Wrestlers Who Couldn't Get Over Even With Their Family Legacy

your boy Ross back at again with another video. So, we're going to check out 10 wrestlers who failed to carry the famous family legacy. Now, we've been recently talking about Zilla 2 being called up to the NXT roster [music] and how some people feel like um he's only called up because he was uh he's um Umaga's son. He's a part of the bloodline and he has family ties that's involved in the bloodline. You know, Samoan heritage and all that other stuff that people are trying to use as a only valid reason why he's in uh NXT right now. But I think this is a a perfect video to kind of counter that type of argument to let people know that just because you're born into a wrestling family does not mean it'll always work out for you. And I'm hoping for the best for Zilla Fatu. You know, I'm hoping that things actually does work out for him. But that's not always the case. And we shouldn't harp on people being, you know, their mother or father being in the wrestling business. And that's an automatic buy for them to be successful because there are wrestlers who had a strong royal family wrestling family heritage and it didn't work out for them. So, we're going to check this out. Also, I know some of y'all were trying uh questioning on my recent video, did I dye my hair? Yes. Was it by choice? No. This is because I failed a try not to laugh challenge and the punishment was I had to dye my hair. So, this is why my hair looks this color. I didn't even pick this color. Duh. Pick this color. It's supposed to be lavender, but ultimately, uh, it's I don't even think it looks lavender. It looks like a little bit of a brown orangish orange color. So, yes, for the next few videos, I don't know when this is going to come out of my hair. U, probably when my hair grows out fully, you're going to be seeing this color. What's up? Just wanted to let you guys know for those who was asking, yes, I dyed my hair. Not by choice. But all right, man. Let's get into this, man. Appreciate all the love and support. Let's check this out, MAN. >> IT'LL BE A COLD DAY IN HELL BEFORE BULLY RAY GETS BULLIED BY A MEASLY HOGAN. >> Pro wrestling is an industry that's always been brimming with family dynasties that have carried on from generation to generation, many of which have been continuously successful. The likes of Randy Orton, Brett the Hitman Hart, and The Rock, for instance, all found immense popularity while walking the same path their fathers did. Yeah. Even on a much smaller scale, former WWE stars like Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas achieve some level of success while carrying on respectfully the legacies of the Henigundas. Others, however, well, not so much. Join us now as Wrestle Amy looks at 10 wrestlers who failed to carry their family legacy. Be sure to subscribe and hit that notification bell for daily wrestling videos. Number 10, David Hart Smith. David Hart Smith may seem like an unjustified inclusion on a list such as this, considering he was one-time WWE tank champion and has since held a long list of notable championships for a long list of notable promotions. But compare his career to that of his late father, and it's night and day. Now, Smith's main problem is that he was never allowed to be his own person in WWE. He used his father's running power slam finish and later the sharpshooter that had been popularized by his broader family. And he was also a consistently featured member of various Heart Foundation spin-offs, including the Stampede Bulldogs, the Heart Dynasty, and a developmental faction in FCW that was quite literally named the Next Generation Heart Foundation. Splitting from Tyson Kid at the end of 2010 was ultimately career killing for Smith, at least as far as his WWE career is concerned, and he was released from his contract the following August. He's found small modeics of fame along the way for groups like New Japan and the NWA. Plus, he had a brief untelvised WWE comeback in 2021, but nothing has ever been enough for him to cement his legacy as equal to that of his fathers. Number nine, Bruce Hoff. And this is a point that >> people tend to overlook. A lot of times being brought in from your parents' legacy, it can sometimes hurt you because especially if they were like a big star, very notable name, those are damn near impossible shoes to fill. So, you're trying to make a name for yourself, but you're also tied to that person's legacy. There's going to be comparisons. There's going to be a lot of things, and it's tough to kind of get out of that person's shadow. It's not often that you see it when it does happen, but it's going to be tough to do that because the comparisons, especially if they're booking you a certain way to always be compared to your father or your mother or whoever the case may be that was in wrestling, you know, prior to you, you know, it makes it a little bit harder to really find your own identity if they're booking you away where people associate you with your father or your mother more than may associate with your actual character. The second generation British bulldog isn't the only member of the Hart family to have struggled to uphold its illustrious legacy, as Bruce Hart is widely recognized as being the worst of the bunch. Damn. >> Not that he believes it though. The second of 12 children born to Stew and Helen Hart. Bruce Hart is perhaps best known for the exemplary matchmaking and talent development duties he undertook for his father's stampede wrestling business. During which time he helped produce many soon to be pillars of the industry, such as Jake the Snake Roberts, the Honky Tonk Man, and indeed his own younger brother, Brett. Unsurprisingly, Bruce appears to detest his own flesh and blood as during an interview with the Fight Club Chicago, he called the hitman a mark for himself. I have the utmost respect for Brett as a worker. I actually done a lot for Brett and I'm not taking any bows for any of his credits for whatever he's achieved. I think truth be known, Brett's a bit of a mark for himself. It's something some people become. He was more for himself than anyone else, which is fine, I guess. In the wrestling business, in a way, it's a team thing. Everyone benefits from the guys that you're working with. You can't do it all by yourself. I think sometimes Brett lost sight of that. Damn. >> Even with Montreal referencing the Montreal screw job, I felt that both Brett and Vince, neither one of them did the wrestling business justice with the way they handled it. Brett was disenchanted with my take on that. I have a lot of respect for Brett, but he's sometimes more for himself than anyone else. That's probably his biggest fault. Now, while Bret Hart went on to become one of the very best wrestlers of all time, Bruce Hart struggled to maintain an ounce of relevancy and never made it as a full-timer in WWE. His most prominent appearances are when he teamed with Brett Owen and Keith Hart at the 1994 Survivor Series to face Shawn Michaels and his Knights. Well, at Wrestlemania 26, he served as a guest referee for Brett's terrible match versus Vince McMahon, trying to >> I didn't even realize that. I forgot all about that. This is awful. [laughter] So awful. Even steal a spotlight within it. Number eight, Jesse. Two of the four members of the iconic fabulous Freeird Stable have deep roots in the wrestling business, but neither comes from a particularly renowned dynasty despite their own neverending fame. Jimmy Garvin is the stepson of golden era star rugged Ronnie Garvin. While two of Terry Gord's three children, Ray and Miranda, followed in their father's footsteps. Ray is the more famous of the two by technicality alone as he spent 5 years competing in WWE under the aliases of Jesse and Slammer. >> Damn, I forgot. I didn't even realize that. Oh man. Yeah, they they Damn, bro. [sighs and gasps] some of these gimmicks, bro. Ah, this is why I they say sometimes, especially back then, I'm sure they probably still do it now, they'll just throw some [ __ ] at the wall and hopes it sticks. This is this gimmick, specifically this one right here. Horrendous. Jay, though, he failed to find the same success that had followed his father. Most notably, he partnered with Luke Gallows when he was known as Bestus, acting as his handler, for a lack of a better word. But gimmicks like this have only had a brief shelf life. There were only so many times the audience could watch Fesa snap out of his trance. Really, he was doomed from the start. Because as we're currently seeing with the Birthright stable in NXT, it's never a good sign when a second or third generation wrestler doesn't use their family name. As such, it was hardly a surprise when news broke of Jesse being handed his P45 shortly after Wrestlemania 26. Number seven, Chris von Eric. But there are few tales in wrestling more distressing than that of the von Erics, but their legacy nonetheless remains one of the industry's richest. Not only did the family's war with the fabulous Freeirds define the meaning of a blood feud, but the family's patriarch Fritz von Eric was one of the all-time best wrestling promoters. While Carrie von Eeric as a Texas tornado brought the WWF Intercontinental Championship to the family's dinner table in 1990. Disheartingly, it was the same immense success of his father and siblings that drove Chris von Eric to pursue a career in pro wrestling. But due to him suffering from asthma and having easily breakable bones, he failed to make anything of himself. He shared the ring with a who's who of genuine wrestling [music] legends, including future Stone Cold Steve Austin, and was greatly supported by the loyal audience. But it wasn't enough. On September 12th, 1991, Chris was found by his brother and mother, having taken his own life via a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. He was only just 21 years old. >> Sad man. >> Number six, David Sammartino. Now, although he didn't follow a long line of his ancestors like those in the Anowah family do, David Sammartino faced what was an arguably greater hurdle than any of them did. He had to follow in the footsteps of his father, Bruno Sammartino. Legitimately one of the biggest draws that professional wrestling had ever seen. Yeah. >> Debuting in 1918, D. >> That's that's just a that's just a daunting task. one of one of touted as one of the greatest of all time. You have to follow in in his footsteps. This shit's not easy. It's not easy. Even for a a product that is scripted and the the winners are predetermined, it's still not easy trying to resonate with fans because fans are only going to see, oh, well, you're just his son. Y'all remember when uh Dominic Mysterio was getting introduced uh to the WWE because they moved they didn't even I don't think they even put him through the NXT system. They put him on the main roster with his dad. Y'all remember that early. You know, we talking about Dominic before the mustache. And it was cool to see it, but nothing was resonating. Nothing was sticking. We just called him Dom. uh Ray Ray's son. That was it. And it he was floundering until they lined him up with the judgment. They had him turn heel and you can now separate Dom from Ray and it works. Are they using him well in WWE? Not so much. They're using him well in Triple A, but well, better in Triple A, but not in WWE main roster. But at one point he was the biggest heel in wrestling and it worked because they found a way to separate him but also you know he has that mysterio name but he was making a name for himself and it's kind of hard to do that you know when you you know when your father is who they are you feel me I can only imagine trying to follow up Bruno San Martino >> simply didn't have the necessary skills to cut it as a wrestler he didn't possess the same magnetism that his father had, nor were his in ring skills up to par. So, it was hardly a shock when his arrival in the fledgling World Wrestling Federation lasted only just one year. He was best remembered for competing at the inaugural Wrestlemania in 1985, where he went to a double count out with British Beefcake, while his last match in the company saw him reportedly forfeit a match to enhancement talent Ron Shaw by submitting to a bear hug within seconds. Smartino's wrestled on and off ever since, including a brief spell in 1996 under the banner of WCW. But following the legacy of Bruno is something that he never managed to do. Number five, Garrett Bishoff. Unquestionably one of the biggest cases of nepotism crept into its way in TNA in 2011 as Garrett Bishoff, the son of Eric Bishoff, joined the locker room. Similar to how prominently cowboy Bill Watts booked his son Eric in WCW despite a clear lack of skill, it was painfully obvious that Garrett had only gotten the gig because of his family name. He held no commanding presence in the ring or [music] on the microphone. Yet, he was constantly sharing the ring with and often defeating Hall of Fame level talent like Kurt Angle. A subsequent spot within the ranks of aces and eight saw Garrett elevated further up the card as he became the go-to punching bag, which again had him wrestling opposite huge names like Jeff Hardy and Sting. Mercifully, Garrett formerly parted ways with TNA in 2015, after which he, his father, and Jason Harvey filed a lawsuit against the company for reportedly withholding their salaries. Speaking on an episode of his 83 weeks podcast, Bishop revealed exactly how much his son was allegedly owed. [music] They screwed my son out of 45 or 35 grand and that really got me hot. That got me hot to screw my kid out of money because you're pissed off at me or whatever. Bad, bad, bad. Number four, Manu. If you if if you sign a contract and this is how much I'm supposed to get paid despite my feelings or whatever issues we got, make sure people are paid properly. I've heard things about TNA and how money was managed, so I'm not surprised by that. But still, you owe me 30 to 40 something. Yeah, I'mma file a lawsuit, too. Hey, I'm gonna get my money in some. We gonna figure this out cuz I'm You don't work for free. Nor should anybody out there just be working for free either. >> A member of the esteemed Anowah wrestling dynasty is the son of Alpha from the Wild Samoans. Manu was briefly part of WWE'se's main roster between late 2008 and early 2009 as a member of the legacy stable alongside Randy Orton, Cody Rhodess, and Teddy Biosi. He joined at the 2008 Unforgiven pay-per-view, quickly becoming the enforcer of an alliance as he laid out crime time. But within [music] months, he was booted from the group and indeed booted from the company. A loss to Matt Hardy, which was an on-screen test orchestrated by Randy Orton, was a storyline reason for his exit. But Orton was also the legitimate reason behind his departure. The rumor is that the Viper wasn't keen on Manu's attitude towards the business as he believed that he didn't need to prove himself given his family's history. Discussing his ex-stablemate during an interview for WWE magazine. Orton discussed Manu's exile from the legacy. And though he was speaking in character, you can sense [music] some real beef between the two. Respect. That's something that Manu who had a chance to be a part of Legacy didn't have. He grew up in the business and you would have thought that he would had that ingrained in his mind. He had been wrestling since his early teens, and he thought that he was already a veteran in his early 20s. That's what got him fired from Legacy. [music] But I think we're looking to include another part-time man in the stable to make it all the more powerful. I'll say no more. [music] Number three, and think about it. Think about that. This is why when people make those comments of, you know, Friszzilla and anybody else or Well, I hadn't really seen too many people make comments about Jacob because Jacob been on the independent scenes for a very long time. But this is why I say I think it's it's you you [snorts] need to understand that just because you have the name or you have the the bloodline, no pun intended, doesn't mean it's going to work out for you. There's still you still got to pay your dues. Everybody that has became a big star, whether they had a family, you know, in wrestling or not, they all had to pay their dues. every single one of them. There ain't nobody out there that didn't have to pay their dues in some form of fashion. Like, that's just what it is. So, it doesn't matter if you have the name. If you come in with that mindset, oh, you're out the door. It don't matter. You already coming in here thinking you run things. Prime example, Roman Reigns, he had to come in with a humble humble uh, you know, mindset. He couldn't come in already demanding certain things. No, he had to come in. All right, whatever they want me to do, I got to [ __ ] do. Even if I have to say horrible cringe promos, I have to just do what I got to do. Pay my dues. So when I get to that level, then I can control how things go. I have a little bit more say. So everybody goes through that. Doesn't matter who you are or who you're related to. Brett Diosi. The Diosi name may now be more closely associated with the embezzlement of several million dollars from the state of Mississippi, but to wrestling fans, it is a legacy that stretches back decades. Starting with Iron Mike DBRC in the 50s, the family rose to prominence during the 80s with the emergence of his son Ted, who became the million-dollar man in WWF. His son, also named Ted, later joined the clan and found a level of success that didn't quite match his father's legacy, but certainly left more of a mark than that of his younger brother. Indeed, Brett DBRC failed to make any lasting impact during his short stint as a pro wrestler, spending more time in WWE'se's developmental system than he did on the main roster. In fact, he only appeared twice on mainstream programming. He played a planted fan during Randy Orton and John Cena's Clash at the 2009 Summerslam. While on the following night's episode of Raw, he starred in a backstage segment with Legacy. Allegedly, a blown knee cost him his WWE career as the plans had been made for him to be a continued member of legacy and eventually work with Triple H and Shawn Michaels ahead of the latter's retirement at Wrestlemania 26. >> Alas, Brett remains as nothing more than a footnote on his family name. >> Number two, Tamina. >> Considering the hazy legacy of her father, Superfly Jimmy Snooker, it is perhaps no surprise that WWE didn't make much out of Tamina. However, the actions of her father cannot be solely blamed for Tamina failing to carry the snooker legacy as she had always been a terrible worker. Land between the ropes and a charisma vacuum whenever she spoke. Tamina also failed to display any ounce of character development across her 13 years. Think about that, bro. When people automatically assume, oh, you Simone, you good? No, you can be a part of that family and it just doesn't work. It doesn't connect. It's not landing. It's not working. Like things are just not coming together. And it's unfortunately that's what happened with Tamina of activity on WWE'se's main roster. She was primarily the bodyguard or tag team partner of whoever needed an accomplice. 2021 saw Tamina seemingly get on track as a surprisingly and overwhelmingly positive crowd reaction at Wrestlemania 37 saw win the women's tag team championships with Natalyia a few weeks later, marking a very first taste of gold. But even that wasn't anything really worth celebrating, however, as that year's Mania was the first time fans were permitted in the building in over a year. They probably would have gone wild for anybody, Tamino or otherwise. She hasn't wrestled since 2023. And number one, David Flair. [music] Given that Ric Flair was one of the greatest wrestlers to ever do the job, it was all but guaranteed that at least one of his children would carve an equally as successful legacy. That was proven by Charlotte Flair. Before the queen tried a luck in the squared circle, however, it was the turn of David Flair to step out of the Nature Boy shadow. Having appeared on a handful of occasions alongside his father in WCW, the second Jed Flair wrestled his first match in January of 1999 and [music] managed to stick it out to win both the United States heavyweight and World Tag Team Championships. The problem is that like with Garrett and Eric Bishoff in TNA, it was glaringly obvious that David had only gotten such a prominent spot because of his surname. Analyzing the quality of his output revealed how dreadful of a wrestler he actually was. Further nepotism was displayed upon him joining the WWE. Ahead of Rick facing the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 18, the American Badass annihilated David on an episode of Smackdown in early 2002. He had no right sharing the ring with Taker. Even more so considering it was on the road to Wrestlemania. That mercifully was his last attempt at relevancy. But there you have it folks. 10 >> and those shoes are damn near impossible to fill. Now, Charlotte has been able to carve out a lane for herself and it's worked, you know, and granted obviously WWE love them some Charlotte Flair. So, she's been given multiple in multiple in multiple in multiple in multiple title reigns. Not many of them are that memorable, but she still can go in the ring for the most part. She's still pretty solid in the ring. So, that's what works for her. But if you're not that good in the ring is only so much of the your last name covering up the flaws that it's that you can do. So ultimately it it I can only imagine being the son of someone that is a legend in their field. Like I can only imagine trying to live up to that. How how hard that may be. But hey, comment down below. Let me know some other wrestling related videos you guys want me to check out. I definitely will. I appreciate all the love support you guys have shown on channel road to 200k. Appreciate y'all kicking with me. See you on the next one. Peace.