WWE Superstars You Didn’t Realize Are Related
By
Haider Ali in
Sports
On 24th September 2016
Professional wrestling really is a family affair. Both the Harts and the Guerreros are well-known in the wrestling world for producing some of the most skilled performers of a number of decades. Both families have produced former WWE Tag Team, Intercontinental, and World Champions. While there are no biological Guerreros and minimal Harts in WWE today, the company does employee a variety of second and third generation superstars, most notably WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and multi-time world champion Randy Orton. It is well-known that Charlotte is the daughter of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair and that Randy Orton is the son of “Cowboy” Bob Orton; in fact, the early careers of both heavily centered around their parents.
Though many pro wrestling relations are well-documented, there are even more which fans may not be aware of. Even in the age of the internet, the most hardcore fan may be oblivious to certain relations. In fact, some relations are so obscure that WWE itself might not be aware of them.
In this article, we’re going to be looking at some of the most surprising and shocking cases of professional wrestling relations. From in-laws to cousins, here are 15 wrestlers you didn’t know were related.
#1 Terry Gordy/Jesse
Terry Gordy was one of the most captivating performers of his time. He was big, he was tough, and he was vicious. He is best remembered for his time as a member of The Fabulous Freebirds, the most iconic tag team in wrestling history. Terry Gordy is a professional wrestling legend. His son, however, is not.
The internet wrestling community expected great things from Ray Gordy when it was announced that he had signed a deal with WWE in 2005. But when he made his main roster debut in 2007, it became clear that he was not destined for the same career as his father.
The younger Gordy spent his first two years on the main roster performing as Jesse, a goofy hillbilly who teamed with a comatose Luke Gallows, who went by the name of Festus. Gordy later adopted the gimmick of a would-be rapper, becoming the whitest character WWE has ever seen (with the exception of Byron Saxton).
#2 Dusty Rhodes/Jerry Sags
"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes begat himself two sons; Goldust and Cody Rhodes. He also had another relation in the wrestling world who was not referenced all that often. Jerry Sags.
Jerry Sags is a bafflingly accomplished wrestler who made a name for himself alongside Brian Knobbs. Sags and Knobbs were known as The Nasty Boys and made a living shoving their armpits into the faces of their opponents.Despite this, The Nasty Boys held gold in both WCW and WWE. While The Nasty Boys owe much of their success to their friendship with Hulk Hogan, Sags owes some of his WCW accomplishments to Dusty Rhodes, the former WCW booker and his brother-in-law.
Jerry Sags married the sister of Dusty's second wife, making him the uncle of Cody Rhodes, but no relation to Goldust.
#3 Rikishi/Roman Reigns
WWE loves to reference Roman Reigns' family. Vince McMahon believes it's a surefire way to finally get him over with the fans who have been rejecting him for the past two years. Commentators are frequently instructed to mention Reigns' relation to stars such as The Rock and Umaga.
However, the same commentators tend to shy away from acknowledging Reigns' relation to former WWE stars that maybe weren't taken so seriously during their time with the company. One such example is Rikishi.
The rear-shaking Rikishi is one of Roman Reigns' many Samoan cousins, although don't expect WWE to mention that anytime soon. The company likely feels Reigns would lose credibility if too much attention was given to his relationship with a former member of Too Cool.
#4 Deuce/Tamina
Do you remember Deuce? If not, I envy you. Deuce made his SmackDown debut alongside Domino back in 2007. Deuce and Domino were two guys who were stuck in the 1950s and wrestled as rigidly as performers from that era.
Tamina Snuka is, surprise surprise, the daughter of wrestling legend Jimmy Snuka. She hasn't used her second name on WWE TV since her father was arrested for murder, but that doesn't mean she can change her family. The aforementioned Deuce is also the child of Jimmy Snuka, meaning he is the older brother of Tamina.
This has never been mentioned on WWE television, though that's most likely because not even Vince McMahon wants to recall Deuce and Domino.
#5 The Honky Tonk Man/Grand Master Sexay
Neither The Honky Tonk Man nor Grand Master Sexay were too talented inside the ring, yet they both had careers in WWE. However, that is not what connects these two underachievers. What connects The Honky Tonk Man to Grandmaster Sexay is Memphis wrestling legend and WWE personality Jerry "The King" Lawler.
Jerry Lawler is the cousin of The Honky Tonk Man and the father of Brian Christopher, otherwise known as Grand Master Sexay. That makes The Honky TonkMan and Grand Master Sexay first cousins once removed.
So much attention is given to Jerry Lawler's relationship with both men that this fact is often glossed over or missed altogether. That has got to sting, considering both The Honky TonkMan and Grand Master Sexay have been playing second fiddle to Lawler for their entire careers.
#6 Yokozuna/The Usos
Yokozuna was one of WWE's biggest stars of the 1990s, in all senses of the word. He defeated the likes of Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, and The Undertaker, and held the WWF World Heavyweight Championship on two separate occasions. Although Yoko died young and didn't leave behind any sons or daughters, he did have quite a large family and many of his descendants can be seen on the wrestling scene today.
Jimmy and Jey Usos have recently undergone a gimmick transformation taking them from face paint wearing heroes to gang bangers who don't care about much other than winning championships. Their recent heel turn gives them something in common with Yokozuna, not that they were short of similarities in the first place.
The Usos, like Yokozuna, are members of the Anoa'i wrestling dynasty, perhaps the most famous wrestling family in the world. This makes the former WWE World Champion cousin to the former WWE Tag Team Champions.
#7 Umaga/Naomi
As long as we're on the Anoa'i family, let's take a look at Naomi. Naomi, who debuted as one of Brodus Clay's dancers, has gone on to display immense talent inside the ring and is considered by many to be a future SmackDown Women's Champion. She is the wife of Jonathan Fatu, otherwise known as Jimmy Uso.
Her marriage to Jimmy Uso means Naomi is related to some of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time (as well as a couple of not so great ones). One of Naomi's most notable in-laws is Eddie Fatu, who competed in WWE as "Umaga".
Umaga was one of the most intense superstars of his time and received a major push which culminated in him challenging John Cena for the WWE Championship. If Naomi can tap into the ferocity that her in-law brought to the ring in 2008, she could become one of the finest competitors in SmackDown's women's division.
#8 Bray Wyatt/IRS
The WWE Universe yes, I cringed writing that is no doubt familiar with The Wyatt Family, the apocalyptic cult led by the maniacal Bray Wyatt. But not everybody in said Universe is familiar with Bray Wyatt's real world family.
It may come as a shock given his unconventional character, but Bray Wyatt is the son of Mike Rotunda. Rotunda, who is today a WWE producer, had a memorable career with WWE in the ‘80s and '90s. He is perhaps best known for his stint as Irwin R. Schyster, a villainous tax collector whom even Jesus wouldn't break bread with.
Given the fact that the son and father portray(ed) polar opposite characters, WWE has never acknowledged the Wyatt and Schyster connection, but there is no guarantee that it won't be incorporated into a storyline somewhere down the road.
#9 Bo Dallas/Blackjack Mulligan
Bo Dallas is the brother of Bray Wyatt and the son of Irwin R. Shyster, but it is his connection to his grandfather that many fans will find most interesting. Blackjack Mulligan, Dallas' maternal grandfather, was one of the most popular tag team wrestlers of the 1970s. He brought an intensity to the ring which was almost frightening to watch.
The soft-spoken, goofy character which Bo Dallas has portrayed for the majority of his time in WWE is as different to the character of his grandfather as Bray Wyatt's character is to IRS. However, Dallas' current "Believe in Bo" gimmick has given him a chance to be a little more vicious inside the ring, displaying a mean streak not many knew he had.
This gimmick is no doubt bringing Dallas closer to his late grandfather, so much so that he could be considered "Blackjack Bo."
#10 Blackjack Lanza/JBL
Now we're going from Blackjack Mulligan to his former tag team partner, Blackjack Lanza. Perhaps it is because he has been related to as many WWE superstars as Blackjack Mulligan, but Blackjack Lanza is not so familiar to many of today's WWE fans. However, it is not like Lanza is without any connection to modern wrestling.
SmackDown commentator John "Bradshaw" Layfield is the nephew of Lanza, which isn't so crazy when you think about it. Bradshaw's character has always been quite similar to the Blackjack gimmick, particularly in his early days with WWE.
Although Blackjack Lanza doesn't have as many relatives in WWE as his former tag team partner, the one relative he does have has been far more successful than any of Mulligan's descendants. JBL has held multiple championships inside WWE, including the WWE Championship.
#11 Fred Ottoman/Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes has a lot of family connected to WWE, most notably his father Dusty and, as we mentioned earlier, Jerry Sags. However, it is a little-known fact that Cody Rhodes is also related to one Fred Ottoman, who may be better known to wrestling fans as The Shockmaster.
The Shockmaster is remembered by many as a clutz inside the ring and out, and also competed as Tugboat and Typhoon. He was the brother-in-law of "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes which, like Jerry Sags, makes him Cody's uncle.
Lucky for Cody, he got a great deal more of his father's talents than his uncles', and has not only been able to break through the limitations put on him by WWE but also remained upright after doing so.
#12 Bret Hart/Roddy Piper
Bret "The Hitman" Hart is considered by many to be the greatest in-ring talent of all time, which is pretty hard to argue with. Hart has a number of relatives involved in professional wrestling today, including Natalya Neidhart and her husband, Tyson Kidd. He is also related to Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, and Dynamite Kid.
However, many people fail to realize that Hart is also related to WWE Hall of Famer "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Piper, who was also a native of Canada, claimed a couple of times throughout the years that he was a cousin of Bret Hart, though many people did not believe him due to his tendency to tell tall, or at least slightly enlarged, tales. However, Bret eventually confirmed that Piper was his cousin and removed all doubt.
The Hitman has also recalled how Roddy was the only person in the wrestling business who came to visit him after his stroke in 2002.
