10 Wrestlers over 40 that are still going strong
Most professional athletes have traditionally retired before their 40th birthday. In the NFL, for example, running backs are said to start going downhill once they hit age 30, while most quarterbacks usually start to decline around their late 30s.
Many athletes, however, have been refuting the notion that being over 40 means that your career is over. Stars like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and even Brett Favre have played at a high level while being over four decades old.
In years past, that marker was also a point of contention for full-time WWE Superstars. Due to the rigors of the sport and years of wear and tear, many wrestlers weren't able to perform at a high level once they surpassed age 40. With many advancements in health, exercise, supplements, and overall general health, however, many current pro wrestlers have been able to buck that trend.
Stars like R-Truth, Chris Jericho, and Jushin Liger have wrestled at a high level for their entire careers and are all well over 40. With that age no longer being an end point for most wrestlers, several performers on this list have continued to keep things going past age 40.
This list will focus on wrestlers who have performed regularly throughout the year instead of having just a couple matches. Although The Undertaker and Goldberg are over 40, they have only had two matches each and are not included in this slideshow. Performers like Chris Jericho and Rob Van Dam, for example, still have multiple matches a month in AEW and Impact Wrestling respectively and found themselves on this list.
#10 Robert Roode - 42
Two things were working against Bobby Roode before he eventually signed with NXT. The first was that he was approaching 40. Historically, WWE usually stayed away from stars hitting that age. The other factor that worked against him was that WWE hadn't traditionally been signing talent from TNA/Impact.
With Triple H taking a more hands on approach with NXT, those practices were greatly altered. Many stars from TNA made it over to WWE including AJ Styles, Eric Young, Samoa Joe, and Roode. Despite being near 40, Roode was still in great shape, was still a great promo, and had a lot to offer.
Changes in wellness, diet, and medical procedures have allowed stars like Roode to keep performing at a competitive level. In WWE, Roode has not had main-event level success, but has won the NXT Championship, the US Championship, and the RAW Tag Team titles.