WWE is the biggest promotion in professional wrestling. This is the land where the most popular names in the business perform. Where stars are made. However, the WWE men’s division continues to grow older and older as the company struggles to build around the young male talent on the roster. This is becoming a more precarious situation as each PLE passes, and the company focuses on the same performers who are well past their primes. It is time to freshen up the men’s division.
Let’s take a look at the men’s WarGames match coming up at Survivor Series in a few days. One team currently consists of CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, plus Jimmy and Jey Uso. Those four men are all 40 years or older. Initial speculation is that LA Knight may join that group as well, but he is also well-beyond 40. There’s youth on the other side in the form of Bron Breakker and Logan Paul, but Bronson Reed (37) and Drew McIntyre (40) do not help bring down the average age of the men in the match.
This has been the issue for much of the year. Show after show focuses on the same few individuals, making it near impossible for someone young to break through. That’s not the case for the women’s division, where Tiffany Stratton (26) is coming off a 302-day run as WWE Women’s Champion. Stephanie Vaquer (32) is in the midst of a title run of her own and has continued to have an exceptional rookie-year in the company. Then there are others like Lyra Valkyria (29), Lash Legend (28), and Roxanne Perez (24) who are poised to be big parts of the future. Plus, no one can forget top acts like Rhea Ripley (29) who has years of dominance ahead of her. The women’s division is stacked with talent for years to come.
That same type of explosion just isn’t happening in the men’s division. But it could be. There are so many young performers ready to break through as top stars. It is happening in some ways, take Ilja Dragunov (32) or Dominik Mysterio (28) as examples. Along with the aforementioned Bron Breakker (28), they are sparks who are present, but not specifically at the top. Then there are others like Je’Von Evans (21), Oba Femi (27), Trick Williams (31) and others who could be seen as parts of the future if they are given their shot. It just seems like that opportunity is such a longshot in the men’s division.
2025 is drawing to a close, which will lead into the “busy” season for WWE with The Royal Rumble and WrestleMania on the horizon. WWE needs to start to get some momentum behind the younger male performers and fresh faces on the roster, because the fanbase does not seem too keen on the idea of more of the same.