Best AEW Wrestlers Over 40 Years Old, Ranked By Skill (2024)

Age is just a number in pro wrestling today with many all-time greats having longer runs than previous generations. AEW currently has over thirty talents under contract that are over the age of 40 right now. The belief for WWE and AEW is that the 40s age decade have become part of a wrestler’s prime.

Quite a few talented names still show a high level of skill when competing on AEW’s television shows and PPVs. Tony Khan’s promotion is just over five years old, so many veterans have 5x the experience in their careers. AEW benefits from the following best wrestlers over 40 ranked by their skill.

10 Bobby Lashley Joining AEW Makes Him A Top Veteran

Success In Every Promotion Sees Lashley Trying A New Chapter

AEW signed the Hurt Syndicate to bring a former WWE act to their promotion with Bobby Lashley as the biggest name. MVP and Shelton Benjamin joining Lashley to help his presentation as one of the coolest looking top stars in the industry.

Lashley deserves more credit for his skill after he became a great in-ring performer during the TNA stint. WWE signed Lashley after his TNA success and saw him proving he could become a world champion in a major promotion with strong matches coming from it.

9 Roderick Strong Helped AEW’s Depth Improve

Underrated Signing Always Delivers With Great Matches

Wrestling skill is the strongest asset for Roderick Strong after decades making his name in the industry. Strong had many great performances for WWE, NXT, Ring of Honor, PWG, and other promotions to show he can go bell to bell with anyone.

AEW signed Strong after his WWE contract ended and have seen him stepping up with some of his best work. Strong did more after Adam Cole suffered an injury to slow down the Undisputed Kingdom faction. AEW has trusted Strong to have many important TV and PPV matches due to his in-ring brilliance.

8 Orange Cassidy Creates Magic In Ring When He Wants

AEW Witnessed Cassidy Becoming The Most Unexpected Upper Card Star

Most fans view Orange Cassidy as more of a gimmick than a wrestler since he took a major risk with his character. Cassidy found unique ways to show his wrestling skill by doing moves with his hands in his pockets and other theatrics to play into his slacker character.

AEW getting Orange over led to him showing more skill against opponents like Pac, Kenny Omega, and Jon Moxley. Cassidy’s International Championship reign showed he was among AEW’s best wrestlers and helped him move up the card as a skilled babyface worker.

7 Samoa Joe Remains Important Member Of AEW Roster

Skilled Signee Became AEW World Champion To Continue Improving Legacy

TNA and Ring of Honor fans witnessed Samoa Joe showing he was one of the most skilled wrestlers in the world. Joe continued to improve for his stints with bigger promotions WWE and AEW in older years as a respected veteran to help the roster.

AEW witnessed Joe stepping up and proving he was still an extremely skilled wrestler but with more knowledge at his age when they needed someone. Joe delivers strong matches and is skilled in a manner that helps his opponents look strong regardless of the result.

6 Shelton Benjamin Is Proving His Greatness In AEW

Wrestling Fans Are Ecstatic To See Shelton Getting A Fresh Start

Ring of Honor, New Japan and Pro Wrestling NOAH all employed Shelton Benjamin during his time outside of WWE, but fans still tied his career to the WWE time. Benjamin contributed to the Hurt Business faction until once again getting phased out by WWE.

AEW signing Shelton proves he still has a lot left in the tank with excitement for another big run in the spotlight. Benjamin is having great matches and reminding fans why he’s been considered a highly skilled worker since the early 2000s.

5 Adam Copeland Fit Well Into AEW’s Landscape After Major Move

Former WWE Star Edge Will Have Huge Role When Returning From Injury

Adam “Edge” Copeland joined AEW to try something new after his WWE contract ended and to work with his best friend Christian Cage again. The older age of Copeland saw some pundits questioning his impact, but he instantly fit well into AEW’s climate.

Copeland has stepped up to have exciting matches against many of the premiere AEW homegrown stars. An injury slowed down his momentum, but the former Edge was using his skill to become an AEW fixture with that continuing when he eventually returns.

4 Christian Cage Is Arguably Having The Best Run Of His Career

Tony Khan Was Right About The Impact Of Christian Joining AEW

AEW received some criticism for hyping up a big signing of a legend for Christian Cage to make the jump and start this post-retirement run after one Royal Rumble appearance. Khan expected Christian to become a major player and he’s been a home run signing.

Wrestling fans have benefited from Cage being an extremely skilled talent from the Attitude Era to the 2020s. Christian delivering great matches and adding some of his best character work led to major success. AEW still has Cage as a top star with fans not even remembering he’s 50 years old.

3 Claudio Castagnoli Defines What Skill Is In Wrestling

Promotions Can Trust Castagnoli To Always Deliver Strong Results

WWE and AEW have both used Claudio Castagnoli in similar ways after he made a strong reputation in Ring of Honor. Castagnoli fell just short of the main event scene in both WWE and AEW, but he was on the next level right behind them.

AEW currently uses Claudio in his most important role since joining the company as a member of the Death Riders. Castagnoli has shown his skill is as strong as ever during matches against Bryan Danielson, Kazuchika Okada, and Zack Sabre Jr.

2 Kenny Omega Is Still Adding To His Legendary Legacy

Many Fans View Omega As The #1 Skilled Wrestler Of Past Decade

New Japan pushing Kenny Omega showed the full potential of him as arguably the best wrestler in the world. Omega had classic matches seemingly every time he had a big match by using his athleticism to deliver a higher level of pace and intensity.

AEW adding Omega from day one as an Executive Vice President and a top wrestling star helped the company get off to a hot start. Omega delivered more classics against Bryan Danielson, Adam Page, Pac, and dozens of other wrestlers to show he’s still among the most skilled talents in AEW.

1 Bryan Danielson Has Been The Most Valuable AEW Addition Ever

Danielson Has Strong Case For Being The Most Skilled Wrestler Vs All Opponents

AEW signing Bryan Danielson and CM Punk at the same time saw one signing having a best-case scenario and the other having a worst case. Danielson enjoyed the freedom and ability to contribute more in AEW by using his legendary legacy from WWE.

However, the biggest selling point of AEW to Bryan was the chance to wrestle like he did in Ring of Honor. Danielson’s desire to be fulfilled from his art sees him wanting to have classic matches with fewer restrictions in AEW. Tony Khan has stated he wants Bryan to run AEW if anything ever happened to him after the trust built working together.