Wrestling Kids Who Dropped Out Of The Family Business
10 min read
There have been some extremely successful second and third-generation wrestlers over the years, with the likes of Charlotte Flair, Cody Rhodes, and Randy Orton all proving that following in their parent’s footsteps was possible. However, there is no doubt a lot more pressure on anybody whose parents were also wrestlers.
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Fans expect them to be just as good, if not better, while people also think they will take on similar gimmicks at times. These expectations don’t always lead to people wanting to stay in the business, which is why many kids of wrestlers opt to dip out of the industry after giving it a try for various reasons.
UPDATE: 2024/08/04 22:00 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA
In many cases, professional wrestling is indeed a family business. Over the course of the industry, names such as the Rhodes, the Harts, and the Von Erichs have firmly established their names in the history books and become names of legends. However, not everyone finds success in professional wrestling. Many children of wrestlers try their hands at it, but end up eventually dropping out of the business entirely. While their were some successes here and there, they were never able to outshine their more famous parents.
Ray Gordy Spent Some Time In WWE
He Is The Son Of Terry Gordy
- He held titles in NWA.
- He was in a tag team with Luke Gallows.
- He also went by the name Slam Master J.
In WWE, Ray Gordy played the character of Jesse. And, to his credit, found some minor success in his tag team with Festus, who now goes by Luke Gallows in WWE. However, out of the two of them, it was Gallows who ended up finding far more success in professional wrestling with championship gold held in WWE, TNA, NJPW, and more.
Ray is the son of Terry Gordy, who was a part of the Fabulous Freebirds and held numerous tag team titles in his career. As for Ray, he never achieved the same of success. He ended up making his last WWE appearance in 2010 during a WrestleMania 26 battle royal.
Scott Putski Never Made It Far
He Is The Son Of Ivan Putski
- He held titles in GWF.
- He was a CWA Heavyweight Champion.
- Putski made appearances in numerous promotions.
Scott Putski is a name that has largely been forgotten to time in professional wrestling. The same cannot be said for his father, Ivan Putski, who had a pretty successful run in WWE. He was a WWE World Tag Team Champion with Tito Santana and was also a top challenger for the WWE Championship against “Superstar” Billy Graham.
For Scott, however, he made appearances in WWE, WCW, and NWA. But, he was never a top of the card star like his father was. His last match that he wrestled in took place in 2014 for the NWA ALT Heavyweight Championship.
Curtis Axel’s Career Wasn’t Perfect
He Is The Son Of Mr. Perfect
- He is a two-time Tag Team Champion.
- Axel was formerly known as Michael McGillicutty.
- He was in a tag team with Ryback called RybAxel.
Curtis Axel’s WWE career had a couple of ups, but there were far more downs for him. He first debuted for the company as a member of The Nexus under the name Michael McGillicutty. However, at that point, the group was suffering to maintain a lot of legitimacy and seriousness in the company. He was also a WWE Tag Team Champion with David Otunga, although the reign was very brief and ultimately forgettable.
After being rebranded as Curtis Axel, WWE attempted to make him into a bigger star. He feuded with Triple H, was made a Paul Heyman guy, and given a run with the Intercontinental Championship. But, nothing really made him stick with fans. As his career went on, Axel fell further down the card and by the end of it all, he was losing match after match. He has not wrestled since a 2020 loss on SmackDown before he was released by the company. He briefly returned as a producer for WWE, but that was also very short lived.
Ted DiBiase Jr. Wasn’t A Million Dollar Man
He Is The Son Of Ted DiBiase
- He is a former Million Dollar Champion.
- He wrestled from 2006 to 2017.
- He is a two-time World Tag Team Champion.
Ted DiBiase Jr. was someone who a lot of fans thought would have a long career in professional wrestling after spending several years under a WWE contract. He broke into the business and gained a huge push by being part of the Legacy faction, which saw his career start positively.
He went on to have a solid run with the company and WWE offered him a five-year contract extension to ensure he stuck around long-term. However, he opted to decline that opportunity, instead choosing to focus on other pursuits, walking away from the industry without making the same impact as his father.
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Richie Steamboat Dealt With Injuries
He Is The Son Of Ricky Steamboat
- He was seen in early NXT.
- He sustained a serious back injury.
- Steamboat’s time in the business was not long.
Ricky Steamboat is one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time, which created a lot of pressure for his son when he embarked on becoming a professional wrestler. Despite that, Richie Steamboat appeared to be living up to that when he was working in FCW and the early days of NXT.
He showed a lot of promise and the hype certainly began to build around him. Unfortunately, he had to walk away from professional wrestling after suffering a serious back injury, which brought his time in the industry to an end.
Noelle Foley’s Health Took Priority
She Is The Daughter Of Mick Foley
- Featured on “Holy Foley” on the WWE Network.
- She has interviewed various wrestlers.
- She became a social media influencer.
Noelle Foley is a popular figure in the wrestling world, as the daughter of Mick Foley she has gained plenty of attention over the years. This was increased when she started dipping her toes into the wrestling world, whether that was due to her boyfriend, Frank The Clown, becoming a wrestler, or via the WWE Network show “Holy Foley.”
In that series, she revealed that becoming a wrestler was a genuine goal for her, but that was stopped due to a serious concussion she suffered at the Dollywood amusement park. Foley is still suffering the long-term impact of that to this day, with her focus rightfully being just on her health at the moment.
Shawn Stasiak Became a Chiropractor
He Is The Son Of Stan Stasiak
- He was a 15-time Hardcore Champion.
- He is a former WCW World Tag Team Champion.
- He was involved in wrestling from 1996 to 2002, having made sporadic indie appearances until 2010.
Shawn Stasiak had a solid career in the professional wrestling industry, working for both WWE and WCW over the years. However, he mutually agreed to depart WWE back in 2002 as he wanted to go and focus on business ventures away from the sport that his father competed in.
However, Stasiak has enjoyed plenty of success since that point by becoming a chiropractor. Stasiak has remained away from the wrestling business since that point, simply focusing on his own business.
Sim Snuka Never Recovered From A Major Botch
He Is The Son Of Jimmy Snuka
- He wrestled from 2005 to 2017.
- Snuka is a Former OVW Tag Team Champion.
- He was a former WWE Tag Team Champion.
Sim Snuka was able to break into the business and make an impact by working as Deuce, in the tag team Deuce ‘n Domino, which proved to be an effective team. However, WWE then tried to rebrand him by tapping into his legitimate background as he attempted to join Legacy, but Randy Orton never accepted him into the faction.
However, a big mistake led to the end of his WWE career. He was positioned as the cameraman during Undertaker’s dive to the outside at WrestleMania 25 and his inability to catch him led to his release. Following that Snuka failed to make much impact on the indies and he left wrestling.
Jake Carter Doesn’t Stick Around
He Is The Son Of Vader
- He wrestled from 2011 to 2013.
- He inducted his father into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
- Carter played college football for the University of Oklahoma.
Jake Carter is an often forgotten second-generation wrestler because he didn’t make too much of an impression during his time in the business. He did end up signing for WWE in 2011, originally as part of the FCW system, but he then got the chance to compete in NXT as well.
However, he ultimately decided wrestling wasn’t for him and dipped out of the business completely to move on to pastures new. However, fans did see him again in 2022 as his father was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
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Lacey Von Erich Didn’t Want To Go On The Road
She Is tThe Daughter Of Kerry Von Erich
- She is a former TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion.
- She was a former WCPW Ladies Champion.
- She is a part-owner of SWE Fury.
The Von Erich family is one of the most famous in wrestling history, and Lacey Von Erich was doing a good job of adding to that legacy through her work in TNA. As part of The Beautiful People, Von Erich was having a lot of success and her in-ring talent seemed natural. So much so, that TNA wanted to make her the Knockouts Champion.
That would be ideal for most people, but it’s what ended up driving her away. She didn’t want to be on the road that much as she was focusing on family life, and instead, she decided to walk away and hang up her boots completely.
Garett Bischoff Didn’t Become A Star
He Is The Son Of Eric Bischoff
- He is a former ARW Tag Team Champion.
- He feuded with his father in TNA.
- He was an Aces & Eights member.
While Eric Bischoff was never a professional wrestler, he certainly had a major impact on the business, and that included opening the door for his son to step in. Garett Bischoff did push to be a wrestler, and he did so for several years with TNA, getting involved in the Aces & Eights storyline.
However, the Bischoff family ended up having issues with TNA regarding pay, which led to the father and son duo filing a lawsuit against the company. Bischoff continued to wrestle sporadically on the indies, but soon fizzled out.
Brooke Hogan Doesn’t Follow Her Father
She Is The Daughter Of Hulk Hogan
- She has released two studio albums.
- She had her own reality show.
- Hogan worked for TNA and WWE briefly.
Being the daughter of Hulk Hogan certainly brings a lot of pressure, and she did attempt to get into the wrestling business much like him. She was briefly involved in Hogan’s storyline against Randy Orton, but it was in TNA that she made her biggest impact on the industry.
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Brooke Hogan was part of several storylines for the company, initially coming in as an on-screen authority figure, and eventually having a romantic storyline with Bully Ray. However, when her run was over she walked away from wrestling, and has recently revealed she has put distance between herself and her father in their legitimate personal lives.
Shaul Guerrero Is Focusing On Her Mental Health
She Is The Daughter Of Eddie Guerrero
- She is a former FCW Divas Champion.
- She was the former Queen Of FCW.
- Guerrero worked as a ring announcer for AEW in the AEW Women’s Tag Team Tournament.
Shaul Guerrero signed a WWE developmental deal in 2010, which is something that excited a lot of wrestling fans due to the fact Eddie Guerrero was her father. He’s one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, and that naturally led to pressure being placed on his daughter to make an impact.
While she competed in WWE’s developmental system she ended up walking away due to an eating disorder. She continued in the business until 2020 when she walked away to focus on her mental health, having since become a burlesque dancer.
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