It has long been said that in professional wrestling, sports entertainment is a big man’s sport. WWE, the premier company for over 30 years has been a big man’s territory. According to people very close to Vince McMahon, the big men who turn heads in an airport - Hogan, Undertaker, Andre, etc. - are the kinds of talent that he always coveted. The other school of thought is that the cream always rises to the top. Beginning with the Macho Man Randy Savage, every so often during the Hogan Era, guys who weren’t 6’6” and as big as a house were able to break through the glass ceiling.

Bret Hart won the WWE championship, then Shawn Michaels. More and more, smaller guys had been trying to make it big and get signed than bigger, more muscular, more lumbering guys. Nowadays, anyone of any size, so long as they have amazing talent, can break through. The guys who paved the way, did so because despite being under six feet were and, in some cases, still are larger than life.

UPDATE: 2024/03/25 17:30 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS

As the years go by in WWE, it seems that smaller wrestlers continue to get high spots in the company, as the athleticism of the athletes has become as important - if not more so - than wrestlers' sheer size. While the main champions are often bigger men, such as Roman Reigns, Gunther, and Seth Rollins, there is a push for the smaller wrestlers to match up with them. This was shown when a 5'8" Chad Gable pushed 6'4" Gunther to the limit. With AEW showing how to make smaller wrestlers look special, expect this to continue as wrestling continues to evolve in the future.

Kalisto Is A Two-Time United States Champion

Height: 5'6"

Kalisto left WWE in 2021, but while he was with the company, he proved to be one of the most exciting luchador wrestlers in the business. Known as Samuray del Sol in the Indies, Kalisto came to WWE with great promise and fulfilled it on a championship level. He started in NXT and won the tag titles there as The Lucha Dragons with Sin Cara.

He was better on the main roster. In 2015, he showed up and almost immediately beat former world champion Alberto Del Rio for the United States Championship. He held that title twice, while also winning the Cruiserweight Championship once. Kalisto even has a Slammy Award for the OMG Shocking Moment of 2015 for hitting his finisher off the top of the ladder in a TLC match.

Big E Is A Former WWE Champion

Height: 5'11"

It might come as a surprise since he is such a big man, at 285 pounds, but Big E is under six feet tall. The former New Day muscle man only stands 5-11, but that has never stopped him from achieving great success in WWE. He started out in NXT, where he won the NXT Championship from Seth Rollins and held it for 153 days.

However, Big E's best success came on the main roster. After a stint as Dolph Ziggler's bodyguard, Big E went on to enjoy some singles success before joining New Day. Big E is a two-time Intercontinental Champion, once before New Day and once after leaving the faction. In New Day, he was part of one of the best tag teams in WWE history, as the faction won the tag team championship eight times. Big E broke his neck in 2022 and has yet to return to WWE since.

Johnny Gargano Is A Former WWE NXT Champion

Height: 5'10"

Johnny Gargano may be the best in-ring wrestler NXT ever produced. He was the perfect babyface, standing 5-10 but never backing down from anyone. He also proved naysayers wrong by proving he could also work as a heel in NXT, always delivering and picking up the nickname Johnny TakeOver.

His matches with Tommaso Ciampa were the best in NXT history, and he did it again when he battled Adam Cole and matched the quality and intensity in those matches. Gargano is a former NXT Champion, NXT Tag Team Champion, and three-time NXT North American Champion. He is also the winner of five NXT Year-End Awards. Gargano is on the main roster now and, once again, is working with Ciampa in a tag team role.

Finn Balor Was The First WWE Universal Champion

Height: 5'11"

Finn Balor stands 5'11 and has proven that he can match up to anyone in WWE, regardless of size or skill set. He got his start in NXT when he showed up after an impressive Japanese career as Prince Devitt. In NXT, he held the main title there longer than anyone in history, with two reigns totaling 504 days. Finn Balor moved to the main roster after his first NXT run and was pushed to the moon, beating Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins and becoming the first-ever WWE Universal Champion.

An injury derailed his run, and he never reached the world title again. However, he won the Intercontinental Championship twice and returned to the main roster after his second NXT title reign. Balor has since become the leader of Judgment Day on Monday Night Raw.

Chad Gable Is A Former Olympic Athlete

Height: 5'8"

Chad Gable competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics before signing with WWE and joining their developmental system. In NXT, he was an immediate star, starting off as an arrogant heel before forming the biggest babyface tag team in the company at the time, American Alpha. Gable and Jordan won the NXT tag titles and had an amazing feud with The Revival before both teams moved to the main roster.

They won the SmackDown tag titles before breaking up. After this, Gable won the Raw tag titles with Bobby Roode and moved on to work with Otis in Alpha Academy. He has since become one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE thanks to his hilarious character work and unparalleled technical acumen in the ring.

Rey Mysterio Is A Former World Champion

Height: 5’6”

The most successful little man in WWE history is Rey Mysterio. He has been doing this for over 30 years, in ECW, WCW, WWE, and even Lucha Underground, where the legendary luchador has captivated the imaginations of fans all over the world and with all kinds of opponents.

He’s not just one of the best under six-footers to step into the ring, he’s one of the best, period. He has never slowed down either. In 2023, he became the leader of the revived Latino World Order (LWO) and went on to win his third WWE United States Championship at 48 years old. Mysterio is still going strong in WWE to this day, representing the LWO, while his son, Dominik, has become one of the most hated heels in the company's history.

Crash Holly Was A Hardcore Icon

Height: 5’10”

Crash Holly is not going to win any technical points when matched up against anyone on this list, but what he doesn’t have in the way of technical prowess, he makes up for with a ton of style points. Crash didn’t just get over the Super Heavyweight gimmick, claiming he weighed over 400 lbs. He also established the 24/7 Hardcore Championship rule, which years later has now come back around in the form of the 24/7 Championship.

He might not have had any marquee 5-Star matches. But fans all remember Crash in the ball-pit or baggage claim. Sadly, Crash died in 2003 at the age of 32.

Eddie Guerrero Is A WWE Hall Of Famer

Height: 5’8”

It was almost 20 years ago, at No Way Out 2004, that "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero went from being a legend in the making to an outright folk hero. Eddie was always one of the best in the world from the moment he laced up a pair of boots. Eddie Guerrero beating Brock Lesnar was just confirmation of that fact.

He would be gone shortly after this moment. But he had time before he left to have amazing match after match with the likes of Kurt Angle, JBL, and opening the curtains at WrestleMania 21 with his friend and then-tag team championship partner, Rey Mysterio. Mysterio reformed the LWO in 2023 in honor of Eddie Guerrero.

Daniel Bryan Is A 4-Time WWE Champion

Height: 5’10”

The Yes Movement might be over, but the New Daniel Bryan continues to show the world why he is one of the best and most beloved superstars ever. Barely standing at five–feet–ten–inches, Bryan has persevered, survived, and conquered every promotion he has ever worked in. No fan is ever going to forget the emotional rollercoaster and real-life story of Bryan finally winning the big one by defeating all of Evolution in one night to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania XXX.

Years after he was forced to retire due to concussions, he worked hard to regain his health and made an amazing comeback to AEW. While huis career is winding down, Bryan intends to go out his own way as he wrestles his final year for AEW, turning in a plethora of dream matches against opponents from all over the world.

AJ Styles Is A 2-Time WWE Champion

Height: 5’11"

Looking back at the history of TNA under Dixie Carter’s reign as CEO, look no further than AJ Styles to see how not to treat a homegrown talent. The Face That Runs The Place was consistently putting on phenomenal match and phenomenal match earning his Phenomenal nickname. All the while, TNA was consistently putting him on the back burner for older more name talent.

It’s no wonder that he left, reinvented himself in New Japan, and has been consistently the best wrestler in the WWE since AJ Styles' shocking debut at Royal Rumble 2016. Styles remains in WWE to this day, and while he hasn't held a title in a while, he always seems to be in the title picture in one way or another.

Dean Malenko Was A 2-Time Light Heavyweight Champion

Height: 5’8”

The Man Of 1000 Holds was able to take a few negatives and turn them into positives. He took his perceived lack of charisma and turned that into his gimmick - he was The Iceman, cold and calculating. Being a much smaller guy and not flashy like more cruiserweights presented another challenge.

Malenko developed a hard-hitting technical style that made you believe he could twist any man into any number of knots. Dean Malenko was last seen sharing his experience and knowledge as a backstage trainer and agent in AEW, where he worked to develop the ring psychology of wrestlers who came up on the independent scene.

Owen Hart Was A Former 2-Time Intercontinental Champion

Height: 5’10”

The King Of Harts, Owen Hart had such a giant personality and in-ring style that it’s almost hard to believe he wasn’t at least six feet. But at only 5-10, the youngest of the Hart children was able to become one of the most beloved superstars in and out of the ring. The Rocket captured just about every title during his career and had put on memorable matches with his brother and brothers-in-law, but also against the likes of Shawn Michaels as well.

Hart's career had a sad ending as well, as he died in an in-ring accident in 1999. Despite his early death, fans still look at Owen Hart's career with fondness and it was clear that he would have one day become a world champion if not for that tragic accident that ended his life.

Brian Pillman Held Multiple Titles In WCW

Height: 5’10”

The former Cincinnati Bengal was the quintessential babyface that early WCW needed when Brian Pillman became their first-ever Light Heavyweight Champion. But Pillman was a big student of the game and knew that he couldn’t run around forever in tiny striped trunks. He reinvented himself several times throughout his career, once as a Hollywood Blond, and then as a completely deranged psycho.

There’s no doubt that his unpredictable nature influenced dozens of other superstars, as The Loose Cannon was years ahead of his time. Pillman only worked in WWE for less than two years before his death. His lineage lives on as his son now works for WWE using the name Lexis King, but WWE has chosen not to hide the fact that his father is Brian Pillman, a change from second-generation stars from the past.

Dynamite Kid Was A Former WWE Tag Team Champion

Height: 5’8”

Speaking of ahead of their time - Tom Billington, the Dynamite Kid would’ve been able to be inserted into any match today, and he’d be able to hang with just about anyone. He was one of, if not the first WWE superstar who traversed the globe and brought a hybrid style into the ring with him.

His demons and attitude, unfortunately, curtailed any possible run he could have had past The British Bulldogs, but that doesn’t take away from how amazing Dynamite was in the ring, and why even wrestlers today cite him as an inspiration. Sadly, his wrestling style caused him to remain wheelchair-bound until his death in 2018.

Taz Was A Former ECW World Champion

Height: 5’9”

The Human Suplex Machine dominated the ECW landscape and came to the WWE with such confidence, that he ended Kurt Angle’s undefeated streak at MSG at the Royal Rumble in his debut match. He also was part of the wild story of how a WWE-contracted performer (Taz) took on a WCW performer (Mike Awesome) for the ECW Title, which saw Taz win his second ECW Title.

Taz is currently working for AEW, where he started as a manager and is now working exclusively as a color commentator. While his career was short-lived, he was one of the biggest names to ever work in ECW and had a lot of success before injuries ended his career in WWE.