Over the past six months, the wrestling industry has seen the retirement of two certified legends, men who belong in any Hall of Fame in the industry. Last November, after 39 years as a pro wrestler, the 65-year-old Genichiro Tenryu hung up his boots after a loss to Kazuchika Okada. Then, just three weeks ago, 34-year-old Daniel Bryan was forced to announce his retirement coming off ten months of inactivity, the result of a host of concussions suffered over the course of his career. All of this, of course, is a rather circuitous way of saying that wrestlers age differently. Some are able to compete for decades, while others find that their bodies give out on them when it seems like their careers are just getting started. For every Ric Flair, there's a Magnum TA. This list takes a look at the wrestlers who have had the durability, the luck, and the skill to continue their careers past their physical primes and into middle age. While they may not be able to run as fast or jump as high as they once did, their experience has given them an insight into the performance of pro wrestling that allows them to continue to craft classic bouts and continuously deliver great work. Physical limitations or no, these men always deliver. Here are the ten best wrestlers in world over the age of 45...
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
