10 Wrestlers Who Still Kicked Ass In Their 50s

Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Dustin Rhodes, and wrestling's other age-defying badasses.

Chris Jericho
NJPW

There's no need to teach an old dog new tricks if they are already this good at what they do.

Every wrestler has a sell-by date, such is the nature of the sport. This industry is utterly brutal and hard-hitting, which ends up causing most performers to suffer massive strain and significant damage to their bodies. Thanks to the highly demanding schedule and physical requirements, it's not very often that you will see a wrestler stay active in the ring late into their life.

With that being said, there are a fair few wrestlers who have managed to subvert the expectations of time and physical damage, and wrestle well past their formative years. In some cases, they have even surpassed their earlier work. To do this is unbelievably impressive, and it only makes the following figures even more respectable than they already were.

The wrestlers discussed in this article are - for the most part - still active performers, which is utterly mind-blowing. They stand as a testament to the fact that if you work hard enough, you can do what you love for the entirety of your life.

10. Jushin Liger

Chris Jericho
NJPW

It's hard to believe that this Japanese wrestling icon retired from the business at the beginning of 2020. The legacy that Jushin Liger leaves behind is one of the utmost respect, as his influential style and colourful persona inspired many generations of performers to work hard and shine bright. It's also hard to believe that the man was still going strong as an energetic junior heavyweight well past his fifties.

This legendary figure has competed in almost every major promotion, including CMLL, NJPW, TNA, ROH, WWE, WCW and more. It is hard to find performers who have dedicated this much time and effort to the industry, and even towards the latter years of his career, Liger was still absolutely nailing his in-ring performances.

His final match happened on January 5th of last year. He faced off against Hiromu Takahashi, and Ryu Lee in a tag team match with his career rival now turned partner Naoki Sano - who himself retired from wrestling two days after as well.

Jushin Thunder Liger was a once in a generation talent, and even at the age of 56, he still gave fans a tonne of entertainment.

Contributor

Michael is my name, overanalysing comedy is my game! Anime, wrestling, TV, movies and video games all live in my head rent free!