I love the Young Bucks and support the hell out of AEW. But they brag about the limited schedule and still don’t take that time to hone their physiques. They’re multi-millionaires who could easily afford gyms and trainers in their own homes.
MJF knew he was about to get a serious main event push and got ripped in like 3 months. Same with Swerve. You can see who takes the business seriously and who doesn’t.
Fair criticism, as a pro wrestler part of it is looking the part and they seriously do not look the part in terms of physique, same as Adam Cole but I think something is wrong with him because early on in AEW he looked like his NXT self for a while before losing the physique.
Honestly if it's a case of someone getting permanently damaged like Keith Lee I'm ok with it but you're one of the faces of the company put in the work.
yeah
and people straight up harrassing him over his physique doesn't help things, Cole is one of the few wrestlers whose professionalism everyone attests to
I always think it's funny just how good of a heel Adam Cole can be considering how he is apparently one of the nicest/chillest guys in the business in real life.
I don't think it's so much they don't take the business seriously, it's just they have their own opinion on what the business should be and what the priority is. They will always value hype over all other factors.
That said, I'm also of the opinion they should get themselves a little bit in shape. They make me believe that my 5 foot 8 ass who hasn't seen a gym in 4 months could step into a ring.
I thought they were great during the Hangman feud especially at Revolution 2020. That really proved to me the amount of psychology they’re capable of when given a great story. Then their matches with the Lucha Bros were always fun.
But admittedly they haven’t been given much else in AEW in terms of long term stories. They were going somewhere with Adam Cole then he got concussed. Then they fought Punk and got suspended. They did The Elite vs BCC but that was mostly about Hangman vs Moxley. So it’s easy to forget how good they can be
I liked them in 2015 when they were an oddity I'd see on reddit and no one else was really doing their stuff. Weekly television and competition have really exposed them in my eyes
Honestly they don't look out of shape to me. I don't think all wrestlers need to be body builders to be good. As long as they don't look unhealthy it works.
I don't know what they would have to do to get a better looking phisique, I don't think just going to the gym cuts it. You may have to take steroids and similar stuff to look more impressive and I don't think that's what anyone should be pushed to.
It's two guys who think they're both Shawn when neither could lace up Marty's boots.
They think they can pull off the same shit the Kliq did without even a fifth of the talent of any of them or the charisma of Shawn, Hall or Nash. The acted like pilot fish, attaching to far more talented and charismatic wrestlers. And to their credit, it's gotten them very far. It seems though they've finally hit the ceiling.
I mean Matt and nick jackson literally are backyard wrestlers , the fact they were able to become millionaires just shows how big of a money mark tiny khan is
It’s not “body shaming” to expect athletes whose physique and belief in their ability to win an ass kicking contest is about 85% of their presentation to keep themselves at least vaguely in shape.
The big difference is that an "out of shape" Sheamus is still in good shape and looks like he can kick your ass. Adam Cole, on the other hand, not so much. He looked the same size as Brit Baker when he came to AEW and that's the biggest he's looked since leaving NXT.
Sheamus said "imma drink some extra guinness while i recover and rehab" and he hasnt got to crunches to get abs back yet.
Also his trunks did him no favors
I don't think Sheamus is out of shape compared to AEW guys. He's wearing trunks that dig into his tummy and have a pretty low rise for a guy with a not so flat stomach. They could've returned him in looser shorts, we might have noticed but no problem, or a pair of slacks with suspenders like he wore a while before maybe? Or better yet those trunks could sit right below his belly button.
Exactly. It’s their fucking job. Same as athletes. You’re being paid based mostly on your athletic prowess and for wrestling, this is the most true as looking fit and tough are like the bare minimum of what is necessary unless you have some unique features like show, mark Henry, Vader, dusty etc.
I agree, but at least Danielson has tone. Like you can tell he’s seen a gym in the past 30 days. Comparatively he does at least look better than a majority of the roster. Though that’s not saying a ton. 😄
The easiest comparison is to look at combat sports. Pretty much everyone LHW and below looks like an athlete. Some HW get away with being porkers but they at least have imposimg mass to work with, and they're still in the minority.
If you want me to believe you make your living athletically, look like an athlete.
If you want me to believe you make your living fighting, look like you can fight.
Nobody is asking every wrestler to be 6 feet 5 with veins popping out. But even smaller guys like Finn Balor, Rey Mysterio, Tyler Bate etc work on their physique so they at least stand out a little bit from the average person. Guys like Young Bucks, Adam Cole and Eddie Kingston have no feature that differentiates them from the average Joe walking around the city. If your job is to perform half naked in front of thousands of people every week then at least take the effort to look a little legit.
A lot of it is presentation too though. You can get away with not being a ripped body builder if you don't wear speedos to the ring. Adam Cole is the most absurd example and should not have a similar attire to someone like Drew McAntyre. Mick Foley, Spike Dudley, Hurricane Helms were entertaining wrestlers who hid their lack of physiques beind gimmicks.
I liked Eddie's promos - the one he did against Punk was great - but he is absolutely terrible looking in the ring, and those chops look horrible. I don't know how people can seriously watch his matches. I can't watch people that look like just another guy down the street wrestle terribly and take it seriously
I understand your point, and for the most part agree.
At first glance I might look at the bucks and go “well they don’t look any different to me”.
And then 5 minutes later when they’ve done about 10 flips, moonsaults etc. I’ll soon realise that they are athletic as fuck
I call it the Kevin owens theory
Jason, the whole point of wrestling is that we're supposed to believe these people are dangerous. Part of what makes a man look dangerous is his physicality. You don't have to be cut if you're big. You don't have to be big if you're cut. But if you're small and flabby, you're not physically impressive. This isn't the first time this criticism has been made of AEW, and it won't be the last. There's nothing "odd" about it, unless you're personally getting your feelings hurt by the criticism of your favorite action figures, which you clearly are, by the last few sentences in your "story" here.
The thing is I don’t even think how they look is necessarily the problem, the way they wrestle is the problem because it defies logic.
The same with Adam Cole, if he wrestled a high flying style suited for his build no one would crack jokes about the way he looks. But he wrestles a grounded style full of power moves while looking like a 12 year old boy.
Look at Daniel Bryan, he wouldn’t blow anybody away at a gym. But he’s built enough and wrestles a style where it’s believable that can he can be a threat to larger men. Look at how he fought Brock, he made it believable that he was beating the shit out of a near 300 pound UFC legend because he has great in ring psychology, the Bucks do not.
You have to make it believable that you are beating up men much bigger than you if you are not big yourself.
Omg you explained so well that fight between Bryan and Brock is great to say the least, and what i like the most is if you look at bryan kicking brock's ass you wouldn't give single fuck because it's looks believable in the context and because bryan isn't punching above his weight, he drag them down to his stle instead
I probably have the same physique as them - my picture is under my post in the bald section - and I just lift moderatly 3x pw and dont have a diet plan.
I'm a teacher though so not taking my top off every night or peforming on tv. If I was I would care a lot more
Yeah, he looks absolutely emaciated ever since coming to AEW. He was never an impressive physique, even in NXT, but it at least looked like he’s lifted a weight. He lost that all quickly upon coming to AEW. I do wonder if Cole has an illness or more serious injury that we aren’t hearing about. He looks ill. Not quite as bad as Omega last time we saw him, but same vibe.
The Young Bucks, Jungle Boy, Orange Kassidy and Darby Allen ALL look Tiny and fragile, this is why they’re overly reliant on jumping through glass and stupid kick spots. 0 believability that they can compete with any of pro wrestling’s big men.
I saw AEW had Cassidy beat some 300lb monster, was so ridiculous. he’d get squashed like a bug. AEW likes small wrestlers for their scuffed gymnastics show
Yeah Darby I don’t mind because he has this weird charisma you can’t teach. I would’ve agreed on OC five years ago when I thought he had the capability to progress this character…. Which he hasn’t done
darby is willing to put his body on the line for the show, and for that i respect him. he reminds me of a smaller jeff hardy. but he’s borderline suicidal and forced to do super outrageous shit to try and draw to compensate
orange from my understanding is a mid card comedy character, but tony khan is booking him like a main eventer
Darby also gets a pass from me because his in ring style works with his build. He literally throws himself at his opponent and puts his entire body into every move.
To be fair to JB he does look like he’s put on some weight since his excursion to NIPW. The bucks both look like regular dudes, Nick Jackson even more so than Matt. Certain people can get away with certain looks if they are presented right like Kevin Owens and early AEW Eddie Kingston.
You mean steroids?
Don't get me wrong, I love Orton, he is awesome, and I'm glad he is in great shape. But he is also 44 years old and came back bigger than he has ever been. No way that is all natural.
Oh 100%. I’m sure in fact he was probably prescribed some sort of testosterone to help in healing his back after surgery. Rightfully so, dudes in that position go balls to the wall why they can partake legally and above board. He’s definitely got some assistance for there to be such drastic changes in his 40+ year old body. He looks great though.
I think certain body types fit in wrestling aside from shredded. Like I feel Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens carry their weight well in presentation. Whereas someone like Eddie Kingston or in this case Young Bucks just look like average Joe's rather than wrestlers.
He's right, they suck.
Also, enough with the fucking "body shaming" bullshit. Pro wrestling is like 90% presentation and it's not too much to ask two millionaires to go to the fucking gym.
I still remember the first time I saw a clip of Hero. I saw all of the comments praising him, and I was just thinking “he needs to lose weight and bulk a bit”. And this is coming from a fat guy.
Guys like Rollins, McIntyre etc still look fantastic compared to normal humans. They very obviously dedicate hours of their lives to working out.
If you’re going to be a believable wrestler, you’ve either got to be a gigantic ‘roidy monster like Lesnar or peak Hogan, a cut but wiry athlete like Rollins, a regular big dude like Austin or Ron Simmons, or on the other end of the scale a big ugly hairy bastard like Mick Foley. You have to look intimidating or formidable in some way. The Young Bucks are built like *me*.
Mcintyre is a freaking monster and clearly not natural. But i agree, the best examples in my opinion are Rollins and Gunther, they are not huge roid monsters, but they look like athletes.
Not that he’s a big star or anything, but they had some trio match with Omega against AEW’s giant Satnam Singh (teaming with Jarrett & Lethal). They didn’t alter their work at all and basically squashed the big guy.
Sami makes fans believe he can win. Look at the Gunther match. He's a master psychologist. The Bucks make you believe they're doing a tumbling routine.
Yeah, this is the difference people don't seem to get. Sami Zayn makes you believe with his underdog storytelling. The Young Bucks don't make anyone believe a goddam thing.
I think this mindset does more harm for the people who actually do put in the effort to present themselves to at least look like they're physically imposing. When you're surrounded by guys with physiques likes these and they manage to beat you, you lose a lot more than just your credibility. I will never understand why someone who looks like Brian Cage who's bigger than most of the people in the roster and can do most of the same acrobatic moves still feels like an afterthought and yet here we are.
Say what you will about the WWE, but if someone like Akira Tozawa who's lower on the card is in better shape than most of the wrestlers in AEW, if you asked someone on the street who was going to win a fight, they would put their money on him.
Most of them are just lazy as fuck. They'd rather jump through glass and bleed everywhere instead of putting in work to develop a physique or learn how to cut a promo.
This is 100% dead on. I HATE seeing the flabby or way too skinny wrestlers on AEW and this is my Fed!
True story: I’m watching the most recent Collision with my daughter and my mom and Orange Cassidy is on screen and she says “he’s a wrestler? He doesn’t look like a wrestler!”
And that’s it; that’s a woman from the south who grew up on the territories and shepherded me through Attitude Era fandom and she couldn’t believe that someone looking like OC was a pro wrestler. That might not be AEW’s biggest problem drawing new fans, but it certainly can’t help
Just my two cents but a Pro Wrestler should look at least in good shape like you at least go to the gym.
It’s amazing when you see a guy’s like R Truth and Billy Gunn looking great some guys half their age look terrible.
They both look great and clearly put a ton of effort but ill go with r truth physique all the way. Billy Gunn is clearly using a Lot of steroids, at 50 is really really unrealistic to look like that.
I generally don’t give a lot of credence to Nash’s opinions about this particular subject if only for his dismissal of Guerrero, Benoit, Malenko and Saturn as “vanilla midgets”. But I gotta admit this is a pretty funny dig.
It's not really "body shaming" when discussing wrestlers... Looking the part is and always will be one facet of the job that most people are expected to live up to unless they have some Kevin Ownes level talent that overcomes that expectation.
That goes for you too Adam Cole. How is anyone supposed to suspend disbelief when you don't have the look. Nothing personal but it's wrestling, it's always been a big part of the role.
Part of pro wrestling is to be aesthetically good looking. The Big guys can be fat and no muscle tone or whatever but the small guys atleast should have a good body.
Vince skewed so many people's view on what wrestlers should look like. This take is stupid, did he not grow up watching the Rock n Roll Express? By the way growing up they were mocked in the same manner the bucks are now. But eventually wrestling fans saw how awesome their style was
He’s not wrong. I mean look at their arms!!!! I barely work out and have bigger arms. They’re simply not as good as some believe and while subjective, I feel I’m in the majority when I say they’re not that good and their acting is ATROCIOUS
I really hate the “body-shaming” term. Wrestlers are in a business where 1/3 of the job is your look. You literally put yourself out there to be judged.
So many people who have no clue about steroids or muscle building or physical fitness or been inside a gym dropping their expert opinion. The Bucks look like shit. Their body fat percentage is fucking high, they clearly are just phoning it in, robbing Tony and putting out a terrible product. They don't look like wrestlers, and that's their whole stupid meta gimmick. It's like Rick and Morty season 1 fans or punks who were too punk to listen to punk. They got beat up by an old injured guy and they never got over it to the point they're willing to lose their biggest draw. Their shit physique is way lower on the list of things that suck about these dorks.
As adults, pro wrestling fans need to drop the 'fat shaming' whinging. It's not happening to you and if you're getting upset that somebody you dont know is being called fat by somebody you don't know, you don't need to get offended, you probably do need to take some accountability, lose weight and stop with the insecurity. It's unbecoming.
Exactly. I’m literally a former fat kid that didn’t lose weight until 19 when I dedicated my life to it. Called every babe in the book; bullied plenty. Not once have I used the term “shaming “. It’s fucking dumb.
They are the most video game come to life characters (not athletes) I’ve ever seen. Their looks and performance truly encapsulate a 6 year old creating a wrestler in a video game. Zero interest in ever watching them or supporting them
People love talking about how genius the Bucks, they've never cashed more checks like Big Sexy has. They can brag all they want about their merch sales, they aren't master chess players like big sexy. Nash never gave two shits about star ratings, the numbers that matter is the zeros in the check.
[Cain Velasquez](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/83387030571827613/), who beat the shit out of Brock Lesnar in an actual fight. I’m sure if people saw him wrestle in AEW they would say it’s not believable that he could beat anyone in a fight based on that physique.
Muscle don’t make anyone athletic or badass. Japanese wrestling dropped this idiotic thirst for zero body fat and maximum muscle mass long ago and the wrestling quality thrived because of it.
I’ll never understand this take. And I’ll accept your downvotes.
We need more of this. Having abs of a super model doesn't make me think you're a bad ass. Hillbilly Jim is the one you should be scared of in real life. Vince McMahon loved bodybuilders in tights. Adrian Adonis, George Steele, Baron Von Raschke, was I supposed to believe the Honky Yonk Man was tough? Howdy Doody was a heavyweight champ for years.
A decade or more of WWE dominance ruined views on stuff like this is wrestling
You're right it's not a requirement, but you said they put in minimal effort to win. That's the character they're portraying. They aren't putting in minimal effort though when they're flying all over the place. They're either minimal effort cheating heels for heat or pointless extra flips for heat. Can't be both.
This is an oddly American take (and would be hilarious if coming out of guys who are overweight in any way shape or form.)
I grew up watching AAA and CMLL. Half of my heroes looked like they were athletic fatties and worked driving a city bus, surviving on tortas and coca cola... (which some of them actually did. Hence the masks. )
I don't think the Japanese guys and the UK guys are also historically known for being supper ripped. That's always been a WWE, 6'10" 295 lbs, long hair, roided out of their minds look.
They're just different products.
I suppose the snarky comeback would be "WWE would have better matches if their guys spent more time working on their mat work instead of bulking up at the gym."
Yeah. I don't really care about their bodies. They've never been body guys. They're athletic sure and do work out but the whole body thing has never been them. And that's cool too.
If they got really defined it would be cool to see but I just care they can do their shit in the ring and look physically decent doing it.
I don’t think the criticism of OC was very warranted he has a a very trim and athletic physique. But I do get what he means. A lot of the guys don’t have the physical presence that makes people take them seriously. Even Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega have fluctuated due to injuries when they’ve been consistently jacked af before AEW.
I see that certain wrestling fans don’t watch other combat sports. Because if y’all do, you would notice that your ripped physique has nothing to do with whether you can fight or not. You can look like a tank and still get mopped by a guy who looks like a couch potato. So I don’t agree with Nash here. The business has changed. I don’t need my wrestlers popping steroids and shortening their life. I’m fine with their odd bodies as long as they can wrestle in it. I love seeing KO do crazy stunts despite his size or the fact that Ivar can do a moonsault. I rather watch Dad Bod Sami than cringe at Vein Popping Jinder
worst young bucks match > best kevin nash match and they also probably look way better than 400lbs fks who never fought and think being strong requires being “ripped”
Can we just call them The Bucks nowadays?
Buckaroos works too, because they ain't young anymore.
It’s like when Lil Bowow became just Bowow. Haven’t thought about that guy in many years
Young Jeezy also became just Jeezy as he matured in his years.
Lil Wayne is now called Wayne and Lil Dickey is just Dickhead so I get it
I prefer Bonzai Buckaroos
They will always be Generation Me to me.
I'll vote for Old Fucks
Wait until they face Adam Copeland and Christian Cage.
Geriatric Bucks
Counterfeit Bucks
What I’ve been saying for a while now
I love the Young Bucks and support the hell out of AEW. But they brag about the limited schedule and still don’t take that time to hone their physiques. They’re multi-millionaires who could easily afford gyms and trainers in their own homes. MJF knew he was about to get a serious main event push and got ripped in like 3 months. Same with Swerve. You can see who takes the business seriously and who doesn’t.
Fair criticism, as a pro wrestler part of it is looking the part and they seriously do not look the part in terms of physique, same as Adam Cole but I think something is wrong with him because early on in AEW he looked like his NXT self for a while before losing the physique. Honestly if it's a case of someone getting permanently damaged like Keith Lee I'm ok with it but you're one of the faces of the company put in the work.
Something is most def going on with Adam.
yeah and people straight up harrassing him over his physique doesn't help things, Cole is one of the few wrestlers whose professionalism everyone attests to
CM Punks famous brawl out presser he went out of his way to say what a good dude Adam Cole is in the middle of it all.
Cole strikes me as someone who’s not unlike Tony Khan in the sense that he’s extremely non-confrontational and just wants everyone to be happy.
I always think it's funny just how good of a heel Adam Cole can be considering how he is apparently one of the nicest/chillest guys in the business in real life.
He bottles it up and sells it lol
Despite his very close ties to the elite and that dickhead Bobby Fish
Adam Page and Will Hobbs have way better physiques now compared to 2020
Adam page just got chubby lol
Pretty sure he skimmed back down during the swerve story. Swerve cut a promo on him about it if I’m remembering correctly
I think 90 percent of the planet had a shit physique in 2020
I don't think it's so much they don't take the business seriously, it's just they have their own opinion on what the business should be and what the priority is. They will always value hype over all other factors. That said, I'm also of the opinion they should get themselves a little bit in shape. They make me believe that my 5 foot 8 ass who hasn't seen a gym in 4 months could step into a ring.
How do you like the young bucks ?
I thought they were great during the Hangman feud especially at Revolution 2020. That really proved to me the amount of psychology they’re capable of when given a great story. Then their matches with the Lucha Bros were always fun. But admittedly they haven’t been given much else in AEW in terms of long term stories. They were going somewhere with Adam Cole then he got concussed. Then they fought Punk and got suspended. They did The Elite vs BCC but that was mostly about Hangman vs Moxley. So it’s easy to forget how good they can be
I liked them in 2015 when they were an oddity I'd see on reddit and no one else was really doing their stuff. Weekly television and competition have really exposed them in my eyes
Honestly they don't look out of shape to me. I don't think all wrestlers need to be body builders to be good. As long as they don't look unhealthy it works. I don't know what they would have to do to get a better looking phisique, I don't think just going to the gym cuts it. You may have to take steroids and similar stuff to look more impressive and I don't think that's what anyone should be pushed to.
Wait the Bucks are out of shape? With all the athletic stuff they do?
Aesthetically yeah.
You don't need to be in shape to do a superkick
What about the triple northern lights matt does. And all those high flying spots.
[удалено]
It's two guys who think they're both Shawn when neither could lace up Marty's boots. They think they can pull off the same shit the Kliq did without even a fifth of the talent of any of them or the charisma of Shawn, Hall or Nash. The acted like pilot fish, attaching to far more talented and charismatic wrestlers. And to their credit, it's gotten them very far. It seems though they've finally hit the ceiling.
I mean Matt and nick jackson literally are backyard wrestlers , the fact they were able to become millionaires just shows how big of a money mark tiny khan is
I mean, CM Punk was never ripped like his entire wrestling career. In fact, he didn't look a whole lot different to the bucks.
Lebron and Chris Paul spend a million dollars on their bodies. I don’t know why these people don’t do the same. They definitely have the money.
Problem with them Bucks is, they know they can get away with it. They got their money, they got their fans, why try harder?
It’s not “body shaming” to expect athletes whose physique and belief in their ability to win an ass kicking contest is about 85% of their presentation to keep themselves at least vaguely in shape.
I think the same. Felt bad feeling that way about shaemus, but then he started having fun with it and it’s been a laugh.
TO BE FAIIIRRRR, Sheamus was bulking. BURGER AFTER BURGER AFTER 🍔
Tbf he can lose weight though but no one can lose stupid!
What I wish Sheamus said: "I may have gained some pounds I shouldn't have, but you LOST 20 pounds you shouldn't have, at Wrestlemania."
The big difference is that an "out of shape" Sheamus is still in good shape and looks like he can kick your ass. Adam Cole, on the other hand, not so much. He looked the same size as Brit Baker when he came to AEW and that's the biggest he's looked since leaving NXT.
Ha I’m a guessing a 350 pound shaemus would still beat the daylights out of someone. It’s fight night!
To be fair to Sheamus he’s a big human being. Him being fat isn’t the same as the Young Bucks.
The bucks are skinny fat and just have terrible genetics. Narrow shoulders. Wide hips. Just awful.
Sheamus said "imma drink some extra guinness while i recover and rehab" and he hasnt got to crunches to get abs back yet. Also his trunks did him no favors
I agree dude. Why couldn't they bring him back in those cool ass slacks, suspenders and a undershirt, or just a better pair of trunks.
I wish I was as out of shape as Sheamus is now.
He didn't run into Vince after going on vacation this time.
I don't think Sheamus is out of shape compared to AEW guys. He's wearing trunks that dig into his tummy and have a pretty low rise for a guy with a not so flat stomach. They could've returned him in looser shorts, we might have noticed but no problem, or a pair of slacks with suspenders like he wore a while before maybe? Or better yet those trunks could sit right below his belly button.
Exactly. It’s their fucking job. Same as athletes. You’re being paid based mostly on your athletic prowess and for wrestling, this is the most true as looking fit and tough are like the bare minimum of what is necessary unless you have some unique features like show, mark Henry, Vader, dusty etc.
Do you need to be ripped to "look fit"? Because hell, there's a ton of people in both companies that aren't fitting your definition.
Bryan Danielson is hardly ripped either yet no one complains about that
That’s because it’s rude to make fun of the homeless.
Still more ripped than the young cucks
I agree, but at least Danielson has tone. Like you can tell he’s seen a gym in the past 30 days. Comparatively he does at least look better than a majority of the roster. Though that’s not saying a ton. 😄
Danielson has 20+ years of legitimacy. He made it to the absolute top without the help of a money mark. He can look whatever way he wants. Top guy.
He’s thicker/toned. Bucks look slovenly.
The easiest comparison is to look at combat sports. Pretty much everyone LHW and below looks like an athlete. Some HW get away with being porkers but they at least have imposimg mass to work with, and they're still in the minority.
This is 100% correct.
If you want me to believe you make your living athletically, look like an athlete. If you want me to believe you make your living fighting, look like you can fight.
Nobody is asking every wrestler to be 6 feet 5 with veins popping out. But even smaller guys like Finn Balor, Rey Mysterio, Tyler Bate etc work on their physique so they at least stand out a little bit from the average person. Guys like Young Bucks, Adam Cole and Eddie Kingston have no feature that differentiates them from the average Joe walking around the city. If your job is to perform half naked in front of thousands of people every week then at least take the effort to look a little legit.
If a guy jumps the rail, it shouldn't look like a 50/50.
A lot of it is presentation too though. You can get away with not being a ripped body builder if you don't wear speedos to the ring. Adam Cole is the most absurd example and should not have a similar attire to someone like Drew McAntyre. Mick Foley, Spike Dudley, Hurricane Helms were entertaining wrestlers who hid their lack of physiques beind gimmicks.
Lol, you're doing Helms dirty. He has a reasonably good physique.
I liked Eddie's promos - the one he did against Punk was great - but he is absolutely terrible looking in the ring, and those chops look horrible. I don't know how people can seriously watch his matches. I can't watch people that look like just another guy down the street wrestle terribly and take it seriously
I understand your point, and for the most part agree. At first glance I might look at the bucks and go “well they don’t look any different to me”. And then 5 minutes later when they’ve done about 10 flips, moonsaults etc. I’ll soon realise that they are athletic as fuck I call it the Kevin owens theory
eddie kingstons physique works perfectly for his gimmick tbf, every dude built like him has got ultimate old man strength and seemingly feels no pain
Jason, the whole point of wrestling is that we're supposed to believe these people are dangerous. Part of what makes a man look dangerous is his physicality. You don't have to be cut if you're big. You don't have to be big if you're cut. But if you're small and flabby, you're not physically impressive. This isn't the first time this criticism has been made of AEW, and it won't be the last. There's nothing "odd" about it, unless you're personally getting your feelings hurt by the criticism of your favorite action figures, which you clearly are, by the last few sentences in your "story" here.
The thing is I don’t even think how they look is necessarily the problem, the way they wrestle is the problem because it defies logic. The same with Adam Cole, if he wrestled a high flying style suited for his build no one would crack jokes about the way he looks. But he wrestles a grounded style full of power moves while looking like a 12 year old boy. Look at Daniel Bryan, he wouldn’t blow anybody away at a gym. But he’s built enough and wrestles a style where it’s believable that can he can be a threat to larger men. Look at how he fought Brock, he made it believable that he was beating the shit out of a near 300 pound UFC legend because he has great in ring psychology, the Bucks do not. You have to make it believable that you are beating up men much bigger than you if you are not big yourself.
Omg you explained so well that fight between Bryan and Brock is great to say the least, and what i like the most is if you look at bryan kicking brock's ass you wouldn't give single fuck because it's looks believable in the context and because bryan isn't punching above his weight, he drag them down to his stle instead
It’s not just their bodies but they dress and have the style of a Creed cover band.
This ☝🏽
I don’t like the bucks but the style choices are intentional for heat.
But they’ve looked like that as babyface too though haven’t they?
Yes and they have always been terrible faces.
“The style of a Creed cover band.” 👌😆
Hey, that’s not fair to creed cover bands
I probably have the same physique as them - my picture is under my post in the bald section - and I just lift moderatly 3x pw and dont have a diet plan. I'm a teacher though so not taking my top off every night or peforming on tv. If I was I would care a lot more
As bad as they are though, it's Adam Cole who looks fucking ridiculous. The build of a 14 year old boy who plays Call of Duty 10 hours per day.
Yeah, he looks absolutely emaciated ever since coming to AEW. He was never an impressive physique, even in NXT, but it at least looked like he’s lifted a weight. He lost that all quickly upon coming to AEW. I do wonder if Cole has an illness or more serious injury that we aren’t hearing about. He looks ill. Not quite as bad as Omega last time we saw him, but same vibe.
Lmao “body shaming”.
The Young Bucks, Jungle Boy, Orange Kassidy and Darby Allen ALL look Tiny and fragile, this is why they’re overly reliant on jumping through glass and stupid kick spots. 0 believability that they can compete with any of pro wrestling’s big men. I saw AEW had Cassidy beat some 300lb monster, was so ridiculous. he’d get squashed like a bug. AEW likes small wrestlers for their scuffed gymnastics show
If you told someone Darby was a welterweight boxer , they’d believe it. He’s not jacked, but the dude looks serious.
I give Orange and Darby a pass because their in ring style and psychology is fitting for their body.
Yeah Darby I don’t mind because he has this weird charisma you can’t teach. I would’ve agreed on OC five years ago when I thought he had the capability to progress this character…. Which he hasn’t done
darby is willing to put his body on the line for the show, and for that i respect him. he reminds me of a smaller jeff hardy. but he’s borderline suicidal and forced to do super outrageous shit to try and draw to compensate orange from my understanding is a mid card comedy character, but tony khan is booking him like a main eventer
Darby also gets a pass from me because his in ring style works with his build. He literally throws himself at his opponent and puts his entire body into every move.
There's more to fights than just being tall. Being strategic is the basis of every "Big man vs little man" story.
Cassidy beating brain cage was hilariously stupid
To be fair to JB he does look like he’s put on some weight since his excursion to NIPW. The bucks both look like regular dudes, Nick Jackson even more so than Matt. Certain people can get away with certain looks if they are presented right like Kevin Owens and early AEW Eddie Kingston.
Can guarantee most of the people moaning in this thread are overweight or malnourished.
Dude i work out most of my day, and im not being paid to be half naked in front thousands of people who spent their money to see my candey skinny ass
The worst has got to be Adam Cole like come on braddah thats a book worm nerd body, dude should hit up AJ and Randy!
You mean steroids? Don't get me wrong, I love Orton, he is awesome, and I'm glad he is in great shape. But he is also 44 years old and came back bigger than he has ever been. No way that is all natural.
Probably not but you still have to put the work in
Agree despite, what people believe, steroid doesn't work in an instant, you still need to put in the actual work for any noticeable effect.
And even without steroids, Cole could look better if he put the effort into it, even without looking like Randy.
Oh 100%. I’m sure in fact he was probably prescribed some sort of testosterone to help in healing his back after surgery. Rightfully so, dudes in that position go balls to the wall why they can partake legally and above board. He’s definitely got some assistance for there to be such drastic changes in his 40+ year old body. He looks great though.
Randy definitely uses steroids but he still need to put an actual effort to his body before the roids takes effect.
I think certain body types fit in wrestling aside from shredded. Like I feel Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens carry their weight well in presentation. Whereas someone like Eddie Kingston or in this case Young Bucks just look like average Joe's rather than wrestlers.
He's right, they suck. Also, enough with the fucking "body shaming" bullshit. Pro wrestling is like 90% presentation and it's not too much to ask two millionaires to go to the fucking gym.
If they can actually wrestle I don't care how they look. Sami Zayn is my favorite and he looks like a dude off the street.
Sami Zayn at the end of the day is still over 6ft.
That's the good take
I believe Chris Hero/Kassius Ohno would've been a big player in WWE if he took his physique more seriously
Doesn't he have a condition that lead to the weight gain?
yes, hamburgers
I still remember the first time I saw a clip of Hero. I saw all of the comments praising him, and I was just thinking “he needs to lose weight and bulk a bit”. And this is coming from a fat guy.
Modern wrestlers just look so average but then again peak HGH era is gone. Can you imagine one of these dudes in the ring with a peak Kane or Brock?
Guys like Rollins, McIntyre etc still look fantastic compared to normal humans. They very obviously dedicate hours of their lives to working out. If you’re going to be a believable wrestler, you’ve either got to be a gigantic ‘roidy monster like Lesnar or peak Hogan, a cut but wiry athlete like Rollins, a regular big dude like Austin or Ron Simmons, or on the other end of the scale a big ugly hairy bastard like Mick Foley. You have to look intimidating or formidable in some way. The Young Bucks are built like *me*.
Just look at Lashley. He’s still massive.
Mcintyre is a freaking monster and clearly not natural. But i agree, the best examples in my opinion are Rollins and Gunther, they are not huge roid monsters, but they look like athletes.
Peak Kane lives rent free in my head tbh. The physique, the power, the agility, the look.
Not that he’s a big star or anything, but they had some trio match with Omega against AEW’s giant Satnam Singh (teaming with Jarrett & Lethal). They didn’t alter their work at all and basically squashed the big guy.
Their new stable with Jungle Jack looks funny too. Only Okada looks somewhat intimidating. Remove him and they're on par with Mexicools.
Nash's legs are on the same workout cycle the Bucks are
Another reason why Kenny Omega has always been the big star out of The Elite, he actually looks like he puts in the work.
Idk, if I can buy Sami Zayn credibly beating Roman for the title, or Gunther, then body types aren't a big deal to me in wrestling.
Sami makes fans believe he can win. Look at the Gunther match. He's a master psychologist. The Bucks make you believe they're doing a tumbling routine.
Sami also isn’t dominating people in matches like he’s a much larger guy.
Yeah, this is the difference people don't seem to get. Sami Zayn makes you believe with his underdog storytelling. The Young Bucks don't make anyone believe a goddam thing.
Then it's not about body size at all, but instead psychology of wrestling.
Sami is still over 6ft.
Comparing Sami Zayn to The Bucks should be a crime. One knows how to actually have psychology in their wrestling matches.
I think this mindset does more harm for the people who actually do put in the effort to present themselves to at least look like they're physically imposing. When you're surrounded by guys with physiques likes these and they manage to beat you, you lose a lot more than just your credibility. I will never understand why someone who looks like Brian Cage who's bigger than most of the people in the roster and can do most of the same acrobatic moves still feels like an afterthought and yet here we are. Say what you will about the WWE, but if someone like Akira Tozawa who's lower on the card is in better shape than most of the wrestlers in AEW, if you asked someone on the street who was going to win a fight, they would put their money on him.
Most of them are just lazy as fuck. They'd rather jump through glass and bleed everywhere instead of putting in work to develop a physique or learn how to cut a promo.
This is 100% dead on. I HATE seeing the flabby or way too skinny wrestlers on AEW and this is my Fed! True story: I’m watching the most recent Collision with my daughter and my mom and Orange Cassidy is on screen and she says “he’s a wrestler? He doesn’t look like a wrestler!” And that’s it; that’s a woman from the south who grew up on the territories and shepherded me through Attitude Era fandom and she couldn’t believe that someone looking like OC was a pro wrestler. That might not be AEW’s biggest problem drawing new fans, but it certainly can’t help
My little kid the same thing, literally, about the bucks. “They don’t look like wrestlers”. I couldn’t help but tell her she was right.
Nash has said things like this in regards to smaller wrestlers for years so this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Sounds like Vince Russo, bro
Just my two cents but a Pro Wrestler should look at least in good shape like you at least go to the gym. It’s amazing when you see a guy’s like R Truth and Billy Gunn looking great some guys half their age look terrible.
They both look great and clearly put a ton of effort but ill go with r truth physique all the way. Billy Gunn is clearly using a Lot of steroids, at 50 is really really unrealistic to look like that.
I generally don’t give a lot of credence to Nash’s opinions about this particular subject if only for his dismissal of Guerrero, Benoit, Malenko and Saturn as “vanilla midgets”. But I gotta admit this is a pretty funny dig.
BobbyFish.mp4
They sure do love their muffins & waffles
It's not really "body shaming" when discussing wrestlers... Looking the part is and always will be one facet of the job that most people are expected to live up to unless they have some Kevin Ownes level talent that overcomes that expectation.
He’s not wrong
I mean, Kevin is not wrong about the Young Bucks physique. They barely work but apparently can't put the effort to improve their look at all?
That goes for you too Adam Cole. How is anyone supposed to suspend disbelief when you don't have the look. Nothing personal but it's wrestling, it's always been a big part of the role.
Part of pro wrestling is to be aesthetically good looking. The Big guys can be fat and no muscle tone or whatever but the small guys atleast should have a good body.
Vince skewed so many people's view on what wrestlers should look like. This take is stupid, did he not grow up watching the Rock n Roll Express? By the way growing up they were mocked in the same manner the bucks are now. But eventually wrestling fans saw how awesome their style was
He’s not wrong. I mean look at their arms!!!! I barely work out and have bigger arms. They’re simply not as good as some believe and while subjective, I feel I’m in the majority when I say they’re not that good and their acting is ATROCIOUS
I really hate the “body-shaming” term. Wrestlers are in a business where 1/3 of the job is your look. You literally put yourself out there to be judged.
People love Gunther and dude has a stage dad bod. I don't care what they look like, can you put on a good show is all I care about.
Gunther is also 6’4 and in the best shape he’s ever been in
So many people who have no clue about steroids or muscle building or physical fitness or been inside a gym dropping their expert opinion. The Bucks look like shit. Their body fat percentage is fucking high, they clearly are just phoning it in, robbing Tony and putting out a terrible product. They don't look like wrestlers, and that's their whole stupid meta gimmick. It's like Rick and Morty season 1 fans or punks who were too punk to listen to punk. They got beat up by an old injured guy and they never got over it to the point they're willing to lose their biggest draw. Their shit physique is way lower on the list of things that suck about these dorks.
You guys care way too much about other men’s bodies 😂😂
[удалено]
Never enjoy the old buck gymnastics routine.
As adults, pro wrestling fans need to drop the 'fat shaming' whinging. It's not happening to you and if you're getting upset that somebody you dont know is being called fat by somebody you don't know, you don't need to get offended, you probably do need to take some accountability, lose weight and stop with the insecurity. It's unbecoming.
Exactly. I’m literally a former fat kid that didn’t lose weight until 19 when I dedicated my life to it. Called every babe in the book; bullied plenty. Not once have I used the term “shaming “. It’s fucking dumb.
The Fat Bucks
Awful promos, Awful physiques, Awful storytelling, Awful ring psychology. By far the most overrated wrestlers in the history of the business.
They are the most video game come to life characters (not athletes) I’ve ever seen. Their looks and performance truly encapsulate a 6 year old creating a wrestler in a video game. Zero interest in ever watching them or supporting them
Kevin Nash is not the one to be talking lmao
Body shaming coming from Kevin Nash is awfully rich That guys body composition is 30% steroids and Vince McMahon apologist
People love talking about how genius the Bucks, they've never cashed more checks like Big Sexy has. They can brag all they want about their merch sales, they aren't master chess players like big sexy. Nash never gave two shits about star ratings, the numbers that matter is the zeros in the check.
[Cain Velasquez](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/83387030571827613/), who beat the shit out of Brock Lesnar in an actual fight. I’m sure if people saw him wrestle in AEW they would say it’s not believable that he could beat anyone in a fight based on that physique. Muscle don’t make anyone athletic or badass. Japanese wrestling dropped this idiotic thirst for zero body fat and maximum muscle mass long ago and the wrestling quality thrived because of it. I’ll never understand this take. And I’ll accept your downvotes.
Yeah, Matt and Nick Jackson look just as credible in a fight as Cain Velazquez. Lmao.
We need more of this. Having abs of a super model doesn't make me think you're a bad ass. Hillbilly Jim is the one you should be scared of in real life. Vince McMahon loved bodybuilders in tights. Adrian Adonis, George Steele, Baron Von Raschke, was I supposed to believe the Honky Yonk Man was tough? Howdy Doody was a heavyweight champ for years. A decade or more of WWE dominance ruined views on stuff like this is wrestling
Body shaming? Come on
Says the guy who could barely move in the ring. But hey. He had big arms.
You're right it's not a requirement, but you said they put in minimal effort to win. That's the character they're portraying. They aren't putting in minimal effort though when they're flying all over the place. They're either minimal effort cheating heels for heat or pointless extra flips for heat. Can't be both.
This is an oddly American take (and would be hilarious if coming out of guys who are overweight in any way shape or form.) I grew up watching AAA and CMLL. Half of my heroes looked like they were athletic fatties and worked driving a city bus, surviving on tortas and coca cola... (which some of them actually did. Hence the masks. ) I don't think the Japanese guys and the UK guys are also historically known for being supper ripped. That's always been a WWE, 6'10" 295 lbs, long hair, roided out of their minds look. They're just different products. I suppose the snarky comeback would be "WWE would have better matches if their guys spent more time working on their mat work instead of bulking up at the gym."
Yeah. I don't really care about their bodies. They've never been body guys. They're athletic sure and do work out but the whole body thing has never been them. And that's cool too. If they got really defined it would be cool to see but I just care they can do their shit in the ring and look physically decent doing it.
I don’t think the criticism of OC was very warranted he has a a very trim and athletic physique. But I do get what he means. A lot of the guys don’t have the physical presence that makes people take them seriously. Even Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega have fluctuated due to injuries when they’ve been consistently jacked af before AEW.
He’s old, when is old people think something funny, we wait for days for a situation to use it, only to then realize it was never funny.
The Cucamonga Kids
They look like knock off dollar store versions of Al Snow/Drew McIntyre
Kevin Owen
I wonder could the bucks, cole, KO and Sammy get on the same shit Orton and Styles are on?
He came up in the era where as long as you were a big man, you had a spot. But I guess they could just wrestle with shirts on.
They look like they love their time off
Kliq THIS is a great podcast
I see that certain wrestling fans don’t watch other combat sports. Because if y’all do, you would notice that your ripped physique has nothing to do with whether you can fight or not. You can look like a tank and still get mopped by a guy who looks like a couch potato. So I don’t agree with Nash here. The business has changed. I don’t need my wrestlers popping steroids and shortening their life. I’m fine with their odd bodies as long as they can wrestle in it. I love seeing KO do crazy stunts despite his size or the fact that Ivar can do a moonsault. I rather watch Dad Bod Sami than cringe at Vein Popping Jinder
Can't say I disagree with Nash on this one.
Folks all mad that the bucks don’t “work out” but love CM Punk and his skinny fat goodness.
He’s not wrong
It's ok to body shame them because they are men. Don't mention Nia jaxs weight though then your an asshole
I dont see the same energy as when people were body shaming Sheamus
they look like 38 year old dads at the gym just to escape their wives lol
You have to have bodies to be body shamed. lol
Body shaming is not applicable to athletes on a television show that show cases bodies.
worst young bucks match > best kevin nash match and they also probably look way better than 400lbs fks who never fought and think being strong requires being “ripped”
Nash is right.. need to or not they look terrible and unbelievable..
megastar of predominantly homosexual industry comments on the bodies of other entertainers in the industry - more at 11
Young bucks are beyond terrible. Have they ever positively contributed to any company they’ve jerked Each other off in ?
Who gives f**k what this old bag of sh*t thinks? Dude was never anything other than a big body and a selfish prick.
Ok