Most Notable Late Bloomers in Wrestling

Most Notable Late Bloomers in Wrestling

June 21, 2025

By Ryan Porzl

When it comes to professional wrestling, many all time greats achieve their peak or debut at different points. There are wrestlers like Kerry Von Erich, Yokozuna, and The Rock who make it to the top of the mountain or their peak in their 20s. Most do it in their 30s. However, there are wrestlers who take the long road to the top. Wrestlers who either debut much later than normal like in their 30s or hit their peak much later like their 40s. In this article, we'll look at the most notable late bloomers in wrestling. This list will include wrestlers who either turned pro in their 30s or later and/or hit their peak in their late 30s/40s when most begin to exit their prime.

I don't own any photos. Credit to WWE, All Japan, Pro Wrestling NOAH, or whomever owns them.

Nick Bockwinkel- Bockwinkel can definitely be considered one of wrestling's more successful late bloomers. Born in December 1934, Bockwinkel was a second generation wrestler being the son of veteran wrestler Warren Bockwinkel. Bockwinkel turned pro in 1954 and spent the first 16 or so years of his career enjoying a lot of success in various NWA territories including 50th State Big Time Wrestling, Georgia Championship Wrestling, and NWA San Francisco as well as the Los Angeles based World Wrestling Associates becoming a successful regional name. Bockwinkel would also occasionally get a crack at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship challenging Lou Thesz, Gene Kiniski, and Dory Funk Jr. but was never able to win it. However, in 1970, things would change for Bockwinkel when jumped to Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association right around the time he turned 36. Bockwinkel spent most of the early 70s with the AWA as one half of one of the promotions top teams alongside "Crippler" Ray Stevens while being managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan where they became 3 time World Tag Team Champions. Then on November 8, 1975, one month before his 41st birthday, Bockwinkel reached the top of the mountain when he defeated Gagne for his first AWA World Heavyweight Championship which ended Gagne's record 7 year run as champion. From there, Bockwinkel would enjoy four runs as the AWA World Heavyweight Champion between 1975-1987, specifically from the time he was 40 till he was 52. It can be argued that Bockwinkel became the second biggest name in AWA history behind Verne Gagne himself. His world title runs and his big matches with Gagne, Hulk Hogan, Jumbo Tsuruta, and Curt Hennig was all during his 40s and early 50s.

Chief Jay Strongbow- If you were a huge WWE fan in the 1970s and early 1980s, one wrestler you would definitely know is Chief Jay Strongbow. However, many may not know he achieved his big WWE runs at a time when many would call it a career. Strongbow was Joe Scarpa and born in October 1928. He turned pro in 1947 and spent the first 23 years of his career under his real name where he competed for promotions such as Georgia Championship Wrestling, Championship Wrestling from Florida, and Gulf Coast Championship Wrestling capturing 18 titles. However, Strongbow's career would hit it's peak when he first arrived in the WWE in 1970 and became Chief Jay Strongbow which came at a time he was 42. Strongbow would work for the WWE on and off from 1970-1986 where he achieved the height of his popularity including big feuds with Spiros Arion and Greg Valentine while enjoying four runs as WWE World Tag Team Champion between 1972-1983 all during his 40s to mid 50s. During this time, it could be argued that Strongbow was the WWE's #2 babyface behind only Bruno Sammartino. Strongbow's popularity saw him voted Most Popular Wrestler of the Year by readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 1973 and then was voted Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year in 1979. 

The Iron Sheik- The Iron Sheik was certainly many things from champion to legend to colorful to outspoken but another thing you can say is "late bloomer". Sheik was born in March 1942 and actually was a successful amateur wrestler all the while serving in the Iranian Imperial Army and was even a bodyguard for the Shah of Iran. It wouldn't be until the early 1970s when he immigrated to the United States and met fellow legend Verne Gagne that he began his pro wrestling career. Because of this, Sheik didn't turn pro until 1972 when he was 30 years old. After training under Gagne and Billy Robinson, Sheik had a forgettable time as a babyface in the AWA while assisting in training future names before eventually adapting his trademark pro-Iran heel persona with the bald head, mustache, curled boots, and persian clubs. Originally going by "The Great Hossein Arab", Sheik would tour the NWA territories winning gold in Jim Crockett Promotions, All Star Wrestling, Pacific Northwest Wrestling, and Maple Leaf Wrestling before eventually settling on his "Iron Sheik" name. After a brief 1979-1980 WWE run where he won the first battle royal in Madison Square Garden, Sheik would achieve his greatest fame in his second WWE run from 1983-1987. The peak of Sheik's career would undoubtably be on December 26, 1983 when he defeated Bob Backlund to win the WWE Championship thus ended Backlund's 5 1/2 year reign. The win would enhance Sheik's late bloomer image as he won the championship at 41 years old. Along with the title win, Sheik's biggest moments would be in his 40s including losing the championship to Hulk Hogan thus kicking off Hulkamania, winning the WWE Tag Team Championship with Nikolai Volkoff at Wrestlemania I (which was also the first title change in Wrestlemania history), main eventing Summerslam 1991, and participating in the 1992 Royal Rumble for the vacant WWE championship. Sheik was an important figure in WWE history serving as the bridge from the Bob Backlund era to the Hulk Hogan era and played roles in early Wrestlemanias and Saturday Night's Main Events all in his 40s.

The Crusher- The Crusher is another important figure in wrestling history. Along with being "the wrestler who made Milwaukee famous" Crusher was also groundbreaking, being one of the first superstars to portray himself as an everyman, blue collar, beer drinking bad ass decades before the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Sandman achieved success doing so. Crusher was born Reginald Lisowski in July 1926. He turned pro in 1949 and for most of the 1950s and early 60s, he achieved success as a tag team called "The Lisowskis" with fictional brother Stan winning multiple tag team championships. However, it wouldn't be until 1963 that Crusher became a world heavyweight champion at the age of 36 winning the disputed version of the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and his first of three AWA World Heavyweight Championships. Along with winning world championships in his late 30s, The Crusher achieved his biggest fame and height as a drawing power in his forties specially as part of his legendary team with Dick the Bruiser as they enjoyed five runs as AWA World Tag Team Champions and held the World Wrestling Association Tag Team Championships six times. Along with these, Crusher was also one of wrestling top draws. According to a list compiled years ago by Dave Meltzer and wrestling historian Matt Farmer, Crusher was among the top ten draws in wrestling twice before his 40s (1956 and 1962). However, with the exception of 1969 and 1974, he was among the top ten draws every year from 1966-1975 which is almost every year of his forties

Takashi Sugiura- Now for a modern example of a late bloomer. Sugiura was born on May 1970 and originally was a successful judoka who missed the 1996 Olympics before eventually being recruited into wrestling. Training in both All Japan and NOAH's dojos, Sugiura made his debut in December 2000 at the age of 30 making him the first to make their in-ring debut in a NOAH ring. After originally paying his dues and achieving success in the junior heavyweight division, Sugiura would eventually graduate to the heavyweight division where he won his first GHC Heavyweight Championship from Go Shiozaki on December 6, 2009 at 39 years old. Since that time, Sugiura has become NOAH's GHC Champion 3 more times, a ZERO1 World Champion once, a 2 time GHC National Champion (as well as the inaugural champion), and a 10 time GHC Tag Team Champion all in his 40s and 50s. Unlike most on this list, Sugiura is still an active wrestler as of writing and is still an important player for Pro Wrestling NOAH at 55 years old recently joining the Team 2000X stable.

Steve McMichael- McMichael isn't the most accomplished late bloomer nor did he have a long career but he still fits the bill. Born in September 1957, McMichael made his biggest name not in wrestling but in football. He played in the National Football League for 14 years during which time, he mostly made his name with the Chicago Bears where he and the team won Super Bowl XX in 1986. After retiring from football in 1994, he began to transition to wrestling. After making appearances for the WWE including at Wrestlemania XI where he was part of Lawrence Taylor's All Pro Team to counter Bam Bam Bigelow and the Million Dollar Corporation, he joined WCW in late 1995. For the first nine months, Mongo served as part of the WCW Broadcast Team and was part of the original announce team for WCW Monday Nitro alongside Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan. By June 1996, McMichael transitioned to pro wrestling and while his career was short lasting only three years, he still made his mark. He held the WCW United States Championship, he was a member of the legendary Four Horsemen, and had feuds with legends such as Jeff Jarrett, Goldberg, and the British Bulldog. In the end, McMichael didn't have the most decorated career but he deserves props for entering the business and trying his best as late as he did.

Jun (left) and Rei (right)

The Saito Brothers- The Saito Brothers are the most recent late bloomers in wrestling. The Saitos are twin brothers Jun and Rei who are mixed Japanese and American (having a Japanese mother and an American father) and born in December 1986. The Brothers has aspirations in American football before turning to sumo wrestling from 2009-2017. A few years later, they entered All Japan's dojo and began training in late 2020 before making their debuts in June 2021 at the age of 34. As is Japanese tradition, the brothers spent time paying their dues and did a foreign excursion. Upon returning in late 2022, they quickly shot to the top and became top stars in the promotion. As of writing, the Brothers have held the World Tag Team Championship on two occasions as well as the 2024 World's Strongest Tag League. Outside of All Japan, they also traveled to GLEAT, holding the G-Infinity Titles (their version of the world tag team title). The two have also achieved singles success by the time they turned 38 with Jun holding the Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion while Rei won the 2025 Champion Carnival. Like Sugiura, the Saitos are still active and seem to be far from done as they enter their 40s.

"Flyboy" Rocco Rock- "Flyboy" Rocco Rock is someone that was part of one of ECW's greatest tag teams and an important part of ECW's history. However, most don't know it took him a long time to reach the top. Rock was born Ted Petty in September 1953 and turned pro in 1978 after training of Afa of the Wild Samoans. For the first 15 years, he mostly worked as a journeyman usually under the gimmick "the Cheetah Kid" and even appeared for NWA's Starrcade 1990 as Colonel DeKlerk. Finally in 1993, as he turned 40, he finally got his big break becoming "Flyboy" Rocco Rock and being paired up with Johnny Grunge in the tag team "the Public Enemy". As part of Public Enemy, Rock held the ECW World Tag Team Championships four times and were basically ECW's top team from 1994-1996 having memorable feuds and matches with Sabu and Taz, Cactus Jack and Mikey Whipwreck, and the Gangstas to name some. Rock later had runs in WCW, WWF, and the NWA but while he wasn't able to capture the same magic, he and Grunge did have runs with the WCW and NWA World Tag Titles once each while having a memorable feud with the Nasty Boys in WCW. Rocco Rock was someone who definitely took the long road to success but showed you can still make it even after 15 years in wrestling and turning 40 years old.

Sgt. Slaughter- Sgt. Slaughter is another legend on this list. Slaughter had a hall of fame worthy career and even became part of American pop culture. However, he not only didn't reach the top of his career until later on but it was the last run of his full time career. Slaughter was born Robert Remus in June 1948. He turned pro in 1972 and like many was trained by Verne Gagne. Slaughter spent most of the 70s enjoying decent success in AWA and various territories before settling on the name and gimmick of Sgt. Slaughter. The 1980s would see Slaughter not only become a star but even part of pop culture. Slaughter enjoyed big success in Jim Crockett Promotions from 1982-1983 enjoying two runs with the United States Championship and one World Tag Team Championship with Don Kernodle while also having feuds with Wahoo McDaniel and the team of Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood. He also had two runs in the WWE from 1980-1982 and 1983-1984 engaging in big feuds and matches with WWE Champion Bob Backlund, the Iron Sheik, and Pat Patterson. He also would return to the AWA winning the short lived America's Championship. During this time, he also provided his likeness and voice to the popular G.I. Joe toy line and cartoon. However, Slaughter's big moment came in the final years of his full time career. In 1990, at the age of 42, Slaughter returned to the WWE where he infamously portrayed an Iraq Sympathizer character during the Gulf War. While the storyline was highly controversial, it proved to be Slaughter's biggest of his career as he finally captured the WWE Championship, became a Wrestlemania main eventer by main eventing Wrestlemania VII with Hulk Hogan, and being only one of two (the other being Rick Rude) to pin the Ultimate Warrior on a WWE Pay-Per-View. Slaughter was not only a late bloomer but he saved his biggest for last.

Diamond Dallas Page- We will end this article with perhaps the most famous late bloomer in wrestling history in DDP. Page was born Page Falkenburg in April 1956 and actually attempted a wrestling career early in his 20s when he first competed in 1979 but only lasted three matches before an injury derailed him and he retired. Fast forward to 1988, Page, at 32, returned to wrestling but in a non wrestling role as a manager. He first showed up in the AWA as the manager for top acts like Curt Hennig, Medusa Miceli, and Badd Company (Paul Diamond and Pat Tanaka). From 1989-1991, Page would work with the short lived Florida based Professional Wrestling Federation where he briefly returned to the ring. He also tried out for the WWE and had a cameo at Wrestlemania VI. Finally, he joined WCW in 1991 and after working as a manager for the Diamond Studd (Scott Hall) and the Michael Hayes/Jimmy Garvin version of the Fabulous Freebirds, he was recommended by Magnum TA to try wrestling and he began wrestling and training full time shortly afterwards. After years of clawing his way up the ladder, Page finally began to make in-roads in 1995 when he captured the first title of his career in the WCW World Television Championship at 39 years old. From there, Page eventually was off to the races by 1997. In fact, pretty much all his big moments, matches, and rivalries all happened in his 40s. With the exception of the TV Title and winning PWI's Most Improved Wrestler of the Year Award in 95, every single championship, tournament, and year end award was all in his 40s/50s. By the time he won his first WCW World Heavyweight Championship in April 1999, he was coming off his 43rd birthday. Meanwhile, it wouldn't be till he was 45 when he finally made it to the WWE, won titles, and finally competed at Wrestlemania X-8 (ironically also held at Skydome along with Wrestlemania VI). DDP is one of wrestling's more inspirational stories of someone not letting injuries and rejection stop him and showed hard work can pay off while age is just a number.