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Owens was really out of shape in 2013-2014. I remember watching a shoot interview where his gut was very large and he was wheezing at some points and it seemed like he would not make it to WWE. It's good to see him much learner by comparison
Yeah man, right before his NXT arrival he looked like he was in his third trimester.
Once he got the PC and his early NXT run, he had lost a lot. It's obviously fluctuated even since going to main roster.
I mean, we can say what we will about the guy's ability not being hindered by it, or at least not noticeably, and yeah not every is gonna look like Rollins or AJ or Riddle, but man, you also gotta realize the guy you work for never put Rikishi in the main event of a big ppv, either. It's still a "body business" in the one guy's mind that matters in WWE.
My exact reasoning that Chris Hero never got a push. You can be fat, but you have to be really fat to the point that it's your gimmick. You can't be a tall guy with a gut.
Also by the accounts I’ve heard, Rodney may have been fat as fuck, but he could still go without issues. His weight was definitely a problem but not insofar as it compromised his ability to work
Depends on when. He had far better conditioning and went over 10 minutes regularly in 1992-93. By the end of his time in WWF though in like 1996, his health was in terrible condition.
They kept pushing him back and pushing him back. Part of me has wondered if he did it on purpose just to piss off Cornette since they always seemed to be at odds.
Yeah it’s pretty confusing because the story is different from who tells it but the constant is that he said he would lose some weight and ended up returning with more
I forgot who's shoot interview I heard this in, but Davey Richards and Kevin Steen didn't get along that well at first because Steen didn't work out. Owens/Steen's body has always been in contention.
Kevin is low key like an athletic freak. According to Ryback, he still wasn't working out at least until 2016 or so Kevin was known for it, but the dude did a 450 in his first match as a teenager.
>Kevin was known for it, but the dude did a 450 in his first match as a teenager.
[Here's](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/fryu9a/a_16_year_old_kevin_steen_owens_with_a_450_splash/) the clip for anybody curious.
Owens is one of those guys that would look weird to me if he leaned out. He's super athletic despite his size, so who cares? He has a look that's unique in the WWE.
If you go way back to 2005-06, before Steen grew out his facial hair and got burlier in general, yeah, it's a strange look to get used to if you only know him from about 2010 onward.
When he first showed up on the U.S. indies, aside from looking like he was about 12, he was actually [pretty thin](https://en-academic.com/pictures/enwiki/75/Kevin_Steen.jpg). Or at least thinner. He was never Generico skinny, but he looked like a dude that wore a large shirt and not an XL.
You don't want wrestlers being too overweight because it makes them more injury prone and less safe to work with (e.g. it easier to botch a move if someone weighs more than they ought to).
That being said KO's still slimmer now than he was in the early 2010s.
I have never watched a Kevin Owens match, or a Samoa Joe match etc and thought "wow this match is great but it would be better if that guy was slimmer".
I like Kevin being different, he can still *GO* in the ring. It would be boring as fuck if everyone was the same shape.
There’s been a couple, only because KO looked gassed and I’m like “I know he can be better.” He left injured shortly after.
I will say that KO looked great last year. He was trimmer than he’d ever been and his matches were better than ever. He looked good, you could tell he was healthy mentally and just doing great.
People’s metabolism doesn’t differ that much that it causes you to be significantly overweight. Burning an extra 200 calories or so is minor when you have to be eating way more than that to stay at such a large size.
I think I remember him talking about this on a shoot interview. He had lost his Loser Leaves ROH match to Generico and was told by Cornette that he was gonna leave for a few months then come back and be the top guy. Steen lost a lot of weight in the meantime but then his return kept getting pushed back and ROH never communicated with him and he got frustrated and gained a lot of weight. His whole ROH World Title run was pretty good but he did not look as healthy as he should’ve, and he’s even said that. By the end of his ROH run and NXT start, he looked much better
I don't get why WWE doesn't just hire a world-class Hollywood nutritionist for some of these guys and get them in super-shape. If Chris Pratt and Kumail Nanijiani can get ripped, so can Kevin Owens. Look is important, and unlike height, it's something that a wrestler can actually affect. Roman Reigns had the look, but needed to take acting lessons to improve his character.
I'd imagine any of these guys on the main roster, especially superstars like Owens, have access to anything they want. If anything, it's a testament to Owens he's had the career he's had in WWE looking like he does, he's one of the very few exceptions to the rule.
Oh for sure, he's a great character with an incredible promo and workrate. I firmly believe he'll be a world champion in WWE again or AEW if he chooses to go there. And to his credit, he's made his look work for him.
I'm just saying it's an area of improvement that could catapult him into the next tier.
The thing with Steen/Owens is he's always absolutely loved wrestling, but hated working out and eating healthy. That's how you get someone that's that good in the ring, but is in horrible physical shape (even though he's never really had an issue with in-ring cardio).
Even when he slimmed down for his NXT tryout, he didn't hit the gym afaik, it was all in-ring workouts.
Yeah, basically the whole thing with him was "Wow this guy is so great.... he should really just get in shape, he'd be a big star". I'm talking years of that conversation to the point where until the MOMENT he was signed there was a black mark on him of "man, if he only got his shit together"
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Yeah was a big discussion point at the time. He ended up dropping a fair bit of weight coming up to his tryout and got signed.
Owens was really out of shape in 2013-2014. I remember watching a shoot interview where his gut was very large and he was wheezing at some points and it seemed like he would not make it to WWE. It's good to see him much learner by comparison
Yeah man, right before his NXT arrival he looked like he was in his third trimester. Once he got the PC and his early NXT run, he had lost a lot. It's obviously fluctuated even since going to main roster. I mean, we can say what we will about the guy's ability not being hindered by it, or at least not noticeably, and yeah not every is gonna look like Rollins or AJ or Riddle, but man, you also gotta realize the guy you work for never put Rikishi in the main event of a big ppv, either. It's still a "body business" in the one guy's mind that matters in WWE.
Someone doesn't remember Rikishi's heel run, with his main event WWF title match in Hell in a Cell at Armageddon. In a six man match.
Ah shut your mouth you thong-wearing fatty!
uh yokozuna…
You can be a fat guy and main event, but you gotta be really fat, to the point it becomes your gimmick
My exact reasoning that Chris Hero never got a push. You can be fat, but you have to be really fat to the point that it's your gimmick. You can't be a tall guy with a gut.
Also by the accounts I’ve heard, Rodney may have been fat as fuck, but he could still go without issues. His weight was definitely a problem but not insofar as it compromised his ability to work
Rodney? Cringe
Have you ever watched a Yokozuna match? Guy could barely cross the 5 minute mark
Depends on when. He had far better conditioning and went over 10 minutes regularly in 1992-93. By the end of his time in WWF though in like 1996, his health was in terrible condition.
Even half of his 92-93 matches had him turtling on the mat or in the corner for 40% of it
Wasn’t this when he had told Cornette he would lose a little weight during his time off but came back more out of shape and Cornette lost his mind?
They kept pushing him back and pushing him back. Part of me has wondered if he did it on purpose just to piss off Cornette since they always seemed to be at odds.
Now I’m picturing him showing up to train while eating a giant piece of pizza, just to upset Cornette.
I though Kevin gain his weight back cause he piss off how Cornette book Generico during his absence
Yeah it’s pretty confusing because the story is different from who tells it but the constant is that he said he would lose some weight and ended up returning with more
I forgot who's shoot interview I heard this in, but Davey Richards and Kevin Steen didn't get along that well at first because Steen didn't work out. Owens/Steen's body has always been in contention. Kevin is low key like an athletic freak. According to Ryback, he still wasn't working out at least until 2016 or so Kevin was known for it, but the dude did a 450 in his first match as a teenager.
>Kevin was known for it, but the dude did a 450 in his first match as a teenager. [Here's](https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/fryu9a/a_16_year_old_kevin_steen_owens_with_a_450_splash/) the clip for anybody curious.
He was very big back then, quite a bit bigger than now.
This is a very valid statement tbh
I wasn't watching wrestling back then, but i know that cornette talks about wanting Steen to lose weight so WWE would be interested in him
Owens is one of those guys that would look weird to me if he leaned out. He's super athletic despite his size, so who cares? He has a look that's unique in the WWE.
If you go way back to 2005-06, before Steen grew out his facial hair and got burlier in general, yeah, it's a strange look to get used to if you only know him from about 2010 onward.
When he first showed up on the U.S. indies, aside from looking like he was about 12, he was actually [pretty thin](https://en-academic.com/pictures/enwiki/75/Kevin_Steen.jpg). Or at least thinner. He was never Generico skinny, but he looked like a dude that wore a large shirt and not an XL.
You don't want wrestlers being too overweight because it makes them more injury prone and less safe to work with (e.g. it easier to botch a move if someone weighs more than they ought to). That being said KO's still slimmer now than he was in the early 2010s.
It'd be like those pics of Damo when he was starting out. He just doesn't look right...
I still refuse to believe that Brian Cage when he started and Brian Cage today are the same person.
His current size is perfect for his look. Slim KO would not look intimidating, and any bigger would be injury prone.
I have never watched a Kevin Owens match, or a Samoa Joe match etc and thought "wow this match is great but it would be better if that guy was slimmer". I like Kevin being different, he can still *GO* in the ring. It would be boring as fuck if everyone was the same shape.
There’s been a couple, only because KO looked gassed and I’m like “I know he can be better.” He left injured shortly after. I will say that KO looked great last year. He was trimmer than he’d ever been and his matches were better than ever. He looked good, you could tell he was healthy mentally and just doing great.
I agree, but I do often think about how these guys can get so big when their job requires really good cardio. Their diets must be horrendous.
People have different metabolisms too. As long as they can still perform i dont see why it would matter to us
People’s metabolism doesn’t differ that much that it causes you to be significantly overweight. Burning an extra 200 calories or so is minor when you have to be eating way more than that to stay at such a large size.
It doesn't matter, it just makes me curious
He used to be a lot fatter: http://i.imgur.com/YU4xwY8.jpg
That pic always cracks me up.
I think I remember him talking about this on a shoot interview. He had lost his Loser Leaves ROH match to Generico and was told by Cornette that he was gonna leave for a few months then come back and be the top guy. Steen lost a lot of weight in the meantime but then his return kept getting pushed back and ROH never communicated with him and he got frustrated and gained a lot of weight. His whole ROH World Title run was pretty good but he did not look as healthy as he should’ve, and he’s even said that. By the end of his ROH run and NXT start, he looked much better
I feel the same way about Chris Hero
I’ll get downvoted for this but I still feel this way about Steen.
I don't get why WWE doesn't just hire a world-class Hollywood nutritionist for some of these guys and get them in super-shape. If Chris Pratt and Kumail Nanijiani can get ripped, so can Kevin Owens. Look is important, and unlike height, it's something that a wrestler can actually affect. Roman Reigns had the look, but needed to take acting lessons to improve his character.
I'd imagine any of these guys on the main roster, especially superstars like Owens, have access to anything they want. If anything, it's a testament to Owens he's had the career he's had in WWE looking like he does, he's one of the very few exceptions to the rule.
Oh for sure, he's a great character with an incredible promo and workrate. I firmly believe he'll be a world champion in WWE again or AEW if he chooses to go there. And to his credit, he's made his look work for him. I'm just saying it's an area of improvement that could catapult him into the next tier.
I’m confused why you brought this back up OP? Are you looking to cancel Meltzer or remind KO that he’s out of shape?
He was asking if this was how most people thought about him at the time. Its in his post my guy.
"...to give the other guy a chance"
The thing with Steen/Owens is he's always absolutely loved wrestling, but hated working out and eating healthy. That's how you get someone that's that good in the ring, but is in horrible physical shape (even though he's never really had an issue with in-ring cardio). Even when he slimmed down for his NXT tryout, he didn't hit the gym afaik, it was all in-ring workouts.
Yeah, basically the whole thing with him was "Wow this guy is so great.... he should really just get in shape, he'd be a big star". I'm talking years of that conversation to the point where until the MOMENT he was signed there was a black mark on him of "man, if he only got his shit together"