5 current WWE wrestlers with the best strength-to-size ratio

To normal people, tyres belong in the parking lot – on vehicles – not in the gym!Gym culture is so prevalent in today’s world that it’s hard not to find at least a handful of real-life Hulks in the iron jungles we spend a few hours wading through everyday. And physical fitness is so diverse nowadays that using one parameter like a personal best isn’t enough to measure true strength or level of fitness.Earlier, someone was considered to be ‘fit’ or ‘strong’ if they could run an soul-sucking distance or bench press the equivalent of a small car. And from a layman’s perspective, size equals strength. They’re not completely wrong, but with the advent of things like CrossFit, MMA and yoga, fitness and strength have taken on a completely different paradigm.At first glance, wrestlers are primarily associated with strength. But not just the bodybuilders’ definition of strength because despite them working out with the same kind of equipment and weights, wrestlers need functional strength, because they’re lifting bodies in the ring, not barbells.This is where their variety and intensity of training comes into play. Now keep in mind that there are at least a couple of inches’ difference between a wrestler’s ‘billed height’ and their ‘actual height’ and about 20 pounds’ in case of weight (the exaggeration’s greater if they’re smaller).With that in mind, let’s take a look at the 5 wrestlers who are the best bang for buck when it comes to strength:

#5 Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins is reportedly back to training following his knee injury

Billed height: 6’1”

Billed weight: 217 lbs

The erstwhile WWE World Heavyweight Champion who never lost his belt has one of the leaner frames on the roster, but that doesn’t preclude the fact he can’t execute power moves. When he was recently separated from The Shield, his speed and agility were his hallmarks, but after he topped the WWE podium, he’s been giving audiences much more to talk about, like this Turnbuckle Powerbomb, a perversion of the Shield finisher.

Rollins credits CrossFit-based workouts for augmenting his strength, power and conditioning and reducing injuries.

#4 Paige

Billed height: 5’8”

Billed weight: 120 lbs

The 23-year-old is from a family of wrestlers and debuted in the business nearly a decade ago(!). Her mother, father and half-brothers are well-known wrestlers in England and Paige has wrestled all over the world including Turkey, Germany and Switzerland.

Paige’s entry into WWE’s main roster is probably one of the most memorable because she won the Divas Championship on her debut, also becoming the youngest to win the title, aged 21. While her offence is more speed-centred, Paige’s finisher, the PTO, is a thing of beauty. For a 120-pound lady to pull off an abdominal stretch with a deep squat takes some muscle.

#3 Sheamus

Billed height: 6’6”/7”

Billed weight: 267 lbs

Sheamus is a big guy. My estimate would be that he’s around 6’4”, 240 lbs. That’s big in any sport, even today’s scaled-down WWE. The Irishman is a former rugby player and bodyguard to one of the most famous rock stars in history, Bono.

His character based on mythological Irish warriors fits him well, and he utilizes a physical style of wrestling to accentuate his ‘Warrior’ persona. He won the Slammy for ‘Feat of strength of the Year’ in 2012 for hitting the 200-kilo Big Show with White Noise. But in the face of a statuette, let’s not forget this feat of his either:

#2 John Cena

Billed height: 6’1”

Billed weight: 251 lbs

WWE’s resident Superman is about 6 feet even, but packs a lot of muscle on his frame, which seems befitting of a taller man. The aspiring bodybuilder stays close to his roots, doing a lot of compound workouts like squats, clean and jerks, clean snatches which contribute to his freakish power.

On the flipside, Cena isn’t the most athletic on the roster but he fits the bill as far as Vince McMahon is concerned and plays to the ‘muscle man’ stereotype. Cena has force-fed the AA to the biggest guys on the roster, including the Big Show, Mark Henry and Kane, which is saying a lot for a 6-footer. Who can forget when he lifted both Big Show and Edge at the same time at WrestleMania 25?

#1 Cesaro (duh)

Billed height: 6’5”

Billed weight: 232 lbs

Cesaro’s around the 6’3” mark and his frame appears to match the figure given. Initially introduced as an ex-Swiss military man and rugby player, it wouldn’t be surprising if he could hold his own against individuals of those disciplines.

He’s one of the lighter Superstars on the roster, but one look at his Cesaro swings tells you that his size belies his incredible power and strength. Cesaro is Seth Rollins’ training partner and both of them are known to incorporate a lot of Olympic-style lifting and CrossFit methods in their training.