This article is sponsored by Measured, a clinician-led GLP-1 weight loss and longevity company serving everyday adults.
For countless wrestlers, being signed to a major company is a dream come true, but the transition to ‘popular wrestler’ to ‘internationally recognized celebrity’ can be a jarring move.
The pressure to look a certain way is relentless when every appearance is archived, replayed, and compared to the past. For some performers, slimming down has meant extending their careers, moving better in the ring, or redefining how they are presented on screen. Over the years, several pro wrestlers have undergone dramatic weight-loss transformations, reshaping their bodies under the constant scrutiny of a global fanbase.
Here are six wrestlers who were able to shed the pounds and their reasons for doing so.
GUNTHER
WWE’s resident retirement machine, GUNTHER has been a force to be reckoned with since joining the promotion as part of NXT UK. Upon moving to WWE NXT, though, the former WALTER received a new name as well as a new physique. was the heavy-set but imposing shape of the Austrian, now replaced with a mean, lean, match-ending machine.
GUNTHER dropped between 60-65 pounds, the former World Heavyweight Champion shared during an episode of Ryan Satin’s Out of Character podcast in July 2022. For the Ring General, who idolized the likes of heavyweights, including Stan Hansen, Terry Gordy, and Vader, the decision to make the change came down to wanting to make the right impression on WWE’s main roster:
“It’s a national television show that’s seen not just by wrestling hardcore fans. It’s seen by everybody, regular people. Looking like I look now, I will be more appealing and stand out more than looking like I looked the way before.”
Whether or not his improved physique played a role in WWE’s booking, the leaner GUNTHER immediately saw success on the main roster. In 2022, GUNTHER captured the Intercontinental Title, gold he would hold for a record-shattering 666 days before his WrestleMania 40 defeat at the hands of Sami Zayn.
Throw in two World Heavyweight Title reigns and a King of the Ring crown, and this leaner GUNTHER has cemented himself as one of WWE’s very top Superstars.
The Big Show
Billed as ‘The Largest Athlete in the World’, The Big Show’s size, both in terms of height and weight, was no secret on WWE TV. On a weekly basis, Show, now AEW’s Paul Wight, was billed at over seven feet tall and 500+ lbs, though that changed upon his return to the company’s programming at No Way Out 2008.
After over a year off of TV and after dropping 100 lbs, this slimmer Show would attack Rey Mysterio and kick-start his program with Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, culminating in their WrestleMania 24 showdown. For many, this was the healthiest Show had ever looked, a testament to his hard work. Mere days after his No Way Out comeback, Show sat down with Slam Wrestling to address the change:
“I lost 100 pounds. I boxed. I got a nutritionist, a guy by the name of Artie Artwell out of Phantom Boxing in Miami. Hulk Hogan hooked me up with him. I was trying to get in shape, lose weight. I was very unhealthy, very sick.”
Another key change Show made in his day-to-day life was giving up smoking. In the interview, Show, who could be caught enjoying a cigarette on TV during his WCW days, was proud to say he had surpassed a year smoke-free, with his final cigarette coming on January 10, 2007.
Wight’s hard work, close to a decade after his arrival in WWE, would not go unnoticed. 2008 saw him work with top names, including the Undertaker, while the subsequent years saw several title reigns. And while Wight’s days in the ring may be over, the veteran’s biggest victory came outside the ring.
Chris Jericho
After decades appearing on WWE TV, Chris Jericho wowed fans when he signed with AEW in 2019, a company he remains with to this day. By the end of the year though, Jericho’s weight was becoming a problem, as he recalled to TalkSPORT:
“It was the first time I’d been on a scale for a while. It said I was 240 [pounds]. That can’t be right! I remember saying to the guy ‘Do I look like I’m 240?’ And the guy’s like [shrugs] ‘I don’t know.’”
Two years later, Jericho would receive his second major wake-up call after a medical scare in late 2021 while touring England with Fozzy. Back in the U.S. Jericho was told that he was dealing with blood clots on his lungs and that he needed to lose weight. With Jericho’s body fat now at 21 percent, a change needed to be made.
And so, Jericho began his weight loss in January 2022 and instantly saw success.
“I wanted to lose 10 pounds over six weeks. Well, on this diet, I lost 11 pounds in the first week. So I said, ‘Well, this isn’t super hard. Let me stay on it for a while.’”
Jericho lost 31 pounds in 8 weeks in a weight loss so dramatic that some suspected the wrestling legend had gotten ab implants. Today, Jericho remains in impressive shape, and with rumors of a WWE return, his impressive physique may be back on WWE TV very soon.
The transformations covered here came from personal choices made at different points in each wrestler’s career. Away from the ring, interest in weight loss and longevity has grown across many walks of life. Measured operates in that space, offering GLP-1 weight loss and longevity care for everyday adults under medical supervision. Its focus is on transparency, clinical guidance, and sustainable results, reflecting how conversations around health have evolved well beyond sports and entertainment.
The post All About Wrestler Weightloss ft. Gunther, The Big Show, and Chris Jericho appeared first on eWrestlingNews.com.