Can we just let Marko Stunt live?

Marko Stunt is an AEW wrestler whose size has been a hot topic on the internet since his tag team match last week.

Marko Stunt is small. This is stating the obvious, but some people are hung up on it. He’s listed at 5-foot-2. Wrestling fans, on the internet in particular, seem to be convinced that he cannot be a wrestler, let alone a good one.

Stunt blew up on the indie scene in 2018 and has been riding the wave ever since. This has led to his being signed to the hottest new wrestling promotion, All Elite Wrestling, on his 23rd birthday (there was an angry indie wrestler who doesn’t understand how Stunt got this contract when he didn’t that went somewhat viral). With the fans that get it (or simply don’t care about his height), he is super over. Now that he’s joined Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus to form Jurassic Express, his popularity has skyrocketed.

On the October 16 episode of AEW Dynamite, he took the place of an injured Luchasaurus in a tag team tournament match against the Lucha Brothers. Though the team hasn’t been together very long, Stunt and Jungle Boy held their own with the AAA World Tag Team Champions. This seemingly baffled some fans. How could this very short, small man be a good wrestler? It was inconceivable.

It’s not like fans haven’t been exposed to shorter or smaller wrestlers for years. Most major promotions have a cruiserweight or junior heavyweight division. Over the years, there have been popular wrestlers such as Daniel Bryan, Hurricane Helms and Lio Rush who are shorter in stature. And the AEW Women’s champion, Riho, stands at 5-foot-1.

Rey Mysterio is arguably the most well-known and successful short wrestler ever. He is one of the best to ever get inside the squared circle. He is also a mere four inches taller than Stunt. He has wrestled men of all sizes, including Big Show. Mysterio has held many titles throughout his career, including the World Heavyweight Championship, twice. 

WWE is using Chad Gable’s height (5-foot-8) as a character flaw (or as “motivation”). They have gone so far as to rename him Shorty G, never mind the fact that he’s a former Olympian and a three-time Tag Team Champion in this promotion.

Some wrestlers (past and present) have weighed in on the nonsense.

Hurricane Helms:

Tommy Dreamer:

Jim Ross:

This photo is proof of Stunt’s toughness.

“Le Champion” Chris Jericho has a great thread also defending Stunt.

A wrestler’s height has nothing to do with their talent. If you can go, you can go. This doesn’t mean they only have to wrestle others that are similar to them or in their height or weight range. One positive about this is that people are talking about Stunt and know who he is. As long as he keeps doing what’s gotten him here, he’ll be just fine.