We’re often obsessed with wrestlers both inside and outside of the ring. We follow their careers, personal lives and everything in between. Like an pro athlete many of them have achieved celebrity status and must deal with all that comes with it. But one thing we often don’t talk about is their childhoods. Many wrestlers’ childhoods might not be the most interesting out there, while others have had very difficult personal lives starting from an early age. We see tons of pictures of these guys as adults but it’s often difficult to find much of them as kids.

It might just be an extension of their aforementioned celebrity status, but fans love seeing pictures of wrestlers as kids. It makes them seem a little bit more relatable to some and offers an interesting insight into who they are personally. But sometimes, seeing your favorite wrestler’s childhood pics can be pretty darn funny. They’re kids at this point after all, and kids are hilarious even when they aren’t trying to be. You’d be surprised at just how many of your favorite wrestling stars have childhood pictures out there. So let’s take a look at 15 hilarious pictures of wrestlers as kids.

15 15. Bubba Ray Dudley

Born Mark LoMonaco, Bubba Ray Dudley had a pretty memorable stint with the WWE from the late 90s to the mid 2000s. His career after the WWE would take him to TNA, the independent circuit and now ROH. He even has his own radio show on the way. There have certainly been worse careers in the industry. But before all that, as you can see, LoMonaco was an adorable kid growing up in Queens, New York. Not all that much is known about his childhood, but if this picture is anything to go by it seems as though he was one happy kid. The bowl haircut he’s rocking here can’t help bit make you chuckle, especially when you see what he looks like as an adult.

14 14. Sheamus

It seems as though Sheamus was always a bit of a moody character, and this face is all the proof you need to see that. Born Stephen Farrelly, “The Celtic Warrior” was raised in the city – hailing from Cabra, Dublin. As a child, Farrelly was in his school’s choir and was an avid soccer fan. So maybe this picture right here was taken after a big loss or something because he looks pretty sour for some reason. He had a little more color in him as a kid and seems to have washed out with age, funny enough. Regardless of exactly what’s causing him to show such sour grapes in this picture we can all relate to the feeling, as we’ve all had those days as kids. Looks like WWE stars are no different.

13 13. Rey Mysterio

Who’s this adorable little kid? Well you might not have been able to recognize him anyways, seeing as he spent the better part of his professional career with his face hidden behind a mask. That’s right, this little guy is actually Rey Mysterio. Born in California as Óscar Gutiérrez, Mysterio would gain a ton of recognition over his decade long tenure with the WWE. Even as a child it seems as though wrestling was in his blood, as he comes from an extended family of wrestling talent. Hard to believe that such a peaceful looking kid would grow up to be such a nimble athlete. But then again, anything is possible. We’re certainly glad that he grew up to be the wrestler he was.

12 12. Sasha Banks

In her short career, Sasha Banks has had a pretty incredible run thus far. Part of the new generation of women wrestlers in the WWE, Sasha has accumulated accolade after accolade and is already one of the most popular female wrestlers around. Of course, her relation to Snoop Dogg makes her personal life one of the more interesting on this list. Aside from her famous family, Sasha had a pretty noteworthy childhood as her family moved a lot in that time. As you can see here, she was an energetic kid and it looks as though that energy found its way into the wrestling ring. Did everyone who grew up in the 90s have that same toy car? Well whatever, it looks like she enjoyed it.

11 11. Stephanie McMahon

In a list that features a ton of personal childhood pictures that you’d really have a hard time finding if you weren’t looking for it, we come to a pretty famous shot. It’s no secret that as a child, Stephanie McMahon was a huge fan of Andre the Giant. That little bit of wrestling trivia is a well known fact among even the most casual fan. This picture of the two of them together is absolutely adorable. But have you ever thought about the height differences between the two? Andre stood at an incredible 7 foot 4 and pretty much dwarfed the young McMahon. As heartwarming as this is, it’s pretty funny to see the huge difference between the two.

10 10. Big Show

We move on from one picture with a giant to one with a future one. Looking at this picture alone, it would have been impossible to fathom that Paul Wight, otherwise known as Big Show, would grow up to be the behemoth that he is. Twenty plus years after his debut, Big Show has had himself one incredible career and still manages to stay somewhat relevant in the industry. But would you believe that just a few years after this picture was taken this kid would shoot up so drastically? He was 6 foot 2 by the time he hit twelve and would go on to grow about eight more inches in the time after that. Funny to think that this little wide-eyed kid would become one of the most physically intimidating wrestlers of all-time.

9 9. The Hardy Boyz

The Hardy brothers have not had the easiest of lives, that’s for sure. Though they’re both talented wrestlers in their own right, they’ve each struggled with their demons. Jeff’s struggles have been well documented, and his career is one of the biggest what if’s in wrestling. But Matt has had his fair share of problems as well. Alcohol and drug abuse once threatened their careers, but the duo is now back and seems to be better than ever. It’s great for them and the fans. But we take a moment now to look at something from before they’d achieved such fame and success. It seems that the brothers were always together, and this picture of the two Hardy toddlers just brings a smile to your face.

8 8. Lita

Lita’s six year WWE career is well remembered by fans, and as she moves on with her semi-retirement from the sport, she’s still one of the more popular female wrestlers the WWE has ever had. Throughout her career Lita was sold as a badass type of character, and that went over phenomenally. Outside of the ring she seems pretty tame and is an all around decent person. Though you wouldn’t have thought so by watching her in the ring, and you definitely wouldn’t have thought so looking at this adorable picture of her as a child. She looks like an ordinary little girl here, but young Amy Dumas would grow up to be quite the capable woman.

7 7. The Miz

Could you tell just looking at this kids picture that one day he would have it all? What a ride it’s been for The Miz. After growing up in Parma, Ohio and getting his start in reality television, he finally ended up in pro wrestling. His thirteen-year career with the WWE is one of the longest ongoing stints any wrestler currently has going with them. He’s won a multitude of championships and is one of the more consistent wrestlers out there. He’s also got a hot wife. So, yeah, life’s good for The Miz. Can you believe that this innocent looking, little bowl-cut haired, wide-eyed kid ended up the way he is now? He still kind of looks the same too.

6 6. Roman Reigns

Before he became one of the most hated men in wrestling, Roman Reigns went by the name of Joe Anoa’i. Born to the famous Anoa’i wrestling dynasty, it seems as though wrestling was in little Joey’s blood. If you look at pictures from his youth, you could tell that he was an athletic kid – and so it seemed as though he was destined for sports. The biggest question there though was which sport. Football failed to pan out after two NFL practice team stints and a brief CFL career. So it seems as though wrestling has been Reigns’ saving grace. Tough to imagine that such a sweet looking little kid could grow up to be such a brutal looking guy.

5 5. Kofi Kingston

Born in Ghana, Kofi Kingston’s road to the WWE was not without its obstacles. Starting out in the independent circuit and then later on moving to ECW and eventually WWE, it took a while for Kofi’s career to really kick off. But it’s all good for Kofi nowadays. Multiple championships, a loyal following and increasing popularity really have his stock looking up. He’s always been a wacky kind of guy, but take a look at this childhood photo for some real laughs. Looks like the photographer took the picture when Kofi wasn’t 100% ready for it, and the end result is a hilariously glazed look on his face. It’s pretty funny considering its happened to all of us at one point in time.

4 4. Charlotte

We’ve got another decorated female wrestler on this list, and much like Sasha Banks, she’s been instrumental in the reshaping of the women’s division in WWE. Known as the daughter of Ric Flair, Charlotte has stepped out of her father’s shadow and made a name for herself all on her own. She’s not just some member of the Flair family anymore and has worked very hard to be where she is right now. But let’s take a look back in time to when she was still daddy’s little girl. It looks like she’s enjoying herself at someone’s birthday party and can’t be more than a few years old here. The face she’s making is both adorable and pretty funny. Kids just don’t seem to be good in front of the camera.

3 3. The Undertaker

He might be a little funny looking in this picture, but this kid would grow up to be feared by an entire generation of wrestling fans under the moniker of “The Deadman”. That’s right; this pudgy little ginger is none other than The Undertaker. Though he’s supposedly a really nice guy in person, ‘Taker, aka Mark Calaway, has become synonymous with the fearsome image he’s represented for the last few decades. That’s why seeing him out of character is so strange for wrestling fans. Even a simple picture of him out on the town might strike some as weird. So what does seeing him as an innocent little kid do? It kind of makes you want to crack a smile.

2 2. Nikki & Brie Bella

Though they’re no longer a duo, The Bellas had an incredibly successful run together. Brie is currently retired and busy with her newborn child while Nikki is still wrestling and preparing herself to become Mrs. John Cena. The two were a sight in the ring together, and while they did alright for themselves going their own ways, it really feels weird not seeing them together. As you can see, it seems as though they were tied at the hip, even as kids. They’ve always been kind of hard to tell apart evidently, but nowadays it’s a little easier to tell who’s who. It’s funny to see these two little kids considering we all know the type of careers they’d go on to have.

1 1. John Cena

Speaking of John Cena, it looks like he’s the last entry on our little list. The second oldest in a family of five boys, Cena’s childhood toughened him up for what life had waiting for him. Though he played football in college, Cena opted to become a pro wrestler instead. It seems as though that was the right choice in hindsight, as he’s become one o the most successful and well known wrestlers of all-time. But looking at this picture, could you even have guessed that this little marshmallow would have turned out the way he did? You can kind of see the resemblance to what he looks like now in his face, but the fact that this little guy is actually John Cena has to bring a smile to your face.