Greatest Second And Third Generation Wrestlers

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, the staff give their top five second and third generation wrestlers.

David Gibb

5. Greg Valentine
“The Hammer” adopted his father Johnny’s chop-wood-and-grind-meat style without being a ripoff or tribute act and became one of the last flag bearers of the territorial style in the WWF.

4. Ricky Morton
Everybody remembers that the Rock n’ Roll Express were athletic and sexy, but too often fans forget how psychologically tight their matches were. That probably had a lot to do with the fact that Paul Morton, Ricky’s father, was a former wrestler and one of the most respected referees in southern wrestling.

3. Randy Orton
Remember all those times we were told that Randy Orton was a third-generation superstar? I sure did! He is obviously very good, though, and has been for a long time.

2. Charlotte
The perfect wrestler in the perfect time and place. Charlotte’s size, presence and ability make her the natural face of the WWE women’s division. The fact that she’s Ric Flair’s daughter is just sequined frosting on a feathery cake.

1. Ted DiBiase
Both of the Million Dollar Man’s parents were wrestlers (“Iron” Mike DiBiase and Helen Hild, one of the great rivals of Mildred Burke and Fabulous Moolah), but it was Ted who built the family name bigger and higher than it had ever been before. Ted was a master white meat babyface, despicable, mean-spirited sadist, and loud, insecure millionaire, all while having some of the most consistently sound matches of his generation. His incomparable ring psychology and adherence to wrestling tradition while still innovating make him the ultimate generational wrestler.

John Corrigan

5. Charlotte
She didn’t even want to be a pro wrestler! The Queen had absolutely no aspirations of following in her father’s footsteps until John Laurinaitis and her brother Reid encouraged her to give it a shot. Since her baby brother tragically passed away, Charlotte has dedicated her career to making him proud. Along the way, she has inspired a generation of girls to chase their dreams and break through the boys club of wrasslin’.

4. Randy Savage
If you only watched his WWE run, easily his peak in pro wrestling, you’d have no idea that Randy Savage was a second-generation wrestler. That’s because he carved out his own iconic legacy as the Macho Man, a true original in every sense of the word. From his timeless matches to his often imitated, yet never duplicated promos, Savage has left his mark as one of the greatest of all time.

3. Bret Hart
Family values is what The Hitman preached. He took great pride in being the most successful member of the Hart family, often paying homage to his parents and helping his brothers as well as his brothers-in-law get room in the spotlight. Even today, he puts an extra shine on Natalya whenever an opportunity presents itself.

2. Terry Funk
Whether he was on top of the world as NWA World Heavyweight Champion, middle-aged and crazy, or a soft-spoken elder statesman of the industry, Terry Funk is a pioneer. Before Chris Jericho and Undertaker, Funker was the first to reinvent himself time after time, his barbed wire tentacles reaching all crevices of the wrestling world. His endless relevancy is remarkable and his contributions to the business – helping his father’s Amarillo territory, breaking in several superstars, lending credibility to ECW – are invaluable.

1. The Rock
The People’s Champion has made the most successful transition in the history of pro wrestling. Just this week The Rock was named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People! What I love about Rock is that he doesn’t hide his past – he still makes appearances in WWE and still gives publicity to wrestling endeavors (such as the Dark Side of the Ring series on VICE) via his Twitter. He’s the best ambassador the industry has ever had, and he remains the most electrifying man in sports and entertainment.

Chad Gelfand

1. The Rock
There can’t be any other person at number one. The Rock is the most successful second or third-generation wrestler of all time. A seven-time WWE Champion, inevitable WWE Hall of Famer and one of the biggest movie stars right now, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in general, let alone a second or third generation wrestler that is more successful than The Rock.

2. Randy Orton
From a “Legend Killer” to a legend in his own right, Randy Orton has put together quite the career. A multiple-time WWE and World Heavyweight Champion, along with main eventing two WrestleManias, Orton has been one of the faces of WWE for nearly 15 years.

3. Roman Reigns
Reigns might be polarizing as a wrestler, but there’s no denying his credentials as a Universal Champion and WWE Champion along with main eventing four straight WrestleManias. You may not like it, but you have to respect all that Reigns has accomplished.

4. Charlotte
Charlotte, like Roman Reigns, is a polarizing figure in the wrestling world, but also like Reigns, you can’t deny her accomplishments and you can’t deny her talent. Charlotte made history being a part of the first women’s main event at WrestleMania, showing that WWE views her as one of the faces of the company.

5. Goldust
This might be a strange choice for my top 5, but Goldust was a key component of the Attitude Era, as well as being one of the longest tenured WWE wrestlers.

Steven Jackson

1. “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig
I expect many of you will have seen my tweet from a few months ago honoring the late, great Curt Hennig. Building upon the foundation of his father Larry “The Axe” Hennig, Curt brought a perfect (excuse the pun) blend of technical ability and entertaining charisma to the squared circle, which has never been bettered. And that’s absolutely perfect!

2. Bret “Hitman” Hart
The Excellence of Execution. A member of Canadian wrestling royalty, Bret Hart always proudly made reference to his family roots throughout his storied career. A master technician who wrestled anyone and everyone wherever he went, Bret brought out all the best parts of his opponents. Without the tuition of his legendary father Stu, who knows what wrestler Bret would have become. But thankfully, Stu saw Bret’s potential, and with it, Bret became “The Best There Is, Was & Ever Will Be.”

3. Rey Mysterio Jr.
Interestingly, the son of the most recognizable luchador of the 20th century, El Santo, failed to make the same national and international appeal as his father. Instead, it was another luchador, Rey Mysterio Jr., who became the spiritual successor to El Santo, and with it, became the most important luchador of the past 30 years. Rey Mysterio Jr., nephew of Rey Misterio, broke (and still continues to break) barriers within the wrestling world with his innovative offence, unique attire and unmatched charisma. Everyone loves Rey Mysterio Jr. and without doubt he is the most important second-generation wrestler in Lucha Libre history.

4. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Certain wrestlers carve out such a niche for themselves, you forget they are actually second or third-generation wrestlers. Randy Savage is one of them. Son of the highly respected Angelo Poffo, Randy always respected his family roots, but kept them very private from fans. It was a huge gamble for Randy to create his own character and gimmick, but as we all know, it worked more than anyone ever imagined. One of the most successful second-generation wrestlers of all-time, Randy Savage made everyone, but most of all his father, very proud!

5. The Rock
No list of second and third-generation wrestlers would be complete without listing the barrier-breaking third-generation star The Rock. Grandson to Peter Maivia and son of Rocky Johnson, The Rock’s deep-rooted family history was bound to rub off on him. But nobody believed just how much of an impact The Rock would have on the shape of not only pro-wrestling, but the entertainment world throughout the 21st century. An exceptional athlete, the greatest showman and a pop-culture icon of the modern age, The Rock has become the measuring stick by which all third-generation wrestlers are judged. So Know Your Role and Shut Your Mouth!

Sam Gladen

Kerry Von Erich
Cody Rhodes
Jimmy and Jey Uso
Charlotte Flair
The Rock

I might be biased due to where I was raised, but Kerry Von Erich was the best second-generation wrestler that I have ever seen.

Most, if not all, the others will say The Rock, a few may say Cody Rhodes or a current roster talent like the Usos or Charlotte Flair. I would argue that, were you to put anyone against Kerry in his prime, he will come out looking the best. He is one of a select few generational guys who had no problem selling or looking small to sell a story. The angle was the most important to him – more so than his family name or his legacy.

Juan Bautista

Cody Rhodes
An excellent in-ring talent who is now showing his knowledge behind the scenes by having a key role in All Elite Wrestling. Cody is well on his way to surpassing his father Dusty’s legacy.

Charlotte Flair
An eight-time Women’s Champion, she is the only woman to hold each single’s championship throughout WWE and NXT. The strange part is that she’s only getting started.

Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Making a name for himself on the independent scene in companies such as MLW and on a global scene with New Japan, he is a great and, at sometimes, severely underrated wrestler.

Tama Tonga
Reaching new levels of savagery, Tama is one half of the IWGP and ROH Tag Team Champions. 2019 is the year of Tama.

Andrade Cien Almas
The nephew of Jesus Andrade Salas and grandnephew of El Moro, he has already made a name for himself in Mexico and Japan.

The Rock
A key wrestler during the Attitude Era, The Rock is a former WWE Champion and now has a successful acting career.

Randy Orton
While it remains to be seen if he reaches or surpasses Ric Flair and John Cena’s record, Randy Orton is a 13-time WWE Champion and surefire WWE Hall of Famer.

Jack Goodwillie

Randy Orton
Orton is the best third-generation wrestler going today and was one of the first of the modern era behind The Rock. The son of Bob Orton and grandson of Bob Orton Sr. shares a similar pedigree to Rocky: both are physical specimens who were really genetically made to do pro wrestling. Where I give Orton an edge on this list is in the longevity department, and the rest of the wrestlers I’ve included were just world-class wrestlers whereas The Rock was just pretty good, if not a little underrated. But also consider how integral Orton’s wrestling “privilege” was to his gimmick. Before the Age of Orton and since then, guys and gals have had a very tough time getting over just solely based on their last name, but Orton did the most with it before taking things into the next gear as the Legend Killer and Apex Predator.

Mr. Perfect
The son of Larry “The Ax” Hennig, Curt Hennig took to pro wrestling like a duck to water. There’s no need for me to really recap his illustrious career, as it’s been done many times before, but he had an ability to work a great match with just about anyone given his athleticism and natural psychology for good wrestling. He is the only non-WWE world champion on this list, and I find that to be a bit of a travesty, thinking he would have made a great transitional champion if Hulk Hogan ever needed a breather.

Randy Savage
I may not be a baby of the ‘80s, but I’ve long believed that wrestling fans of that era were welcomed in the door by Hulkamania, then stuck around for the off-the-charts talent of “Macho Man” Randy Savage. The son of Angelo Poffo, Savage was without a doubt the best complete package in wrestling for a number of years. His match with Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III is talked about and compared with to this very day. He later taught all of us that it was not only okay, but necessary to SNAP INTO A SLIM JIM.

Eddie Guerrero
My favorite wrestler of all time, and that’s not really a secret around these parts. The son of Gory Guerrero, Eddie Guerrero had the benefit of growing up in a family of wrestlers. His older brothers Chavo, Mando and Hector were all wrestlers before him, so Eddie was really set for success out of the gate, having the benefit to learn from each of their respective careers. Eddie also talked about the benefit of this in his book, as being the younger child meant his father did not give him the same level of harsh discipline as he did his brothers. Of course, Eddie also had the benefit of nephew Chavito, who at times really felt more like a kid-brother to Eddie than a nephew. But the rest is history: Eddie wove together a career for the ages and tapped out addiction in the center of the ring, but was gone from us way too early.

Bret Hart
The Canadian Hero tails my list, and how could I not include a Hart? The Harts, like the Guerreros, were very much a “wrestling family,” and his father Stu was pretty much the monarch of Canadian wrestling for 30-40 years. The Excellence of Execution, Hart is oft considered one of the greatest to ever do it, and I don’t think that needs a ton more context.