Then in 1998, Steiner would join the nWo and turn into Big Poppa Pump. Scott Steiner's change in personality highlighted the Genetic Freak's impressive physique. Steiner was the personification of having muscles in places where other wrestlers didn't have places. The Big Bad Booty Daddy is a former WCW Heavyweight Champion, 2-time United States Champion and 7-time World Tag Team Champion. The 6'1, 276 pound Steiner's singles stardom would be one of few bright spots during the end of World Championship Wrestling.
1 Maxx Muscle
Maxx Muscle is the epitome of the changing of wrestling generations. In the 1980s the 6'4, 330 pound former bodybuilder would have been near the main event. Yet, in World Championship Wrestling in the 1990s, the enormous Muscle would never rise above the mid-card status. Muscle would be a bodyguard for Diamond Dallas Page and a member of the Dungeon of Doom on World Championship Wrestling television. Yet, his muscular physique never led to professional wrestling success. Most of Muscle's appearances were on secondary WCW shows such as Saturday Night, Pro and Main Event. Although most members on this list would find main event success, Maxx Muscle's only notable attribute was his giant physique.
