10 Wrestlers Who Got Smaller To Get Bigger

7. Big Boss Man

Akira Tozawa Transform
WWE

When corrupt corrections officer the Big Boss Man swung his truncheon into WWE in 1988, his somewhat corpulent frame made perfect sense. Literally speaking, it married with his name, as per the wrestling truism mentioned previously. But it was also logical that a jailer more concerned with beating prisoners than reforming them would be inclined to derelict his duties further by digging into the doughnuts.

Boss Man wasn't just a nasty prison guard, then, but a kleptocratic one, stealing from the public pot to stuff his face - ideal for inciting the enmity of a broadly working class audience. The problem came when, at the turn of the '90s, the Cobb County brawler reformed his ways. In order to facilitate his redemption - and thus, his rise in popularity - Boss Man shed the pounds. The already agile ex-cop became a lean, mean justice machine, enjoying the last three years of his first run with the company as one of their most popular stars.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.