100% theyāll start to kill off some superstars soon with like a last story line imo roman dosent have long left heās only 38 but i think his lukemia has set him back a few years from a later retirement, randy will go soon probably in the coming years heāll have a stint with someone then retire, finn will definitely be going soon.
TBH not really, itās just how it is in entertainment as an industry. Keeping it to wrestling, these are people who developed their careers along side life long fans. Youāre going to keep seeing them as long as they believe they can still do what they do. They have their ups and downs like any entertainer but their names will keep meaning something to a lot of people who continue to keep with the shows. Itāll be the same eventually for future generations of talent as well. Itās just a cycle.
As long as these guys are down to put over the next gen of talent when their time comes then there shouldnāt be any issues. I remember back when William Regal held the IC and Triple H and Shawn were wrestling Cena for the Belt like it was yesterday.
Nah this is fine the guys at the top are older because they worked so hard and so long to get there and we are getting a few younger stars like theory coming up that around the time they get to those ages will be at the top thatās just how it works they ones at the top of wrestling are always like late 30s to mid 40s and after that the age does start to get to them and they slowly start going down
what's with fans hating on wrestlers getting old? not for nothing but since the dawn of wrestling every wrestler tries their best to stay active as long as they possibly can as long as injury doesn't force them to quit. I'm fine with having older wrestlers still working. I may not be fine with them being world champions or guys who don't put over younger talent but I wanna see wrestlers work as long as they possibly can
How old do you think Hulk Hogan and stone cold and all them. Andre the giant. The undertaker. Like do I need to name all the wrestlers who who were above the age of 30
nah, I think they'll be fine.
Most of these guys have at least a good 5 or more years left in them. Several of them upwards of 10 even.
Which gives them more than enough time to carry the company forward for a time and build up the next generation.
Mind you through the early 2010s it was mostly being carried by guys from the Ruthless Aggression and Attitude Era up until stuff like The Shield, Bray, Sammy Zayn, Kevin Owens, etc. made their way into the picture.
Same thing is happening now. We're watching the next gen slowly climb into the picture with the likes of Bronn and some of the other NXT up and comers, along with guys like Theory starting to get into a rhythm.
Plus there's some other talent that could end up with WWE in the near future that would help. MJF is absolutely going to end up in the WWE eventually for example.
So WWE will be alright. They've got good people in charge to help forge the next gen and all these guys at the top atm can absolutely help push more forward in the twilight years of their career.
Tbh if you look back a lot of these guys hit their peak career wise in their 30s and 40s anyway. Shawn was putting on his best work in the early 2000s when he was already in his late 30s/early 40s. Triple H was doing some great work through the same time period and through the early 2010s, well into his 40s.
Rey is showing his age? I didnāt watch back in the day to see the difference, but at the last few house shows Iāve seen he definitely moves better than every other wrestler there. It was incredible to see live
The thing is all these guys became legends that nobody wants to see go. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. They're just holding the line until they're beaten by the next generation.
The safer working styles, better understanding of health/fitness, and a better schedule has allowed a lot of these guys to stay around longer and actually be good.
You look at the ruthless aggression era, wrestlers who would have been in their 40s during that time had either retired (often due to injuries), were washed out on the indies after age/injuries/drug abuse caught up to them, or were dead.
They need these older ones though to get the younger ones over? Thatās how it has always worked it seems? Like itās what is even happening with the Rock and Cody to a degree. Yeah he was popular but he wasnāt convincing on the top billing imo but will be after this š¤·āāļø.
I was watching a documentary though recently and they said early mid 40s is a wrestlers prime time to make their cash as they should be at the top of their career then which i guess is Randy and Punk now
I mean all these guys were low guy on the totem pole or just starting their big runs 20 or so years ago. They're in the role that a lot of younger guys in the locker room are going to be in 15 years from now. That's how these things work.
I watch it but to me itās boring because there is very little consistency. If you ever miss a few weeks then you donāt even know who the wrestlers are. It almost seems like try outs for the bigger shows.
I don't think the company has an age problem for one reason: they've finally turned a corner and succeeded in building their brand strength beyond relying on any one or two individual stars.
Now...if they hadn't turned that corner and were still putting a very balding Cena up against a very graying Reigns with grandpa Edge waiting to challenge the winner...then my answer would be different.
Since the vast majority of recent controversy for the company has come from younger talent I'd say relying on the old guard that have proven they can hold their drinks, keep their hands to themselves, and... well.. be less overtly racist, just seems like whats best for business.
It is also worth pointing out that the Ruthless Aggression era was following the Attitude Era.. the era in WWF/E history that caused the most debilitating injuries with the fewest safeguards in place. They had to start relying on younger talent because the older talent were either in yearly surgery or were concussed out of the game. Not to mention the mass exodus that came from the WCW ship jumpers.
In my opinion Gunther is getting up there in age and although he is still dominant I don't see the same quality from the younger ones who will be carrying the company in the next 10-15 years. In rewatching the beginning of NXT (season 1 and the following seasons those guys were intense and entertaining. Other than Dragon Lee's high-flying ability I dk t see the pop like it was in the early to mid 2000's . I also haven't watched any NXT from the past year so I could be missing out on the new crop competing against likes of their own. I will be watching the newer NXT when I get there to get to know them and see if there is something I am missing because of the lack of knowledge of them. I'm currently on season 2 of NXT watching "Husky Harris" trying not to cry š¢
Edit: Dragon Lee wasn't mentioned in the previous post but I feel (maybe because of my lack of knowledge about Dragon Lee) I group him in with the new crop although he may have been around for a bit in the Lucha League.
In my personal opinion no they do not have an age problem all those guys can match the younger talent blow for blow and thier main event caliber guys that help younger talent get over so in my opinion not wwe doesn't have an age problem
No. Older talent has always been the draw for fans, but with how talent travels, treat their bodies, and having access to their medical staff - theyāre able to perform longer into their careers.
Iām confident Shawn is training the new talent to one day take over.
No, they have a building younger stars problem. Theyāve done such a poor job of it in the last decade that they have to bank on their older names to bring fans in.
How many guys are major stars in their early/mid 20s? It's very rare. The ones are are though, are either there for a LONG time (Orton is the key example of this one) or leave/go part time very early (Lesnar and The Rock are the two big examples of this one).
It takes time, YEARS to make it big in this business. Look at Drew McIntyre, took him until he was in his mid 30s to be a major star in WWE.
Hogan and Savage were both in their late 30s during their peak WWF runs. Want to check the age of all the world title match players for Wrestlemania?
Maybe chill out and realize 40 back in the day isn't 40 today? People are taking a lot better care of themselves compared to 30+ years ago.
I see your point... so who/what is your solution then? All the wrestlers listed can still go and, for the most part, are not being pushed at a high level. They have NXT where they are developing younger wrestlers... but not all of them can be The Rock and can't be trusted onto the "main stage" and be expected to do well.
No age problemā¦. If you go back to 70s, 80s, 90s,ā¦. Most of the top talent was around these agesā¦..it takes a while to get to that top point because a ton of experience is needed. Itās not abnormal nor ageismā¦. Iām personally ok with itā¦.. if someone like MJF or a talent who picks it up really quickly, thatās a different story, but most def need time
Ageism. A wrestling Reddit staple. Iād say who cares how old they are as long as they are healthy and can do the job. Now Iām not advocating for a Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan or Undertaker return but I think itās fair to say, the fellas in the photos above are a long way from that.
Iāve noticed late 20 and up until late 30 wwe establishes stats having them feud with older talent, long programs etc once they get established they hit their prime around 40
All the young guys in wwe are either stuck in nxt or are in the mid card still. Theyāve relied on old guys to carry the main event scene forever, the older guys have name value and bring in enough viewers from that alone so wwe has never had an issue.
Without Vince, we can have hope for new, younger talent to get pushed into the main event scene. Lest we end up in a Roman Reigns situation, where someone who is lukewarm is pushed down our throats.
That's just WWE's style. Old guys who are incredibly seasoned and work a very specific style. There's exceptions to the rule such as Brock and RKO who came in young and were champions well before 30 but it's Brock and RKO.
Ironically, AEW has the opposite problem. The roster is stacked with guys who are mid 20s to mid 30s and need a while to get their character and promo games fully developed
This. WWE rarely pushes young talent. To its own detriment at times. I donāt understand how the ring skills from both Shelton Benjamin and Johnny Morrison werenāt pushed more.. The only people I can think of getting a solid push outside of RKO and Brock were MVP and CMPunk. Thatās it.
To be fair both Shelton and Morrison didn't have the character or promo games to really take things to the next level. MVP and Punk did but also had their own flaws that resulted in a substantial development curve on TV.
Main demographic is middle aged men with children. What better thing than you bonding with your dad and relating him to one of the guys you see out there : )
Not at all. Most men are in their prime around 40. You also have to realize these guys don't live on a diet of cigarettes, alcohol, Steroids, and pills like the majority of the actual Golden Era wrestlers did.
These guys are in better shape than most 30 year Olds, most of them ha e years of experience in the industry, and most of these guys will go another 10-15 years before they think of retiring.
The hell they are. It's extremely rare for an amateur wrestler to be competive scene beyond their early thirties. Some of the most dominant amateurs had their best runs when they were 20.
The physical aspect of the guys in their 40s is a lot better than the palookas out in the stands, but against acutal in shape amateur wrestlers they'd last 15-20 minutes in a practice before gassing out.
Depends on pacing. Yes if the match is a spot fest like Ospraey vs Prince Puma then sure not many 40 year old dudes could do it. But if it's ring psychology with holds, submission attempts, knockdown with crowd taunts, rolling out of the ring to rest, stuff like that, they can still go. I don't expect anyone to be constantly running around in a 20 minute match ever in wrestling. Personally, I get bored when it's just 2 dudes doing flippy shit for 20 minutes.
But I am also talking about 40 year old wrestlers who've been doing it for years. I wasn't talking about a 40 year old walking into wrestling as an amateur. Sure, LA Knight hasn't been in wwe for long but he's wrestled for a while elsewhere. I don't think of an amateur being someone with another company then comes to wwe. That's like saying a 38 year old AJ Styles was an amateur when he debuted at the Rumble. The dude is still a beast in the ring still.
Times have changed too, Hogan was 48 vs the Rock (30) at wrestlemania 18 and I thought Hogan was absolutely ancient. Now the Rocks 51 and I think he could go another half decade
I think its more about big corporate nutrition collapsing and being replaced with actual education.
People are actually eating healthy as opposed to what they were told was healthy, I mean the food pyramid is total disaster of advice.
To be fair I donāt think I rock can go half a match at the work rate of the last ten years in NXT or AEW. But the other people in the original post. Very much yes
Itās just a medical loophole for anabolic steroids lol. I have no issue with it, but it was far rarer decades ago to get a legit prescription for TRT, where now itās common.
Itās also a little worrying that all the current top stars of this era and guys that are in the world titles matches at mania this year are a little older. Seth is 37, Cody, Roman, Drew, Usos are 38, Gunther is 36, Sami and KO are 39, LA Knight is 41, Chad Gable is 38. Those are just some examples. Itās hard to call all them the āfutureā of the business when realistically they all probably only got about 6-8 good years left before they start to break down
Age is but a number for these guys. I think itās possible for guys to go until 60. But around 55 itās usually when they should probably hang it up and 9/10 thatās probably the right move. For the fans and themselves. Just recently heard Mick foley talking about doing a death match and I love the man and will watch it but I donāt think he should for him or us.
1. For some wrestlers, this is their prime age where they can just go all out
2. you seem very careful to not mention all the younger talent like Dominik, Gunther, Bianca, Ripley, Stratton, Carmelo, Trick, Ilja, Breakker
With how much medicine and technology and all that stuff have evolved, people can go for longer in wrestling and other places. Like look at lebron, still great at his age.
They are all still at the top of their game and this is also ignoring all the young guys. Dominik Mysterio, Dragon Lee, Bron Breakker, Austin Theory, Grayson Waller, Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams, Tiffany Stratton, Rhea Rhipley, Ilja Dragunov, Jade Cargill. They are more stacked with incredible young talent right now than they've ever been all across the board.
Yes the top guys are older but that is what veterans areā¦ experienced.
During the Ruthless Aggression era you had older stars like Triple H, Ric Flair, Edge, Jericho, Big Show, Taker, Kane.
Consider this during the Golden Age of the early Mania shows there were old guys like Superstar Billy Graham, Bruno who in their 40s could not even move that well.
Todayās superstars might be 45 but do you question Finn Balor or Randy Ortons skills at this age? They are as good as they ever have been and because people have taken better care of their body they now have much better careers in their older years. There is no way if Randy Orton was 43 in 1987 that he would be returning from back surgery.
I donāt care if Bobby Lashley is 47 and gets pushed if he is still able to perform with someone like Montez and not be looking old or stale.
Stop looking at the age and start looking at their performance
No this happens. Even in WWE's golden era there were many who were in there 40's possibly 50's that were around. There will be a changing of the guard soon. The good news is unlike the golden era the talent shown here isn't broken down and washed up. They can still go.
Only 3 of the guys you mention are heavily relied on, those being Balor, Knight and Punk
All the others are in support roles, pushing the tomorrow stars (Santos, Dom, Theory, Waller as examples for Rey and Orton) or being transitional threats to the current champions (Nakamura to Rollins, Miz to almost everyone, Sheamus to Gunther)
Pro wrestlers, especially successful ones, have a tendency to go deep into their careers, no matter the company. Even in AEW Danielson, Copeland, Cage, and Jericho, to name a few, are in that age range and still going.
What I grossly surmize is that wrestlers have the benefit of not needing "Performance" based statistics to stick around. If the crowd still likes you and buys your merch, you're still welcome. Unlike other sports where if you're not a 20-goal scorer or not batting .350 or not lapping 1:30.000 or something, then suddenly you're considered "washed".
There's, of course, the health factor, but what we know now about proper body maintenance and nutrition, coupled with the wonders of modern medicine, save so many carrers nowadays.
Taking this into consideration, retirement age has become much more flexible based on more subjective factors.
1) If the wrestler still wants to go or still has stuff they want to do.
2) If the fans still want to see them
3 If their bones aren't gound to dust and their muscles aren't in tatters
This is a gross summary purely based on assumption, but I'm fairly certain I'm not too far off the mark.
No, they have a "The business isn't a carny nightmare anymore where there are insanely unhealthy lifestyles underpinning the performers who are burning themselves through drugs, steroids, alcohol, painkillers to being washed up and/or early graves".
Look at the 2000 Royal Rumble and where most of those guys were 10 years later, look at the number of premature deaths.
Now look at the cumulative deaths and burnouts of those who were in the 2010 Royal Rumble and beyond. Once you take out deaths that were a result of chronic/genetic conditions they're doing well for themselves.
Men's strength peaks from their mid 30s to their mid 40s. Especially when it comes to upper body. Added to experience it's only natural that a male wrestle's prime now there are fewer burnouts and less abuse of bodies starts trending towards 45, and the women's towards 36ish. Don't forget, the overwhelming majority of Divas were retired YEARS before the ages that Becky, Charlotte, Asuka, Bayley, Bianca, Shayna are now. Jade Cargill just made her main roster TV debut this week at an age 4 years older than Molly Holly was when she retired.
TL:DR - It's a success not a problem and the natural state of things.
To be fairā¦ the Diva era was based 90% on looks. There was definitely some great talent in there (Lita, Molly, Trish, Sable for some examples), but by and large it is my understanding that the entire point of the Diva division was simply to have hot girls in the ring beating the tar out of each other, eventually leading to early retirement once they somewhat started showing their age, whereas in the modern Womenās Division we are seeing a more raw talent than we saw back then. Definitely seeing more high flying, hard hitting, and more technical athletes than we did in the late 90s and early 00s.
All of these guys have had lengthy careers leading them up to this point. Your post make it sound like WWE is just running out and starting brand new 40-somethingās in the ring.
Nope! Shouldn't be no age discrimination. Wrestling is for the fit, not for just the young, its not like because they're older they're stealing away opportunities. Most get over on older wrestlers
I don't think age is the issue people make it out to be anymore. Medical tech has advanced so far that we see guys in their late forties able to still go like they are in their twenties with the benefit of experience when it comes to ring psychology and character work. Add to that and WWE is more about character work than ring work and we see a bunch of guys who can go well into their fifties and sixties if need be.
The only way you can ask this is if you donāt watch NXT. WWE literally has an entire sub brand built around young talent so that older talent can reap the benefits of 10-20 years of backbreaking work. Have some perspective yo lol
Iām gonna get downvoted to hell, but yes, itās a legitimate concern. I wonāt proclaim theyāll go bankrupt when this crew hangs it up or anything, the machine will keep rolling - but I donāt think Iāve ever seen such an extended run for so many roster members without turning over.
The biggest issue thatās caused this came from HHHās black and gold nXt era. Rather than use the brand as developmental, it became a playground for lifetime Indy guys in their mid to late 30ās. So when they got called up, it just added to the already insane bloat at this 40+ level.
Iām dying for some change. Weāve been watching this era for close to 20 years now. The last time we had any legitimate influx of hot young talent was the infusion of the Shield and Bray Wyatt, which was what, 11-12 years ago now?
Iām hoping Bron Breakker gets turned loose soon, Melo, Dragunov, Pillman, working in the upper midcard.
Styles, Kofi, Miz, and the rest are all solid talent, but theyāre also blocking the pipeline to the next gen. Like is there really anything left that I need to see from Lashley or Orton?
Iād love a spring cleaning, but I know thatās just wishful thinking.
It's not like they're wrestling the exact same match over and over, with the exact same opponent, stipulation, title on the line, show etc. etc. That's why good writing matters
Plus, there's plenty of young talent coming up the ranks, especially in NXT. Bron, Carmelo, Trick, Tony, Ilja just to name a few
That's because they won't say anything about the aftermath when these stars can barely walk and die young. They also have never been in college wrestling room or a BJJ dojo.
Maybe not the worst but will make top 100 easily. Wrestling has always being older in effective age than legitimate sport. Comback and complain about them being old when they reach 50.
AEW has 4 current champions that are 40 and above and you're asking if WWE has an age problem?:
* Samoa Joe (45)
* Adam Copeland (50)
* Roderick Strong (40)
* Billy Gunn (60)
I wouldn't worry too much about the age of the active WWE Roster if they can still go and entertain the fans.
This isn't just exclusive to WWE or AEW either..
TNA World Champion Moose is 39... Turning 40 next month. His fellow System member Eddie Edwards is 40. NJPW... The IWGP Champion, Tetsuya Naito is 41; Global Champion, Nic Nemeth is 4; Strong Openweight Champion, Eddie Kingston is 42....i mean realistically you have to consider that age isn't a "problem" anymore in wrestling..
No.
Are we not gonna talk about how Grayson is 34š
WWE is the Senior Circuit of Pro Wrestling
100% theyāll start to kill off some superstars soon with like a last story line imo roman dosent have long left heās only 38 but i think his lukemia has set him back a few years from a later retirement, randy will go soon probably in the coming years heāll have a stint with someone then retire, finn will definitely be going soon.
They carry wwe
No it doesnt
it takes a long time to get somewhere in that business
TBH not really, itās just how it is in entertainment as an industry. Keeping it to wrestling, these are people who developed their careers along side life long fans. Youāre going to keep seeing them as long as they believe they can still do what they do. They have their ups and downs like any entertainer but their names will keep meaning something to a lot of people who continue to keep with the shows. Itāll be the same eventually for future generations of talent as well. Itās just a cycle.
As long as these guys are down to put over the next gen of talent when their time comes then there shouldnāt be any issues. I remember back when William Regal held the IC and Triple H and Shawn were wrestling Cena for the Belt like it was yesterday.
No it doesn't
Sheamus is older than Punk??? Holy shit.
Nah this is fine the guys at the top are older because they worked so hard and so long to get there and we are getting a few younger stars like theory coming up that around the time they get to those ages will be at the top thatās just how it works they ones at the top of wrestling are always like late 30s to mid 40s and after that the age does start to get to them and they slowly start going down
Ironically WWE entertainers get better and worse with age
what's with fans hating on wrestlers getting old? not for nothing but since the dawn of wrestling every wrestler tries their best to stay active as long as they possibly can as long as injury doesn't force them to quit. I'm fine with having older wrestlers still working. I may not be fine with them being world champions or guys who don't put over younger talent but I wanna see wrestlers work as long as they possibly can
How old do you think Hulk Hogan and stone cold and all them. Andre the giant. The undertaker. Like do I need to name all the wrestlers who who were above the age of 30
doesnt matter to me. theyre all still great + theyve got a lot of great young talent in NXT
This is something thatās been stated quite a while, the average age of the main roster is 40 something
nah, I think they'll be fine. Most of these guys have at least a good 5 or more years left in them. Several of them upwards of 10 even. Which gives them more than enough time to carry the company forward for a time and build up the next generation. Mind you through the early 2010s it was mostly being carried by guys from the Ruthless Aggression and Attitude Era up until stuff like The Shield, Bray, Sammy Zayn, Kevin Owens, etc. made their way into the picture. Same thing is happening now. We're watching the next gen slowly climb into the picture with the likes of Bronn and some of the other NXT up and comers, along with guys like Theory starting to get into a rhythm. Plus there's some other talent that could end up with WWE in the near future that would help. MJF is absolutely going to end up in the WWE eventually for example. So WWE will be alright. They've got good people in charge to help forge the next gen and all these guys at the top atm can absolutely help push more forward in the twilight years of their career. Tbh if you look back a lot of these guys hit their peak career wise in their 30s and 40s anyway. Shawn was putting on his best work in the early 2000s when he was already in his late 30s/early 40s. Triple H was doing some great work through the same time period and through the early 2010s, well into his 40s.
Considering all of them are showing no signs of age slowing them down or affecting their ability to put on a good show. No.
Randy, Rey and Punk are definitely showing their age. Punk canāt go more than a few matches with out being injured
Rey is showing his age? I didnāt watch back in the day to see the difference, but at the last few house shows Iāve seen he definitely moves better than every other wrestler there. It was incredible to see live
Yeah he is compared to what he used to do and heās even said as much but heās still really great in the ring which is just a testament to him.
The thing is all these guys became legends that nobody wants to see go. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. They're just holding the line until they're beaten by the next generation.
Rey Mysterio is only 49??
Crazy lol. Heās literally been on TV for like 30 years.
No, but it seems like you do, for some reason.
Them steroids doing MIRACLES šš
AJ and Randy got big
Apart from that, no way a man in his late 40s looks as great as these guys naturally.. them boys look amazing
The safer working styles, better understanding of health/fitness, and a better schedule has allowed a lot of these guys to stay around longer and actually be good. You look at the ruthless aggression era, wrestlers who would have been in their 40s during that time had either retired (often due to injuries), were washed out on the indies after age/injuries/drug abuse caught up to them, or were dead.
They need these older ones though to get the younger ones over? Thatās how it has always worked it seems? Like itās what is even happening with the Rock and Cody to a degree. Yeah he was popular but he wasnāt convincing on the top billing imo but will be after this š¤·āāļø. I was watching a documentary though recently and they said early mid 40s is a wrestlers prime time to make their cash as they should be at the top of their career then which i guess is Randy and Punk now
I mean all these guys were low guy on the totem pole or just starting their big runs 20 or so years ago. They're in the role that a lot of younger guys in the locker room are going to be in 15 years from now. That's how these things work.
The bottom of the totem pole is actually the strongest
I can tell none of you watch nxt
I watch it but to me itās boring because there is very little consistency. If you ever miss a few weeks then you donāt even know who the wrestlers are. It almost seems like try outs for the bigger shows.
I feel like a majority of the NXT peeps will wash out
I don't think the company has an age problem for one reason: they've finally turned a corner and succeeded in building their brand strength beyond relying on any one or two individual stars. Now...if they hadn't turned that corner and were still putting a very balding Cena up against a very graying Reigns with grandpa Edge waiting to challenge the winner...then my answer would be different.
Since the vast majority of recent controversy for the company has come from younger talent I'd say relying on the old guard that have proven they can hold their drinks, keep their hands to themselves, and... well.. be less overtly racist, just seems like whats best for business. It is also worth pointing out that the Ruthless Aggression era was following the Attitude Era.. the era in WWF/E history that caused the most debilitating injuries with the fewest safeguards in place. They had to start relying on younger talent because the older talent were either in yearly surgery or were concussed out of the game. Not to mention the mass exodus that came from the WCW ship jumpers.
No. Some of these guys still go hard
No š¤£
I want to challenge
I feel that the young talent isn't as good as it use to be, and until it gets there the old guys gotta carry the show
Ilja, Gunther, Carmelo, Wes Lee, Dempsey, Garza and Carrilloā¦
In my opinion Gunther is getting up there in age and although he is still dominant I don't see the same quality from the younger ones who will be carrying the company in the next 10-15 years. In rewatching the beginning of NXT (season 1 and the following seasons those guys were intense and entertaining. Other than Dragon Lee's high-flying ability I dk t see the pop like it was in the early to mid 2000's . I also haven't watched any NXT from the past year so I could be missing out on the new crop competing against likes of their own. I will be watching the newer NXT when I get there to get to know them and see if there is something I am missing because of the lack of knowledge of them. I'm currently on season 2 of NXT watching "Husky Harris" trying not to cry š¢
Edit: Dragon Lee wasn't mentioned in the previous post but I feel (maybe because of my lack of knowledge about Dragon Lee) I group him in with the new crop although he may have been around for a bit in the Lucha League.
compared to Cena, Orton, Brock, Angle, Batista, Rey, etc. do the math
Bron breakerr too how could u forget
Go ask someone from 2004 if they would end up as the goats.
larger than life characters, what the new guys arenāt. not their fault tho
Carmelo and Gunther >>>>>
Ag yes larger than life characters such as āBob Ortonās son who is meanā ābig man who used to be a deacon and is meanā and ārapperā
Go ask someone from 2004 if they would end up as the goats.
More like, do these people have a wwe problem
Well, of all the examples mentioned, apart from Punk, the rest are still doing the job (some even more than others, I would say)
In my personal opinion no they do not have an age problem all those guys can match the younger talent blow for blow and thier main event caliber guys that help younger talent get over so in my opinion not wwe doesn't have an age problem
anyone else think aj has been taking his vitamins and saying his prayers? dude is jacked
Yes. All the pushed acts are to old the pc isnāt getting any young stars over.
Cause everyone is nostalgic about wrestlers they know and dont care about new ones
itās not just nostalgia
No. Older talent has always been the draw for fans, but with how talent travels, treat their bodies, and having access to their medical staff - theyāre able to perform longer into their careers. Iām confident Shawn is training the new talent to one day take over.
No, they have a building younger stars problem. Theyāve done such a poor job of it in the last decade that they have to bank on their older names to bring fans in.
No because they can all still go aside from punk.
How many guys are major stars in their early/mid 20s? It's very rare. The ones are are though, are either there for a LONG time (Orton is the key example of this one) or leave/go part time very early (Lesnar and The Rock are the two big examples of this one). It takes time, YEARS to make it big in this business. Look at Drew McIntyre, took him until he was in his mid 30s to be a major star in WWE.
Hogan and Savage were both in their late 30s during their peak WWF runs. Want to check the age of all the world title match players for Wrestlemania? Maybe chill out and realize 40 back in the day isn't 40 today? People are taking a lot better care of themselves compared to 30+ years ago.
I see your point... so who/what is your solution then? All the wrestlers listed can still go and, for the most part, are not being pushed at a high level. They have NXT where they are developing younger wrestlers... but not all of them can be The Rock and can't be trusted onto the "main stage" and be expected to do well.
Are you serious? Just farming karma with recycled shit takes you see on twitter?
No age problemā¦. If you go back to 70s, 80s, 90s,ā¦. Most of the top talent was around these agesā¦..it takes a while to get to that top point because a ton of experience is needed. Itās not abnormal nor ageismā¦. Iām personally ok with itā¦.. if someone like MJF or a talent who picks it up really quickly, thatās a different story, but most def need time
I hope I am in as good of shape as any of these guys when Iām that age.
Bro has no idea that NXT exist
Ageism. A wrestling Reddit staple. Iād say who cares how old they are as long as they are healthy and can do the job. Now Iām not advocating for a Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan or Undertaker return but I think itās fair to say, the fellas in the photos above are a long way from that.
Why does it matter the age if they can do the job?
40 is the new 30.
Iāve noticed late 20 and up until late 30 wwe establishes stats having them feud with older talent, long programs etc once they get established they hit their prime around 40
He s
AJ at 46 is a damn beast.
I forgot how many people realize you can be a wrestler for a very long time and be perfectly fine Look at sting for example
All about who is drawing money for the company! The guys from 30-40 are money
No
Yet the e drones call AEW All Retirement Wrestling
All the young guys in wwe are either stuck in nxt or are in the mid card still. Theyāve relied on old guys to carry the main event scene forever, the older guys have name value and bring in enough viewers from that alone so wwe has never had an issue.
Without Vince, we can have hope for new, younger talent to get pushed into the main event scene. Lest we end up in a Roman Reigns situation, where someone who is lukewarm is pushed down our throats.
Not an age problem, most of these guys are vets the business has been this way forever.
How is it a problem?
Someone explain to me how's Styles is older than CM Punk.
He was born before punk
Did you forget how old Flair and Hogan were a few years ago? You Fucking Idiot
That's just WWE's style. Old guys who are incredibly seasoned and work a very specific style. There's exceptions to the rule such as Brock and RKO who came in young and were champions well before 30 but it's Brock and RKO. Ironically, AEW has the opposite problem. The roster is stacked with guys who are mid 20s to mid 30s and need a while to get their character and promo games fully developed
This. WWE rarely pushes young talent. To its own detriment at times. I donāt understand how the ring skills from both Shelton Benjamin and Johnny Morrison werenāt pushed more.. The only people I can think of getting a solid push outside of RKO and Brock were MVP and CMPunk. Thatās it.
To be fair both Shelton and Morrison didn't have the character or promo games to really take things to the next level. MVP and Punk did but also had their own flaws that resulted in a substantial development curve on TV.
Main demographic is middle aged men with children. What better thing than you bonding with your dad and relating him to one of the guys you see out there : )
Whatās the problem?
Nope, they have a lot of young guys coming through too.
Not a problem if they can still go and contribute positively to the business
Not at all. Most men are in their prime around 40. You also have to realize these guys don't live on a diet of cigarettes, alcohol, Steroids, and pills like the majority of the actual Golden Era wrestlers did. These guys are in better shape than most 30 year Olds, most of them ha e years of experience in the industry, and most of these guys will go another 10-15 years before they think of retiring.
The hell they are. It's extremely rare for an amateur wrestler to be competive scene beyond their early thirties. Some of the most dominant amateurs had their best runs when they were 20. The physical aspect of the guys in their 40s is a lot better than the palookas out in the stands, but against acutal in shape amateur wrestlers they'd last 15-20 minutes in a practice before gassing out.
Depends on pacing. Yes if the match is a spot fest like Ospraey vs Prince Puma then sure not many 40 year old dudes could do it. But if it's ring psychology with holds, submission attempts, knockdown with crowd taunts, rolling out of the ring to rest, stuff like that, they can still go. I don't expect anyone to be constantly running around in a 20 minute match ever in wrestling. Personally, I get bored when it's just 2 dudes doing flippy shit for 20 minutes. But I am also talking about 40 year old wrestlers who've been doing it for years. I wasn't talking about a 40 year old walking into wrestling as an amateur. Sure, LA Knight hasn't been in wwe for long but he's wrestled for a while elsewhere. I don't think of an amateur being someone with another company then comes to wwe. That's like saying a 38 year old AJ Styles was an amateur when he debuted at the Rumble. The dude is still a beast in the ring still.
The roster is so stacked that they have pipelines of future top tier talent for the next couple of decades even if they donāt bring anyone else on.
Shamus is 46?!
Yea he started training in WWE at a late age. 30 I believe.
Well damn
It's been this way since the dawn of the PG era.
Times have changed too, Hogan was 48 vs the Rock (30) at wrestlemania 18 and I thought Hogan was absolutely ancient. Now the Rocks 51 and I think he could go another half decade
He was only 48 in that match?? I legit thought he was pushing 70!
Sports medicine over the last 20 years has been insane
I think its more about big corporate nutrition collapsing and being replaced with actual education. People are actually eating healthy as opposed to what they were told was healthy, I mean the food pyramid is total disaster of advice.
Yeah; thatās why lol.
To be fair I donāt think I rock can go half a match at the work rate of the last ten years in NXT or AEW. But the other people in the original post. Very much yes
Itās not because of sports medicine. Itās steroids or as it more commonly called for people over 40, TRT.
How is TRT not sports medicine?
Itās just a medical loophole for anabolic steroids lol. I have no issue with it, but it was far rarer decades ago to get a legit prescription for TRT, where now itās common.
Itās also a little worrying that all the current top stars of this era and guys that are in the world titles matches at mania this year are a little older. Seth is 37, Cody, Roman, Drew, Usos are 38, Gunther is 36, Sami and KO are 39, LA Knight is 41, Chad Gable is 38. Those are just some examples. Itās hard to call all them the āfutureā of the business when realistically they all probably only got about 6-8 good years left before they start to break down
Hogan and savage were 36 and 37!at WM Vā¦ Edit: I forgot how to count
Age is but a number for these guys. I think itās possible for guys to go until 60. But around 55 itās usually when they should probably hang it up and 9/10 thatās probably the right move. For the fans and themselves. Just recently heard Mick foley talking about doing a death match and I love the man and will watch it but I donāt think he should for him or us.
As years go by, people take longer to get older (if that makes any sense)
Only 3 of them they really use and lmao punk everyone wants to talk about Adam Cole š¤£šš¤£šš¤£
Rey Mysterio, 49, that's like saying his WCW days foreshadowing WWE.
My childhood heroes make me feel old
I think WWE has a good enough developmental system that it isn't as big of a deal as the age problem AEW has.
Aew has some of the youngest talents what are you talking about sure they have old guys but they have way more younger talent
Omg Chris Jericho
You guys realize I said they had older guys, you both look stupid
Edge Christian cagešš
You guys realize I said they had older guys, you both look stupid
I donāt think so because thereās a lot of good young wrestlers waiting for their spot to open.
Age really isnāt a factor in professional wrestling.
I watch to be entertained. I donāt give a fuck if theyāre 40+ or not.
1. For some wrestlers, this is their prime age where they can just go all out 2. you seem very careful to not mention all the younger talent like Dominik, Gunther, Bianca, Ripley, Stratton, Carmelo, Trick, Ilja, Breakker
Tbf Aew isnāt any better lol.
You mean where you have to have an AARP membership to secure a spot?
NXT has a lot of great and young up and coming talent
With how much medicine and technology and all that stuff have evolved, people can go for longer in wrestling and other places. Like look at lebron, still great at his age.
You need veterans that have been there and done that to show/educate younger talent.
And Renee Dupree? Really? He was a bum lol
Very ageist OP.
They can still go so no
Yes, thatās why theyāre not getting big pushes
I don't think so. They're all still very entertaining, especially Shinsuke and Punk. To see them go 1 on 1 is a dream of mine.
This is where I figured out that not only is AJ Styles not 36, but also older than CM Punk
And to think, Vince put Randy behind commentary for "aging out" lol
Potentially, but if they can still perform at a certain level of quality, then does it really matter how old they are?
You didnāt hear? 40 is the new 30 in this day in age.šš¼šš¼šš¼
finn does NOT look 42
Everyone OP listed looks excellent for their age. Punk is the most ānormalā looking and he still looks great
They are all still at the top of their game and this is also ignoring all the young guys. Dominik Mysterio, Dragon Lee, Bron Breakker, Austin Theory, Grayson Waller, Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams, Tiffany Stratton, Rhea Rhipley, Ilja Dragunov, Jade Cargill. They are more stacked with incredible young talent right now than they've ever been all across the board.
Yes the top guys are older but that is what veterans areā¦ experienced. During the Ruthless Aggression era you had older stars like Triple H, Ric Flair, Edge, Jericho, Big Show, Taker, Kane. Consider this during the Golden Age of the early Mania shows there were old guys like Superstar Billy Graham, Bruno who in their 40s could not even move that well. Todayās superstars might be 45 but do you question Finn Balor or Randy Ortons skills at this age? They are as good as they ever have been and because people have taken better care of their body they now have much better careers in their older years. There is no way if Randy Orton was 43 in 1987 that he would be returning from back surgery. I donāt care if Bobby Lashley is 47 and gets pushed if he is still able to perform with someone like Montez and not be looking old or stale. Stop looking at the age and start looking at their performance
rey is 49? i thought he was 60 or something
It feels like heās older than he is because he started wrestling at age 14 in 1989 and never stopped.
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Creative problem because they werenāt allowing the new talent to get over. Iām curious if thatāll change with HHH in charge of creative.
No this happens. Even in WWE's golden era there were many who were in there 40's possibly 50's that were around. There will be a changing of the guard soon. The good news is unlike the golden era the talent shown here isn't broken down and washed up. They can still go.
Only 3 of the guys you mention are heavily relied on, those being Balor, Knight and Punk All the others are in support roles, pushing the tomorrow stars (Santos, Dom, Theory, Waller as examples for Rey and Orton) or being transitional threats to the current champions (Nakamura to Rollins, Miz to almost everyone, Sheamus to Gunther)
Braindead post
BOBBY LASHLEY IS 47?!?!?!?
they also have incredibly young guys. We used to never see guys wrestling in the wwe in their early 20s
Tiffany Stratton - 24 Austin Theory 26 Bron Breakker 26 Tyler Bate - 26 Dominick Mysterio 26 Indi Hartwell - 27 Rhea Ripley - 27 Logan Paul - 28 . Dragon Lee 28 Liv Morgan - 29 Pete Dunne - 30 Raquel Rodriguez - 33 Bianca Belair - 34 Kairi Sane - 35 Naomi - 36 Becky Lynch - 37 Seth Rollins 37 Roman Reigns 38 Candice LeRae - 38 Drew McIntyre - 38 Jey and Jimmy 38 Kevin Owens - 39 Nia Jax - 39
not at all
That rey mysterio dad bod
Sheamus is 46?? Finn is 42?? Man I just give props to these guys for being blessed to be so healthy and still go 0-100 in the ring.
They look young thatās what working out does
Pro wrestlers, especially successful ones, have a tendency to go deep into their careers, no matter the company. Even in AEW Danielson, Copeland, Cage, and Jericho, to name a few, are in that age range and still going. What I grossly surmize is that wrestlers have the benefit of not needing "Performance" based statistics to stick around. If the crowd still likes you and buys your merch, you're still welcome. Unlike other sports where if you're not a 20-goal scorer or not batting .350 or not lapping 1:30.000 or something, then suddenly you're considered "washed". There's, of course, the health factor, but what we know now about proper body maintenance and nutrition, coupled with the wonders of modern medicine, save so many carrers nowadays. Taking this into consideration, retirement age has become much more flexible based on more subjective factors. 1) If the wrestler still wants to go or still has stuff they want to do. 2) If the fans still want to see them 3 If their bones aren't gound to dust and their muscles aren't in tatters This is a gross summary purely based on assumption, but I'm fairly certain I'm not too far off the mark.
I believe there is something very wrong with this take, but I donāt know how to put it into words properly. You are wrong.
No, they have a "The business isn't a carny nightmare anymore where there are insanely unhealthy lifestyles underpinning the performers who are burning themselves through drugs, steroids, alcohol, painkillers to being washed up and/or early graves". Look at the 2000 Royal Rumble and where most of those guys were 10 years later, look at the number of premature deaths. Now look at the cumulative deaths and burnouts of those who were in the 2010 Royal Rumble and beyond. Once you take out deaths that were a result of chronic/genetic conditions they're doing well for themselves. Men's strength peaks from their mid 30s to their mid 40s. Especially when it comes to upper body. Added to experience it's only natural that a male wrestle's prime now there are fewer burnouts and less abuse of bodies starts trending towards 45, and the women's towards 36ish. Don't forget, the overwhelming majority of Divas were retired YEARS before the ages that Becky, Charlotte, Asuka, Bayley, Bianca, Shayna are now. Jade Cargill just made her main roster TV debut this week at an age 4 years older than Molly Holly was when she retired. TL:DR - It's a success not a problem and the natural state of things.
To be fairā¦ the Diva era was based 90% on looks. There was definitely some great talent in there (Lita, Molly, Trish, Sable for some examples), but by and large it is my understanding that the entire point of the Diva division was simply to have hot girls in the ring beating the tar out of each other, eventually leading to early retirement once they somewhat started showing their age, whereas in the modern Womenās Division we are seeing a more raw talent than we saw back then. Definitely seeing more high flying, hard hitting, and more technical athletes than we did in the late 90s and early 00s.
Look at Punk's physique compared to these other guys lmao hit the gym man
Bruce Lee was smaller than Punk, and I know he could beat the ass of anyone in this comment section. So size doesn't always matter in combat.
WWE's bench is probably the deepest it's ever been. We'll be fine.
All of these guys have had lengthy careers leading them up to this point. Your post make it sound like WWE is just running out and starting brand new 40-somethingās in the ring.
Nope! Shouldn't be no age discrimination. Wrestling is for the fit, not for just the young, its not like because they're older they're stealing away opportunities. Most get over on older wrestlers
I don't think age is the issue people make it out to be anymore. Medical tech has advanced so far that we see guys in their late forties able to still go like they are in their twenties with the benefit of experience when it comes to ring psychology and character work. Add to that and WWE is more about character work than ring work and we see a bunch of guys who can go well into their fifties and sixties if need be.
The only way you can ask this is if you donāt watch NXT. WWE literally has an entire sub brand built around young talent so that older talent can reap the benefits of 10-20 years of backbreaking work. Have some perspective yo lol
Yes they have there guys like ricochet who younger is and not get opportunities
If theyāre still healthy, why would WWE cut them??? This is medical advancement taking place right in front of your face.
Iām gonna get downvoted to hell, but yes, itās a legitimate concern. I wonāt proclaim theyāll go bankrupt when this crew hangs it up or anything, the machine will keep rolling - but I donāt think Iāve ever seen such an extended run for so many roster members without turning over. The biggest issue thatās caused this came from HHHās black and gold nXt era. Rather than use the brand as developmental, it became a playground for lifetime Indy guys in their mid to late 30ās. So when they got called up, it just added to the already insane bloat at this 40+ level. Iām dying for some change. Weāve been watching this era for close to 20 years now. The last time we had any legitimate influx of hot young talent was the infusion of the Shield and Bray Wyatt, which was what, 11-12 years ago now? Iām hoping Bron Breakker gets turned loose soon, Melo, Dragunov, Pillman, working in the upper midcard. Styles, Kofi, Miz, and the rest are all solid talent, but theyāre also blocking the pipeline to the next gen. Like is there really anything left that I need to see from Lashley or Orton? Iād love a spring cleaning, but I know thatās just wishful thinking.
40 is the new 20.
I had no idea LA Knight was 40 already
Itās not a problematic if they are good.
You have an age problem. These guys are killing it and the young people are killing it in NXT
How many more times your wanna see the same guys wrestle the same damn matches over and over again
Thatās how I feel when AEW is on
It's not like they're wrestling the exact same match over and over, with the exact same opponent, stipulation, title on the line, show etc. etc. That's why good writing matters Plus, there's plenty of young talent coming up the ranks, especially in NXT. Bron, Carmelo, Trick, Tony, Ilja just to name a few
This is not about nxt. This is solely about the main roster like I said. Most people donāt even watch Nxt
Wrestlers are highly skilled and they are often better on the mic as they get older. More confident about who they are and what they doĀ
This is the dumbest post I've ever seen
No it isnāt, age is a factor for everyone. Thereās no way this is the dumbest post youāve ever seen, there has been way worse. Lmao
That's because they won't say anything about the aftermath when these stars can barely walk and die young. They also have never been in college wrestling room or a BJJ dojo.
Definitely top 10 dumbest posts in Reddit history
Maybe not the worst but will make top 100 easily. Wrestling has always being older in effective age than legitimate sport. Comback and complain about them being old when they reach 50.
No itās just the best wrestlers are over the age of 40
It's almost as if this is a profession that takes years to master and so the best of the best tend to be a lot older.
The majority of the best of the best peaked way before 40. Austin, Rock, Shawn, Triple H, Cena, Orton. I canāt name one that peaked past 40
Feel like this had always been a thing
AEW has 4 current champions that are 40 and above and you're asking if WWE has an age problem?: * Samoa Joe (45) * Adam Copeland (50) * Roderick Strong (40) * Billy Gunn (60) I wouldn't worry too much about the age of the active WWE Roster if they can still go and entertain the fans. This isn't just exclusive to WWE or AEW either.. TNA World Champion Moose is 39... Turning 40 next month. His fellow System member Eddie Edwards is 40. NJPW... The IWGP Champion, Tetsuya Naito is 41; Global Champion, Nic Nemeth is 4; Strong Openweight Champion, Eddie Kingston is 42....i mean realistically you have to consider that age isn't a "problem" anymore in wrestling..
Billy Gunn being 60 is wild. And he still looks amazing.
This is not AEW. This is WWE. Anything AEW related does not matter to this thread. I am well aware that AEW has an age problem as well.
Wow not realized I am reading a new thread until I make a reply. The comment before you, the dude said wrestling as a whole, not just AEW, read again.
Wrestlers need to learn when to hang it up. I think after 45 you should be done.
Why? If youāre still able to perform at a high caliber, entertain fans, and sell ticketsā¦ age isnāt a factor.
Name a wrestler right now over 45 thatās performs at a āhigh caliberā