5 WWE Superstars who wrestled in 4 different decades
When it comes to career longevity, some WWE Superstars are cut from a different cloth. While pro wrestling as a career can be tough on the body and mind, there are some stars that continue to perform into their 50s, 60s, and in rare cases, even 70s.
These wrestlers have been part of our childhoods and now adulthood for at least four decades or longer. It’s hard to imagine how these wrestlers are still able to wow us after all these years, still finding ways to bring back those memories of nostalgia when they were in their prime.
Today, we celebrate the legends of the past and present. Here's a look at five WWE Superstars who wrestled in four different decades.
#5 – WWE Hall of Famer "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan (70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s)
Hulk Hogan has surprisingly wrestled at least one match in each of the past five decades. Hogan peaked in popularity during the “golden era” of the WWE from the mid-80s to early 90s. “Hulkamania” was indeed running wild throughout the WWE, as Hogan pulled in six WWE Championship runs throughout his career.
When Hogan went to WCW after his “Hulkamania” gimmick ran dry, he did the unthinkable and turned heel, aligning himself with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to form the nWo (New World Order). The move revitalized his career and made Hogan one of the most hated villains in wrestling history.
After the early 2000s and another run with WWE, his career began to wind down due to injuries. He had one last run with TNA (IMPACT Wrestling) as an authority figure and wrestled his last match to date at TNA Bound for Glory 2010 against his longtime rival and friend, Sting.
While The Hulkster hasn’t officially retired from the wrestling business, the chances of him stepping back into the ring are very slim at best. He currently runs his own beach shop in Orlando, Florida.
#4 – "Y2J" Chris Jericho (90s, 00s, 10s, 20s)
Whether you call him Lionheart, Y2J or The Wizard, Chris Jericho has always managed to stay fresh in an ever-evolving industry.
Jericho's career has spanned over four decades, starting in 1990 on the independent circuit, then eventually into Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW), ECW, NJPW, AAA, WCW, WWE, and AEW. Jericho has managed to stay in shape and evolve his character with the times, coming up with new and creative ways to stay relevant throughout different eras.
Jericho has won multiple championships throughout his illustrious career. Some of his greatest rivals include Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Ultimo Dragon, Jyushin “Thunder” Liger, Chyna, The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Jon Moxley, and Shawn Michaels. This is literately a who’s who list of wrestlers that Jericho has fought and feuded with.
Most recently, Jericho reinvented himself yet again as The Wizard, forming The Jericho Appreciation Society in AEW and elevating young talent like Daniel Garcia.
#3 – "The Rated R Superstar" Edge (90s, 00s, 10s, 20s)
Edge began his career in 1992 and fought hard to get to WWE. He signed with the company in 1998 and the rest, as they say, is history.
Edge’s character has evolved since the days of being a mysterious figure that would make his entrance from the crowd, and as a blood-spitting vampire of The Brood alongside Christian and Gangrel.
Edge’s career took off significantly in the early 2000s as he and Christian took the tag team division by storm with their rivalries against The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz. Edge began his journey as a singles star in 2004 after returning from a neck injury, turning heel and becoming the Rated R Superstar.
Edge continued wrestling until April 2011, when he announced his retirement due to Cervical Spinal Stenosis. He was inducted into WWE Hall of Fame the following year.
However, he wasn't quite done yet. The Rated R Superstar made his shocking return to the ring during the 2020 Royal Rumble match, after doctors and WWE officials said he was cleared to compete once again.
Edge is still going strong and is feuding with The Judgment Day, a group that he started prior to WrestleMania 38 this past April.
#2 – "The ICON" Sting (80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, 20s)
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Sting is one of the most popular and charismatic wrestlers of all time. From his humble beginnings in the UWF to his journey to the NWA and WCW, The Stinger was destined for stardom. Sting’s breakout match was a 45-minute draw with “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair at the first-ever Clash of the Champions in 1988.
Sting would go on to become the flag-bearer of WCW, sticking with the organization through the good times and bad. His character evolved from “Surfer” Sting to the dark and mysterious “Crow” Sting in 1996. Sting would go on to join the nWo Wolfpack in 1998, changing his character again. He remained with WCW until the company was bought out in 2001 by WWE.
Instead of going to WWE, The Stinger chose to go to TNA (IMPACT Wrestling) in 2003, where he stayed for more than a decade and became the first-ever Hall of Fame inductee for TNA Wrestling in 2012.
Sting finally signed a contract with WWE in late 2014. He wrestled sporadically for the company over the next year, but was forced into temporary retirement after suffering a neck injury at the hands of Seth Rollins in 2015.
Sting announced his retirement in 2016 during his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. He then remained out of the wrestling business until making his surprise debut for AEW in late 2020. Since then, Sting has wrestled as a tag team specialist alongside his friend and protege Darby Allin. At the age of 63, he doesn’t appear to have lost a step.
#1 – "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair (70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, 20s)
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“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair tops our list as “The Man” who has wrestled at least one match in each of the last six decades! Flair started his career in the 1970s in AWA and would eventually join NWA/Jim Crockett Promotions. He adopted the “Nature Boy” gimmick from the late Buddy Rogers and dominated the NWA World Title picture throughout the 80s into the early 90s.
Flair would have runs with WCW and WWE respectively throughout the 90s and made his return to WWE in late 2001 following WCW’s purchase. He continued wrestling full-time until 2008, at which point he retired for the first time following his loss to “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV.
Flair then signed on for a short run in TNA, wrestling Sting one last time in 2012 - a match that he would later regret. He then returned to Vince McMahon's promotion in a non-wrestling capacity.
Finally, in 2022, Flair announced on his “To Be The Man” podcast that he was wrestling his last match ever on July 31st. Flair teamed with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo to defeat “Double J” Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal via pinfall with the Figure-4 Leglock applied to Jarrett.
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