8 Legendary Wrestlers Before And After Their Careers

Wrestling has never really been known as an easy career choice. Between high-flying tricks, incredible performances and the physical demands to keep in shape, there’s a lot of strain put on every wrestling star. Well some of the biggest names in the industry spent decades under that strain, and it ends up with some of them looking significantly older than they actually are. Here are some of the biggest stars of yesteryear before and after their run in the ring.

1. THEN – Ric Flair, the Nature Boy, knew how to be stylin’ and profilin’. He began his prestigious wrestling career in 1972 and chopped up the competition for decades.

WOO!

NOW – After 40 years with the company, Flair finally retired from the ring in 2012. He’s definitely seen better days, but at 67 years old, he still finds ways to contribute to the industry, including promoting his daughter, Charlotte.

The Nature Boy went too hard on the nature.

2. THEN – Lex Luger was one of the most impressive physical specimens in the earlier days of the WWE with muscles for days like he was carved from marble.

Shiny, oily marble.

NOW – Years of substance abuse and injuries following his 1995 retirement culminated in a spinal injury leaving him a quadriplegic for a few months, Luger looks significantly older than 58.

In that time though he has done much to turn his life around with positive changes.