I was reading the results of a 1969 Royal Albert Hall show and Mike Marino was a subsitute for a wrestler who couldn't appear. It was commented how old he looked.
I know many stars, Pallo, McManus, Logan wrestled very late into their lives quite willingly. But I wonder about Marino and Ken Joyce, who had other roles with promoters. Did they willingly step into the breach when their bodies were possibly past it? Was is out of loyalty for their employers and the fans? Was pressure applied to them by promoters?
That's a good point, Ron, and it all unfolded before our very eyes.
I watched McManus very carefully in his final years, He religiously took three cross ring throws each bout, as if to make this the gauge of his athleticism. At least he set himself a bar; Logan just declined very visually into immobility - whilst still being top-of-the-bill.
Just trying to recall Marino's final years, I think he stayed much more agile. But like you say, maybe I was just suckered in by the show.