In the dying days of old Twitter, I posted a thread trying to determine who the oldest wrestlers to ever compete were. Let's revisit that today. 🧵🤼♂️
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Mae Young had her first documented match in 1941 (though claimed to have debuted in 1939), and her last - a handicap falls count anywhere match against LayCool - in 2010, at the age of 87. She wrestled in at least 7 decades (I can find no record of her in the '80s), and potentially *9*.
aug 31, 2025, 11:44 am • 12 1 • view
Kendo Nagasaki set out to break the Guinness World Record as the oldest active wrestler last year; a few years shy of Mae's age, he wrestled for LDN aged 83, sixty years after his debut match in 1964. He became the oldest masked wrestler, and the oldest British wrestler. But oldest male wrestler?
aug 31, 2025, 11:44 am • 10 1 • view
Kendo missed out on becoming the oldest male wrestler in history by just a few months; Dory Funk Jr., also 83, was less than 6 months older than Kendo Nagasaki when *he* wrestled last year, in a Double Hell Current Explosion Deathmatch, 61 years after first entering the wrestling ring.
aug 31, 2025, 11:44 am • 9 1 • view
Is there anyone out there who could conceivably match, or beat, Dory's record? Or even Mae Young's one day? Well, also with a career spanning more than 60 years, debuting in the dying days of the JWA in 1963, and last wrestling *this April*, a few days shy of his 83rd birthday, is The Great Kojika.
aug 31, 2025, 11:48 am • 9 0 • view
While none reaching Kojika's grand old age, there's a surprising number of septuagenarians who have wrestled in 2025. Bushwhacker Luke and Chick Donovan, both aged 78, both wrestled this June, with careers starting in 1962 and 1977, respectively.
aug 31, 2025, 11:52 am • 13 0 • view
More recently still, shoot style pioneer Yoshiaki Fujiwara wrestled in July 2025, aged 76, 52 years after debuting for NJPW in that company's first year. His opponent in that debut match was Tatsumi Fujinami, who made his debut in 1971, and wrestled *yesterday*, aged 71.
aug 31, 2025, 11:58 am • 8 0 • view
Mike Jackson (aged 75, debuted in 1972) and El Satanico (also 75, debuted 1973) both wrestled this month, and both could be argued to be the oldest wrestlers working close to a full-time schedule, with Satanico a regular for CMLL to this day, having wrestled the original El Santo & Blue Demon.
aug 31, 2025, 12:02 pm • 9 0 • view
Satanico's not the only aging luchadore still lacing up the boots; 72 year old Americo Rocca last wrestled in April 2025, 50 years after his debut, and Fuerza Guerrera - father to Juventud - wrestled earlier this month, aged 71, as part of his retirement tour (I'll believe it when I see it).
aug 31, 2025, 12:09 pm • 6 0 • view
The legendary Black Terry, the ultimate "for the sickos" icon, and one of the all-time greats, sadly passed away earlier this year. He last wrestled in April, less than two months before his death, aged 72, bringing an incredible 52 year career to an end. There will never be another like him.
aug 31, 2025, 12:15 pm • 7 0 • view
Sticking with Lucha Libre, Solar and Rocky Santana are both a spritely 69 years old, and last wrestled in July and May of 2025, respectively. Solar debuted in 1975, and Rocky Santana in 1969. In a long and storied career, Rocky also portrayed Number 1 of Los Tortuguillos Karateka.
aug 31, 2025, 12:15 pm • 8 0 • view
Chick wrestles minimum once a month, usually several times. It’s just in places that don’t get recorded online. He definitely wrestled earlier this month for Down Home Championship Wrestling in GA.
aug 31, 2025, 4:54 pm • 1 0 • view
Thanks- for a lot of these I assume that there's more than what's recorded on Cagematch etc, so that's good to know.
aug 31, 2025, 4:58 pm • 0 0 • view
I was going to follow up by working out who had the claim to have wrestled in 7 or 8 decades, but some of the people on this list have been wrestling for 50+ years yet don't have more than a page on Cagematch, so it would be a huge undertaking to try and work that out.
aug 31, 2025, 5:00 pm • 0 0 • view
In a what?
aug 31, 2025, 12:59 pm • 1 0 • view
My new band name
aug 31, 2025, 1:23 pm • 1 0 • view
LDN is a bit eeergh cause of the cringe anti-woke shit. But hell yeah, Kendo!
aug 31, 2025, 1:55 pm • 2 0 • view
yeah, the match being held there was the only reason I didn't go see him
aug 31, 2025, 1:59 pm • 2 0 • view
Yes, he is in the thread. Him and Bushwhacker Luke are 78 bith and wrestled this year.
sep 1, 2025, 3:08 am • 1 0 • view
Thank you for this @patrickwreed.bsky.social. Childhood memories - my dad always watched the wrestling, so I did too. Mick McManus, Giant Haystacks, Big Daddy & Kendo Nagasaki. You made me smile just thinking about it.
aug 31, 2025, 12:36 pm • 4 0 • view
Amazing stuff!
aug 31, 2025, 4:12 pm • 1 0 • view
so happy to see this thread again El Canek hasn't wrestled in 2025 yet but wrestled ten times in 2024 at the grand age of 72
aug 31, 2025, 1:45 pm • 7 0 • view
Thanks! I went through and re-checked everyone on the list that was still alive, and was amazed to find Canek hadn't wrestled this year. I still think that getting a good match out of him in 2022 should get Psycho Clown an automatic induction into every hall of fame there is.
aug 31, 2025, 1:47 pm • 2 0 • view
Doesn't Nagasaki now hold the record! There's a video on YouTube.
aug 31, 2025, 12:45 pm • 1 0 • view
he's just shy of it for male wrestlers - Dory Funk Jr has him beat by a matter of months. I think Guinness have recognised Kendo, though, and even at his age I wouldn't want to tell him he's wrong!
aug 31, 2025, 12:53 pm • 3 0 • view
Dory may not be done yet as well!
sep 1, 2025, 3:08 am • 1 0 • view
You forgot God, mate
sep 2, 2025, 6:35 pm • 1 0 • view
Couldn't find his Cagematch.
sep 2, 2025, 6:47 pm • 1 0 • view
@proant.bsky.social something up your street?
aug 31, 2025, 12:58 pm • 0 0 • view