Small Wrestlers—Not A Bad Thing—The Size and Skill Of Pro Wrestling

I've been thinking recently about a comment made to me by NWA professional wrestler Ali Stephens (aka Atomic Dogg). He said he's not a fan of small wrestlers. His uncle, the Junkyard Dog, was a big man so Stephens grew up being surrounded by people like Andre The Giant, Earthquake, and other wrestlers that were no less than 6'5" and nearly 300 lbs.

He asked me point-blank, "If you met one of the current wrestlers in the business today, how many of them would honestly scare you?" He was obviously referring to their size, with most grapplers today standing closer to 5'10".

My answer, "None of them."

Its true. I'm not that big at 5'9 1/2" and not that heavy at a 150 lbs soaking wet, but even still I would match up physically against most of these guys pretty evenly. That being said, after thinking about it more, yeah the fear factor may be gone, but I don't think that's a bad thing to have smaller wrestlers carrying your product.

For one, to me they are much more entertaining than most of the lumbering mammoths we are forced to watch. You tell me, who would you rather watch wrestle for 20 minutes: Rey Mysterio or The Great Khali?

No you can't teach size, but you also can't teach mobility and physicality. There is only so much a seven-footer can do in the ring (clothesline, big boot, punch...) while a smaller more athletic guy can pull from an array of weapons like shooting-star presses, climbing the top rope, and jumping in and out of the ring with ease.

Back in the days of territory wrestling, giants made the money. They were the "freaks of nature" everyone came to see. But as time has moved on  and the business changed, it's become more about the showmanship and the agility on display for the avid wrestling fan. Hence the need for a cruiserweight and light heavyweight division. But while Americans have taken a long time to figure out that smaller wrestling is where it's at, Mexican promotions have been keenly crafting the lucha libre style of wrestling for several decades. Even today, lucha fighting is considered some of the most breathtaking, acrobatic fighting styles you may ever bare witness to.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?