WWE Doesn’t Have An Age Problem, They Have an Opportunity

We are a week removed from John Cena’s last match. AJ Styles has already declared 2026 as his final year. It’s rumored that both Brock Lesnar and Chris Jericho are also retiring next year. That’s four huge names ending their career in one year. And while Jericho hasn’t officially returned to the WWE, if 2026 is his last year, it’s still huge.

With that said, if you look at the names above, and look at the main event level of the WWE. Some would think they have an age issue. Most of their main eventers are in their 40s, and the ones that aren’t are in their late 30s. I’ve seen a lot of discourse from fans wanting the WWE to push new names to the top and replace the old guard.

So, let’s examine both the current main event scene in the WWE and the wrestlers who are being primed to replace them in the next five years or so.

The Current Main Event Scene

Only two wrestlers at the top of the card in the WWE are under 40. Gunther is 38, and Seth Rollins is 39. The rest of the main event scene is between 40 and 48. Rey Mysterio is 50, but isn’t exactly in the main event picture currently.

The women’s roster skews younger, with Asuka, Nia Jax, Candice LeRea, and Natalya being in their 40s. And many of the top women are in their mid-to-late 30s. Rhea Ripley, the top women’s wrestler in the WWE, is only 29, though, and there is a whole crop of young talent on the rise.

Many people would point to the men’s roster and call for new blood to give the team a push. I’m not against that idea in practice. With four big names confirmed or rumoured to be retiring next year, it’s important to have talent to replace them.

Punk has said that, while there is less road ahead of him than behind him. He isn’t going anywhere for a while. Cody is 40, but is also in his prime. Gunther is under 40 and has only been removed from his first World Championship win by a year and a change. Rollins has seemingly been around forever, but is still under 40 as well. Priest and McIntrye are in their early 40s, but like Cody, are in their prime.

Historical Precedent

The idea of 40 being old for a wrestler is a more recent idea. The late 90s and 2000s saw the business in flux; the hard living and schedule of the 1980s and ’90s cut a lot of careers and lives short. But if we go back just a few decades, the business paints a different story.

Dusty Rhodes was 34 when he won his first World Championship and 41 when he won his last. Flair was 32 for his first win, but was still going strong, winning his eighth NWA World Championship in 1993 at the age of 42. He would also win both of his WWF Championships in 1992 at the age of 41. Steve Austin was also 32 when he won his first World Championship.

If you go back further, you’ll find more examples of wrestlers winning their first World Championship in their 30s, and having sustained runs into their 40s and beyond. But the adage that pro wrestlers don’t hit their primes until their mid-30s tends to be true. They might have hit their physical peak for high-flying moves, but they haven’t had the experience needed to carry a main event.

A Guiding Hand

Triple H said something on the preshow for Saturday Night’s Main Event that stuck with me. He said that he has never seen a main event scene more willing to give back and help the wrestlers coming up.

It isn’t about “How does that help me?” They want to do what they can to help the industry stay healthy long after they are gone. We have seen this with both Cena and Punk showing up at the Performance Center to help out. Rollins and Natalya have their own wrestling schools, Bayley just had a training camp (that Cena showed up at as well), and wants to open a school and help out backstage.

The amount of knowledge from the years of experience that the current upper card roster has is invaluable to those coming up through NXT, and once they hit the main roster. Having Punk and Rhodes as the World and WWE Champions helps to sell tickets and get viewers. Those eyes then get to see the current and future generations working their way up.

Those of us from the ’90s got to see this with Austin, Foley, The Rock, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, and so many more. In the 2000s, you had Cena, Orton, Batista, Punk, Jeff Hardy, Edge, Danielson, and so many more. They all started as nobodies and used the experience and advice of those above them to climb their way up.

The Future is Bright

In a few weeks, Bron Breakker will face CM Punk for the World Championship. Dominik Mysterio is the current AAA Mega Champion and just beat Cena to get his WWE Intercontinental Championship back. Dragon Lee is one-half of the World Tag Team Champions with one of the best in the world, AJ Styles. Roxanne Pereze, Stephanie Vaquer, and Lyra Valkyrie are showing that the next generation of women is well on its way.

Over on SmackDown, Ilja Dragunov is showing that he isn’t the future; he is the now. Jacob Fatu will be back soon to continue his own rise up the roster.

And in NXT, the future is even brighter. Evans, Slater, Femi, and Ruca just showed that they are more than ready to stake their claim on the main roster. Trick Williams, Ricky Saints, Blake Monroe, Tatum Paxley, and Ethan Page are also right there with them.

Does the WWE have an Age Problem?

I don’t think they do. I think they have a stacked main event, filled with men and women with years of experience. And unlike places like WCW, this main event is ready and willing to use that experience to give back. They are all doing the same thing Cena did. They want to leave this business better than when they found it. So, no, it isn’t a problem, it’s an opportunity. An opportunity for the next generation to learn from them, before they take their spots and do the same for those coming up behind them.