Old-School WWE Wrestlers With Muscular Physiques Who Still Failed

In wrestling, the physique of a wrestler is a very important factor. A muscular physique not only provides strength to a wrestler, but it also enhances their overall look and character, which helps wrestlers to stand out from the rest of the roster.

In WWE, we’ve often seen them preferring muscular guys over technically superior athletes, especially in the Golden & New Generation Eras. However, there were some wrestlers of that time who failed to succeed in the company, despite having a muscular physique.

Tom Magee Was Supposed To Be The Next Hulk Hogan

WWE Tenure: 1986-1990

• Height: 6’4
• Weight: 275 lbs
• His Last WWE Match Happened To Also Be His Last Wrestling Match

Tom Magee is a somewhat forgotten name from the Golden Era, but he was actually supposed to be the next Hulk Hogan at one point. He had an impressive physique resembling that of Hogan’s. He faced Bret Hart in one of his first WWE matches, and it was actually a good match, with Magee winning it.

This match convinced Vince McMahon that Magee had potential, but in reality, the match was carried by Bret. WWE soon found out that Magee was actually a below average wrestler, and thus his career never took off, and was gone from the company in 1990, after which he left wrestling to pursue acting.

Tony Atlas Had One Of The Best Physiques In WWE History

WWE Tenure: 1979-1987, 1990-1991

• Height: 6’1
• Weight: 262 lbs
• Tony Atlas Wrestled In WCW For A While

Tony Atlas was a powerhouse wrestler with an impressive size and physique, and was a well-known WWE wrestler in the 1980s. He was a decent wrestler, and used his size to his advantage. Atlas was part of a tag team with Rocky Johnson in the 1980s, with the duo famously making history by winning the WWE Tag Team Championship in 1983.

However, as impressive as Atlas’ physique was, it happened to be the only memorable part of his overall package. Atlas’ first run was still somewhat decent, but his second run was absolutely terrible, as the ‘Saba Simba’ gimmick was a complete failure, and he was gone from WWE in 1991.

The Barbarian Couldn’t Stand Out On His Own In WWE

WWE Tenure: 1988-1992, 1994-1995

• Height: 6’3
• Weight: 297 lbs
• He Had A Decent Run In WCW After Leaving WWE

The Barbarian is a typical example of an old-school big man in WWE. He arrived in WWE in 1988 during the Golden Era, alongside Warlord as part of the Powers of Pain’. They were a strong duo, initially managed by Tito Santana. They started off as fan-favorites, but turned heel soon, notably feuding with Demolition.

Barbarian went solo in 1990, as he made little changes to his look, and got Bobby Heenan as his manager. However, his singles run was pretty forgettable and he left WWE in early 1992. He returned to WWE in 1994, and was part of the ‘New Headshrinkers alongside Fatu, but it wasn’t a successful pairing and his second run came to an end in 1995.

The Warlord Was A Generic Big Man & WWE Gave Up On Him Pretty Soon

WWE Tenure: 1988-1992

• Height: 6’5
• Weight: 319 lbs
• Warlord Had To Retire For Some Time After Suffering Injuries In A Car Accident In 1996

The Warlord was a pretty similar powerhouse wrestler as The Barbarian. As mentioned, Warlord was part of Powers of Pain alongside Barbarian. After the tag team split in 1990, Warlord was managed by Slick.

Warlord also made a few changes to his attire and overall looks. However, the change in looks didn’t change his fortunes, as he struggled as a singles wrestler. He was involved in some big singles matches here and there, but he was rarely victorious, and he last appeared in WWE in 1992.

Ted Arcidi Was A Strong Powerlifter With Impressive Records

WWE Tenure: 1985-1987

• Height: 5’11
• Weight: 286 lbs
• He Retired From Wrestling Soon After Leaving WWE

Ted Arcidi is another jacked wrestler people have seemingly forgotten about. He was actually a great powerlifter, and was the first man to bench 700 pounds, achieving it in 1985. This feat impressed WWE, and he was quickly brought to WWE in 1985 itself.

However, Arcidi’s strength didn’t translate into wrestling success, as he didn’t have the in-ring skills. WWE gave up on him soon, as his WWE tenure came to an end in 1987. In fact, that was the year when he wrestled his final wrestling match as well.

Adam Bomb Had A Difficult Gimmick To Pull Off In WWE

WWE Tenure: 1993-1995, 2001

• Height: 6’6
• Weight: 286 lbs
• He Wrestled For Multiple Companies Before Retiring In 2003

Adam Bomb was a big man during the WWE New Generation Era. After brief runs in AWA, WCW, SMW, Bomb arrived in WWE in the year 1993. He had a unique look, as he wore luminous green contact lenses, with a red tongue. He was billed as a survivor of the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown accident.

Combining all of these with his size made for an interesting character. However, Bomb was quite average in the ring, due to which he never received a solid push. He was actually promised an Intercontinental Title run, but it never transpired, and Bomb left WWE in 1995.

Ahmed Johnson’s In-Ring And Microphone Skills Held Him Down

WWE Tenure: 1995-1998

• Height: 6’4
• Weight: 301 lbs
• He Wrestled In WCW And The Independent Circuit For A While Before Retiring In 2003

When Ahmed Johnson first burst onto the scene, it felt like he would be the next big thing in WWE. He had great strength and size, giving him a great look to be a top star. He was pushed instantly by WWE, and became popular among the fans, and soon won the Intercontinental Title in 1996.

He even became the number 1 contender for the WWE Title, but things fell apart for him as he was diagnosed with kidney problems, and was forced to be off television for a while. Add to this, Johnson’s only redeeming quality was his muscular physique, as he wasn’t good in the ring or on the mic. He never gained back the momentum upon his return, and was gone from WWE in 1998.

Ludvig Borga’s WWE Career Ended Due To An Injury

WWE Tenure: 1993-1994

• Height: 6’4
• Weight: 282 lbs
• He Took A Retirement From Wrestling In 1997, And Pursued MMA

Ludvig Borga is a forgotten wrestler from the ’90s. He arrived in WWE in 1993, as a foreign heel from Finland. He had a solid look, and was pushed instantly as a powerhouse. He soon got into a feud with top babyface, Lex Luger.

Despite lacking wrestling skills and charisma, WWE was very high on him, and he was set for a huge push. However, Borga suffered an ankle injury in early 1994, which was the unfortunate end of his push, and left the company the same year.

Lex Luger Was Chosen To Be The Face Of WWE

WWE Tenure: 1993-1995

• Height: 6’5
• Weight: 271 lbs
• Luger’s Momentum Was Completely Ruined, And He Went Back To WCW, Where He Was Pretty Successful

Lex Luger had a great career in WCW, and is among the best United States Champions ever. His great physique was a major part of his character. He was brought into WWE with high hopes and huge potential, but he could never reach those heights. After a short heel run, Luger turned babyface, and was given the character of an American Patriot, as he challenged the foreign heel WWE Champion Yokozuna during the summer of 1993.

WWE thought they had got their next Hulk Hogan, but they messed up at SummerSlam 1993, when Luger looked like a complete fool as he celebrated a count-out victory against Yokozuna. This ruined his momentum completely, and fans completely lost interest in him. Even a joint Royal Rumble win couldn’t revive his career, and his WWE career came to an end in 1995.

Scott Steiner Never Reached His Full Potential In WWE

WWE Tenure: 1992-1994, 2002-2004

• Height: 6’1
• Weight: 264 lbs
• He Had A Lot Of Success Outside Of WWE

Scott Steiner was among the wrestlers with the best physique ever in wrestling. He was jacked with a muscular physique, which gave him a great look. He had a pretty good wrestling career, but could never make it big in WWE, despite being the perfect package WWE required.

He had two separate runs in the WWE, first as part of a tag team with his brother Rick Steiner in the early 90s. They started off well and became the Tag Team Champions instantly, but WWE gave up on them soon, and they were released by 1994. He returned to WWE in 2002, but his run was a failure again, and was gone from the company in 2004.