The 2010s saw a whole load of different wrestlers come and go in WWE, though not all fit the classic stereotypes of a perfect Vince McMahon style of wrestler with a great physique and eye-catching look.
This decade opened the door for wrestlers with less conventional “pro wrestling” physiques to become stars, with talent often trumping looks for a change – which was a good thing. Whether it be someone small and slim without a built look, or someone who was larger and not as toned, there has been a mixture of success when it comes to those with less impressive physiques.
10 Found Success: Adam Cole
Adam Cole was the face of NXT during its boom, but he was someone who was much smaller than most major stars in WWE, to the point where it was even rumored that Vince McMahon saw him more as a manager than a wrestler.
Cole, despite his much smaller frame and lack of excessive muscle, found a lot of success when he arrived in WWE. He won the NXT Championship, NXT Tag Team Championship, and NXT North American Championship, being the first person to do so. He even defended the NXT Title on SmackDown and at Survivor Series too, whilst also becoming the face of WarGames in NXT.
9 Failed: Curt Hawkins
Curt Hawkins was a surprise re-signing for WWE in the 2010s. Unlike others who went away and came back with a massive overhaul in terms of looks and physiques, Hawkins still looked unimpressive for the most part.
His WWE comeback came with a long losing streak, achieving that of a jobber status very quickly. His one and only real success came when he and Zack Ryder had a brief reign as Raw Tag Team Champions, but aside from that his whole comeback was a failure and a waste of time.
8 Found Success: Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens arrived in WWE with hurdles to overcome, as he didn’t have an impressive physique despite earning a reputation for being one of the best overall competitors on the planet at the time.
He was an instant hit in WWE though, with his talents managing to overcome whatever preconceptions someone like Vince McMahon would have had about his look. In just over a year he became NXT Champion, defeated John Cena on PPV, and became Universal Champion.
7 Failed: Bo Dallas
At the start of his WWE career, Bo Dallas’ character work led him to the NXT Championship. However, after getting to the main roster, things just went downhill for Dallas.
With an unimpressive physique and lacking the look of a star on the level of someone like Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins, Dallas fell into the lower card very quickly in WWE becoming a glorified jobber as the years went on.
6 Found Success: James Ellsworth
WWE made it quite clear on air how much James Ellsworth looked like a jobber and not like a WWE superstar – and that was the point. Given his introduction as just someone to lose to Braun Strowman, the way his career turned around led to what can only be described as a success.
Ellsworth became a favorite amongst fans, and even beat the WWE Champion AJ Styles three times. He was involved in main events and went on to be the sidekick of Carmella too.
5 Failed: Tensai
When the former A-Train arrived in WWE in the 2010s after stints away from the company, he certainly looked older with a larger stomach and not the best of physiques, especially compared to what he looked like in the past.
WWE tried to present him as an unstoppable monster at first, but he quickly drew chants of “Albert” from fans and lost momentum incredibly quickly. Before long, he was a dancing jobber – a trend that many of his stature followed under the creative control of Vince McMahon.
4 Found Success: CM Punk
CM Punk has never had the look of a conventional “WWE” wrestler. He isn’t cut from the same cloth as the likes of The Rock, John Cena, Hulk Hogan, and others, but he makes up for that with incredible in-ring ability and insane charisma, and that is why he had a lot of success in the 2010s.
CM Punk broke records as WWE Champion, having multiple reigns with the gold. Whilst he would leave the company in 2014, he still had a lot of joy in the first part of the decade.
3 Failed: Bull Dempsey
Bull Dempsey is a forgotten member of the early NXT days, and perhaps the reason why he didn’t make it big in the company was due to having an unimpressive physique.
He wasn’t especially eye-catching or tall, and he didn’t have enough in the ring or on the mic to make people ignore his misgivings. He did get a little over, but that was only brief.
2 Found Success: Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt was someone who had the body type of someone like Mick Foley. He wasn’t overly toned or muscular, with him having a noticeable belly too, but he could go in the ring just as good as anyone else, and had so much charisma to make up for anything like that.
Wyatt was an instant hit with his cult-leader gimmick, and it led to main events and world titles within the 2010s, with some memorable moments along the way.
1 Failed: Brodus Clay
Brodus Clay has a large frame, but he felt more like an Earthquake type of build rather than someone more muscular and toned. Either way, someone of his size did have potential as a monster heel, but much like many larger men, Clay was turned into a dancing comedy gimmick.
The Funkasaurus gimmick was popular but it wasn’t successful, and despite putting his all into the role, he failed to ever find any real momentum in WWE.