Former WWE superstar describes drastic steps transitioning into a woman: 'I was the alpha male of alpha males'

A former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar spoke out about the drastic steps taken to reduce 280 lbs of muscle after deciding to medically transition into a woman in an interview with Fox News Digital. 

"I was a guy who dreadlocks down to my butt. I'd shaved the side of my head. I looked like a cross between Ragnar Lothbrok and the Mountain from Game of Thrones with tattoos. You couldn't miss me. Then I was walking up and down the street in heels and women's clothes," the retired professional wrestler, Gabbi Tuft (@gabbituft), said. 

Tuft, 45, was known at WWE for the ring name "Tyler Reks." 

"At my biggest, I was 280 pounds at 6.2% body fat. I ate about 10,000 calories a day. I'd eat between 9 and 10 times a day, about every hour and a half. It was a chore… [to consume] sometimes 300g of protein a day," Tuft said. 

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Former WWE wrestler Gabbi Tuft speaks out about gender transition in an interview with Fox News Digital.

"It is literally a full-time job. You eat, you sleep, you breathe, the gym," Tuft, who currently counsels people on how to reach their fitness and nutrition goals, said. 

Most people believe they need to be in the gym for hours to achieve their desired fitness level and look. However, Tuft described being able to become shredded in two hours at the gym most days. 

A lot of weight loss and fitness is a mental game, according to Tuft. 

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"We call that your why. It's the emotion behind why you want to achieve whatever goal it is," Tuft said. She works with clients to hone in on an emotional "why" that will enable them to achieve their goals. 

"It just goes far beyond fitness and nutrition… All the way up to professional athletes… if it's not a strong emotion [guiding you] what we see is the moment hunger cravings kick in or and you're [off your game]."

Tuft said some of the most common reasons people want to become fit are "I want to be my very best self," "I want to be healthy" or "I want to live a long time." But for some, those vague and generic goals are not enough. 

WWE Wrestler Tyler Reks attends WWE's 4th annual WrestleMania art exhibit and auction at The Egyptian Ballroom at Fox Theatre on March 30, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Moses Robinson/Getty Images)

"We got to dig deep. We got to find the true deep emotion behind it. And once you have that, it drives everything," Tuft said.

The former WWE wrestler began working out after being bullied in high school. "I was this skinny, scrawny, 4.0 GPA student back in high school, and I was just a little nerd," Tuft said.

"I got picked on all the time, like, to the point where I got bullied. I would wander the hallways in high school my freshman year …hoping that nobody would notice I didn't have any friends, and I got sick of it," Tuft said. 

Over the course of the summer, Tuft began lifting, put on muscle weight and the bullying completely stopped. 

"It was like a defense mechanism, so I wouldn't get picked on. But as I got older and older, I began to understand it gave me a platform to help people. And so that's why I continue with it," Tuft said. 

As for transitioning, Tuft had to address changing from "280 pounds of a man."

"That's who I was. I was the protector. I was the alpha male of alpha males, and everything I did revolved around that. But when I made the decision to medically transition. It was so powerful that I was truly ready to release all of it," Tuft said. 

World Wrestling Entertainment is an American professional wrestling promotion.  (Fox News Digital )

"God is it hard to get rid of that much muscle. It is a chore," Tuft said.

"I was shocked how much muscle I retained," Tuft said in order to lose all the muscle and obtain a more slender shape. "I forced my body to burn muscle with these long extended cardiovascular sessions at high intensity and stayed in keto for a very long time, and I stopped lifting weights. That's the short version.

"It's been it's been a sobering… year to six months," Tuft said. The former WWE superstar said taking estrogen was an emotional whirlwind, "like going through a second puberty."

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It has also brought challenges to Tuft's marriage. At one point, Tuft's wife said she wasn't feeling sexual attraction to Tuft dressing more femininely. 

"We got our butts kicked if we were to act feminine in any way [in high school]. And so I buried it and I let it go," Tuft said. "And then at about 36, it started to kind of come back a little bit. And I found myself kind of interested in wearing female clothes. And then it evolved from there."

"I had this moment where I had stopped presenting theater for a couple of months because [my wife] had mentioned that she wasn't feeling sexually attracted to me at the time because she just would see visions of me dressed up," Tuft said.

"And again, this is me at like, still 265 pounds of man in all my masculine glory. And so at that point, it was kind of like cross-dressing is really what was happening," Tuft said. "[My wife] is attracted to men, manly men."

So Tuft stopped dressing feminine, but then experienced mental health issues, including suicidality. 

Tuft's brother committed suicide in 2012 after becoming addicted to methamphetamines. 

"I told myself that would never happen [to me]. And here I am. You know, in 2020, feeling the same way my brother did," Tuft said. "His life was much different. I think had a lot to do with drugs, but with me, I didn't want to live."

Gabbi Tuft at Puma Futrograde Spring 2023 ready to wear runway show front row at Cipriani 25 Broadway on September 13, 2022 in New York, New York.  (Photo by Nina Westervelt/WWD via Getty Images)

"I couldn't give you a solid reason as to why, I really couldn't. And I still can't. And it's one of those soul-searching moments," Tuft said. 

Tuft's wife became concerned and they had a serious discussion. At this moment, Tuft is currently going through a divorce, but the relationship between them is on good terms. 

"We are separated now, and we're kind of like in the middle of a divorce that we're not in a rush to finish. She and I are still best of friends. We co-parent. We see each other every day. There's so much love between us. We had our ups and downs as we separated. But we've done my full circle," Tuft said. "Everything's amazing now. But yeah, in all honesty, I don't know exactly why this happened or why I felt the incredible, urge to to transition or not be here. It's one of those things I'd love to get answers to." 

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Now, Tuft describes moving back into the ring. 

"It is not easy. I mean, it's the hardest thing I've ever done, especially being gone for 11 years and trying to get my butt back in that ring and keep up with some of the best talent in the world that takes some emotion. I got plenty of it," Tuft said.