Professional wrestling is simply the best, which is a claim that probably doesn’t need to be substantiated if you’re reading this article. So, any excuse to give kudos to some of the greatest to have ever stepped foot inside the squared circle is always a fun pastime.
There are a handful of former World Champions that will celebrate their 50th birthdays in the coming year. Not all of these acclaimed competitors are among us today, but they have all achieved the pinnacle of this business in either WWE, WCW, ECW, or a combination of the three.
Only one former World Champion is full-time active among these five, which is a credit to his longevity. The other living greats on this list are still in the business, contributing with their knowledge in equally productive ways. They either announce or have podcasts or even try to start up new promotions.
There’s one entry among the following that will forever be controversial, so maybe saying that we’re “celebrating” all of these half-centennial birthdays is a poor choice of words. Regardless, he still fits the criteria and his accomplishments are etched in history. So bust out the birthday cake, light up 50 candles, and make sure the batteries are fresh in your smoke detectors as we see who’s hitting this huge milestone in 2017.
#5 Tazz
In the original run of ECW, there was one Human Suplex Machine that had a presence like no other. Tazz didn’t have the height of many other top stars of the time (he’s only billed at 5’9’’), but he was built like a fridge and could hurl wrestlers of any size, with the greatest of ease.
Tazz won the ECW World Heavyweight Champion twice during his years in the Philadelphia-based company. That number doubles if you also include his ECW FTW Heavyweight Championship victories. His most trivia-buzzing title reign came after he already left Paul Heyman’s company for Vince McMahon’s WWF.
He was given permission to go back for the sake of defeating the newly signed to WCW Mike Awesome for his title. This reign had lasted for only ten days before he dropped it to Tommy Dreamer, but there was an episode of SmackDown sandwiched in the middle, in which he carried the belt to the ring for a match against WWF Champion, Triple H.
Expectedly, Tazz lost that matchup. Tazz celebrates the big 5-0 later in 2017. On October 11th, he’ll be cutting his cake, while presumably preparing for an interview on his hit podcast.
#4 Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit isn’t the only posthumous birthday on the list of half-centurions, but he’s by far the most controversial. Before touching on the tragedy at the end of life, let us talk about his wrestling career.
Benoit first won a World Title in WCW, during his last match in the company. He defeated Sid Vicious in the 2000 edition of Souled Out but left for WWE immediately afterwards.He then went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Triple H and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XX, making it his second World Title.
Considering his accolades up to that point and how highly regarded was inside the ring, it’s a safe bet that Benoit would’ve earned even more championship reigns, had he not ended the life of his family and himself.
Chris Benoit’s legacy will forever be tarnished due to the double murder/suicide that happened in the final days of his life in 2008. May 21st would have been his 50th birthday, but it’s his sombre death on June 24th that gets more recognition.
#3 Kane
The most active wrestler on this list of former World Champions who turn 50 in 2017, also happens to be the Devil’s Favorite Demon. Kane first won the then-WWF Championship against Stone Cold Steve Austin, in a First Blood Match at King of the Ring 1998, but that reign would be short lived. Just one day later, Kane lost the title back to Austin on Raw.
Kane also enjoyed an ECW Championship reign in 2008, during WWE’s revival of the brand. Then in 2010, he cashed in the Money in the Bank contract, merely 47 minutes after he won it, to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
Holding the WWE, ECW, and World Championships in the same career is an accomplishment that Kane was the first wrestler ever to achieve.
Kane’s birthday, which is on April 29th, will likely be spent battling Randy Orton and the Wyatts, due to the fact that, that day is a Saturday and WWE runs house shows on the weekends. Don’t plan on Bray and his buddies to don party hats.
#2 Jeff Jarrett
Currently battling to get momentum for his upstart Global Force Wrestling promotion, Jarrett has won many top titles in a variety of promotions including 6 NWA World Heavyweight Championships. However, the accolades that earn him a spot the most among this list of soon to be 50-year-olds are his four WCW World Heavyweight Championship wins.
Double J first won the WCW Title in 2000, when he defeated Diamond Dallas Page for the then-vacated belt. He went on to earn four more championship reigns before the company was sold to WWE. He then went on to found and become a major superstar in TNA, the generally accepted number 2 promotion of the past decade and a half.
This TNA Hall of Famer will likely be spending his July 14th half-centennial birthday somewhere near a GFW wrestling ring, hopefully with Cody Rhodes still somewhere on the card carrying the NEX*GEN Championship.
#1 Eddie Guerrero
October 9th might not mean much to many people, but to professional wrestling fans, it’s the birthday of the late Eddie Guerrero. Eddie was regarded as one of the best in the world during his career and was even given credit for his work, with a win over Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship at No Way Out 2004.
The following month at WrestleMania XX, he retained his belt against the formidable Brock Lesnar.
Guerrero’s 2004 Championship reign was his only one, and the smart bet would be that he’d have more, had it not been for his sudden passing, in November of 2005. His death is one that still hits hard in the wrestling community, and it’s not hard to understand why.
Several up-and-coming as well as current stars, still credit him for being one of their biggest influences, because his body of work was undeniably elite. Next October 9th will be a sad reminder that we’ve lived in a world without Latino Heat, for what could’ve been a dozen birthdays. At least we can be thankful for the 38 he gave us before.
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