Top 13 Superstar Siblings
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty
Welcome back one and all to my weekly countdown covering everything inside and out of professional wrestling. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, coming to you from Southern California where I've been happy to have my 23-year old sister visiting from New Jersey. While there aren't a whole lot of male/female sets of siblings inside the squared circle, there have been a ton of real-life brothers, competing both together and on opposite sides. This is "Lucky Thirteen #14: Superstar Siblings."
Honorable Mention
Before we start, I would like to give a specific nod to Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Sam Houston and Rockin' Robin—all children of the late Grizzly Smith. In addition I'd like to acknowledge the Bevis family, particularly Roy, Zak, and Brittni—also known as The Zebra Kid, Zak Zodiac and Paige.
13. Bray Wyatt & Bo Dallas
Starting things off are a set of third generation wrestlers who can both be seen performing on the WWE's main roster. While audiences may not be familiar with the former Florida Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champions, Windham and Tyler, fans around the world are most certainly aware of Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas. That's right—the Eater of Worlds was named in honor of one of the most reputable families in wrestling history. And why not? His father—Mike Rotunda, AKA I.R.S.—married into the Windham family, making Blackjack Mulligan the grandfather of Bray and his brother Bo. Their uncles are Kendall, a member of the "West Texas Rednecks," and Barry—a former NWA champion. The younger Tyler Rotunda AKA Bo Dallas was the first to follow in the familial footsteps, followed two years later by his big brother Bray. Both Rotunda's made a huge name for themselves when FCW begat NXT; Bo Dallas is a former NXT Champion, while Bray Wyatt has been featured in Wrestlemania Moments against the Undertaker and John Cena.
12. The Hebner Brothers
They're not the only non-wrestlers on our list, but they are the only referees. Dave and Earl Hebner are identical twin brothers who became household names during their time in both WWE and Total Nonstop Action. Dave began his life in the business years before his brother Earl, and was the featured official in the Intercontinental Championship Match between the Macho Man and Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania III. Earl debuted in 1988 amidst a most engaging controversy wherein Ted DiBiase supposedly paid a referee to have plastic surgery, so that he had someone who looked just like Dave. Dave Hebner faded into the background in the World Wrestling Federation as a road agent, while Earl was promoted to "senior official." The brothers were fired in 2005 when it was discovered that—along with Earl's son Brian—the family was selling WWE merchandise without authorization. They appeared in TNA as early as 2006, where Earl and Brian remain highly visible parts of the show.
11. The Usos
Their father is a WWE Hall of Famer, and the blood flowing through their veins is the same as that which pumped into the hearts of Yokozuna, the Wild Samoans, Umaga, and the Rock. Rikishi and his wife brought Jonathan and Joshua Fatu into the world on August 22, 1985. The boys were born so late at night, that they were almost born on two separate days. The duo that would one day be tag team champions grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and were avid football players in their youth. They learned at the foot of Booker T's learning tree, and debuted for Florida Championship Wrestling in 2007 as the "Usos," the Samoan word for "Brothers." The rechristened Jimmy and Jey held the FCW tag team titles, and would later become 2-time WWE tag team champions. In 2014, Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Jimmy and Jey Uso the Tag Team of the Year.
10. The Briscoe Brothers
The tandem coming in at number ten is a set of siblings from Sandy Fork, Delaware. Jay and Mark Pugh are both fifteen-year veterans better known as the Briscoe Brothers. Jay was born on January 25, 1984 and Mark was born less than one year later on January 18, 1985. They grew up as part of a tightly-knit family on a chicken farm in Delaware, where they learned to pull their own weight from an early age. The brothers made their professional debut on May 20, 2000 and have since become two of the most respected wrestlers in the entire industry. They are former EIGHT-time Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions, and have also held gold in promotions such as CZW, Full Impact Pro, NOAH, and the National Wrestling Alliance. Jay is the current ROH World Champion, and has held the title on a record TWO occasions; a feat shared only by Austin Aries.
9. The Steiners
Modern day wrestling fans might only recall the "Dog-Faced Gremlin" and the "Big Bad Booty Daddy," but before Scott Steiner was the WCW World Champion, he and his brother Rick were among the most decorated tag teams in professional wrestling. The Steiner Brothers were born Robert and Scott Rechsteiner and grew up in Bay City, Michigan. They are just over one year apart in age; Robert AKA Rick was born on March 9, 1961 and Scott was born on August 29, 1962. They both wrestled for the University of Michigan and were trained in the art of professional wrestling by Eddie Sharkey. Throughout their career, the Steiners have held tag team titles in the World Wrestling Federation, World Championship Wrestling, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. In addition to their tag team accolades, Rick was the penultimate United States Champion before WCW closed, finally losing it to Booker T. Scott had the same honor as the second-to-last WORLD champion—and he ALSO lost his title to Booker T.
8. Terry and Dory Funk Jr.
They are the only siblings to hold the National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship. Dory Funk Jr. was born Dorrance Funk on February 3, 1941 to the legendary Dory Funk Sr. His brother Terrance was born just three years later on June 30, 1944. The brothers were born in Hammond Indiana, but grew up in Amarillo Texas on what is now known as the "Double Cross Ranch." Dory made his professional debut at the age of 22 in 1963, and beat his brother to the gold when he became the NWA champion on February 11, 1969. Dory would hold the title for a combined 1563 days, making him the seventh longest reigning wrestling champion in history. Terry made his debut in 1965 and won his world title ten years later when he defeated longtime champion Jack Brisco in 1975. The Funks have continued to exist within the wrestling culture in varying degrees since passing their prime; Terry is still active in the ring, and was a vital cog in the "Hardcore Engine" that made the Attitude Era run smoothly. Dory has taken more of a backseat to the next generation, and continues to mentor young talents for their future as professional wrestling superstars.
7. The Young Bucks
Some might say that brothers Nick and Matt Massie are the best tag team in the world. And while I might have to disagree with that statement, they're certainly among the most entertaining. Matt Massie AKA Matt Jackson was born on March 31, 1985 and his younger brother Nick was born on July 28, 1989. The duo debuted in 2004 and quickly climbed the ranks of the wrestling industry via their flagrant usage of high spots and highway chicanery. They're currently members of the immensely popular Bullet Club in New Japan, and can be seen wrestling regularly in Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. In addition to their tag team dominance in ROH and PWG, the Young Bucks have earned tag team title gold in Chikara, DGUSA, and are the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions.
6. The Bella Twins
Another set of siblings still performing today are the beautiful Bella Twins. Brie and Nikki were born Brianne and Nicole Garcia-Colace on November 11, 1983 and spent their youth playing soccer in Scottsdale Arizona. After spending time in developmental, the Bellas made their debut in 2007 and are among the longest-lasting Divas in recent memory. Nikki is the current WWE Divas Champion, and Brie just finished a high-profile rivalry with Stephanie McMahon. In addition to their weekly duties on Raw and Smackdown, Nikki and Brie also appear on the E! Entertainment series "Total Divas," where they're featured prominently alongside their respective significant others, John Cena and Daniel Bryan. Whether you love them or hate them, the Bellas have been a big part of the WWE puzzle for nearly 8-years, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.
5. Harlem Heat
Formerly known as the Ebony Express, sometimes known as Kane and Kole, brothers Booker T and Stevie Ray are the most decorated tag team in WCW history—Harlem Heat. Stevie Ray was born Lash Huffman on August 22, 1958 in Houston Texas and made his professional debut as "Super Collider" in 1989 for Ivan Putski's Western Wrestling Alliance. Booker was born Booker T Huffman on March 1, 1965 and quickly joined his brother in the ring after a string of unfortunate events landed Booker in prison. They were known as the Ebony Express and would later be called "Harlem Heat"—billed from Harlem New York, despite growing up in Houston Texas—and made their WCW debut in August 1993. They are former 10-time World Championship Wrestling tag team title holders; Booker T is a WWE Hall of Famer and former world champion, while Stevie Ray was the Television Champion and leader of the New World Order for a short time.
4. The Von Erich Brothers
The story of the Von Erich Brothers is a heartbreaking tale to tell; five of six sons born to Fritz Von Erich have passed since 1959, beginning with a six year old boy named Jack, who was electrocuted and died in a puddle of water. Kevin Von Erich was less 2-years old at the time, and is the only living Von Erich from that generation. David was born in 1958 and was the prodigy of the family, wowing audiences with his uncanny charisma and unmatched athletic ability. David however died in a Tokyo Hotel room on February 10, 1984; it was reported that David died of food poisoning, but it's been said in subsequent years that substances played a more pivotal role. Kerry was born in 1960, and along with David and Kevin, was a superstar of the family's WCCW. Kerry became distressed after a motorcycle accident claimed his leg. He continued to perform and even held the WWE Intercontinental championship as the "Texas Tornado." Kerry killed himself via self-inflicted shotgun blast to the chest on February 18, 1993. Mike was another skilled technician, although he never achieved the same success as his brothers. Born in 1964, the fifth and penultimate son of Fritz Von Erich passed away from a tranquilizer overdose on April 12, 1987. The final and perhaps most unfortunate story, features Fritz's youngest son Chris who was born without the same wrestling prowess as his brothers. He was also about a foot shorter than everyone else, and was average in terms of physique. Chris took his life via gunshot on September 12, 1991. Though their time with us was short, the years in which the Von Erich's spent on this Earth will be cherished for an eternity to come.
3. The Hardy Boyz
The current TNA Tag Team Champions are the brothers Matt and Jeff from Cameron North Carolina. The Hardy Boyz were born just three years apart—Matt on September 23, 1974 and Jeff on August 31, 1977—and grew up dreaming of one day becoming professional wrestlers. The brothers started their own promotion in their hometown known as OMEGA, and featured future wrestlers like Shannon Moore and Gregory Helms. They debuted for the WWE in the early 1990s as enhancement talent, and remained as such for over five years until they were paired with Michael "PS" Hayes and later Amy "Lita" Dumas. Both brothers have held a literal ton of title belts including a slew of singles straps, but have generally always reverted to their teamwork in order to get over. They are former WWE tag team champions, WCW tag team champions, and as mentioned earlier, are the CURRENT TNA world tag team champions.
2. Stephanie McMahon-Levesque & Shane McMahon
They're not Superstars per se, but the crowned prince and princess of the McMahon Kingdom have been focal points of the WWE Universe since the Attitude Era. Shane McMahon was born in Fire Island New York on January 15, 1970 to the then-heir apparent to the World WIDE Wrestling Federation. His sister Stephanie came along just six years later, born in Hartford Connecticut on September 24, 1976. Shane's first foray into the wild world of wrestling was as a referee in 1989. Stephanie wouldn't make her on-screen debut for another decade, and was introduced to audiences as Vince McMahon's innocent daughter. Stephanie is a former Women's champion, and Shane has even held the now-defunct WWE European Championship. While Stephanie and Shane are perhaps more formidable outside of the squared-circle, neither one has ever backed down from a bump—especially Shane. Although Shane left the WWE in recent years to pursue his own ventures, the McMahon family remains intact and the future of the WWE is in the hands of the "Billion Dollar Princess."
1. Bret Hart & Owen Hart
Maybe I'm biased because I grew up during a time when Bret Hart and his "Loveable Brother Owen" could be seen on the same show from week to week. The Hart Brothers never held tag team gold together, but I stand by my declaration that Bret and Owen Hart are the NUMBER ONE set of Wrestling Siblings in history. Bret was the 8th child of Stu and Helen Hart, while Owen was their very last. Bret made his professional debut for his father's Stampede Wrestling in 1978, just five years before Owen would take up the family trade. Bret was picked up by the World Wrestling Federation in 1984 and Owen was signed just four years later, and performed for audiences as the "Blue Blazer." Owen never held the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but odds are he would have if the events of May 23, 1999 went in a different direction. During their respective careers, Bret and Owen have both held Intercontinental and Tag Team gold, and have each worn the coveted King of the Ring crown. Bret "The Hitman" Hart is a WWE Hall of Famer, and this wrestling reporter suggests that "The Rocket" deserves the same distinction.
Thank you for stopping by the latest "Lucky Thirteen." Be sure to check out my weekly reviews of everything from Monday Night Raw to Lucha Underground to Total Nonstop Wrestling. You can always read my daily podcast reviews over at Daily Wrestling News, and hear my voice on the "B+ Player Podcast," released each and every Monday morning. Until next time, this has been Mark Adam Haggerty, reminding you to keep it here at Cheap-Heat for all the latest and greatest in professional wrestling.
