Bruce Prichard Points To WWE Alum As 'Catalyst' In Breaking Size Barrier In Wrestling

One of the ways in which the world of professional wrestling has changed drastically over the last 30 years is in the size of performers. It used to be that you had to be an exceedingly large, muscular man to make it in the business, but due to the talent of a number of smaller performers, that perception has changed. Speaking on "Something to Wrestle With," WWE producer Bruce Prichard cited Sean "X-Pac" Waltman as a critical figure in changing the industry's landscape.

"[Sean Waltman] was really one of the first to bridge that size barrier," Prichard said. "You can go back and look at the accomplishments of what Sean Waltman did and go ... back and look at his contemporaries and go, 'Oh my God, you know? What's different here?' To me, I think that Sean Waltman, without a doubt, was a catalyst in breaking that size barrier, not just for [WWE] but for every company."

Before he was known as X-Pac, Waltman performed as Syxx in WCW, and was known as The 1-2-3 Kid and, even earlier than that, The Lightning Kid and just The Kid. Waltman shocked the wrestling world in 1991 when he defeated Scott Hall on an episode of "WWE Raw," with his career taking off from there. He went on to become a member of both the NWO in WCW and D-Generation X in WWE, making him a two-time WWE Hall of Famer.

Over the last year, speculation has ramped up regarding Waltman returning to the ring sometime soon. Waltman himself addressed the possibility of another match last year, and industry veterans like Kevin Sullivan have expressed their desire to see the WWE Hall of Famer return for another run.