As time has gone on and athletes have become generally fitter, expected retirement dates have slowly been pushed back, with a number of pro-athletes still performing at the top of their game well beyond what might be expected of them.
Nowhere is this increased longevity more apparent than in pro-wrestling, with stars like AJ Styles, Edge, Daniel Bryan, Chris Jericho and many more performing some of their best work well into their 40s.
We’ve even seen some wrestlers perform at the highest level into their 50s and 60s, although perhaps some of them should’ve stopped a bit earlier…cough Undertaker cough.
Current WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is now 35, and according to a new interview with PEOPLE, he can see himself wrestling and performing until he’s around 50 (that’s 15 years for you mathematicians).
He mentioned a conversation he had with bodybuilder Neil Hill, someone Reigns has been working with to improve his fitness.
“I told Neil when we first met over a year ago, that I want to grind it out for the next 15 years. I want to maximize my potential for the next 15 years. And I told him, ‘This is who I am, as a performer, as a talent, but I also am a father, I’m a husband. I wear all these different hats.’ And man, we’ve been on an unbelievable journey thus far.”
He also discussed his Tribal Chief gimmick, and admitted he thinks it’s gone down very well with fans so far.
“It feels good. There’s a lot of truth to what we put into the Tribal Chief character, the burden of the crown, of being the face of the company. I think everybody would like to be Superman, but to be able to have some of those Superman qualities, then also display the emotions, the mentality that comes into it, and the way it can affect a man. People connect to that.
“People understand the struggle, people understand these different battles, these emotional battles that my character kind of displays on a weekly basis. I think it allows for a different connection, and that’s why it’s been received so well.”
Roman faces both Edge and Daniel Bryan this Sunday at WrestleMania 37 Night 2. You can follow the show live on WrestleTalk.com
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