Back in the 80s or 90s, wrestling looked like a completely different sport. Every wrestler had a larger-than-life physique, which is why stars like “Macho Man” Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan, Goldberg, and more were regularly featured on top.
These stars weren’t primarily known for their technical abilities. They won the crowd through their imposing physiques and charisma. Although we still had outliers such as Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart at that time, who were more known for their technical in-ring capabilities, they were the exceptions in an era largely driven by size and spectacle.
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Wrestling has evolved over the years, and the focus is no longer on bigger stars. Stars like AJ Styles, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, and more emerged in the 2000s, and the business changed drastically. The Cult of Personality was recently asked to share names of wrestlers who broke through the size-based hiring philosophy that WWE had in the past and paved the way for modern indie stars to dominate the main event scene in WWE.
CM Punk On Finding Wrestling Success Without a Bigger Physique
During a recent appearance on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike, CM Punk said that he was the first wrestler to break through the indie scene and become a major name in WWE. Here’s what he said:
“Gosh, I’m conflicted when I talk about this stuff because then people will point and say, ‘oh, you’re egotistical, you’re this, you’re that.’ The truth of the matter is, the first guy through the wall gets bloodied. I was the first guy through the wall. Independent wrestling was looked down upon. It was the land of the giants. I have to the casual observer some pretty ridiculous tattoos, but like everything else, tattoos are subjective. I wasn’t supposed to make it as far as I did, but I would not be denied.
There are many more men and women that are just like that, that they bet on themselves, they believe in themselves, but they don’t have a look that fits a certain person’s idea of what a pro wrestler is. And that was definitely me. So being able to try to always reach down and pull up the next generation, or you know, I’m not pulling the ladder up. I’m trying to help other people get here.”
CM Punk Praises Seth Rollins As One Of The Greatest Wrestlers In The Past Decade
Later, CM Punk also shared Seth Rollins as an example. Rollins started with WWE back in 2010. Over the next few years, he became the NXT Champion. He debuted on the main roster along with The Shield (Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose) and became one of the top stars in WWE.
In the past few years, Rollins has won numerous World Title belts in WWE. CM Punk said he and Rollins are similar in many ways. Both wrestlers didn’t have any backing behind them, but they broke through the WWE door because of their talent.
“I think Seth Rollins is a great example of that. You know, he’s a guy that fit the same mold as I did. He didn’t have the size. You wouldn’t look at him and be like, oh yeah, he’s a world champion. And now he’s multiple time, you know, heavyweight champion. And one of the, it pains me to say it, but he’s one of the greatest superstars over the last 10, 12 years.”
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On-screen, CM Punk and Rollins despise each other, but the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion couldn’t deny the latter’s talent.
Seth Rollins is currently out of action due to a shoulder injury he suffered at Crown Jewel 2025 against Cody Rhodes. There has been some speculation regarding his return, with many fans believing he could return for a WrestleMania match against Brock Lesnar.
Main image credit: Imago
Ishaan Sharma has been following wrestling ever since he was 8. That was over a decade ago. He loves to write about this pretend sport and has worked with online publications such as Sportskeeda and TheSportster, where he shared his insights about the wrestling business.