Good day to you! With the talk of AEW relying too much on older stars, I thought it would be a good idea to lay out the facts and draw some conclusions. Below is a list of all AEW’s signings, including part-timers, with their ages attached. I could not find out how old Alex Reynolds, Shawn Dean or Abadon are, so they aren’t included. Some ages aren’t 100% proven, so I had to work with any information I could find.
Twentysomethings (26 entries)
21 – Dante Martin
21 – Darius Martin
22 – Anna Jay
23 – Alan “5” Angels
23 – Isiah Kassidy
23 – Jungle Boy
23 – Lee Johnson
23 – Tay Conti
24 – Leyla Hirsch
24 – Marko Stunt
24 – Riho
25 – Bear Bronson
25 – Kris Statlander
25 – MJF
26 – Austin Gunn
27 – Marq Quen
27 – Sammy Guevara
27 – Sonny Kiss
28 – Darby Allin
28 – Penelope Ford
28 – Yuka Sakazaki
29 – “Hangman” Adam Page
29 – Jade Cargill
29 – Kip Sabian
29 – Preston Vance/ #10
29 – Red Velvet
Thirtysomethings (53 entries)
30 – Anthony Bowens
30 – Colten Gunn
30 – Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D.
30 – John Silver/#4
30 – Nick Comoroto
30 – Powerhouse Hobbs
30 – Rey Fenix
30 – Santana
31 – Andrade El Idolo
31 – Bear Boulder
31 – Big Swole
31 – Ethan Page
31 – Joey Janela
31 – Max Caster
31 – Nick Jackson (EVP)
31 – Peter Avalon
31 – Ricky Starks
32 – Anthony Ogogo
32 – Hikaru Shida
32 – Stu Grayson
33 – Allie
33 – Brandon Cutler**
33 – Evil Uno
33 – Wardlow
34 – Aaron Solow
34 – Angelico
34 – Cash Wheeler
34 – Mel
34 – Ortiz
34 – Pac
34 – Serena Deeb
34 – Trent?
35 – Chuck Taylor
35 – Cody Rhodes (EVP)
35 – Jon Moxley
35 – QT Marshall**
36 – Dax Harwood
36 – Luchasaurus
36 – Matt Jackson (EVP)
36 – Miro
36 – Penta El Zero Miedo
37 – Brandi Rhodes (CBO)
37 – Brian Cage
37 – Kenny Omega (EVP)
37 – Orange Cassidy
37 – Serpentico
38 – Leva Bates (Brand Coordinator)
38 – Matt Sydal
38 – Nyla Rose
38 – Scorpio Sky
39 – Eddie Kingston
39 – Jack Evans
39 – Jake Hager
40+ (19 entries)
40 – Shawn Spears
41 – Colt Cabana*
41 – The Blade
42 – Rebel (Hair & Makeup)
43 – Frankie Kazarian
43 – The Butcher
44 – Emi Sakura
44 – Lance Archer
45 – Michael Nakazawa
46 – Matt Hardy
47 – Christian Cage
49 – Mark Henry* ***
49 – Paul Wight***
50 – Chris Jericho
51 – Christopher Daniels* (Head of Talent Relations)
52 – Dustin Rhodes
52 – Luther**
57 – Billy Gunn*
62 – Sting
Key: *Coaches **Producer ***Commentator
Overall, we have 98 entries from a possible 101. The biggest group by far is the Thirtysomethings, while the smallest group is 40+. To find the average age of the AEW roster, we add them all together (equaling 3353) and divide it by the entries, which comes out at little over 34 years old. This is roughly when a wrestler peaks because they have the experience while having a good 10-15 years left before they think about winding down.
What else can we determine from the statistics? Here’s a few I put together:
Youngest three champions in AEW history: Riho, Darby Allin & Hangman Page
No other wrestlers on the roster have claimed championship gold, although MJF has won the Diamond Ring twice and is the youngest male wrestler to achieve anything.
Oldest three champions in AEW history: Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian & Chris Jericho
SCU are by far the oldest tag team champions in AEW history, while Chris Jericho will probably be the oldest heavyweight champion for a long time. Jericho was accepted as champion because of his popularity, and he felt he had to carry the company in the beginning.
The Youngest Wrestlers To Win A (Main Show) PPV Match: Riho (22) in a 6-women tag at Double or Nothing 2019. Isiah Kassidy (22) with Marq Quen against Dark Order at AEW All Out 2020.
I believe Riho & Jungle Boy are the youngest wrestlers to win matches with no tag team partners, as Riho won at Fyter Fest 2019 in a Triple Threat, and Jungle Boy won the Casino Battle Royal (his only PPV win to date) at Double or Nothing 2021.
Oldest Wrestlers To Win A (Main Show) PPV Match: Sting (62) at Double or Nothing 2021. Dustin Rhodes (51) in a 8-man tag against The Dark Order at All Out 2020.
Chris Jericho is third on this list after the Inner Circle defeated The Pinnacle at Double or Nothing. After that, I don’t think anyone else in the 40+ category have won PPV matches other than SCU’s Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian.
Category With Most Part-timers/Other Roles: 40+
At least 8 of the 40+ wrestlers are currently part-time or have other duties such as commentary, coaching or other things. Thirtysomethings have four, including Brandi Rhodes, Leva Bates, QT Marshall & Brandon Cutler. Bump this up to 8 if we want to include the EVP’s.
Which Age Group Is Pushed The Most?: Thirtysomethings
When we really look at each category, the 40+ has hardly anyone featured regularly aside from Sting & Chris Jericho. Christian Cage, Matt Hardy, Lance Archer and Shawn Spears are there, but they aren’t winning titles or PPV matches.
The Thirtysomethings are a mixed bag, understandably because it’s by far the biggest group, but every title holder is currently in here. But that’s not exactly a bad thing, because it shows that AEW is focusing on the present while building up the future to beat them.
Twentysomethings group is not forgotten. We have seen great to light pushes for MJF, Jungle Boy, Riho, Hangman Page, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, Kris Statlander, Jade Cargill, Tay Conti, Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford. These names are the future of the AEW.
The Free Agents
One thing AEW stated in its early days is they wouldn’t sign anyone and everyone who leaves WWE. And that is true, because there have been many releases in the past 16 months and few have found their way to AEW. Here’s a list of the more known names to be released by WWE last year:
- Curt Hawkins
- Karl Anderson
- Luke Gallows
- EC3
- Eric Young
- Lio Rush
- Heath Slater
- Sarah Logan
- Erick Rowan
- Primo Colon
- Epico Colon
- Mike Kanellis
- Maria Kanellis
- Zack Ryder
- No Way Jose
- Rusev
- Deonna Purrazzo
- Taynara Conti
- Cezar Bononi
- Kassius Ohno
- Curtis Axel
From those names, Impact Wrestling picked up Eric Young, The Good Brothers, Curt Hawkins, Deonna Purrazzo, Heath Slater, and more recently Zack Ryder. The Good Brothers have made their way to AEW, but as more of a crossover. The only former WWE Superstars they signed were Rusev, Taynara Conti and Cezar Bononi. Sting was stuck in limbo for years, and Christian Cage reached out to WWE after his Royal Rumble appearance, but they could arrange nothing. A similar thing for Big Show and Mark Henry, except if they wrestle it will be a rare treat because they are focusing on keeping themselves happy with jobs after full retirement.
The more recent WWE releases include: Andrade, Samoa Joe, Mickie James, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Bo Dallas, Wesley Blake, Steve Cutler, Kalisto, Tucker, Chelsea Green, Mojo Rawley, Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Ruby Riott, Murphy, Santana Garrett, Alexander Wolfe, Skyler Story, Ezra Judge, Kavita Devi, Jessamyn Duke & Vanessa Bourne.
From those names, only Andrade has signed a contract so far. As Shawn Spears is already there, you would have expected Peyton Royce (28) to have signed a deal by now, but it is yet to be seen. Impact Wrestling is promising some debuts at Slammiversary, so there’s a big chance a few could show up there. They already picked up Steve Cutler of The Forgotten Sons.
I believe the most popular signings would be Samoa Joe (42), Mickie James (41), Aleister Black (36) and Ruby Riott (30). Many will feel WWE didn’t give them a fair chance to show their potentials. Lana (36) would be fine but only as a manager to Miro. But what if we want youth? Lio Rush is only 26 and appeared at Double or Nothing, but is he ready to prove doubters wrong by fitting in with his peers? And then we have controversial figures like Tessa Blanchard (25) and Velveteen Dream (25). Several upcoming talents have something stopping them from progressing. Either they are difficult to work with or are amid a scandal.
The Question Marks
One of the biggest question marks is Braun Strowman (37). He recently stated he wouldn’t lace up a pair of boots for any other company outside WWE, but with the way his last year has gone, would he not feel like righting the “stupid” wrong? Does he want to be remembered for his terrible program with Shane McMahon? He has a few years left in the tank and is one of the largest guys in the game. However, his ring work could be exposed in AEW or New Japan, so he might decide to go somewhere like Impact instead. It’s tough to call, because I think some fans would like to see Strowman in AEW, but others will bemoan the sight of him.
Another giant question mark is the matter of using all the talent. There’s over 100 wrestlers under contract, so how do you manage that with the time they have? This is the reason AEW released Dark: Elevation lately, along with announcing Rampage. The roster needs more shows if it is to make use of everyone, otherwise there will need to be more releases along with Awesome Kong and Shanna. It’s nice to have variety, but I hope the company hasn’t become over bloated.
Conclusion
It might feel like AEW has signed a ton of WWE guys lately, but it’s only because they make more of a deal out of it. When anyone familiar shows up, the world wants to know, while picking up a young twentysomething from the indies isn’t registering on most people’s radars. As we have seen in this piece, there’s a ton of potential for the future. You need a mixture of young and old, so the experienced can pass on their knowledge and the torch. This is the circle of life in wrestling. The veterans build up the rookies so someday they can take over and become leaders, and then they can build up the rookies.
AEW lacked this in the beginning, it only really had Chris Jericho, Christopher Daniels and Dustin Rhodes who could physically get in the ring and show guys how it’s done. There’s more to pick from now, and the key thing is AEW doesn’t start doing a WCW by sticking the World Championship on a guy like Sting when he’s clearly passed it. The women’s division is where AEW can grow the most. Signing Mickie James and Ruby Riott would be a splendid start, but they also need to bring in a couple of young upstarts they can build up to be the next Hikaru Shida. Do you feel AEW has got it right at the moment? Have they signed too many old guys? And out of the free agents, who would you like to see? Please let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading!
