Children often follow in their father’s footsteps and professional wrestling is no exception. You can see when a performer truly loves wrestling and this love is so easily transferred to their offspring. In this article we’ve tried to find the top 5 greatest families in wrestling that truly made a mark and improved this exciting sport. We feel that these are the 5 families who deserve to be in the wrestling hall of fame. Let’s get started.
The Poffo Family
You might not recognize the Poffo name right away, but any real wrestling fan knows who we’re talking about. The patriarch of the family, Angelo Poffo, was a famous wrestler and promoter active from the 50’s, all the way to the start of the 90’s. As a true villain, Angelo was a member of a villainous tag team called “The Devil’s Duo,” but later performed solo as “The Carpet Bagger.” However, nowadays Angelo is remembered for his two sons, Lenny and Randy, who followed his path and became professional wrestlers. Although Lanny achieved some success in this world, it was Randy, who adopted the nickname Savage, that really put the name on the map. Randy Savage is considered by many to be the greatest wrestler ever and looking at his career, it is hard to argue against that.
The McMahon Family
A name that has become synonymous with pro wrestling, McMahon, has been around for a lot longer than you might think. The man behind the largest professional wrestling promotion today WWE – Vince McMahon has actually inherited the business from his father, Vince McMahon Sr., who in turn inherited it from his father, the famous Jess McMahon. Jess was a very capable man who, along with his brother, managed a number business ventures, including successful baseball and basketball teams, casino and, later on with another promoter, a pro wrestling promotion. Upon his death, his son took over and then Vince McMahon Jr., who made it the wrestling giant we know today. With his children Shane and Stephanie already making names for themselves on the stage and behind the scenes, it is unlikely that the McMahon name will be out of the game anytime soon.
The Guerrero Family
Now, the Guerreros are actually quite a large family although you might know only a couple of the wrestlers from it. Gory Guerrero, the father of the family, was one of the first pro wrestlers following the code of lucha libre, traditional Mexican wrestling. Gory’s four sons all followed in his footsteps and got into pro wrestling, but not all of them achieved worldwide success. The most famous of the four was the extremely talented late Eddie Guerrero, who is often praised as one of the best and most charismatic wrestlers in the world. Though he often played heels, the crowd loved him and his dirty fighting style. Another family member that went on to achieve world recognition was Chavo Guerrero Jr., Eddie’s nephew who also happened to find the unconscious Eddie in his room after his heart stopped beating. The Guerreros still continue to be present on the stage, keeping the spirit of lucha libre alive.
The Anoa’i Family
The Samoan Anoa’i family is one of the largest wrestling families still active today. They spawned a number of fantastic wrestlers that went on to achieve world fame. Among the most famous wrestlers are Yokozuna, Roman Reigns and the Usos twin brother tag team. Yokozuna made a name for himself playing a villain, often accompanied by the evil Mr. Fuji. He took on a number of legends in the ring, including the one and only Hulk Hogan, before dying prematurely at the age of just 34. The Usos brothers are still active and continue to please the crowd with their acrobatics in WWE’s Smackdown. Besides them, there’s Roman Reigns, a capable wrestler who only just returned to Raw after being banned from WWE for using illegal substances. Finally, although not technically a part of the same family, The Rock is still related to them and he simply needs no explanation.
The Hart Family
One of the most productive and best known families in the pro wrestling history has to be the Hart Family. The father of the family, Stu Hart is praised for his contribution to wrestling since he trained a number of future wrestling champions like Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Edge, Christian, and many others. Besides that, he fathered 14 children, and nearly all of them got into wrestling. Among the most famous ones are, of course, Bret and Owen Hart who, pretty much, defined wrestling during the 80’s and the 90’s. Owen, however, died before he could show off his full potential, but his legacy to the sport lives on. Besides appearing in the single matches, the brothers also performed with other family members in what was known as the Hart Foundation. The world of wrestling simply wouldn’t be the same without them.
Do you agree with our pick of 5 best wrestling families of all time? Who would you replace and why?
