411's Countdown to WrestleMania 24: WrestleMania - A Family Affair
Posted by Ryan Byers on 03.24.2008
Who are the greatest family units to grace the grandest stage of all?
Graphic by Meehan
Wrestlemania has now been around for almost a quarter of a century.
Saying that makes me feel incredibly old, but it's true. The longevity of this pay per view series has lead to a situation that almost certainly was not contemplated when Vince McMahon decided to host his celebrity-studded closed-circuit supercard back in 1985. We're now beginning to see several situations in which fathers are watching their sons compete on the grandest stage of them all, to say nothing of uncles watching their nephews and even, in a rare instances or two, mothers watching their daughters. Combine that with the numerous brothers, cousins, and spouses that have inhabited the professional wrestling world almost since the beginning of the sport, and 'Mania is no longer about individual glory. Wrestlemania has become a family affair.
Thus, it seems only appropriate that, heading in to the twenty-fourth edition of the event, we take a look at some of the most successful clans to compete at WWE's flagship event. Thus, I give to you the ten most successful families in the history of Wrestlemania.
Honorable Mention
The Funks: They may be the only brothers in history to both hold the coveted NWA Heavyweight Title, but their runs with the WWF were always short and relatively uneventful. Terry and Dory appeared as a unit at Wrestlemania II against Tito Santana and the Junkyard Dog, while Terry got a return appearance for more tag team action at Wrestlemania XIV.
Luna Vachon & Gangrel: They're one of only a handful of married couples to appear at Wrestlemania, but they didn't do much of note while they were there. Luna was involved in two mixed tag matches, first teaming with Bam Bam Bigelow to defeat Doink and Dink and then pairing up with Goldust in a losing effort against Marc Mero and Sable (another married couple). Gangrel, unfortunately, was limited to flying over the Hell in a Cell with the rest of his Brood at Wrestlemania XV. It looked cool, but it hardly made history.
The Pritchards: This pair of brothers is a bit on the obscure side, but why not throw them out there? I'm talking about Bruce and Tom Pritchard, both of whom have worked under several names in the world of pro wrestling. Bruce is most recognizable in his "Brother Love" persona, which in the past has allowed him to appear in Piper's Pit on Wrestlemania V and in the gimmick battle royale at Wrestlemania XVII. Tom is the wrestler of the duo, as he teamed with long-time partner "Gigolo" Jimmy to defeat the Bushwackers in Wrestlemania X's dark match before winning the WWF Tag Titles as one of the Bodydonnas on the "Free for All" that preceded Wrestlemania XII.
The Bushwackers: They're supposedly cousins, so I may as well mention them somewhere. Luke and Butch are the portrait of coming up short at 'Mania, though, as their appearances include only a dark match, an appearance in a bout that can best be described as filler, and a guest spot in WM XVII's gimmick battle royale.
The Harris Twins: Remember these guys? Yeah, I barely do either. Identical twins Ron and Don wrestled as the Blu Twins at Wrestlemania XI and then appeared in Wrestlemania XIV's battle royale under the names "Skull" and "8-Ball."
The Sammartinos: Father Bruno and son David come from one of the earliest families to have multiple members on 'Mania. Unfortunately, the fact that their appearances consisted of Bruno being buried in a battle royale and David wrestling to a double count out with Brother Bruti precludes them from the top ten.
The Mulligans: This group almost made it on to the list at number ten, but, at the last minute, I decided to bump them down because one of the members never wrestled on Mania proper and because one of the relations is a bit tenuous. Who are we talking about? The patriarch of the group is Blackjack Mulligan, part of a rockin' territorial tag team who were inducted in to the WWE Hall of Fame just prior to Wrestlemania XXII. His young son would grow up to be Barry Windham, who adopted his daddy's old Blackjack gimmick for a four corner tag team match at 'Mania XIII and also wrestled in a Tag Title bout on the inaugural card. His partner in that match? Mike Rotunda, who would not only marry one of Blackjack Mulligan's daughters but would also gain more 'Mania fame by teaming with Ted DiBiase on Wrestlemania VII and in one half of the "double main event" at Wrestlemania IX. Care to guess what Mike's son is named? Windham Rotunda. If that doesn't foreshadow a Wrestlemania appearance in the next ten years, I don't know what does.
And with that said, lets take a look at the actual top ten . . .
#10: The Rougeaus
Members: Jacques & Raymond Rougeau (Brothers)
History:
From Montreal to Memphis Parle vous Frances? Tell all the Girls The Rougeaus are on their way!
Rounding out the top ten is a pair of brothers who had PHENOMENAL entrance music when they were working together as a tag team. Of course, I'm talking about Jacques and Raymond Rougeau, a pair of second generation stars who made their first Wrestlemania appearance in the Pontiac Silverdome at 'Mania III. They may have lost to the Dream Team of Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine on that card, but it was the beginning of three straight years of Wrestlemania competition for the young French Canadian lads, which also included an appearance in the Wrestlemania IV battle royale and a contest against another familial tag team – The Bushwackers – at 'Mania V.
Unfortunately, just as they appeared to be gaining momentum as a unit, the Rougeaus went their separate ways. Raymond vanished for a period of time before resurfacing around Wrestlemania X as a babyface announcer, working on both English and French language WWF broadcasts. Jacques, however, struck out as a singles star under the moniker of "The Mountie" and was successful at Wrestlemania VII against Tito Santana before coming up on the losing side of an eight man tag team match the next year. (Eight men at Wrestlemania VIII . . . get it?) After a two year hiatus from the big PPV, he would return to tag team competition, where he and new partner Pierre Oulette barely escaped Wrestlemania X with their WWF Tag Team Titles. Those two would show up again at the aforementioned 'Mania XIV battle royale, but victory was not in the cards for them on that night.
#9: The Smiths
Members: Jake Roberts, Sam Houston (Jake's Half-Brother), & Rockin' Robin (Jake's Half-Sister)
History: No, I'm not talking about Davey Boy Smith. I'm talking about the three children of veteran professional wrestler Grizzly Smith. Former WWF Women's Champion Rockin' Robin had a bit of a unique role at Wrestlemania V, where she became one of very few wrestlers to perform as a musician on a 'Mania show. Her rendition of "America the Beautiful" resulted in there not being a dry eye in the Trump Plaza. Unfortunately, the folks were not crying out of patriotic pride or appreciation of Robin's vocals. It was pain. Pure, unadulterated pain. As Jesse Ventura said on commentary, she should've kept her day job. (And, speaking of "America the Beautiful," can somebody PLEASE tell me why WWE always uses it to open up these shows instead of the national anthem? It's been bugging me for years.) Perhaps more painful than Robin's singing was brother Sam Houston's performance in the Wrestlemania IV battle royale, as he got tossed after accomplishing absolutely nothing of note.
However, every group of siblings has the overachiever. Every group of siblings has that one kid who, no matter how lousy his brothers and sisters are, will make up for their shortcomings and allow them to beat out the Rougeaus on a meaningless list compiled by a dorky wrestling fan. In this case, that overachieving sibling is none other than Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Though his Wrestlemania career had its low points – including being a victim of the Undertaker's "streak" at Wrestlemania VIII and competing in a boring blindfold amtch at Wrestlemania VII – there were also many highlights for the man who hailed from Stone Mountain, Georgia. To see one of them, you need to look no further than Wrestlemania III where, even though he lost to the Honky Tonk Man, Jake came off as a huge star when he and shock rocker Alice Cooper laid a big ole' reptile on Honky. Does it get any better than that? Sure it does! In more snake-related shenanigans, Roberts used the serpent to make jobber George Wells vomit at 'Mania II. If that's not enough to compensate for your less-than-stellar siblings, I don't know what is.
#8: The Lawlers
Members: Jerry "The King" Lawler, The Honky Tonk Man (Lawler's Cousin), Brian "Grandmasta Sexay" Christopher (Lawler's Son), & The Kat (Lawler's Ex-Wife)
History: Can you believe that Jerry Lawler has NEVER had a match at Wrestlemania? Well, believe it, because it's the truth. That's not to say that he hasn't had an important role on the shows, though. In addition to providing color commentary on many of shows in the 1990's and throughout the twenty-first century, the King of Memphis was also inducted in to the WWE Hall of Fame just before last year's show. He may never have set foot in to a 'Mania ring, but his presence on the shows has resulted in Jerry being the member of his family most closely associated with the event.
Of course, that's not to say that the contributions of his relatives are anything to be sneezed at. Well, okay, the contributions of his ex-wife can probably be sneezed at. Stacy "The Kat" Carter had exactly one match on the big show, a three minute affair against Terri Runnels that is best left forgotten. The REST of the family has done pretty well for themselves, though. King Lawler's son Brian Christopher was rather popular in the late 1990's as part of the tag team Too Cool, and that duo picked up a big victory at Wrestlemania XVI when they, alongside Chyna, defeated the Radicalz of Eddy Guerrero, Perry Saturn, and Dean Malenko. Rounding out this wacky Tennesseean troupe is Wayne "The Honky Tonk Man" Ferris, whose epic Intercontinental Title reign ran through Wrestlemania IV, where he snuck by Brutus Beefcake with his championship in tact. He unfortunately followed that up with a loss in tag action on 'Mania V but capped off his career on the shows in fine fashion at Wrestlemania VI. At that event, he performed a musical number live after riding in to the arena on a pink Cadillac, which was owned and driven by future professional wrestler "Diamond" Dallas Page.
History: The Guerreros have a funny tradition of being around gold at Wrestlemania. Of course, everybody is familiar with Eddy Guerrero's match for what is now the Raw Title at Wrestlemania XX and his subsequent induction in to the promotion's Hall of Fame last year. However, Latino Heat was also involved in two other title bouts during his Wrestlemania career, first defeating Test for the European Championship at WM XVII and then competing in a three-way for the Smackdown tag straps at 'Mania XIX. Not to be outdone, Eddy's nephew Chavo Guerrero, Jr. gained his own big championship victory at Wrestlemania XX. On that show, he outlasted nine other men to retain his Cruiserweight Title in a gauntlet match. Making that victory even sweeter for Chavito was the fact that he was assisted by his very on father, Chavo Guerrero, Sr.
Chavo Jr. again holds gold going in to this year's Wrestlemania, and he is again slated to defend it in a match in which he is not entirely certain who his opponent will be. It's not a gauntlet match this time around, though. ECW Champion Chavo will be forced to put his strap up against the winner of a twenty-four man battle royale. Will he pick up the victory? It's hard to say. However, I think that it's virtual certainty that we won't be seeing Chavo Classic providing the assist this year.
History: It'th the Amewican Dweeeeem, if you weeeeeeeeeellllll! He was a mainstay of various NWA territories throughout the 1970's and the 1980's, but Dusty Rhodes found himself in the World Wrestling Federation in the early 1990's, just in time for Wrestlemania VI. On the big show in the Skydome, the son of a plumber teamed with his valet Sapphire against the nefarious "Macho King" Randy Savage and his valet Sherri Martel. Then, after fifteen years of being absent from the big dance, Big Dust earned himself an induction in to the WWE Hall of Fame during Wrestlemania XXIII weekend. Who inducted him? Why, I'm glad that you asked . . .
One of the men putting Dusty in to the Hall was his son, Dustin. Though he's had quite a few different gimmicks, Dustin is best known in WWE circles as Goldust, the originally controversial and then comedic character who appeared on five different Wrestlemanias. Goldust never managed to win a match at 'Mania, but he did participate in several, um, infamous moments, including wearing lingerie during his "Backlot Brawl" with Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania XII and being involved in a show-long series of Hardcore Title changes at Wrestlemania XVIII. Occasionally appearing in Dustin's corner for those matches was his (now ex) wife Terri, who carved out her own niche in WWE even after the two went their separate ways. This niche included her previously referenced match against the Kat . . . which, again, is better off forgotten.
But that's not the only marriage relevant to the Rhodes family at Wrestlemania! Remember Fred "Tugboat" Ottman? Sure you do! He somehow wound up as Big Dust's brother-in-law, which means that it's only fair that I bring up Ottman's appearances on Wrestlemanias VIII and XVII.
Fortunately, the future of this family appears to be brighter than Fred. Dusty's son Cody Rhodes made his WWE debut last year, and the youngster has many years remaining in his career to rack up impressive 'Mania moments. There is currently nothing scheduled for him on the twenty-fourth installment of the show, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him pop up as a warm body in the show's battle royale.
#5: The Hardys
Members: Matt & Jeff Hardy (Brothers)
History: They're not the biggest family to appear on Wrestlemania, but they're one of the most notable. Everybody remembers Matt and Jeff taking on the Dudley Boys and Edge and Christian in a pair of three-way ladder matches that many people claim stole the show at Wrestlemanias XVI and XVII. Since that time, the siblings have continued to have fun with ladders at 'Mania, as Matt made an appearance in the Money in the Bank match at Wrestlemania XXII, while both brothers were in the version held at last year's WM. Despite providing numerous breathtaking moments in those bouts, victories for the Hardys at 'Mania have been few and far between. Though Matt did manage to beat out Rey Misterio in singles competition on WM XIX, that is the only instance of either brother getting the duke on the grandest stage of them all.
Chances are good that Jeff was finally going to get HIS big win this year, but, well, you know what happened . . .
#4: The Ortons
Members: Bob Orton, Jr. & Randy Orton (Father & Son)
History: Three different generations of Orton have become professional wrestlers, though not all of them have appeared at Wrestlemania. Barry Orton, a long-time enhancement talent in many promotions (including the WWF), never popped up on WM. Neither did Barry's father Bob Orton, Sr.
However, Bob Sr. was on hand for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony that preceded 'Mania XXI. At that event, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, Jr. was recognized for his lifetime of contributions to the professional wrestling industry. Those contributions included a pivotal role in the main event of the very first Wrestlemania, as Ace Orton's omnipresent cast inadvertently slammed in to the head of Paul Orndroff, allowing Hulk Hogan to pin Mr. Wonderful.
Fortunately for Bob Jr., he had a son who has guaranteed that the biggest part of the family's Wrestlemania legacy will not be a botched run-in. For those of you who may not be aware, young Randall Keith Orton currently holds the Raw Championship, and he will be defending it in a three-way match on Wrestlemania XXIV against Triple H and John Cena. This will be Randy's fifth match at Wrestlemania, with prior appearances including a championship bout at 'Mania XXII and a pinfall victory over the legendary Mick Foley at Wrestlemania XX. As he is only twenty-seven years old, Randy will have plenty of opportunities to make the Orton legacy at WM even greater, perhaps even allowing them to climb up a spot or two on this list over the next few years.
History: Yes, it did take me upwards of thirty minutes to map out the relationships between these guys . . . and the scary thing is that there are plenty more of them out there who have never appeared on a Wrestlemania card.
The Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, are regarded as the patriarchs of the Anoa'i wrestling family. However, their in-ring careers were largely over by the time that Wrestlemania became a global phenomenon. Sika did pop up in the Wrestlemania IV battle royale, and Afa did make appearances at WM as the manager of the Headshrinkers. For the most part, though, the younger generations was required to ensure that the Anoa'is gained notoriety on the grandest stage of them all. For the most part, they were successful.
The first of the younger generation's appearances came on the same Wrestlemania IV card that featured Sika. It involved Tama, a nephew of the original Wild Samoans who had previously wrestled as the Tonga Kid. Tama and partners Haku and Bobby Heenan defeated the British Bulldogs and Koko B. Ware in six man tag team action. Another nephew, wrestling as Fatu, would team with Afa's son Samu to face the Steiner Brothers in what is considered to be one of the two halfway decent matches at the abysmal WM IX.
The big story at 'Mania IX wasn't Samu and Fatu, though. The big story at 'Mania IX was Rodney Anoa'i who, under the ring name Yokozuna, defeated Bret "The Hitman" Hart for the WWF Championship. Though his reign would be ended literally minutes later by Hulk Hogan, Yoko's championship victory remains a major accomplishment for the family. It would be the first of several championship matches for the faux sumo at Wrestlemania, as he would go on to compete in two title bouts at WM X before winning the company's Tag Team Championships with partner Owen Hart the very next year.
That Tag Title victory would be the Anoa'is' last 'Mania title match for two years. That trend reversed itself at Wrestlemania XIII, as fans watched two members of the storied family in the same singles title bout. Years earlier, a wrestler known as "Soulman" Rocky Johnson married a daughter of "High Chief" Peter Maivia, a Samoan wrestler who was a blood brother of Afa and Sika's parents. Johnson and his bride sired a son named Dwayne. By 'Mania XIII, Dwayne had evolved in to wrestler Rocky Maivia. He successfully defended his Intercontinental Title against the Sultan who, in reality, was cousin Fatu under a mask. This would be the first of many important title matches for Rocky at 'Mania, as he would go on to become one of the five biggest stars in the history of American professional wrestling. In addition to another Intercontinental Title match at Wrestlemania XIV, the Rock was involved in matches for the WWF Championship at 'Manias XV, XVI, and XVII. Combine that with epic non-title matches against Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania XVIII and Steve Austin at Wrestlemania XIX, and it becomes apparent that Rock could have dragged the rest of his family quite far up this list even if the rest of their careers were meaningless.
Those careers were not meaningless, though. In addition to the aforementioned success of Yokozuna, Fatu managed to become a popular upper mid-card act in the late 1990's when he started dancing and changed his name to Rikishi. The 'Kish has competed primarily in tag team action at Wrestlemania, pairing up with Kane to defeat the New Age Outlaws at 'Mania XVI and retaining the Smackdown Tag Team Titles in a four corners match at 'Mania XX. Additionally, Rikishi's cousin Umaga has become a major player in WWE over the last several years, wrestling Bobby Lashley in one of the most heavily promoted matches of last year's WM card and being paired against Dave Batista this year.
That is not the only 'Mania accomplishment for the Anoa'is in 2008, though. After Afa and Sika were inducted in to the WWE Hall of Fame last year, they will be joined this year by Rocky Johnson and Peter Maivia. Those two men will be inducted by the Rock, and the induction will result in the Anoa'i family having more of its members in the Hall than any other family in professional wrestling. If that's not an achievement, I don't know what is.
#2: The McMahons
Members: Vince McMahon, Linda McMahon (Vince's Wife), Shane McMahon (Vince's Son), Stephanie McMahon (Vince's Daughter), Triple H (Vince's Son-in-law)
History: Of course, without a McMahon family, there wouldn't be a Wrestlemania. Vince McMahon was the individual who green lighted the first edition of the event, and his wife Linda and their children Stephanie and Shane have played integral roles behind the scenes in the company for many years. They also have become regular performers on 'Mania cards in the latter half of the event's life, with one particularly noteworthy match being the main event of Wrestlemania XVI. That bout was a four-way contest pitting WWF Champion Triple H against the Rock, the Big Show, and Mick Foley. Each McMahon had picked the corner of one of the wrestlers, and each McMahon would have some degree of involvement during the course of the match. With that kind of family division, it wouldn't be long before the McMahons began fighting each other at 'Mania. We all saw that occur at Wrestlemania XVII, which featured Vince and Shane duking it out in a street fight, which came complete with guest appearances by a female McMahon or two. In subsequent years, Vince would continue to attempt to vanquish his biggest foes at 'Mania, battling Hulk Hogan in a street fight at WM XIX and putting his hair on the line against Donald Trump's coif just last year. Unfortunately for WWE's chairman, he came up on the losing end in both of those encounters.
So what is a family to do when their record at Wrestlemania is less than stellar? Why not recruit one of the most successful professional wrestlers of the last ten years? That's what the McMahons did, as a gentleman by the name of Triple H (perhaps you've heard of him) married daughter Stephanie several years ago. Trips brings much to the Wrestlemania record of the McMahons, including victories over Chris Jericho and Booker T. and a whopping FIVE Raw or Smackdown Title matches at the big show. That number will increase to six this year unless HHH suffers a freak injury in the next week and a half, and I wouldn't be surprised to see his number of championship victories grow as well. Even if it doesn't, I still don't think that the McMahons will be edging out the number one family on our countdown any time soon . . .
#1: The Harts
Members: Bret Hart, Owen Hart (Bret's Brother), Jim Neidhart (Bret's Brother-in-Law), Davey Boy Smith (Bret's Brother-in-Law), & The Dynamite Kid (Bret's Brother-in-Law)
History: The Hart Family consists of more professional wrestlers than I care to count, but only five of them have competed at Wrestlemania. I say "only five," but those five have certainly had an awesome run of matches.
As a matter of fact, the Harts were in the ring at Wrestlemania almost from the very beginning. At the time of Wrestlemania II, Bret Hart and his brother-in-law Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart were teaming as the Hart Foundation, while Bret's other brother-in-law Davey Boy Smith was teaming with brother-in-law the Dynamite Kid. (Dynamite was married to Bret's wife's sister. It's a bit of a stretch, but this is my column, and I'm allowing it.) The earliest Wrestlemanias featured numerous excellent tag team matches from both the Foundation and the Bulldogs, including the Brits beating the Dream Team at Wrestlemania II and the Foundation facing off against the likes of Rhythm 'n' Blues, the Bolsheviks, and the Nasty Boys. As a matter of fact, the two teams of brothers-in-law even battled each other at Wrestlemania III, with the Foundation teaming up with "Dangerous" Danny Davis to take on the Bulldogs and Tito Santana. For the record, it was the evil Hart Foundation that took the victory in that contest.
Oddly enough, the first singles match wrestled by a member of the Hart family at 'Mania did not involve any of those four men. Instead, it involved Bret's younger brother Owen, who appeared at Wrestlemania V as the Blue Blazer and lost a short yet action packed match to "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig. Fortunately for the Harts, that loss was not indicative of things to come at WM. Subsequent Manias saw Davey Boy putting away the Warlord, Owen pinning Skinner, and, perhaps most importantly, Bret besting Roddy Piper for the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania VIII. By the next installment of the big event, the Hitman would be in the World Title picture, walking in to Wrestlemania IX with the greatest prize in professional wrestling around his waist. Though he dropped it to Yokozuna on that evening, Bret rebounded twelve months later, upending Yoko in the main event of WM X for the gold . . . but not before he lost a fall to brother Owen in the show's opening match.
Bret remained one of the top attractions in the WWF for several more years, wrestling against Bob Backlund and Steve Austin high profile matches at Wrestlemanias XI and XIII respectively. In between those two bouts, he found time to have one of the single greatest matches in the history of Wrestlemania, as he and rival Shawn Michaels tested each other for one solid hour during their Iron Man Match at 'Mania XII. The Hitman may have walked away from that match without the WWF Championship, but he also walked away with a performance that should never be forgotten. While Bret toiled away at the top of the card, his brothers-in-law continued to provide top notch performances lower down on the totem pole, with Davey and Owen teaming up at WM XII and WM XIII and Owen continuing to appear without his family in the latter half of the 1990's.
Unfortunately, four of the five Harts who have competed on Wrestlemania are unable to do so ever again. Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart both passed away before their time. The Dynamite Kid is confined to a wheelchair due to several years of in-ring abuse. Thanks to a combination of post-concussion syndrome and a stroke, Bret Hart would be risking his life by taking even the simplest of bumps. Not all of the news coming out of the Hart camp these days is negative, though. Bret Hart was inducted in to the WWE Hall of Fame prior to Wrestlemania XXII, finally receiving appropriate recognition for his carrying the company on his back for several years. Furthermore, a new generation of young men and women has arisen to carry the Hart name on in to the twenty-first century. The British Bulldog's son Harry Smith is currently a member of the Monday Night Raw roster and may make his Wrestlemania debut at WM XXIV. Additionally, Jim Neidhart's daughter Natalie remains under a WWE developmental contract and will in all likelihood be making televised appearances sooner rather than later. Hopefully those two individuals are able to make the family name mean as much in the twenty-first century as it did in the twentieth.
Harts above McMahons... hmmm, im not entirely sure.
I can see why in a way because of the Harts apperances at WM is huge and will only get bigger.
Posted By: Brad (Guest) on March 24, 2008 at 02:34 AM
you had me until the mcmahons came in second. how is that possible, vince mcmahon is wrestlemania, he created it and he is the driving force behind each and everyone. hes also delivered more than a couple good matches at wrestlemania. and holy shit how can u forget HHH, the man like him or not has main evented wrestlemania more than once and is easily a bigger star now than bret hart ever was. its beyond me how the harts can be number one. you've lost all credibility because ur clearly just a huge hart mark
Posted By: stronelis (Guest) on March 24, 2008 at 11:51 AM
Gotta hit ytou with a correction, Byers. Umaga isn't Rikishi's cousin. He's Rikishi's little brother.
Posted By: Ray... (Registered) on March 24, 2008 at 12:00 PM
Yeah, Byers. You've totally lost any credibility on judging what you like in wrestling. Do it the other guy's way, or don't do it at all. CHOP CHOP.
Posted By: Ray... (Registered) on March 24, 2008 at 12:10 PM
You should change the title to the Bret Hart Appreciation column. This was supposed to be a column about families, not individual performers. The Hart family did not have a major impact on Wrestlemania - Bret Hart did. That's why the Hart family section focused on Bret almost exclusively.
Posted By: Bob (Guest) on March 24, 2008 at 12:27 PM
I don't mind the Hart's at number 1 at all. Bret was a huge part of Mania, Bret and Owen had one of the best Mania matches of all time. If any family was going over Vince's clan, the Hart's would be it.
Or we can all just say "Byers screwed Vince" and have ourselves a new slogan.
Posted By: Bahb (Guest) on March 24, 2008 at 03:53 PM
I Think He Was Basing His Ranking On Victories As Well As Participation, And Lets Face It, Vince Has Not Had That Many Victories, Plus He Never Wrestled Until Later WMs. Bret And Clan Started At WMII.
Posted By: JLC (Guest) on March 24, 2008 at 05:16 PM
I'm not so sure that I agree with some of you thinking the McMahons should have been #1 more likely than the Harts. I took the article to mean a family's actual impact on the show of Wrestlemania itself. So, if that were the case, Vince creating Wrestlemania doesn't play into that as much. Now, granted, when it comes to impact on the actual show, Triple H has them covered well. However, he is only a McMahon through marriage, and is the only one to have main event impact. Bret has a pretty impressive main event impace on Wrestlemanias of the past, but his family members also have pretty important impact on some of the shows as well. They have pretty much all been involved in high profile stuff, a lot of which involved titles. So, when it comes to impact on the show, I could see why the Harts would get the nod. If we were talking overall, then I'd think the McMahon's would maybe take it because without them, there'd be no WWE and no Wrestlemania.
Posted By: RavenEffect (Guest) on March 24, 2008 at 05:53 PM
I agree with the Harts at #1.
Posted By: JJ (Guest) on March 24, 2008 at 06:05 PM
For the Anao'i family, what about Rosey? I don't think he ever competed at WrestleMania, but he did make a backstage appearance alongside the Hurricane at WM XX.
Posted By: Nykk (Guest) on March 24, 2008 at 07:13 PM
Where's Kane, The Undertaker and Paul Bearer they're all related! LOL just kidding great article but i'd have mcmahons above harts just for WM X-Seven alone
Posted By: Guest#3638 (Guest) on March 24, 2008 at 11:21 PM
Agree with the Harts.
Posted By: Dylan (Guest) on March 25, 2008 at 02:49 AM
Tough call Ryan but you did a great job in comprising this list. Based on the accomplishments alone you do have to place the Harts above the McMahons.
Posted By: Ryder (Guest) on March 25, 2008 at 01:03 PM
You forgote a Guerrero, Eddys brother Hector appeared at wrestlmania x-7 as the Gobbledygooker
Also since your including in-laws I beleave one of the Nasty Boys married into the Rhodeses family
Posted By: RAF (Guest) on March 26, 2008 at 07:19 PM
