wwe stars who have been wrestling for more than 20 years

The current WWE stars who have been wrestling for more than 20 years might blow your mind. Obviously, because some of them are in their prime!

But which among them are the most shocking? Let’s find out!

Santos Escobar

Santos Escobar is a wrestling veteran

Santos Escobar might be a relatively new face to many WWE fans. However, he is actually a wrestling veteran who started his career in 2000!

Since Santos Escobar started in 2000, his career now spans over 20 years. And he finally got some recognition for his sacrifices as the wrestler finds himself at the top of the cruiserweight division.

Of course, Escobar did not star in the WWE to begin with. Even the name he arrived with got changed along the way.

When he started in pro wrestling, Escobar was known under the name ‘Top Secret.’ Three years later, he changed his persona to El Hijo del Fantasma, this led to the reveal that he was the son of a Mexican wrestling veteran and legend, El Fantasma.

Since Escobar is one of the WWE stars who has been wrestling for more than 20years, it is no surprise he spent time at numerous promotions. One of the prominent ones outside the WWE was the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre.

Escobar remained at the Mexican promotion from 2008 to 2013. He eventually ended up in the more mainstream Lucha Underground

In 2019, Escobar landed a sweet gig in the WWE. In fact, he eventually won the NXT Cruiserweight Tournament and captured the title.

So, Escobar is undoubtedly one of the success stories proving that hard work does pay off.

Roderick Strong

Roderick Strong

NXT star Roderick Strong is one of the WWE stars that has been wrestling for more than 2o years. Interestingly enough, the wrestler did not join the WWE until 2016.

Roderick Strong made his professional wrestling debut in the year 2000. He also trained under Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart, Natalya’s father. 

Strong spent a lot of time on the Florida independent wrestling circuit since he started wrestling 20 years ago. In fact, he competed in NWA Florida, Ring of Honor, and Full Impact Pro.

Eventually Strong made his was to the WWE and is now officially one of the most shocking WWE stars to have been wrestling for more than 20 years. 

Since arriving at NXT, Strong has been a dominant force as a member of the Undisputed Era. However, he was also a fan favorite before then, which made his heel turn all the more surprising in the eyes of fans.

Roderick Strong won the NXT tag team championships twice and the NXT North American Championship once. And his current position in the company is so strong he is showing no signs of stopping.

Of course, it remains to be seen when Roderick Strong will make  that transition to the main roster.

Cesaro

Cesaro has been wrestling for 20 years

Cesaro is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. Unfortunately, he is often forgotten and underappreciated in the WWE.

The WWE does not see the full value of Cesaro, and this is one of the main reasons why I want him in AEW so desperately. Unsurprisingly, Cesaro is also one of the WWE stars with more than 20 years of wrestling experience.

When you look at Cesaro, you would not believe that the man is edging close to 40. And despite being in the WWE for a whopping nine years, the man never received a world championship to date.

Much like the other wrestlers in this overview, Cesaro started his career in the year 2000. However, he did not start in the United States.

Cesaro began wrestling for a German wrestling promotion called Xtreme Wrestling. However, he eventually moved to the United States in 2004 and worked for Ring of Honor and Chikara. 

In 2011, Cesaro signed with the WWE. Since then, he won numerous tag team championship (seven times!).

Despite his success, Cesaro is often overlooked. The WWE are making a huge mistake not capitalizing on this man’s talent. 

Kevin Owens

This overview of the WWE stars who have been wrestling for more than 20 years would not be complete without another wrestling veteran. And of course, that wrestling veteran is none other than KO!

Kevin Owens has been the anti-hero for most of his wrestling career. When you see him for the first time, it is hard to imagine how he fits in the wrestling world.

But despite all that, Owens has changed our minds on what it means to be a pro wrestler. In fact, he is arguably one of the best talkers in the business. 

Owens started training to become a professional wrestler at the age of 14. Originally, he started wrestling in his hometown of Quebec, Canada.

KO would make his pro wrestling debut in the year 2000, much like the other wrestlers in this overview.

Before he made it to the WWE, Owens wrestled for the likes of the International Wrestling Syndicate, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and Ring of Honor. 

Eventually, KO made it to the WWE and got to beat up John Cena for his debut. Needless to say, this moment set the tone for the rest of his WWE career.

Finn Balor

Finn Balor

Balor may look young, but he has also been wrestling a little over 20 years. In fact, the wrestler made his pro wrestling debut at 18. 

Despite Balor’s young looks, he is getting closer to the age of 40 as well. When you look at him, you would think he’s not a day older than 30.

Before he came to the WWE, Balor booked huge successes in various indie promotions. He even started his own wrestling promotion, NWA Ireland and trained future women’s champion Becky Lynch.

The biggest breakthrough for Balor came at New Japan Pro Wrestling. Not only did he win the IWPG Junior Heavyweight Championship three times, he was also a six-time tag team champion in the junior heavyweights.

Finn eventually got a deal from the WWE and made his debut in 2014. Since then, he became the first Universal Champion and two-time NXT champion. 

And while Finn Balor has returned to NXT, nobody can take away his amazing achievements so far.

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