Sometimes, thirty is called the new twenty. And the wrestlers listed in this article prove that while age doesn't affect how good they are in the ring, it does set a bar for what other wrestlers can aspire to achieve by the time their thirties roll around.
In many sports, once athletes pass thirty, they are considered past their prime. Still, those listed below all have a common trait among them, and that's experience. Without that experience, they may not be considered to be among the best in the world, or even be in the discussion.
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These performers haven't just wrestled with their local promotions, they have wrestled for various promotions stationed in different parts of the world.
Those listed have faced adversity, injury, and have left their families and friends behind in their pursuit of greatness. This is a telling tale of a group of wrestlers who didn't just want to be comfortable competing for a particular promotion at one time, but instead plied their trade all over the world, expanding their horizons.
They sought to change the way they were viewed as athletes, and not only disregarded the age barrier, but created a following that vehemently supports them wherever they go. Here are the five greatest current wrestlers over the age of thirty.
#5 Christopher Daniels
If you've never seen him wrestle then you can't appreciate just how good he is. At 46 years of age, Daniels has seen it all and has pretty much done it all. At one time he was among the biggest stars for TNA, where he made a name for himself as The Fallen Angel.
His career will forever be tied to two of his best friends in the business because of the great matches they had together. With AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, the three were able to do things that made wrestling fans stand up and take notice, whether it was in a one-on-one or in a triple threat match.
Also read: 10 Wrestlers who started their own promotions
He was and still is an exceptional performer. He now prefers to be in a tag team, and while some may think he has done this is to extend his career, many will beg to differ.
As one-half of a tag team called either Bad Influence or The Addiction, depending on where they performed, Daniels has captured multiple tag team championships.
He is able to make fans hate him or love him equally well. He has competed all over the world, and his experience is multifaceted due to competing in so many different places. And while he may not have invented it, Daniels can always claim to have the best moonsault ever.
#4 Cody Rhodes
He is the son of the late great Dusty Rhodes, but that isn't the only way he should be remembered. In fact, when we think of Cody Rhodes, what tends to come to mind is a wrestler that worked on his craft during his twenties and is now touring the world in his thirties.
What is exciting to note is that he is capable of doing things now that men younger than him wished they could do, though granted he is just slightly over the age of thirty.
Rhodes continues to evolve and reinvent himself both inside the ring and outside of it, and has recently been a part of TNA Impact Wrestling. Presumably, a World championship is an objective for him and for those on the TNA creative team.
Right now, he has been paired on-screen with his real life wife Brandi.
He has been marketed since leaving WWE as ‘the star that left them in the dust' and it couldn't be any truer. Whether he is dashing, undashing, pushing forth his legacy, wearing makeup, or not, Cody continues to evolve as a performer and may just be scratching the surface of what he can achieve.
#3 Samoa Joe
As good as those mentioned on this list are, none can claim to be a submission machine. A number of years ago, Samoa Joe wrestled a couple of matches for WWE and was almost unrecognisable in bleached blond hair.
He appeared to be presenting a tropical surfer look rather than that of a fierce and brutal champion as he is today. However, as time passed, he began to earn a name for himself in Ring of Honor, and soon he started being recognised as one of the greatest wrestlers not in the WWE.
Many thought that he would soon join WWE, with him reportedly receiving serious consideration from Jim Ross, who was the VP of Talent Relations in the WWE at the time. Samoa Joe, however, landed in TNA instead.
While there, he faced names such as Kurt Angle, Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Bobby Roode and Eric Young.
All these feuds were tied to world championships, and Samoa Joe had a number of successful feuds and matches during his time with the promotion. After achieving all that he could achieve in TNA, it was time for Joe to seek greater opportunities and WWE came calling
At thirty-seven years of age, the NXT champion doesn't appear likely to slow down anytime soon.
#2 AJ Styles
He is what he says he is. At thirty-nine years of age, AJ Styles is at the top of the world. The seasoned veteran was at first able to make a career for himself wrestling primarily in one place, TNA.
While TNA was home for a long time, he achieved all there was to possibly achieve in that company. He captured the X-division championship, TNA championship, and the TNA Tag Team championship. He wrestled classic matches against Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle. However, he was hungry for more.
Whoever said a wrestler may only be as good as their last match was certainly not referring to AJ Styles. The Phenomenal One hasn't been one to rest on his laurels and was able to not only aspire to greatness, but has achieved it as well.
After departing from TNA, Styles competed in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling simultaneously. It was an ambitious effort, to say the least, but he only did this for so long before bigger opportunities came calling.
Whether it was the stars aligning perfectly or not, he finally arrived in WWE. The man who scratched and clawed his way to the top, is now on the biggest stage of them all. As the current WWE World heavyweight champion, Styles doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
#1 Shinsuke Nakamura
He is not only the King of Strong Style, he is without a doubt proof that age is just a number. It seems as though with each kick, each strike and each suplex, Nakamura gets better and better in the ring.
While many fans in North America may only be privy to his time in NXT, Nakamura spent many years making a name for himself and developing his skill set before he came over to the WWE from his home in Japan.
One expects that after he achieves all he possibly can in NXT that he will be used on either the Raw or Smackdown Live brand as part of their programming.
Recently, Daniel Bryan opined that having Nakamura in NXT only reduces his time and overall contribution to the company because of his age. However, it could be argued that it allows him time to fine-tune his persona, in order to be prepared for the transition to the main roster.
He has gotten better with age, and the proof of this is his rise in NXT. The former NXT champion doesn’t seem to be slowing down yet!
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