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Top 10 Second Generation Wrestlers
Posted by: FP

Right now, Legacy is the main heel faction in the WWE. The common element of the group is that they are second (or third) generation wrestlers. As you know, Randy Orton is the son of WWE Hall of Famer "Cowboy" Bob Orton (and grandson of Bob Orton Sr.), Cody Rhodes is the son of WWE Hall of Famer "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, and Ted Dibiase Jr. is the son of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase and grandson of "Iron" Mike Dibiase and Helen Hild. Some wrestlers, like David Sammartino, David Flair, Scott Putski, and Greg Gagne could never live up to the standards their fathers set. Below is a very good Top 10 list of second (a/o third) generation wrestlers who have also made an impact on the sport.

10) Randy Orton. Read just a smidgen above this to see his lineage in the sport. Two-time (and current as of this writing) WWE Champion, former I/C Champion, Tag Team Champion, and the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history; he was 24 when he defeated Chris Benoit at SummerSlam 2004. He also is this year's Royal Rumble winner, although he did not win the WWE Title at Wrestlemania; however, he did win it at Backlash.

9) Ted Dibiase. See above again on Ted's stepfather and mother. Mike died in the ring when Ted was just 15 years old. One of the greatest gimmicks in wrestling history (another post I want to do) as the "Million Dollar Man", a spinoff character of what Vince McMahon's wrestling gimmick would have been. Three-time WWE Tag Team Champion, one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time, one of the greatest never to hold the WWE or NWA/WCW Championship, and creator of the Million Dollar Belt.

8) Greg Valentine. Son of Johnny Valentine, whose career ended in the 1975 plane crash involving Ric Flair. Was a two-time Tag Team Champion with Flair, and broke Flair's nose. Held the U.S. Title three times, a Tag Team Champion in both the NWA and WWE, was I/C champion and had a great feud with Tito Santana over it. He also was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.

7) Eddie Guerrero. Son of Gory Guerrero. There are too many siblings and nephews to list in terms of his wrestling family. His widow, Vickie, just resigned as GM of RAW and appears to be leaving the company too. Has held titles in ECW, WCW, and the WWE, including the WWE Championship. His death still hurts the company to this day, and he's one of the wrestlers I miss the most to this day (another post for another time). Eddie was inducted posthumously into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.

6) Curt Hennig. Son of Larry "The Ax" Hennig. One of my all-time favorite wrestlers, another wrestler we lost too early, and maybe the second best gimmick of all time as Mr. Perfect (you'll find out who the best one is if I ever do the gimmick post). Two-time I/C Champion (see my post for me listing him as the greatest I/C champion), former AWA Heavyweight Champion, former U.S. Champion, and held Tag Titles in the AWA and WCW. He was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007, and his son Joe is now developing as a wrestler.

5) Nick Bockwinkel. Son of Warren Bockwinkel. One of the greatest heel champions of all time, four-time AWA Champion, three-time AWA Tag Team Champion, and, along with Sting, maybe the greatest wrestler never to wrestle for the WWE (although he did wrestle Bob Backlund when they both were champions of their respective federations). He was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.

4) Terry Funk. Son of Dory Funk, Sr. He and his brother Dory, Jr. are the only brothers to hold the NWA Heavyweight Championship. Also held the ECW Title twice, was an ECW Television Champion, and is worshipped in Japan due to his insane barbed wire matches. He also has set the record for most retirements, although Michael Jordan (and currently Brett Favre) are trying to break it. He was inducted with his brother this year into the WWE Hall of Fame.

3) The Rock. Son of Rocky Johnson and grandson of "High Chief" Peter Maivia. One of the greatest promo cutters in wrestling history. Nine-time World Champion, two-time I/C Champion, and five-time Tag Team Champion. Winner of the 2000 Royal Rumble. Left the sport in his prime to become a Hollywood actor.

2) Randy Savage. Son of Angelino Poffo. Six-time World Champion (combined WWE/WCW reigns), I/C Champion, and the subject of a DVD release by WWE this week. One of my all-time favorite wrestlers as well. I hope this DVD means that Savage will finally be inducted into the Hall of Fame next year.

1) Bret Hart. Son of Stu Hart. Seven-time World Champion (combined WWE/WCW), former I/C Champion, U.S. Champion, Tag Team Champion, regarded as one of the best (if not the best) technical wrestlers of all time, and just released a book not that long ago. It's a very interesting read, a long read, and took me a month to get through it. Co-winner of the 1994 Royal Rumble. Also won the 1991 and 1993 King of the Ring; the 1993 version was the first on pay-per-view. His sisters married professional wrestlers as well. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.

Honorable mentions go out to the Von Erichs (son of Fritz Von Erich), Barry Windham (son of Blackjack Mulligan), and Owen Hart (see above). Dustin Rhodes has had a solid career, but not on the level of the aforementioned wrestlers. Dean Malenko (son of Boris) had a solid career in ECW and WCW as well. Dick Murdoch (son of Wayne) also had a good career. Tully Blanchard (son of Joe) also became famous through his run with the Horsemen. Props go out to Online World of Wrestling and Wikipedia to help make the information accurate and possible.

Hope you enjoyed the post. Plenty of ideas are there, but sometimes the time isn't.

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