AEW has been known for highlighting some of the top young stars in wrestling. Whether it be showcasing Hook vs Fuego Del Sol or building up wrestlers like Jungle Boy and Darby Allin, young stars are a plenty in AEW. But we also cannot forget the veteran wrestlers in the company. Some of the oldest wrestlers currently active have wrestled for AEW already in it’s short history.
If you can believe it, three wrestlers over 60 have competed in AEW, and did not seem out of place at all. One man over 60 wrestles regulary for AEW, while multiple over 50s have been key players in AEW since it’s inception.
Here is our list of the top 10 oldest wrestlers in AEW. As of the time of writing these are the oldest wrestlers in AEW, but should this change I will update this list accordingly.
Oldest AEW Wrestlers
10. Paul Wight (49)
The former Big Show is number 10 on the list of the oldest wrestlers in AEW. Paul Wight, the seven foot giant who was a star in WWE and WCW, joined AEW in February 2021 as a commentator for AEW Dark: Elevation. However, he has not forgone his in-ring duties, stepping into the ring a handful of times, despite being 49 years of age and nearly 30 years into his career.
Wight made his wrestling debut for AEW at All Out 2021. After being ambushed by QT Marshall and his faction The Factory, the match was set for All Out and was the semi main event of the show. In a short match, Wight destroyed Marshall and his cronies to win his debut bout in AEW. He since went on to have two three-on-one handicap matches on AEW Dark, winning both times.
9. Tommy Dreamer (50)
Tommy Dreamer is a legend in ECW and carved himself out a great career afterwards which included WWE, TNA and his own promotion House of Hardcore. Despite coming into controversy with his quotes on the “Plane Ride from Hell”, Dreamer is considered a legend in wrestling.
He has only made one appearance in AEW thus far. He appeared in the Casino Battle Royale at Double or Nothing 2019, having memorable spots with Orange Cassidy and Jimmy Havoc. However, he was not even the oldest man in that match, and we will come to them later.
8. Chris Jericho (51)
The one time “Youngest AEW Champion” Chris Jericho is number 8 on the oldest AEW wrestlers list. He was one of the biggest AEW stars before setting foot in AEW, being a legend in WWE and winning multiple WWE Championships in the company.
He became the first ever AEW Champion when he defeated Hangman Adam Page at AEW All Out 2019. Jericho held the championship through the number of tricky defences, and with the held of his Inner Circle clung onto his championship as long as possible.
Since he lost the title to Jon Moxley at Revolution 2020, he has had a number of feuds in AEW, including against Orange Cassidy and MJF. He shows no signs of retiring and we can’t rule out another AEW Championship reign some time in the future.
7. Christopher Daniels (51)
Despite being one of AEW’s oldest wrestlers, Christopher Daniels was part of the team that won the inaugural AEW Tag Team Championship, SCU.
Daniels has wrestled everywhere, from WCW and NJPW all the way to AEW, and is considered a legend in both TNA and ROH.
Daniels seemed to have hung up his boots after he and Frankie Kazarian lost to the Young Bucks earlier this year, but wrestled last month on the Jericho Cruise, indicating that his career may not have come to a close.
He also works backstage as the head of talent relations for AEW.
6. Dustin Rhodes (52)
Dustin Rhodes has been a regular feature on AEW since it began, despite being on of it’s oldest wrestlers. Formerly known as Goldust in WWE, Dustin Rhodes is a legend of the wrestling business and has been wrestling for almost forty years at this point.
Despite his advancing age, he still managed to have one of the best AEW matches in the companies history. His bout with Cody Rhodes at Double or Nothing 2019 gained five stars from Dave Meltzer and impressed fans worldwide.
Since then, despite being 52, he has been a regular feature of AEW, teaming previously with QT Marshall and most recently being a part of the AEW TNT Championship tournament, losing to Bryan Danielson in the first round.
5. Glacier (55)
Fans of WCW will remember Glacier, and not many people else. Months and months of vignettes hyped up this Mortal Kombat-inspired wrestler, who eventually debuted in WCW as snow poured from the sky and his trademark music blared from the speakers.
Glacier was amazing, yet WCW fumbled him hard and he became an afterthought. He only wrestled sporadically after WCW folded and attempted to pursue a career in acting.
However, he made his big debut in AEW at the Casino Battle Royale at AEW Double or Nothing 2019. He had just turned 55 when he debuted, making him one of the oldest wrestlers in AEW. Glacier gave a good showing, and was eliminated by eventual runner up MJF. He has made appearances since, in the corner of Cody Rhodes, but has yet to have another match in AEW.
4. Billy Gunn (58)
At the age of 58, Billy Gunn is one of the oldest wrestlers to be a regular in AEW. With his sons Colten and Austin, they form the Gunn Club, a team who only recently lost their first match in AEW, against Sting and Darby Allin.
Billy Gunn debuted at Double or Nothing 2019 in the Casino Battle Royale, along with Glacier and Tommy Dreamer from this last. He was the oldest man in the match at aged 56, and now two years later at aged 58 he shows no signs of slowing down.
He has multiple wins on AEW Dark and has recently finished a feud with Sting and Darby Allin. The trio turned heel against Paul Wight who is also on this list prior to All Out 2021.
To read about Billy Gunn’s time in TNA, check out our article on the Voodoo Kin Mafia
3. Sting (62)
Some fans will be shocked by two things on Sting’s entry. One that he is 62 and still performing frequently for AEW, and the other is that he is not the oldest AEW wrestler on this list.
Sting was 61 years old when he debuted in AEW at Winter is Coming. He came to the end of Darby Allin and Cody Rhodes, attacking team Tazz and aligning himself with Allin. Since then the pair have been inseparable, and have competed as a tag team multiple times.
Now 62, Sting still wrestles, most recently in a tag match with Allin against Billy Gunn and his son Colten. They also hold wins over FTR and 2.0, as well as Team Tazz and Men of the Year. A tag team title shot could be in Sting’s future, as he creeps closer and closer to collecting his free bus pass.
No-one knows whether or not he is physically up to a singles bout, but if he is, a retirement match between Sting and Darby Allin seems the most likely when he does hang up his boots for good.
2. Diamond Dallas Page (63)
Diamond Dallas Page, aka DDP, was one of the biggest stars of WCW. While WWE has seemed to bury stars of WCW in their company, they have been celebrated in AEW as legends of the business.
DDP is no difference. As a friend to Cody Rhodes’ father Dusty Rhodes, he walked Cody to the ring multiple times during big matches as part of his ring crew. However, after he presented MJF with his Dynamite Diamond Ring, he was attacked by the young star, setting up a final match for DDP in his career.
At AEW Bash at the Beach, DDP teamed with Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall to take on the team of MJF and Butcher & the Blade. DDP was in great shape, and hit all his spots including some creative ways to hit the Diamond Cutter, and a dive from the top rope to the outside.
Despite being 63 years of age, years of DDP Yoga helped keep his body in great shape and helped him pull off a fun match despite being one of the oldest wrestlers ever to wrestle in AEW.
1. Tully Blanchard (67)
As part of the legendary Brain Busters tag team, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard were two of the most feared wrestlers around. However, they joined AEW in their 60s, with nobody expecting the former tag team champions to do anything but stand on the outside and bark orders at the teams they were managing.
However, Tully Blanchard had his first match in 14 years when he teamed with FTR, the team he manages in AEW. FTR were in the midst of a feud with Jurassic Express, which was comprised of Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus and Marko Stunt. With FTR one man down compared to Jurassic Express, a 67 year old Tully Blanchard laced up his boots one more time and stepped into the ring.
Tully gave a great showing, even getting the win after pinning Luchasaurus for the win. For the oldest wrestler ever in AEW history to pin Luchasaurus was incredibly impressive. However, we never got to see the Dinosaur vs dinosaur match that it seemed to set up.
