8 Fake Wrestling Families That WWE Created (And 7 Real Wrestling Relatives)
Quick Links
There are many famous wrestling families when it comes to WWE and there are also many families that the company has put together because they thought that certain superstars worked so well together that they could pass as actual siblings or family members. Some wrestlers are so good at playing family members on TV that the WWE Universe is not even sure that they are not related. The Singh Brothers are twins who have been wrestling their entire life, but many people are unaware that The Bollywood Boyz are actually related, too.
The same goes for the Anoa'i family, given how big the family actually is and the fact that it includes the likes of The Rock, Umaga, Rikishi, Roman Reigns, The Wild Samoans, and numerous others who now include Tamina and Nia Jax on WWE TV as well.
The following is a list of eight superstars who are real relatives and seven that WWE wanted the WWE Universe to believe were related in order for storylines on WWE TV to become much more personal.
Fake: The Holly Family
Molly Holly, Crash Holly, and Hardcore Holly portrayed cousins on WWE TV for a number of years and were actually successful as a unit, with Crash Holly holding the Hardcore title an astounding 22 times and Hardcore Holly lifting a number of Championships with his family by his side as well.
Molly Holly was unable to get her big break in the Women's Division until after she left the group, and is now a former two-time Women's Champion. But as a trio, the group were not actually related in real life, they just worked very well together and the WWE Universe were able to believe that they were actually family members. Of the group, Molly Holly is the most memorable as one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time.
Real: Charlotte And Ric Flair
Ric Flair has created quite a legacy for his daughter to step into in WWE as a former 16-time World Champion and a member of two of the greatest factions of all time as The Four Horsemen and Evolution. But it seems that Charlotte has managed to step up to her father's legacy quite well as a former NXT Women's Champion and former four-time Raw Women's Champion in her own right.
Ric accompanied Charlotte to the ring for a while when she was seen as a face star and then she turned heel and her father began helping her to win matches, but she then turned on him and decided that she could easily accomplish what she needed in WWE without him. Charlotte is Flair's only daughter from his second wife and is the sister of the late Reid Flair who passed away back in 2013.
Fake: The Dudley Boys
The Dudley Boys were once a trio that also included Spike Dudley. He was much smaller than D-Von and Bubba Ray but never returned with the duo when they decided to come back to WWE in 2016 and have another run in the Tag Team Division. D-Von, Bubba Ray, and Spike were all referred to by the last name Dudley and it was thought they were all brothers.
In fact, none of the members are actually related, they are very close friends and D -Von and Bubba have actually worked together on the Independent Scene outside of WWE. It just goes to show that the apparent family members and former Tag Team Champions are still a huge pull for many smaller wrestling promotions.
Real: The Bella Twins
Perhaps the most famous wrestling twins in the history of WWE, Nikki and Brie Bella have become huge stars because of WWE and their starring roles on Total Divas and Total Bellas over the past few years. Nikki and Brie are also both former Divas Champions, and Brie is married to SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan. The couple have recently welcomed their first child together, while Nikki is engaged to former World Champion John Cena , which means that Bryan and Cena will be related soon enough.
Nikki and Brie were brought into WWE through the 2004 Diva Search and WWE loved the fact that they were twins, but the duo is easy to tell apart nowadays so they are no longer referred to as twins on WWE TV.
Fake: The Basham Brothers
Despite them looking similar and many of the WWE Universe actually believing that they were real-life brothers, Danny and Doug Basham were not actually related at all, let alone brothers.
The duo just managed to pull off being siblings on WWE quite well and seemingly had all the chemistry that was needed to fool the WWE Universe into thinking that they could well have been brothers. They were mildly successful on the Tag Team Scene in WWE but are still just a footnote in history, sadly, with many other Tag Teams being much more successful than the fake brothers over the past few years.
Real: Honky Tonk Man And Jerry "The King" Lawler
The Honky Tonk Man is a former Intercontinental Champion in WWE, having held the Championship for a record 64 weeks, while Jerry "The King" Lawler has become a legend at the commentary table over the past few decades after having a lengthy career as a wrestler as well as wrestling in WWE for some time.
Even though the duo rarely interacted on WWE TV, they are actually cousins, which should have been easy to figure out since both stars were from similar places in Tennessee. The duo was never recognized as family members on WWE TV but it has since been revealed thanks to the power of the Internet. That must be a powerful family to be able to house two huge WWE legends.
Fake: Paul And Katie Lea Burchill
Katie Lea was partnered with Paul Burchill in WWE and it was then revealed that the duo were brother and sister, despite hints that they were actually much more than that. The only thing that Katie and Paul had in common was the fact that they were both British but this was seemingly enough for WWE to want them to portray siblings, something that they managed quite well.
Katie was a talented wrestler who was never given the chance to prove this in WWE, the same with Paul. Katie later moved to TNA and became known as Winter where she is a former Knockout's Champion, while Paul has retired from wrestling and now works as a firefighter instead.
Real: The Usos And Rikishi
The Usos are Slammy Award winners in WWE as well as being the current SmackDown Tag Team Champions. Jimmy and Jey are quite obviously related because they are twins and a lot of the time even the commentary team can't tell them apart, but their father is WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi.
The former Intercontinental Champion has appeared on WWE TV with his sons before and they have shown off the dance skills that obviously run in the family. Like many of the children of WWE superstars, it seems that The Usos are doing a great job of continuing their father's legacy. The Usos and Rikishi are part of the famous Anoa'i wrestling family that will definitely be mentioned on this list again further down.
Fake: The Wyatt Family
The Wyatt Family were one of the creepiest families ever brought into WWE and consisted of Erick Rowan, Luke Harper, and Bray Wyatt. They were later joined by Braun Strowman while the likes of Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton were part of the family for a while as well.
The Wyatt Family were all similarly dressed men and looked as though they could really be a family. They seemed to be like a family that would be seen in The Hills Have Eyes or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It was never explained what relations the family had to each other, but they had a strange kind of bond that lasted a number of years but they have all now gone their separate ways.
Real: Nia Jax And The Rock
Nia Jax has become a well-liked member of the Women's Division on Monday Night Raw recently, but it seems that a few years ago when Nia was being pushed in NXT, many of the WWE Universe were stating that it was because she was part of the Anoa'i family, despite her ability speaking for itself.
Nia is very close to The Rock's mum and the duo were even in a car accident together a few years ago. The Rock and Nia are cousins and often train together and regularly upload images on social media showing that they still manage to spend time together despite being really busy.
Fake: Zack Ryder And Curt Hawkins
Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins were once seen as brothers on WWE TV by many of the WWE Universe when they were part of The Edgeheads along with former World Champion and WWE Hall of Famer Edge.
Ryder and Hawkins always seemed like a much better fit than Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley in The Hype Bros and they even looked similar and could easily pass as brothers if WWE wanted to continue with that angle. Now that The Hype Bros are basically broken up, it seems as though Ryder and Hawkins could easily decide to get back together. Hawkins is not doing great himself right now as a jobber over on the Raw roster.
Real: Carlito, Primo, And Epico
Carlito is a former United States Champion in his own right, and he was once a Unified Tag Team Champion with his real life brother Primo. But when Carlito was going through a few personal problems and refused WWE's help, it was decided that he should be replaced from the company and since then Primo's cousin Epico has taken his place as the duo formed a tag team.
Primo and Epico have been known as Los Matadores, The Shining Stars, and are now back to being The Colons. The WWE Universe knew Primo and Epico as The Colons a long time ago when they were managed by Rosa Mendes.
Fake: Undertaker And Kane
The Undertaker and Kane played convincing brothers on WWE TV for a number of years, with Paul Bearer also being seen as Kane's father and there was an incredible story about how Kane was in a fire when he was younger and it all fitted in so well with both men's gimmicks.
Obviously, Undertaker and Kane were not actually related, but they were very good friends and the fact that they became good friends made it much easier for both men to portray family members for a number of years, they are still seen as brothers on TV to this day and were able to reform Brothers of Destruction a few years ago to mark Undertaker's 25th year in WWE.
Real: Cody Rhodes And Goldust
The American Dream Dusty Rhodes is a WWE Hall of Famer, and it seems that his sons Cody and Dustin decided to continue in his footsteps when they also became WWE superstars.
Cody was much more successful than his brother but was still the one who was forced to become Stardust and reunite with his real life brother a few years ago before deciding to leave the company. Goldust, on the other hand, has always remained loyal to WWE and is still with the company now performing on its Raw brand after more than two decades with the company. The Rhodes family have become wrestling royalty in WWE after Dusty Rhodes' passing because of how much he did for superstars who are on the main roster now when they were coming through the ranks in NXT.
Fake: Edge And Christian
Edge and Christian were a successful tag team in WWE for a number of years and were originally revealed to be brothers when they made their debut together, but it wasn't a story that WWE ever elaborated on, but because they didn't have last names, it was easy for the WWE Universe to think that they were real brothers.
Edge and Christian were in fact good friends and had grown up together and were even able to become professional wrestlers together. Edge had a much more successful WWE career than Christian but both stars have retired from the company now and instead have their own show on the WWE Network.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEq6CcoJWowW%2BvzqZmrKifp8G0ecSnq56qpJa2r7nEp6tocF2brqyxjLCpnqukobavs4yfmKahnJ6ytHnToZitZaessm6v0Z6YrZ2UYq6vsIxwZKudkaF6uL7ErKuloZ6cerOxy5qroq6VqHw%3D