WWE right now reminds me a lot of when Bob Backlund returned to the company in 1992.
The company continually pushed that the former WWE Champion, 43, was a grizzled veteran and was nearing the end of his career. Heel announcers like Jerry Lawler and Bobby Heenan would constantly berate him for being over the hill. Even when he turned heel and had his memorable run with Bret Hart, a lot of the emphasis was on him being a former world champion ten years prior, a relic from the past angry at the “new generation” of WWE talent.
How much have things changed since 1992? I present to you a chart showing every top male WWE star, and a few that you could argue are just slightly under top level status:
| Wrestler | Age |
| Roman Reigns | 41 |
| CM Punk | 47 |
| Brock Lesnar | 48 |
| Seth Rollins | 40 |
| Cody Rhodes | 40 |
| Gunther | 38 |
| LA Knight | 43 |
| Damian Priest | 43 |
| Randy Orton | 46 |
| Drew McIntyre | 41 |
| Jey Uso | 40 |
The average age here is 42.45. In other words, today’s WWE main event scene features a whole bunch of Bob Backlunds.
I can’t remember a time where every big star just feels so…old. Not in terms of in-ring, as everyone listed above is good to great. No one embarrasses themselves, and the top matches are usually good. But on the flipside, I’ve seen Brock Lesnar do the same thing for 14 years. I’ve seen Randy Orton on top. I’ve seen Seth Rollins, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns headline big events for well over a decade now. Key point here? I’ve seen it.
The way WWE structures itself right now makes it hard for anyone over 30 to truly break out and become top level stars. Many wrestlers get featured, some get to headline, but it seems like WWE is far more interested in creating a system where people have to “earn” their spots. They can “get the rub” by getting laid out by The Undertaker. They can be in the same ring as The Rock and get berated, but the chances of a young star getting what is most important — a decisive win over an established star — often feels remote at times.
To their credit, WWE has been pushing hard the likes of Trick Williams, Oba Femi, and Bron Breakker over the last few months. But even then, they aren’t at the very top. Femi defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania in a quick, convincing match, only to lose just as quickly one month later at Clash in Italy. Breakker got a decisive victory over Rollins at Backlash, but then lost to him this past Monday on Raw. Granted, both were protected on those losses, and one loss isn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things. But you know what protects them even more? Winning. All the time.
All of this is illustrated more as WWE begins to plant the seeds for SummerSlam. After Roman Reigns defeated Jacob Fatu for the second time at Clash in Italy, he locked eyes with Solo Sikoa, hinting a future feud between the two after spending much of 2024 at each other’s throats. Meanwhile it’s been rumored that Rollins could emerge as the winner of the King of the Ring tournament, setting him up for a match against Reigns. I don’t think I really care too much about revisiting their feud again. The Shield broke up twelve years ago. Can we move on?
One can argue that WWE is doing so well right now they don’t need to change anything. And WWE has such a giant advantage over every other wrestling promotion in the world, there’s no real rush to do anything. But eventually, the wrestlers listed above are going to age out, and the best time to start pushing in a new era of wrestlers is now, while the company is hot. Otherwise, by the time new stars are made, they’re already in their 30s, and soon the cycle will repeat itself. WWE needs to be more pragmatic about who can be a top star before it eventually comes back to haunt them.
