Becoming a pro-wrestler is not a task for the faint-hearted as it involves years of intense training and dedication to learn the multiple aspects of the business. Hence, some wrestlers had to start training at a very early stage in their lives and learn from the best to become the best wrestlers they could possibly be.
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Many current wrestlers in the business have started their in-ring careers at a very young age, and some even made their debuts when they were just teens. With that said, let's take a look at 10 such active wrestlers who started their wrestling careers as teenagers.
10 Queen Zelina - 17 Years Old
Queen Zelina was only 17-years-old when she started her training to become a pro-wrestler. She trained under the likes of Javi-Air, Azrieal and T.J. Perkins and made her in-ring debut when she was 19 for the National Wrestling Superstars promotion in February 2010.
She worked her way through the independent circuit in the early stages of her career and competed for promotions like Women's Superstars United, CWF-Mid Atlantic, and Fight the World Wrestling throughout 2010 before Tommy Dreamer got her a tryout and a contract with Impact Wrestling in January 2011.
9 Austin Theory - 18 Years Old
Current WWE United States Champion Austin Theory has received significant attention since he became Vince McMahon's on-screen protégé. The WWE Chairman reportedly compares Theory to a young John Cena and is giving him lots of opportunities to shine.
He started his training when he was around 18-years-old, making his debut in April 2016 for the Resolute Wrestling promotion. He's come a long way since then, and it appears he's in for even greater things in WWE in the coming days.
8 Malakai Black - 17 Years Old
Current AEW wrestler Malakai Black started his pro-wrestling training around 2002 when he was just 17 years old. He made his official in-ring debut in January 2003 as Tommy End for the Freestyle Championship Wrestling and worked all over the independent circuit for almost 14 years before signing with WWE in 2016.
He signed a contract with WWE in June 2016 and made his debut for NXT, where he became an NXT Champion. His main roster run didn't take off as expected, and after a lackluster stint, he got released as part of the budget cuts in 2021.
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He's now a part of AEW, where he's the leader of the House of Black stable with Brody King and Buddy Matthews as his cohorts.
7 Becky Lynch - 15 Years Old
Former Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch became an inevitable part of WWE following her heel turn in 2018, which gave birth to her "The Man" character. She became one of the three women to main event WrestleMania for the first time and set the record for the longest run with the Raw Women's Championship. She recently dropped the gold to Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 38.
She didn't achieve all this success overnight and had to do years of hard work to reach that position. She started her wrestling training in Finn Balor's wrestling school when she was only 15 years old and worked her way through the indies in her early career before signing with WWE in 2013.
6 Jon Moxley - 18 Years Old
Current All Elite Wrestling star Jon Moxley had a rough upbringing during his childhood and used wrestling as an escape from all the hardships. He used to watch tapes and read stories about wrestling in his early days and was an avid fan of Bret Hart.
He chose to pursue a career in pro wrestling and started training when he was only 18-years-old in Les Thatcher's Heartland Wrestling Association and made his in-ring debut in 2004 as Jon Moxley.
After over five years on the independent circuit, Moxley signed with WWE and debuted as Dean Ambrose. He's well known for his time in The Shield and for being a former WWE Champion.
He left the promotion in 2019 and signed with All Elite Wrestling and quickly went on to capture the AEW World Championship. He's having a great run in AEW so far, and we can expect good things from Moxley in the coming days, with his association with Bryan Danielson and William Regal.
5 Seth Rollins - 18 Years Old
Seth Rollins began his pro wrestling training as a teenager at a wrestling school owned by Danny Daniels on the borders of Chicago and Oak Park, Illinois. He made his in-ring debut in 2004 when he was only 18 years old at an SCW Pro Wrestling event under the ring name Gixx.
He then became well known among the wrestling fans after working his way to Ring of Honor, where he competed under the name Tyler Black and won the ROH World Championship.
He signed with WWE in 2010 and worked his way through NXT to make his main event debut as part of The Shield in 2012. He went on to become a former two-time WWE Champion and a two-time Universal Champion and is having a solid run in the company so far.
4 Adam Page - 17 Years Old
Current AEW World Champion Adam Page's pro wrestling career began in 2008 when he was just 17 years old. He made his debut for the CWF-Mid Atlantic promotion and worked there for the most of his early career before going on to explore the independent circuit.
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He is well-known for his time in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling and for being a part of the Bullet Club stable. He became one of the founding members of All Elite Wrestling after making his debut in 2019 and is a former AEW World Tag Team Champion and is the current AEW World Champion in his first reign.
3 Adam Cole - 18 Years Old
Current AEW star and former NXT Champion Adam Cole is next on this unique list as he made his pro-wrestling debut in 2008 when he was just 18 years old. He trained under DJ Hyde and Jon Dahmer at the Combat Zone Wrestling Academy while he was still a senior in high school.
He made his in-ring debut at an American Championship Pro Wrestling event in April 2008 and competed in his first CZW match at the No Pun Intended event in June.
He's also known for his time in ROH, where he became a three-time ROH World Champion and was also a part of The Bullet Club. His WWE run also proved to be successful as he became the longest reigning NXT Champion of all time before jumping ship to AEW in 2021.
2 Kenny Omega - 17 Years Old
Kenny Omega, who is considered by the fans as one of the greatest wrestlers in the industry, is a veteran of the business with a career spanning over two decades.
His first wrestling appearance came in 2000 when he competed in a Top Rope Championship Wrestling event, when he was only 17 years old. From there, he worked his way through the indies and became a global sensation after his stint in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and his high-profile matches against Kazuchika Okada.
He's a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, AAA Mega Champion, Impact World Champion, and AEW World Champion, to list his accolades. He's currently out of action due to injuries, and the fans are awaiting his return as things in AEW are starting to heat up, and his return would make things even more interesting.
1 Kevin Owens - 14 Years Old
Kevin Owens has been in the pro wrestling business for over two decades and has been through highs and lows throughout his career to reach the position he's in today.
He was only 14 when he started training, and he made his debut on May 7, 2000, which took place on his 16th birthday. He is a former ROH World Champion, NXT Champion, and WWE Universal Champion, to add to his list of accolades. He's having a decent WWE run so far, and the fans expect him to achieve even greater things in the coming days.
