10. Miro
Ok so it’s not like Miro was small, was it? But the difference between WWE’s Rusev and AEW’s Miro is pretty incredible.
When Rusev was released on April 15, 2020, it appears he decided that in order to sign for AEW, he needed to get more ripped than a raffle ticket which won you a wheel of cheese instead of that new car you wanted. After all, AEW does stand for Abs, External Obliques and Wrist Extensions. Yeah, those are just three muscles I looked up and there was only one beginning with “W”.
While his AEW career is still trying to get off the ground, it is awesome to see that the man who once travelled down a WrestleMania entrance ramp on a tank is once again embodying his “Bulgarian Brute” moniker.
9. Cody Rhodes
Another one who didn’t actually need to get more shredded, but did it anyway just to make everyone else feel bad.
While Cody Rhodes has always been in great shape, its only in recent months that he’s shown that what we thought was great shape was just his second evolution, because he’s now evolved into Electrhodes, who I realise is not a stage three Pokemon, but he’s the only one that works for this pun.
Fans began to notice Cody’s body transformation on social media, and he got so big that he actually had to assure fans that he wasn’t taking drugs.
“14 pounds +! Drug free. Bulking cycle towards Full Gear…and Revolution,” he tweeted in response to a fan who noted how jacked the AEW Executive President was looking.
Imagine looking so good that people think you’re doing something illegal. I mean, I get it all the time, but for others it must be weird.
8. Ethan Page
Now if you want to talk genuinely crazy body transformations, then you have to put Ethan Page right into that conversation, because honestly, and I’m trying not to be dramatic here, but wow.
Page has spent 2020 working on getting into better shape, and while he was never exactly what you would call “fat” he was definitely carrying a bit more timber than he would have liked.
During an excellent series of vlogs on his YouTube channel which you should definitely check out, Page has detailed his journey, which has seen him lose amazing amounts of weight and gain an equally astonishing amount of muscle. Just between June and August he dropped 20 pounds, which is a bit like shedding three newborn babies. Shout out to all the triplet mums out there.
Page is currently part of The North tag team alongside Josh Alexander in Impact, and is regarded as one of the top tag team wrestlers on the planet right now. Seriously, if you need some tips on turning pies into ripped thighs, then check out Page’s Twitter and YouTube series for some awesome tips.
7. Evil Uno
In some cases, it’s really easy to see when a wrestler loses a lot of weight or gains a lot of muscle, because they don’t tend to wear shirts a lot of the time.
That being said, it’s important to recognise those who do wear shirts, and those who have lost a lot of weight while wearing the aforementioned shirts.
When he joined AEW, I think it’s fair to say that the Dark Order’s Evil Uno wasn’t in the best physical shape, and while he could still go in the ring like someone half his size, it seems he wanted to make changes.
Uno has for some time now been wrestling in a leather sleeveless top, which while it covers his upper body, doesn’t disguise the fact that he has lost a considerable amount of weight. While his ring gear is pretty cool, it would be awesome to see the transformation he has made in the past 12 months.
6. Peyton Royce
While many names on this list have gotten into better shape in terms of being a wrestler, Peyton Royce took it upon herself in 2020 to prove that she can do more than just the graps.
On August 15, Royce took part in her first ever bodybuilding competition, and she detailed the day’s events on her Instagram, showing off the two trophies she won on the day.
Bodybuilding is incredibly tough to prepare for physically, and you can see just from the definition of her muscles just how much work Peyton had to put in to make sure she was in the best shape possible for her show.
While the fake tan and bodybuilder shape isn’t for everyone, there’s no doubt that Peyton made an incredible transformation for the show.
5. Bayley
Remember the thing I wrote about Cody? Well you can pretty much apply that to former SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley, who clearly decided lockdown was the perfect time to transition from the hugger to the protein chugger.
Bayley often uses her social media channels to show off her various workouts, where she lifts things that weigh more than your mum, ooo burn.
One of the problems some people had with Bayley when she came to the roster was that her happy, sweet, hugging gimmick just didn’t fit on the main roster, and that as she was surrounded by the likes of Charlotte Flair, she wasn’t the most impressive physical specimen on the roster.
Fast forward to 2020 however, and Bayley is in incredible shape, and has cemented herself as one of the most physically dominant women in the whole of WWE.
4. Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle was in good shape when he was retired by Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35, but because of the nature of the loss, it made us forget just why he was able to become so dominant in the land of giants that is WWE in the first place.
Thankfully, Kurt decided to remind us a few weeks ago that he is still one of the hardest mutha effers in the business, posting a picture of himself on his social media pages looking like the world’s muscliest big toe.
Just a quick reminder to everyone that Kurt is 51 years old, which means that any 50 year olds out there who don’t look like Kurt Angle, you’ve got a year to get into his shape, or you must not be trying hard enough.
Judging by that photo alone, Kurt appears to be in some of the best shape of his life, which is pretty incredible given his past struggles. Great job, Mr Angle.
3. Roman Reigns
Interestingly, there are some who think Roman Reigns may have actually lost a bit of muscle definition in the past 12 to 18 months, but given what he’s had to endure outside the ring, I think that’s kind of fair enough.
So, if his transformation isn’t strictly related to muscles, then what is it, I hear you ask.
Well, just look at him.
Taking that silly vest off has made him look twelve times as physically impressive and 13 times as intimidating. Of course it’s helped that he’s being booked like the world’s greatest human, because let’s face it, he sort of is right now, but as a character, he is so much more the Roman we always wanted and knew we could get.
Also, recovering from Leukaemia and still looking like Roman Reigns is a miracle in itself.
2. Pete Dunne
When I asked people for suggestions for this list, I think about 90% of people’s first reaction was “Pete Dunne”, or alternatively “Pete Dune”, “Peter Dunne”, “Peter Doooon” and of course “what about that English guy in NXT?”
Pete took to Twitter in September to address some fans’ concern that he was either unwell or losing weight.
He went on to explain that far from losing weight, he’s actually used his time in lockdown to turn himself into a marble statue. Look at those yummy veins.
In the tweet, he wrote:
“I’ve had quite a few mentions saying I’ve lost weight and asking if I’m unwell etc.
“I’ve used lockdown to get in the best shape of my life and I’m excited for an eventual in ring return when travel is possible.”
Just look at those Pete Gunnes.
1. Edge
Well it had to be, didn’t it?
Who knew that someone who hadn’t wrestled for 8 years after being forced into retirement would return at the age of 46 in the best shape of his career.
My reaction was pretty much “Oh wow it’s Edge, and oh wow look at those abs”.
While 2020 hasn’t gone exactly to plan for the Rated Ripped Superstar, what with injuring his arm at WrestleMania, there’s no doubt that he put in some serious work to ensure that when he returned, it would be a return everyone would remember for a very long time.
You could grate cream cheese on those things.
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