Happy Father’s Day, wrestling fans! Throughout the wrestling world, many wrestlers, fans, and countless others are celebrating the holiday, which means it’s the perfect time to take a look at the top fathers in WWE history. Perhaps more so than in any other sport, second-generation stars are very common in wrestling, as a number of noteworthy names have followed in their father’s footsteps and achieved greatness.
To be abundantly clear, this list is not whatsoever a reflection of actual parenting ability or anything of the sort. Instead, it is rather based on a combination of the dad’s own contributions to the business, the impact their children have made on the business, and their overall legacy. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the top five fathers in wrestling history.
Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes is an absolute legend in his own right, as he is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers and promos of all time. The three-time NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion led a number of other titles throughout his amazing career. He also had an equally impactful run as a booker for Jim Crockett Promotions and WCW. Over the years, Rhodes had runs with WWE and TNA, and he also briefly worked for ECW. Dusty continued to build his legacy when he returned to WWE in 2005, as he was inducted into the Hall of Fame and he became the head of NXT. There, he developed numerous stars, including Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and many others. Clearly, the WWE roster wouldn’t be what it is today without Dusty Rhodes.
Dusty’s legacy also lives on in his children. Cody Rhodes was one of the founders of AEW, a company that has revolutionized the wrestling business. He immediately became one of WWE’s top stars when he returned to the company in 2022, and he is set up for even more success moving forward. Dustin Rhodes has had an impressive, lengthy career that dates back to 1988 and includes a collectively long run in WWE. He continues to make a difference as a coach in AEW.
Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio is one of the greatest luchadores of all time, bar none. He changed the game for smaller wrestlers and helped lucha libre become fairly mainstream in the wrestling scene in the United States. Rey has been wrestling since 1989, when he was just 14 years old, and he’s still going strong. He had a successful run in WCW, where he won the Cruiserweight Championship five times, before he reached a new level. In WWE, he is a Grand Slam Champion, and he has held the world title three times. Rey is also a former Royal Rumble winner, and he has competed in countless classic matches. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2023, and he remains a somewhat active member of the roster.
Rey’s son, Dominik, first appeared on WWE TV when he was a child, as he was part of his father’s feud with Eddie Guerrero. Dominik became a WWE superstar in 2020 and went on to team up with his dad. The duo will go down in history as the first father-son team to win the tag team titles. Dominik’s career has taken off since he joined The Judgment Day, as he has cemented his status as one of the most hated heels in recent memory. Rey and Dominik also had a lengthy feud, and they clashed at WrestleMania 39. Dominik’s future looks bright, and his rivalry with Cody Rhodes could help him move up the ladder.
Bob Orton
“Cowboy” Bob Orton is undoubtedly a legend, but he might be one of the more underrated fathers in wrestling history. Orton, the son of Bob Orton Sr., was part of the main event of the first WrestleMania, as he cornered “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff for their match against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. This could be considered the peak of Orton’s in-ring career, though he had a somewhat successful run in a team with The Magnificent Muraco. Orton had brief runs in NJPW and WCW, and he returned to WWE in 2005. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and memorably played a role in his son Randy’s feud with The Undertaker.
As with some other cases, Bob Orton’s place on his list is in large part due to the career his son has had. Randy is one of the top stars of his generation. He broke the record for the youngest world champion in WWE history, and he is a Grand Slam Champion. The 14-time world champion is near the top of the list for world title reigns, and he broke the record for most WWE pay-per-view matches. He is a two-time Royal Rumble winner and overall one of the most decorated superstars in WWE today. Randy has been sidelined since May 2022 with a back injury, and his future is unclear. Whatever happens next, there’s no doubt that Randy is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Ric Flair
What is there to say about Ric Flair that hasn’t already been said? Love him or hate him, he is one of the best professional wrestlers of all time, and his career stretches over 50 years. He has crossed over into pop culture in a number of ways, and he is the first two-time Hall of Famer in WWE history. Flair set the record for world title reigns with 16, and he was a Triple Crown Champion in both WWE and WCW. “The Nature Boy” has racked up a list of accolades that’s practically too long to count, and it’s easy to see why, despite the controversies that have surrounded him, he is one of the true greats.
Ric’s daughter, Charlotte Flair, isn’t even 40, and she has firmly established her place in thee history books. Charlotte, 14-time world champion, is within striking distance of the record her father and John Cena hold. Flair became the first woman to headline a WWE pay-per-view, and she was part of the historic all-women’s main event of WrestleMania 35. Charlotte has had a major role in the women’s evolution, and while she may be a polarizing figure, no one can take away from her contributions to the business and her remarkable career up to this point.
Sika Anoa’i
Sika Anoa’i had a successful career; alongside Afa Anoa’i, the duo (collectively known as The Wild Samoans) won tag team titles in various promotions, and they were three-time WWF Tag Team Champions. Sika also gave back to the business as a trainer and promoter.
Of course, Sika’s legacy is evident today with the astonishing run his son Roman Reigns is on. Reigns had been positioned as one of WWE’s top stars for years, but he reached genuine greatness when he returned to the company after a brief hiatus in 2020. Reigns won the Universal Championship at Payback 2020, and he has reigned supreme ever since. He then unified the world titles at WrestleMania 38. Throughout this run, Reigns’ character work has arguably been the best in the business, and he has been involved in the most compelling storyline in recent memory. Reigns has held the Universal Championship for over 1,000 days, rare feat these days, and there’s no end in sight to his reign.
Sika’s other son, Matthew, better known as Rosey in WWE, had a prominent run in WWE as a member of 3-Minute Warning and later as Rosey. As Rosey, he won the WWE World Tag Team Championship with The Hurricane. He also wrestled in Japan before and on the independent scene, and he unfortunately passed away in 2007.
Honorary Mentions
Rocky Johnson
Rocky Johnson had a lengthy run in the NWA and win a number of titles before he started working for WWF in 1982. During his time there, he feuded with stars like Don Moraco and Greg Valentine. Johnson formed a team with Tony Atlas, and they made history as the first black team to win the titles in the company. Rocky was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Rocky’s son, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, is one of the most popular WWE stars of all time, and he was one of the key players throughout The Attitude Era, a pivotal point in WWE history. He became the first WWE Champion of African-American descent, and he went on to become a 10-time world champion. The Rock headlined multiple WrestleManias and is viewed as one of the most charismatic stars to ever step into a WWE ring.
Stu Hart
Stu Hart did not have a remarkable career in WWE like the other names on this list. Instead, he ran Stampede Wrestling after establishing his name at other promotions, including the NWA. Hart’s son, Bret Hart, is seen as one of the best technical wrestlers of all time, and he helped carry the WWE forward in the post-Hulk Hogan years. Bret won the WWF Championship five times and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice.
Owen Hart, another of Stu’s kids, had a remarkable career that was cut far too short. He wrestled in NJPW and had a brief WWE run before he landed there in 1991. Owen had a classic feud with Bret and proved himself as one of the best wrestlers of his day. He held the Intercontinental Championship and the Tag Team Championship, among other titles, before he tragically lost his life in 1999.
Stu’s legacy as a trainer is also undeniable; as he trained Bret, Owen, Chris Jericho, Edge, “Superstar” Billy Graham”, Lance Storm, Natalya, and many other noteworthy names who went on to have great careers.
There are far too many fathers in wrestling, and there’s a case for plenty of them to be part of this list. We took a look at just a few of the top examples, but many others have left their mark on the business, both with their own contributions and those of their children. Some of the names on this list continue to build their legacies while other second-generation stars are making their names for themselves now. It’ll be exciting to see which of them start to emerge from the pack and force their way onto lists like this.
What do you think about this list? Sound off in the comments below!
