While things have changed in the past few years, when you think of a WWE superstar, say, decades back, there was a certain build that they wanted, like a jacked-up body, with lots of muscles and a pretty big size. Nowadays, body size doesn’t matter too much (at least if we’re not talking about the main event scene).
Now most wrestlers have an athletic body, even if they’re not big in size. But when you’re a kid, you don’t really worry about putting too much weight or muscle on you. Take these wrestlers for instance who had a much smaller build as children.
10 Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston, a former WWE Champion and one of the most likable babyfaces in WWE, started his wrestling journey in the mid-2000s. He signed a developmental contract with WWE and debuted on the main roster a year later.
Kingston was born in Ghana and was also the first wrestler from his country to get signed by WWE. In his childhood, Kingston looked just like a regular kid.
9 The Miz
The Miz is a great example of a wrestler who’s set for life, without having a very dangerous moveset like lots of other wrestlers or being a bodybuilder. When Miz became the WWE Champion, and main-evented WrestleMania against John Cena, a lot of fans weren’t happy about it.
Miz also had beef with wrestlers in the locker room, when he first arrived as he was deemed an outsider by them. Of course, he didn’t have that look, size, or even experience to “fit in” but time and time again, The A-Lister has proved that he’s one of the most reliable guys in the business.
8 Bayley
The former SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley, just like so many other wrestlers today, grew up as a big wrestling fan. This image is from the early 2000s when Bayley met Cheerleader Melissa.
Bayley was only 13 in this pic. She’s one of the most popular female wrestlers in WWE today and has undoubtedly inspired several other children to enter the business as well.
7 John Cena
The 16-time WWE Champion John Cena is one of the strongest wrestlers in the ring. And it’s a bit surprising because while Cena has a great physique, he’s certainly not the most beefy wrestler out there.
Yet he’s showcased his physical strength again and again in WWE by lifting Edge and Big Show at the same time or giving the Attitude Adjustment to someone like Mark Henry. Cena was into bodybuilding before joining WWE, and that too before he even turned into a teenager. While he did gain muscle and weight in the later years, as a kid, Cena didn’t have any of that (and understandably so).
6 Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio defied all odds and managed to succeed as a main eventer in the era of wrestling where wrestlers of his size didn’t become top stars.
The Master of 619 is only 5’6 tall, and yet he’s also a former WWE Champion as well. Mysterio has never had a big build in his life. He’s been wrestling since his teenage years, and probably never thought he would actually make it this big in the wrestling industry.
5 Charlotte Flair
Despite being the daughter of Ric Flair, Charlotte never really thought about becoming a wrestler. It wasn’t until her late mid-20s that she decided to step foot into this business and become The Queen as we know her today.
Like many other wrestlers on this list, Charlotte didn’t have a muscular or athletic body as a kid but worked hard to develop one of the most impressive physiques in the business.
4 Bobby Lashley
It’s safe to say that Bobby Lashley has one of the best physiques in the whole WWE, right now. He’s gotten over with the fans in the past few years, and everyone sees him as a legitimate top star in WWE.
When Lashley was a kid, however, he didn’t look like a “strong” kid. Of course that changed over the years, and Lashley got into amateur wrestling and later joined the US Military.
3 Summer Rae
Summer Rae was released from her WWE contract in 2017. Some years later, WWE brought her back for an appearance and later had her participate in the Royal Rumble 2022 match as well.
Apparently, this image is from the late ‘80s when Rae was just a child.
2 CM Punk
There are several photos of CM Punk on the internet from his high school days when he used to have spikes and red hair. A lot of fans already know about this since Punk also has a picture of him from around this time with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
Here Punk doesn’t have the same kind of physique he later gained in his adulthood, but the immediately eye-catching spikes.
1 MJF
The current AEW World Champion, MJF grew up admiring CM Punk — who he also feuded with in the company. It must be mentioned that feud was arguably CM Punk at his best during his controversial run with the promotion.
MJF does have an athletic body, and he takes very good care of it. But just like his hero, MJF also had a slender build as a child.