Top 10 Strongest WWE Wrestlers Ever: Unseen Feats of Raw Power Revealed!

The immediate image that comes to mind when a WWE wrestler is mentioned, is that of a muscular and buff person. It is not a secret that there exists some bias towards such jacked and strong-looking physiques in the world of WWE wrestling. That being said, there have been several wrestlers who have proven themselves as some of the strongest WWE wrestlers of all time.

It is difficult to agree on the absolute strongest WWE wrestler as someone or the other will definitely have something else to say. But having considered the statistics and various WWE events, we can have a rough idea about the ones that dominate the ring.

Top 10 Strongest WWE Wrestlers Ever

In terms of physique, the WWE can be said to have experienced a change from its early days. The headliners of the 60s and the 70s such as Bruno Sammartino, Chief Jay, Gorilla Monsoon, Ernie Ladd, Lou Thesz, and others were all big guys for sure but none of them could be said to be sporting jacked physiques.

However, by the 80s, this norm saw a complete transformation as more and more athletes with muscular ripped bodies started to create headlines. Some of them are Hulk Hogan, Sting Hercules, and Lex Luger.

So, the point is physique may be important but not the be-all and end-all of being a strong WWE wrestler. Keeping that in mind, here are the ten strongest wrestlers in WWE history. Most of these names have had multiple career paths as powerlifters, strongmen, wrestlers, and some even TV personalities and politicians.

So, for the sake of consistency and a better context, the years they were active as a WWE wrestler have been specified.

10. Hulk Hogan

• Height – 201 Cm
• Weight – 302 lbs
• Years active – 1977-2012

Hulk Hogan (1953- ), a prominent WWE wrestler in kayfabe, possessed not only fictional but also real-life strength, which he proved by slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3 over three decades ago. At that time, Hogan and Andre the Giant were among the biggest wrestling figures in the WWE.

Maximum Lifts by Hulk Hogan:

• 550 lbs Bench press (without a bench shirt)

Despite being 70 years old now, Hogan’s physique is still better than most wrestlers on the roster. He desires to have another match and conclude his wrestling career in the WWE.

9. Kane

• Height – 213 cm
• Weight – 324 lbs
• Years active – 1992- present

Kane (1956- ), also known as the “Big Red Machine” has been a part of WWE for nearly two decades. Despite not being known for his technical skills, he is still capable of putting up a good fight.

Whether he is wrestling as corporate Kane, the Fake Diesel, Isaac Yankem, or teaming with his brother, The Undertaker, as the Brothers of Destruction, his strength, size, and power remain impressive.

Maximum lifts by Kane:

• 670 lbs Bench press
• 550 lbs Deadlift
• 600 lbs Squat

According to Brock Lesnar, during his initial stint in WWE, Kane was the strongest wrestler in the locker room. Kane’s prime was marked by his ability to deadlift the most of any wrestler and max out at 670 pounds on the bench press.

8.  John Cena

• Height- 185 cm
• Weight – 251 lbs
• Years active- 1999 – present

John Cena ( 1977- ) may not be as muscular as some of the other names mentioned in the list, but his strength and physical abilities are not to be underestimated. During WrestleMania 25, he lifted both The Big Show and Edge simultaneously, totaling over 352 lbs of weight – an impressive feat considering that Cena’s recorded weight is just 251 lbs.

Maximum Lifts By John Cena:

• 487 lbs Bench press
• 611 lbs Squat
• 602 lbs deadlift
• 353 lbs Power clean (all video-verified)

In an interview, The Big Show, who has worked with some of the strongest wrestlers in the industry, named Cena as the strongest to ever work in the ring, praising his composure and strength.

When Cena picks someone up, they feel as if they’re standing on concrete, according to The Big Show. This endorsement from the fellow wrestler The Big Show speaks volumes about Cena’s abilities.

7. The Big Show

• Height – 218 cm
• Weight – 507 lbs
• Years active – 1994 – present

Paul Donald Wight II ( 1972- ), also known as “The Big Show” is often called the largest athlete of all time, owing to his strapping 7-foot height and heavyweight body. As one would expect from a bulky body, The Big Show also brings insane strength to the table as he’s easily one of the strongest WWE wrestlers to grace the ring. 

Maximum Lifts by The Big Show:

• 575 lbs Bench press (video-verified),
• 711 lbs Squat (competition),
• 799 lbs Deadlift (competition)

Besides this, he also has an endless number of patented moves that are not only impressive to watch such as the Choke Slam, Knockout Punch, etc. In his prime, he was known for being able to casually throw around other heavyweight wrestlers in the ring. All of this cements his name as a strong WWE wrestler.

6. Brock Lesner

• Height – 191 cm
• Weight – 266 lbs
• Years active – 2000-2007 and then 2012-present

Brock Edward Leser ( 1977- )  is often referred to as “the Beast Incarnate”. If that is not enough to convey how intense he is in the ring, then this surely will – he is the one person to have won all the primary heavyweight WWE championships. Lesnar is often regarded as one of the most prolific athletes in the world.

Maximum Lifts by Brock Lesner:

• 600 lbs Bench Press
• 1000 lbs Squat
• 232 lbs Bench Press for Minnesota Vikings (personal record)

Under Vince McMahon, The Beast Incarnate, never had to worry about his future in WWE. Even before Lesnar made his debut on the main roster, he was one of McMahon’s favorite wrestlers. Lesnar’s muscular physique and his ability to lift heavyweight wrestlers like Big Show and Mark Henry are a testament to the power that his character represents.

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5. Big E

• Height – 180 cm
• Weight – 285 lbs
• Years active – 2009 – present

Big E’s (1986- ) impressive appearance alone is enough to earn him a spot on the list. He is currently part of the New Day, the current World Tag Team Champions. He was first introduced to the WWE world on December 27th, 2012, in an episode of Monday Night Raw, where he aligned himself with former WWE Diva AJ Lee and attacked John Cena, a fan favorite.

He further alienated himself from the fans by becoming Dolph Ziggler’s enforcer, who was Lee’s love interest.

Maximum Lifts by Big E:

• 611 lbs Squat
• 490 lbs Bench Press
• 749 lbs Deadlift

Apart from his physique, his college football career, and his choice of friends, Big E’s workout routine and his four-state raw powerlifting records set in his native Florida back in 2010 speaks volumes about his strength and determination.

His training regimen, which was filmed by WWE, showed him lifting 405 pounds on the flat bench closed-grip, 135 pounds on bicep curls, and 110 on dumbbell rows in preparation for a match at SummerSlam 2013, which is equally impressive.

4. Andre The Giant

• Height – 224 cm
• Weight – 520 lbs
• Years active- 1964 – 1992

André René Roussimoff (1946- 1993) was known for his great height which earned him the nickname “Eighth Wonder of the World”. Although this was a result of a condition called Gigantism caused by excessive growth hormones, the noticeable physique definitely helped his wrestling career.

In simple words, this man had pure brute strength. It is reported that he rarely, if ever, trained in the gym. Despite that, he effortlessly threw around highly skilled wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Bam Bam Bigelow, Big John Studd, and the Ultimate Warrior as if they were mere toys. He was the first inductee into the WWE’s Hall of Fame, and his remarkable size was only matched by his awe-inspiring strength. The fact that he supposedly rarely trained in the gym only adds to his already impressive feats.

Maximum Lifts By Andre The Giant:

• 2000 lbs Deadlift
• Cars Full of People (Reported by his friend Tim White)

According to the same friend, Andre never lifted weights and did not know his own strength. His power was as good as “god-gifted”. Unfortunately, and tragically he passed away in his sleep at the mere age of 46. His untreated acromegaly that gave him his superhuman powers also resulted in congestive heart failure, claiming his life.

3. Ken Patera

• Height- 185 cm
• Weight – 322 lbs
• Years active- 1977-2011

Ken Patera (1942- )  is a  former Olympian weightlifter. He has also had an impressive stint as a strongman and wrestler. In 1971, Ken Patera, an accomplished weightlifter from Portland, won a Gold Medal at the Pan American Games and a Silver Medal at the World Weightlifting Championships in Lima.

Although he failed to medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics, he continued his winning streak in the Super Heavyweight Class at the U.S. Weightlifting Championships from 1969 to 1973.

Maximum lifts (competition) by Ken Patera:

• 5 lbs snatch
• 5 lbs clean and jerk
• 5 lbs clean and press
• 5 lbs Olympic three-lift total

Patera also participated in the first World’s Strongest Man competition in 1977, where he finished third out of eight competitors, beating Lou Ferrigno. He later became a professional wrestler and won the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

2. Bill Kazmaier

• Height- 191 cm
• Weight – 326 lbs
• Years active- 1981-1991

Bill Kazmaier (1953- ) is not only considered one of the strongest WWE wrestlers ever, but also one of the strongest humans that has ever lived. His career as a powerlifter, strongman, and WWE wrestler involved creating an array of world records and then breaking them again and again.

Bill Kazmaier was the strongest human of his era and one of the strongest humans who ever lived. He set all-division powerlifting world records and then broke them again and again. There was nothing he could not do and it would not be an exaggeration to that Bill “Kaz” Kazmair was a powerhouse of strengths and zero weaknesses.

So much was his impact, that he was uninvited from World Strongest Man competitions for years after winning easily three times in a row. The reason was that he was “too dominant”.

Kaz’s short stint as a pro wrestler of WWE and WWF was also impressive, to say the least.

Maximum Lifts by Bill Kazmaier:

• 4 Lb. Bench Press
• 930 Lb. Squat
• 7 Lb. Deadlift
• 2425 Lb. (1100 Kg) Powerlifting Meet Total (all in competitions)

For many years, he traveled the world voluntarily taking on strength challenges to prove his claim of being the strongest man in the world. He became the first person to perform an overhead press (with one hand) with the “unliftable” 173 lbs, thick-handles Thomas-inch dumbbell.

1. Mark Henry

• Height- 193 Cm
• Weight – 399 lbs
• Years active – 1996- present

There is very little dispute about the fact that Mark Henry (1971- ) is the undefeated contender for the strongest wrestler in WWE history. The organization still calls him the world’s strongest man and justifiably so. Mark Henry is known for his incredible strength, which earned him the title of “The World’s Strongest Teenager” by the Los Angeles Times in 1990.

He has set many weightlifting and powerlifting records across various categories, including the World Drug-Free Powerlifting Federation (WDFPF) record for squats, deadlifts, and total weight, as well as the United States of America Powerlifting (USAPL) American record for deadlifts.

Not only has he excelled in weightlifting, but Henry is also a former Olympic weightlifter, having competed for the US in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. He even served as the captain of the weightlifting team.

Maximum LIfts by Mark Henry:

• 585 lbs Bench Press (claimed),
• 5 lbs Squat (competition),
• 904-lb. Deadlift (competition),
• 9 lbs (1060 kg ) powerlifting total (competition)

In addition to his impressive feats of strength, Henry has won numerous championships, including the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic and the 1992 American Open. At the young age of 23, he won a Bronze medal in the Clean and Jerk event, a Silver Medal in the Olympic Weightlifting event, and a Gold Medal in the Snatch event at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata.

Overall, Mark Henry’s remarkable strength and achievements in weightlifting and powerlifting have solidified his place as one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Who is the Strongest Man in WWE History?

Without a doubt, it can be stated that Mark Henry is the strongest wrestler that the WWE ring has ever seen. Despite having a lower lifting total than Bill Kazmaier, he earned the prime spot because his record is drug-tested and also because his core strength and lower-body strength are fearfully superhuman and second to none.

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Final Verdict

Although there is little conflict about the first two spots on this list, fans of WWE may disagree with the rest of the rankings. Being biased towards a certain athlete is after all human nature and exists in all spots across the world.

But what ties these legends together is not simply their fame and strength, but their dedication to the sport and decade’s worth of pursuit for the zenith of success. This is not only admirable but also a huge motivation for the next generation of pro-wrestlers.

Important names may have been missed as this list includes only ten. Nevertheless, their legacy lives on.