When you think of the way wrestlers used to look back in the 1980s and early 90s, then you would think that the ideal size for a wrestler was around 300 lbs.
The WWE likes to have some of the biggest wrestlers in the world as part of their roster because they are good at playing the bad guy and make it a lot easier to build up an underdog.
We're talking about Superstars like Big Show who is billed as the “World’s Largest Athlete” or The World’s Strongest Man Mark Henry, who weighs around 400 lbs.
These wrestlers are classed as the heavyweights of the business and while they are not the most attractive superstars to look at, they have as much of a right to be practicing their craft inside the squared circle as many of the crafted bodies of today’s generation.
The Royal Rumble alone up to 2014 prides itself on having seen 208,993 lbs inside the match, which is an astronomical amount of weight for a match that had only been presented 27 times at that point.
The following is a list compiled of some of the biggest wrestlers to step through those WWE ropes and make a name for themselves inside WWE’s industry.
20 20. Brodus Clay
The 375 pound wrestler is perhaps best remembered as “The Funkasaurus” during his time with WWE, Brodus Clay is one of the biggest superstars in WWE’s PG era, Clay also stood at 6 ft 7 inches which makes also makes him one of the tallest on the list.
Following a successful stint as a solo competitor with The Funkadactyls, Naomi and Cameron, WWE decided to put Clay with Tensai and the two became known as “Tons of Funk.”
The team was short lived after the duo turned on each other, but it was one of the highlights for a star who is now signed to TNA under the ring name Tyrus.
19 19. Earthquake
John Tenta, more commonly known as Earthquake during his short stint in WWE, weighed around 468 lbs and was 6 ft 7 inches tall.
Earthquake joined the WWE in 1989 after a promising sumo career, but it wasn’t until he was partnered with Typhoon that Tenta finally won gold as a part of The Natural Disasters.
Obviously a fan of disasters, Tenta was also known as Avalanche in the latter part of his wrestling career, before he sadly passed away in June 2006 at just 42 years old after a battle with Bladder Cancer.
18 18. Captain Lou Albano
One of the shorter men on the list, Lou stands at just 5 ft 10 inches and weighs in at 350 lbs. He is best known for his appearance on Cindy Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” video after the singer had made appearances for WWE to manage Lou.
He only ever held the WWE United States Tag Team Championship once during his time with the company, but had an incredible 42 year career as both a wrestler and manager and was finally inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996.
Lou passed away following a massive heart attack in 2009 when he was 76 years old.
17 17. Mick Foley
The hardcore legend himself narrowly makes the list, weighing in at 287 lbs and standing at over six feet tall. Foley has been known under many personas during him time with the WWE, as Cactus Jack, Dude Love, Mankind and his given name are the four names he is fondly remembered as.
He was the first ever Hardcore Champion and is an eight time tag team champion from his days in WWE, which he occasionally returns to.
Foley’s legacy is also continuing as his daughter Noelle is currently training to become a WWE on-screen personality while his son Dewey is currently part of the creative team.
16 16. Gorilla Monsoon
One of the voices of professional wrestling in the 1980s and 90s, Gorilla Monsoon was one of the biggest stars to ever sit behind the announce table.
Monsoon weighed more than 400 lbs, but that didn’t stop him pointing out the size of many other large wrestlers of his day.
He was the voice of the first eight WrestleManias before WWE inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 1994.
Monsoon retired from a life of calling wrestling action in 1981 and tragically passed away in October 1999 following complications with diabetes.
15 15. Bam Bam Bigelow
Bigelow had a wrestling career that spanned more than 21 years before his untimely death in 2007, where he worked with many wrestling promotions including ECW and WCW, but it is his time in WWE that is in focus here.
Bigelow tipped the scales at 390 lbs whilst standing at 6 ft 4 inches and became known by the nickname “The Beast from the East.”
Bigelow had two stints in WWE but is better remembered for his second run where he was a finalist in the 1993 King of the Ring tournament, eventually losing out to Bret “The Hitman” Hart.
14 14. Jason Albert
Weighing in at 360 lbs and standing at 6 ft 7 inches tall, Albert was known under many names during his two stints with WWE.
Albert, A-Train, Tensai and Sweet T were all names that Albert used in WWE, but he still was only ever able to capture the Intercontinental Championship while being a part of the company, but he was ranked at number 32 in the PWI top 500 singles wrestlers list in 2001.
Since his retirement from professional wrestling, Albert has been known as a color commentator for NXT as well as the head trainer of WWE’s development territory, NXT.
13 13. Dusty Rhodes
The American Dream was one of the most charismatic characters in WWE history, a truly talented in-ring performer who was allowed to take his rightful place as a booker and overall creative talent behind the scenes at WWE following his retirement.
During his wrestling career. Dusty peaked at around 275 lbs but it was never his weight that defined him, as he was one of the happiest superstars who captivated wrestling audiences and catapulted himself to stardom.
He is also a WWE Hall of Famer and following his sudden death in 2015, WWE dedicated an entire tag team tournament in his name as a way of showing appreciation for Dusty.
12 12. Akebono
The former decorated sumo wrestler is perhaps best known to American audiences for his WrestleMania 21 Sumo match with fellow heavy star The Big Show. Akebono tips the scales at a rather impressive 504 lbs.
Akebono had a short lived career with WWE and following his stint with The Company, and playing a big part in their tour of Japan back in 2005, he was then signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Following his return to the world of Sumo wrestling, Akebono was officially announced as weighing in at a much heavier 514 lbs, which is thought to have been his correct weight throughout his Sumo run.
11 11. Happy Humphrey
Humphrey is billed as the heaviest professional wrestler of all time; he was a wrestler for around eight years and was a part of numerous matches throughout the 1950s and 60s.
Humphrey first began his career in 1953 when he wrestled a bear, before going on to have a successful wrestling career that saw many of his matches televised.
Humphrey averaged at around 750 lbs during his career but was originally billed as 800 lbs and on one occasion he peaked at over 900 lbs, which is why he is still considered to be the largest wrestler to ever actively compete.
If you're wondering why he's on the list, he did work for Vince McMahon Sr. at one point.
10 10. Giant Gonzales
Giant Gonzales was an intimidating presence during his time with WWE, he stood at 7 ft 7 inches and weighed around 460 lbs. He is most fondly remembered as one of The Undertaker’s victim’s en-route to a history breaking undefeated streak, as he faced The Deadman back in 1993.
Gonzales was only a part of WWE for a year back in 1993 but he made an impact due to his size, something that eventually led to his retirement from the profession in 1995. Gonzales tragically passed away from complications with diabetes and serious heart problems in his home town of Argentina back in 2010.
9 9. Mark Henry
Still billed as “The World’s Strongest Man” despite the fact that he only won that title in 2002, Mark Henry is one of the heaviest superstars in the company currently weighting in at nearly 400 lbs.
Henry is a two time Olympian and, during his time with WWE, he is a two time World Champion having held the ECW Championship during its revival in 2008 and the World Heavyweight Championship back in 2011.
Mark Henry comes from a family in which all of the male members are gigantic and he seems to have followed suit by standing at 6 ft 4 inches.
8 8. King Kong Bundy
King Kong Bundy weighs in at 458 lbs and is remembered for many accomplishments in WWE during his run in the 1980s and 90s.
He headlined WrestleMania II back in 1986 in a steel cage match with Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship before he became the fourth victim of The Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak in 1995.
Bundy failed to win any championships during his two short stints in the WWE, but he is fondly remembered for his intimidating size and physical presence.
7 7. Big Daddy V/ Viscera
Also known as Mabel during his earliest stint in WWE, Viscera weights in at an incredible 487 lbs, but during his early career he was first billed at a whopping 568 lbs.
Mabel is perhaps best known for winning the 1995 King of the Ring tournament and then going on to main event SummerSlam the same year, before he left WWE and returned as Viscera, “The World’s Largest Love Machine” (not a great storyline).
He was also one of the tallest wrestlers in WWE History having stood at 6 ft 9 inches, Tragically, Viscera passed away back in 2014 following a heart attack just days before his 43rd Birthday.
6 6. Umaga
“The Samoan Bulldozer” is a member of the famous Anoa’i family and is perhaps best remembered for The Battle of The Billionaires storyline at WrestleMania 23, which he actually lost.
Umaga weighs in at 350 lbs and stood at 6 ft 4 inches, which allowed him to become one of the most dominant forces in WWE during his short stint with the company.
Umaga was originally used by WWE as a part of “3- Minute-Warning” back in 2002, before WWE rehired him in 2006. Tragically Umaga passed away in 2009 after what was discovered to have been a heart attack.
5 5. Rikishi
WWE Hall of Famer and another member of the famous Anoa’i family, Rikishi is famously remembered for his stink-face finisher, which looked exactly like what it sounds like.
Billed at around 425 lbs, Rikishi still only ever managed to hold the Intercontinental Championship, but he had one of the most likable gimmicks in WWE at the time as a dancing big guy.
Rikishi is also a numerous time Tag Team Champion, much like his sons Jimmy and Jey Uso who still light up WWE’s Tag Team Division as a way of continuing on their father’s legacy.
4 4. Vader
Weighing in at a whopping 450 lb and standing at 6 ft 5 inches tall, Vader is perhaps best remembered for his time feuding with Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker during the mid 1990s.
Vadar did have a better run in WCW where he held the Heavyweight Championship three times and the United States Championship once, while his only accolade in WWE was that he won the Slammy Award in 1996 for Crime of the Century after his violent attack on Gorilla Monsoon.
Vadar is now semi-retired, but he is still a successful part of the Independent circuit in both America and Europe.
3 3. Yokozuna
Weighing in at 568 lbs and standing at around 6 ft 4 inches tall, Yokozuna is the heaviest WWE Champion of all time. He is also a WWE Hall of Famer and a member of the famous Anoa’i family.
One of the most successful larger athletes of all time, Yokozuna is remembered for winning the 1993 Royal Rumble as well as having successful Tag Team Championship runs and two reigns as WWE Champion.
2 2. Big Show
The multi-time WWE and ECW World Champion is still a part of WWE to this day and is billed as “The World’s Largest Athlete,” weighing in at 450 lbs. It goes without saying that Big Show is one of the largest superstars in WWE History.
Show has been a part of WWE’s product for around two decades and is only now seemingly heading towards the end of his career. He holds many accolades in WWE but is also an acclaimed actor and TV star.
Much like Andre the Giant, Big Show suffers from Acromegaly which causes his body to grow faster than a normal human being.
1 1. Andre the Giant
The eighth wonder of the world and one of the most famous large wrestlers of all time, Andre the Giant weighted in at 520 pounds, making him one of the heaviest wrestlers on this list.
He famously was bodyslammed by Hulk Hogan in the main event of WrestleMania III, but regardless of this, Andre was never fully dominated by any wrestler in any match throughout his entire career.
He also branched out to acting following a successful WWE career and is fondly remembered for his role as The Giant in The Princess Bride. Andre was also one of the first superstars to be inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame.