Children Of Wrestling Legends Who Flopped Hard In The Ring

The wrestling world is no stranger to second, or even third-generation talents gracing the rings of all major companies, and more often than not, these second-generation stars take to the art form like a duck to water. From the likes of Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Natalya, to the late Bray Wyatt and his brother Bo Dallas, who plays Uncle Howdy, many of the stars we see in the ring today come from successful "wrestling families."

AEW also has its fair share of second-generation stars. Nick Wayne is headed for a bright future in the company that would make his father, the late Buddy Wayne, proud. The Von Erich Brothers, Ross and Marshall, are even Ring of Honor champions with another second-generation star in Dustin Rhodes. Billy Gunn has even wrestled with his sons, Austin and Colten, in the AEW ring.

For every successful son or daughter of a wrestling legend, however, there is one who never made it to the top of the industry, or truly even anywhere near it, despite how hard they may have tried. They may not have gotten the athletic gene from their legendary wrestling parent, or perhaps professional wrestling just wasn't in the cards for what they wanted to do in life. 

From "The Million Dollar Man's" son Ted DiBiase Jr., to Kerry Von Erich's daughter, Lacey, to Scott Hall's son, Colt, who tried his hand in NJPW, to perhaps some kids of WWE Hall of Famers you had no idea actually wrestled, some children of professional wrestling legends just flopped hard in the ring.

All wrestling fans are aware of the massive successes of Ric Flair's daughter, Charlotte, in WWE, but not many younger fans know of David Flair, the oldest son of "The Nature Boy," who first competed in the ring for WCW back in 1999. Flair was set up for failure from the start of his wrestling career, due to the fact that he received very little in-ring training ahead of joining WCW. Much of what he learned, he did on the fly during episodes of "WCW Nitro." His heart was also apparently never really in the game from the start, as his father revealed in his "To Be The Man" autobiography that Flair actually wanted to be a state trooper, not a wrestler.

Flair debuted at WCW/nWo Souled Out in January 1999 and would leave the company by 2002 after the WWF picked up his contract when the company bought out WCW. Flair was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling to train until his developmental contract was dropped. He would return to do a few dark matches in May 2003 and in January 2006, but his career would never take off in the way that Charlotte's has.

His booking in WCW saw him bounce from faction to faction and feud with his father numerous times, including almost right off the bat after his start in the company. Flair never had the chance to stick with one storyline for the opportunity to truly get over with fans.

The "Samoan Dynasty" in professional wrestling, primarily featuring the Anoa'i Family, has dominated the industry for years across all levels of WWE and beyond. The likes of The Rock, Peter Maivia, Roman Reigns, Umaga, the Usos, Jacob Fatu, Rikishi, and many, many more have dominated the scene, albeit at varying levels. One Samoan who didn't exactly rock the wrestling world like the rest of his family, however, was Manu, also known as Afa Anoa'i Jr., the son of one-half of The Wild Samoans tag team, Afa Anoa'i.

Manu was signed to WWE and started in Deep South Wrestling in 2006, and was considered one of the company's top prospects at the time. Manu debuted on the main roster at Unforgiven 2008 and aligned himself with Legacy, Randy Orton's stable of second and third generation talent that also included Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. When "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka's son, Sim Snuka, tried to join the faction, Orton put him and Manu through a series of tests before officially making them members. 

Manu failed his test the first week and would be kicked out of the faction shortly after his main roster call-up. He was verbally buried by Orton, who even insulted The Wild Samoans during the promo, during one of his final appearances on "WWE Raw," and Snuka and Manu were taken out by Orton, Rhodes, and DiBiase the following week. Manu was released from his contract a month later, in February 2009. It was revealed later that Orton and Manu actually didn't get along backstage. "The Legend Killer," said in an interview that Manu had "respect issues."

He would continue in the wrestling industry and return to the independent scene at World Xtreme Wrestling. He now owns and operates BattleField Pro Wrestling, a small promotion based in Pennsylvania.

Brooke Hogan never had a run in WWE alongside her late father, "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan, outside of a very brief appearance and a brief storyline where Randy Orton flirted with her, but she attempted to break into the professional wrestling business with a role in TNA in May 2012. Hogan wasn't signed to wrestle, but rather appear as an on-screen authority figure and a backstage consultant to the Knockouts division. She was also very open from the start that her TNA stint alongside her father, who was also working in the promotion at the time, was temporary during her break from the music industry.

Hogan wouldn't remain just as a consultant for the women's division for long, however. She would get into a storyline alongside Hulk and the leader of Aces & Eights, Bully Ray, former WWE tag team star Bubba Ray Dudley. Bully Ray would save Hogan from an Aces & Eights kidnapping, and the pair fell in love in the story. Hogan agreed to marry him, to the chagrin of her father, and their in-ring wedding descended into chaos when it was crashed by the heel stable. Bully Ray saved Hulk during the attack by Aces & Eights, and Hulk, who was TNA General Manager at the time, gave him a TNA World Championship shot. It was revealed it was actually Bully Ray who secretly led Aces & Eights, leading to Hogan divorcing her on-screen husband for his deception. 

Following the "divorce," Hogan never had another real storyline in TNA. She and the company amicably parted ways in August 2013. Hogan would return to the music industry and later move on to interior design, as well as becoming a wife and mother.

Brock Anderson is another second-generation talent who has yet to make a splash as big as his father, Arn Anderson, in the professional wrestling world. Anderson worked in AEW and aligned himself with Cody Rhodes' Nightmare Family, alongside his father, who was also signed to a multi-year deal with the promotion.

Anderson had started training as a professional wrestler in 2021, shortly after graduating from college. He debuted in AEW that summer and won his first match, even getting the pin himself, in a tag team bout alongside Rhodes. Anderson's inexperience showed throughout his time in AEW, however, and he took some time away from the company after a few matches on "AEW Dark" and "AEW Dark: Elevation" to train further and improve his physique. 

Despite the extra training, Anderson's profile was removed from AEW's active roster page in October 2023, and he later confirmed his departure from the company. His last AEW match took place that August. He later revealed that he realized he should have started on the independent scene and explained that starting in a new company like AEW just after a global pandemic wasn't where he needed to be to get the repetitions to actually learn the business.

Many fans were critical of Anderson's work in the company and how he wasn't built up organically like other young talent, rather seemingly relying on nepotism and his family's friendship with Rhodes. He now works in MLW, where he made his debut in August 2024.

Ted DiBiase Jr. was another third-generation star, and another member of Legacy, whose professional wrestling career flopped despite him winning the WWE World Tag Team Championships twice. As the son of "The Million Dollar Man," Ted DiBiase, there was a lot of hype behind his debut in WWE. He did well in Legacy and won the tag titles alongside Rhodes, but DiBiase Jr. just couldn't live up to his father's legacy as one of the best heels in wrestling history.

He was signed to WWE in 2007 and trained in FCW for a year before he debuted on the main roster in May 2008. He and Rhodes teamed up as the start of Legacy before they were joined by Manu, and Orton eventually entered the picture in a mentor-like role.

When Legacy broke up, however, both DiBiase and Rhodes were left to flounder as singles talent. WWE never committed to a push for DiBiase, though he was given the Million Dollar Championship for an angle to try and drum up some success, but nothing ever panned out for him. DiBiase left WWE in September 2013 after the failed "DiBiase Posse" gimmick. He wrestled on the independent scene for a few years, but left the industry in 2017.

His 2023 legal issues are well-known. DiBiase Jr. was charged with theft of millions in federal funds for low-income families in Mississippi months after he, his brother, Brett, and his father were ordered to repay millions in misspent welfare money. If convicted, he faces potential jail time ranging from five to 20 years.

It would be near impossible to live up to the legacy of the legendary Bruno Sammartino, but his son, David, certainly tried. Bruno was against his son getting into the professional wrestling world, but David went against his father's wishes and started training in smaller indie promotions before making his debut in the WWF in 1984 when he was 24 years old.

David received a big push and even teamed with his father during his initial year-long run in the WWF. David wrestled at the first-ever WrestleMania in a match against Brutus Beefcake, though the match ended in a double disqualification. Following his 'Mania bout, the father and son duo continued to team, with David's career advancing off the fame of his father. However, when Bruno wasn't on the card, David would fall down it, often wrestling in preliminary matches rather than the main event.

David could never escape his father's shadow, especially due to his limited wrestling skills and lack of charisma. One of David's final matches in his first run in WWE came in November 1985 when he quickly submitted to a jobber. He briefly wrestled in the AWA, then returned to the WWF, but never rose up the card to WrestleMania levels again. He left the company again in 1988 when he was fired after getting arrested for punching a fan.

He would wrestle on the independent scene and in WCW as a cruiserweight in 1996 for a pair of matches, but retired from the business shortly after, though he appeared in a few matches after, including one in 2010.

The Von Erich Family is perhaps the earliest famous family in wrestling history, and many branches of the family tree are still in the business today, including Kevin Von Erich's sons, Ross and Marshall, who are currently Ring of Honor six-man tag champs with Dustin Rhodes. Perhaps not well known to WWE fans, however, is Lacey Von Erich, the daughter of Kerry and the granddaughter of Fritz Von Erich. Lacey tried her hand in the wrestling business and had some mild success in TNA, but nothing quite like the rest of her family. 

She trained in FCW beginning in August 2007. She didn't last long, however, as in November that year, she requested to be transferred to Ohio Valley Wrestling and was denied. WWE released her from her contract. Lacey would go on to compete on the indie scene for a while, including in Jimmy Hart's Wrestlicious, but landed in TNA in 2009.

Lacey debuted in October and joined The Beautiful People after Angelina Love had left TNA. Lacey was her replacement; however, it quickly became apparent that she wasn't ready to be an in-ring competitor, and TNA masked her inabilities in six-woman tag team matches. Lacey would hold one half of the Knockouts Tag Team Championships, but only because The Beautiful People would freebird the titles.

She was released from TNA in November 2010 after playing backup to Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky. According to Dave Meltzer, back in October 2009, Lacey wasn't well-liked backstage and often got comparisons to her father in regards to her apparent lack of common sense.

"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka's son was known as Sim Snuka, or Deuce, throughout his professional wrestling career, though it didn't last long in the WWE. Unlike his sister, Tamina, Snuka didn't exactly have what it took to be a successful second-generation star.

He trained in Ohio Valley Wrestling beginning in January 2005, where he became known as Deuce Shade. There, he started teaming with Dice Domino, and when they debuted on the main roster on "WWE SmackDown" in January 2007, they became known as "Deuce 'n Domino," a 1950s greaser pair who were managed by Cherry. They won the WWE Tag Team Championships, though with the state of the tag division at the time, it didn't exactly mean much. The team's momentum stalled, and they were lost in the shuffle when the fans didn't connect with them. Deuce 'n Domino broke up in 200,8 and Snuka was turned away from joining Legacy.

What really seemed to kill Snuka's career, however, was a botched spot involving The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25. Snuka was cast as a cameraman who was meant to catch Taker after he missed a dive to Shawn Michaels. Snuka didn't catch "The Deadman," and he landed head-first on the floor. "Superfly's" son dropped the ball, and The Undertaker, and the heat on him backstage was almost immediate. Snuka's release from WWE happened a few months later, in June 2009.

While he's no longer in WWE, Snuka is still wrestling. He and Dice Domino have reunited to reform Deuce 'n Domino and still take independent bookings.

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat's son, Richie, is another child from a wrestling family whose career in the business didn't work out, though not for any reason of his own, but rather due to an unfortunate injury. Richie began his amateur wrestling career in high school, where he'd even compete against Reid Fliehr, son of Ric Flair. When he was older, he trained with George South and Harley Race before making his professional debut in July 2008.

He seemed to have a promising career ahead of him after working in Race's World League Wrestling with stars like Tommaso Ciampa and Mustafa Ali, in addition to training at the Pro Wrestling Noah dojo in Japan in 2009. He signed with WWE in December 2009 and was assigned to FCW. He would win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championships with Seth Rollins, and the pair held the gold for five months. Steamboat also held the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship just before FCW was rebranded to NXT. He entered the tournament to determine the first NXT Champion, but was knocked out in the semi-finals by Jinder Mahal. His final match came in November 2012.

Steamboat suffered a back injury that required surgery, and it was rumored he was released from his contract in December 2013. In April 2015, his dad clarified that due to his son's back surgery, he would not be able to wrestle again, something the younger Steamboat confirmed himself years later.

His father may have been known as one of the greatest Bad Guys in professional wrestling history and a founding member of the New World Order, but his son's wrestling career sadly never took off to nWo-levels of success. Scott Hall's son, Cody Hall, started to train as a wrestler with his dad starting in 2010, and started off his career in tag team matches with Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman. He got his break, the biggest of his short career, in January 2015 when he started training at NJPW's dojo.

He debuted in NJPW the same month as the Bullet Club's trainee. He was added, in part, due to Bullet Club's similarities to the nWo. Hall made his in-ring debut in February in a ten-man tag team match alongside Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, Kenny Omega, and Yujiro Takahashi. Hall worked matches with his stablemates until he suffered a serious spinal/neck injury at Invasion Attack 2016. After the injury, his profile was removed from NJPW's roster, and he departed the promotion.

He'd go on to also wrestle in Pro Wrestling Noah beginning in April 2017 and DDT Pro-Wrestling. Hall was signed to MLW in 2020, but didn't appear before he was released. His father's death in 2022 had a big effect on him, and in September 2023, Nash gave an update on Cody. He said his best friend's son was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and still recovering from his career-ending injury he sustained in Japan. Hall effectively retired from the ring to focus on himself, but said in 2022, he'd still like to be part of the wrestling world.