5 WWE Superstars who are older than you think 

via WWE.com
Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens

Most of the names which appear in this article are probably hoping Vince McMahon doesn't know their real age. McMahon has been known to be less willing than other promoters to feature older stars on his programming.

In fact, this practice once almost cost Mr. McMahon his spot as the top wrestling promoter in the world. In the late 1990s, McMahon decided older stars like Randy Savage, Roddy Piper, and Ric Flair were too old, so he allowed them to leave for WCW. Ted Turner's company ended up spending a couple of years as the world's top wrestling promotion based off WWE's older castaways.

WWE's roster is getting on in years right now. Here are five WWE Superstars who are older than you think.


#5 Samoa Joe - 38 years old

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While Alexa Bliss has been making fun of Mickie James for being old, James is actually younger than many WWE Superstars. First up on the list is Samoa Joe, who was born one year earlier than James.

Samoa Joe already had a full career by the time WWE signed him in 2015. The former ROH and TNA champion was to compete in NXT but he got over so much they eventually brought him up to the main roster in 2017.

At 38 years of age, Joe still has a few good years ahead of him.

#4 Sheamus - 39 years old

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Many fans may be surprised to learn that Sheamus is only one year younger than 40-year-old John Cena.

Sheamus doesn't wear his age on his face, however, so fans generally don't know his athletic window is closing. The mohawk, bull-tag piercing, red braided beard, and pale complexion tend to draw attention away from any wrinkles he may have developed as he's gotten older.

Sheamus' tag-team partner, Cesaro, turns 37 later this year.

#3 AJ Styles - 40 years old

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Arguably the greatest wrestler in the world, AJ Styles is 40 years old and still putting on some of the greatest matches of his career.

Styles is a guy who would not have been successful in WWE when he was younger. This is in part because WWE was less willing to give guys his size a chance and also because he used to look much younger than his age.

Even when Styles was winning world titles in TNA, he still looked like a young babyfaced kid. That changed when he grew out his hair and beard, however.

Styles spent from 2014 to 2016 with New Japan Pro Wrestling and took his career to the next level. After having some of the greatest matches of his life with NJPW, Styles was signed to WWE in time for his debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble.

#2 Finn Balor - 36 years old

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Fans might be surprised to learn that Finn Balor is already 36 years old. While he only debuted on WWE's main roster last year, Balor has already had a full career wrestling in other organisations.

Balor began wrestling and promoting NWA: Ireland while he was in his early 20s. He even had a hand in training inaugural Smackdown women's champion, Becky Lynch, while with the promotion.

For eight years, Balor wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Prince Devitt. In 2013, he helped form the original version of the Bullet Club along with Bad Luck Fale, Karl Anderson, and Tama Tonga.

He signed with WWE in 2014 and spent two years in NXT before making his main roster debut in 2016.

#1 Chad Gable - 31 years old

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Despite largely being considered an up-and-coming prospect, Chad Gable is already 31 years old. He doesn't look it, however, and he hasn't been on television very long. Despite already being older, Gable still has a bright future in front of him.

What took Gable so long to get to the WWE was his Olympic career. Gable competed in the 2012 Summer Games in London, and only started training for his pro-wrestling training career after the Games. He was eventually signed to WWE in 2013.

Gable was paired with Jason Jordan early in his NXT career and the team went on to win the tag titles both in NXT and on Smackdown before it was revealed that Jason Jordan is Kurt Angle's long lost son. Shelton Benjamin is now Gable's newest tag-team partner on Smackdown.