Sean Waltman's in-ring career has left its mark.
A few months back on the heels of his WWE Hall of Fame announcement, Fightful ran a column applauding Waltman for inspiring a generation of talent. Working in the land of the giants, Waltman took his 1-2-3 Kid persona and became an easy-to-cheer underdog. At a billed 212 pounds (a present-day UFC Heavyweight), Waltman was still bigger than most average males, though he admits to Fightful WWE fudged that a bit.
"I always wanted to be 200 pounds, but it always floated around that area. Eh. I even got up to like 235 at one period, but not a good 235. Right after I got out of my third rehab. I see Seth Rollins come to the ring and they announce his weight and it's under 220," Waltman said, happy that there's been a shift in perception.
In present-day WWE, it's more common to see someone closer to the size of an X-Pac than most of the giants of the 1990s. The new WWE Hall of Famer Waltman told Fightful that he's been fortunate enough to be credited by several modern stars for influencing them.
"I do. The style that a lot of the guys, the mid-sized heavyweights are doing. It wasn't just me that was doing it, there were other guys, but I was the one that got the opportunity. For one reason or another, I put myself at the right place at the right time. I'm not downplaying my ability, but there were several guys who brought that to the forefront in the states. No one worked the style there, even the small guys. Now it's the prevalent style there," said Waltman when we spoke with him.
You can see our full chat with Sean Waltman above, and make sure to check out his weekly X-Pac 12360 Podcast.