WWE Opinion: 7 Current Wrestlers Who Have Passed Their Prime

In WWE, superstars never officially "retire." Instead, they put their bodies through incapable amounts for pride and dignity.

Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall are just a few of the perpetrators of this offense. Their in-ring skills are limited, their microphone abilities are inadequate and, most importantly, fans start to be benumbed by their airtime. And when that happens, you must call it a day.

Yet these superstars intend to not only stay beyond their welcome, but to still main event, aiming for that one last chance of glory. There are not many who do this. Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart are the most illustrious names of this exclusive list.

All superstars have that one irretrievable moment where they realize their time is up. And that moment is, of course, when they are passed their prime.

This slideshow will expose those very superstars who continue to fight on, even after their "sell-by" dates.

Kevin Nash

Now, being the most obvious choice, Kevin Nash has caused grave controversy since his unanticipated return to the WWE. After departing from the company and leaving behind an illustrious career, Nash decided to extend his retirement age and opted to sign for TNA.

Lasting for over six years, he slowly decreased the magnitude of his career by over-performing. But now in the WWE, not only did he take out the fans' favourite, he decided to mercilessly attack his former best friend.

At 52, Nash is one of the oldest members of wrestling's elite, and his intention to return to the ring is causing many to question how he will perform.

The most evident part of knowing Big Daddy Cool is past his prime is the deficient mic skills that he harbors. Constantly, Nash is stuttering and lacking the element that once made him seem like the coolest man alive.

He clearly doesn't have much time left, and his current intriguing feud with Triple H may very well be his last. 

Estimated Time Remaining: less than four months.

Rey Mysterio

To me and most others, Rey Mysterio will continue to be one of the greatest luchadors in the history of pro wrestling.

His undeniable skills coupled with the unbreakable bond with his fans makes him one of the greatest faces of all time. Yet, Mysterio's performances have been on a downward slope for a very long time now, and many question whether he should call it a day.

And with the recent emergence of Sin Cara, Hunico and Epico, it seems that WWE are preparing for the eventuality of Mysterio's retirement. Being only 36 seems like a young age for a superstar to leave, yet his injury proneness causes call for concern.

Currently injured, The Master of 619's imposition back into the main event looks to be very unlikely, emphasizing the need for him to leave the company. If it's any indication whatsoever, Mysterio's last appearance has been rumored to be against his luchador adversary, Sin Cara.

Estimated Time Remaining: two years.

Triple H

Even though Triple H is well past his prime, the excitement and exhilaration us fans feel when we hear the infamous words "time to play the game" thunder from his entrance will never fade away.

The Game will undoubtedly be positioned in WWE's elite, and a prestigious place in the Hall of Fame awaits him. Performing as a semi-wrestler and current COO of the company, HHH has become more involved in the WWE, prompting us to believe a more active role on Raw.

This was surprising, seeing as he was largely quiescent throughout the period before WrestleMania 27, but now with a more participative role, Triple H has had the chance to perform in-ring yet again.

Rusty? Yeah. Good? Hell yeah. He's past his prime, sure, yet if he could wrestle for the next 20 years, who would be against it?

In the future, we all know that HHH's ring abilities are becoming limited, but we all know that he will eventually take over Vince McMahon's empire. 

Estimated Time Remaining: one year wrestling.

Big Show

The BFG of WWE has never really reached the heights that he should have. Being tall and broad tends to be the requisite to be part of the company, yet Big Show's sheer size has hindered his chance to become special.

These days, to become a WWE star requires more than just wrestling ability. You need the body, looks and, most importantly, connection with fans. Show only ticks one of those three boxes, and no, it's not the looks.

Show, for the majority of his career, has been an attraction at WWE events, and bearing a less-than satisfactory wrestling ability, he was never touted to be big, metaphorically speaking.

Many have guessed whether or not he has passed his prime or not, but Show must be looking at retirement pretty soon, otherwise his career will look even more degrading. 

Estimated Time Remaining: less than a year. 

John Morrison

Achieving next to nothing in the WWE, John Morrison has been one of the "pushed aside" superstars. Having enormous potential, his in-ring abilities surpass most others, and his connection with fans remains high. Yet it's Morrison's inability to speak on the mic or emit some sort of charisma that has plummeted his career.

Morrison has been known to be very injury prone, and with his WWE tenure looking less and less likely to continue, maybe TNA seems the best place for him to flourish.

Being 32, he still has the opportunity to achieve something big in the company, but if it's any indication whatsoever, his recent three-month loosing streak shows no sign of rejuvenating Morrison.

His in-ring skills will never preclude, so when will he realize his potential?

Estimated Time Remaining: four years.

Christian

"One More Match." "One More Match." "One More Match."

That is all that Christian seems to be saying these days. That, coupled with his hugely pestiferous tone of voice, means that time should be up for him.

Christian always lagged behind his best friend Edge throughout his career. Never fully capturing his moment, he shifted promotions from TNA, to ECW, to WWE. And in each of them, he didn't make a lasting impression.

TNA gave him the opportunity to shine, one that he took. Yet he left assuring himself that WWE was the stage for him to become big in the company.

And when that malfunctioned, Christian seemed to have ended his career. One last chance was given, and he recognized his dreams of becoming a world champion, but we all know how that turned out.

Now, it seems that every second longer that Christian stays in the WWE he is degrading his entire career.

Estimated Time Remaining: one year.

Kane

The Big Red Monster's only claim to fame is his relation to The Undertaker. A harsh truth that we all must come to realize.

It worked, being a dominant beast with a violent exterior. Yet his frequent losses and obscene title victories makes it all seem like a facade.

Kane's debut caused much excitement throughout the WWE, and now his very deteriorated career must come to a halt as soon as possible.

Living in the shadow of The Undertaker, Kane never achieved what he should have, and it's just a matter of time before Kane calls it a day.

Estimated Time Remaining: seven months.

Conclusion

The aforementioned superstars all have passed their primes, yet some superstars are immune from loosing it.

The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels are the two outstanding superstars who never showed signs of capitulation, and they always gave 100 percent in the ring.

Both superstars bring glory, grandeur and guts when they set foot into the squared circle, and their brilliance will never disintegrate.

Kane, Christian, Big Show, Triple H, John Morrison, Rey Mysterio and Kevin Nash have clearly all passed their primes, but who said we don't enjoy watching them?