Ageism

By Scott Keith on 23 May 2022

Hi Scott,
What would you say is the age when most of the top wrestlers (the main-eventers or guys usually near the top of the card) are at their very peak as all-around performers? For the past decade or two it seems to me like the biggest stars hit their stride around ages 36-43, but has it always been that way?
Also, how crazy is it to think that guys like CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Bobby Lashley, Sheamus, and AJ Styles (among others) are actually older today than Bobby “The Brain” Heenan and “Mean” Gene Oklerlund were at Wrestlemania II?

I think the new peak age for WWE is about 36-38, factoring in 10 years of working NXT so they know where the hard camera is. But yeah, ages have been creeping up over the past two decades, which is maybe a sign that the business isn't as punishing and guys can work for longer?