Like Father, Like Son?

Recently, I started to think about some of the second (and third) generation stars that are on the main WWE roster and how they compare to their legendary, Hall of Fame fathers. I can imagine that it is both a gift and a curse being the son of a Hall of Famer - on one hand, you will always be in your father's shadow until you do something remarkable, and on the other hand it must give you that foot in the door in the first place.

Leading up to starting this piece, I wasn't sure how to approach it. My initial idea was that I would compare the father's career to the son's. I then realised that this is an unfair approach as today's 'stars' are seen in a completely different way to how their fathers were seen in their heyday. Instead, I felt that it might be fairer to show what the fathers had done by the age that the son is now. This gave me some interesting information to go on. For this, I looked at current WWE roster stars Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Curtis Axel and (somewhat former roster member) Ted Dibiase Jr.

Son; Randy Orton (Current age: 33) - Father; Bob Orton Jr (Was 33 in 1983)
Bob Orton Jr attracted the attention of the WWF in 1981 after a successful run in the NWA. He challenged then WWF Champion Bob Backlund for his title in an unsuccessful attempt. After another run with the NWA, Bob would return to the WWF as Vince McMahon Jr began the national expansion of the company and would be part of the main event at the first Wrestlemania - in the corner of heels Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.

Bob's most famous period came when he would wear a cast on his left arm to cheat his way to victory (the idea stemming from an actual break that he suffered). He would also challenge for the WWF title again at the end of 1985 and the start of 1986 against Hulk Hogan. Much like his attempts in 1981, Bob would be unsuccessful. This would be the height of Bob's wrestling career.

In 2005, Randy would feud with The Undertaker as part of his 'Legend Killer' gimmick. Along the way, Bob would aid his son and be a big part of WWE television, even being part of a handicap match against The Undertaker in a winning effort. Bob would also be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

Youngest ever World Champion at 24 (Summerslam 2004)

Randy, on the other hand, is a nine-time World Champion (and youngest ever World Champion at 24 years old), he is a former World Tag Team Champion, a one-time Intercontinental Champion and currently holds the WWE title Money in the Bank contract which should guarantee him a tenth World Title in the near future.

Cody Rhodes (28) - Dusty Rhodes (Was 28 in 1973)
Despite Dusty Rhodes' huge contribution to wrestling (which continues today), back in 1973, he was merely finding his feet. From around 1974 onwards, Dusty would become a popular babyface and become very successful in several of the NWA's promotions before winning the first of his three NWA World Heavyweight Championships in 1979.

In the 1980s, Dusty would become part of the booking committee in the NWA (and later WCW) before having a short stint in the WWF where he never really found any major success despite being fairly high on the card at times.

It's widely regarded that Dusty is one of the greatest minds that Professional Wrestling has ever seen. He is credited with coming up with many of WCW's pay-per-view names and gimmicks - The War Games concept delivered some of the most violent matches of the late 1980s and wowed live audiences across the country. I'd also say that this type of match influenced the likes of the Hell in a Cell and Elimination Chamber matches that have arisen since.

He even [invented and] had a finish to a match named after him - the 'Dusty Finish' - usually where the babyface seemed to have won the match (and title), only to have the decision reversed as it would become apparent that cheating had taken place on behalf of the heel and therefore, a disqualification victory would instead be awarded - meaning that the title cannot change hands.

Cody Rhodes - former IC Champion

As you can see, Cody has very big shoes to fill. But at age 28, Cody has got an impressive resume of his own. Debuting in 2007, Cody would become a 22-year-old World Tag Team Champion (alongside Hardcore Holly). Since then he has won more Tag Team gold as well as being a former two-time Intercontinental Champion - resurrecting the old style belt in the process. He is currently engaged in a feud with former best friend Damien Sandow, which could be the making of both men with the right amount of TV time given.

Curtis Axel (Joe Hennig; 33) - Mr Perfect; Curt Hennig (Was 33 in 1991)
Unlike the previous two examples, by the time that Hennig had reached Axel's age he was pretty much at the end of his career due to a back injury. And again, unlike Dusty Rhodes and Bob Orton Jr, he had enjoyed great success. Maybe this was in part due to him having a famous wrestling father in Larry 'The Axe' Hennig?

Hennig had promising stints in both the AWA (American Wrestling Alliance) and the WWF between 1980 and 1984. After becoming a top star in the AWA, he would win the biggest prize in the promotion by defeating the legendary Nick Bockwinkel for the AWA Heavyweight Championship in 1987. He would go onto have one of the longest title reigns in AWA history - clocking up 373 days.

In 1988, Hennig would head back to the WWF; as many of the AWA's top stars had previously done; carrying an even bigger reputation. On this occasion he would be given the moniker of 'Mr Perfect', performing various feats of 'perfect' in vignettes leading up to his debut. This would fit nicely with him going on an undefeated streak for over a year. During this time, he would feud (unsuccessfully) with Hulk Hogan over the WWF Championship - the closest he would come to one of the "recognised" (WWF/WCW) World Championships.

Despite not winning the 'big one', Hennig would instead capture the Intercontinental Championship twice, raising the profile of the title in the process and giving it a level of prestige that it has not seen since. In a defining moment in both his and Bret Hart's careers, Hennig dropped the title to Hart at Summerslam 1991 - solidifying Hart's place amongst the mid-to-upper card. As a huge Bret Hart fan, I have a tonne of thanks and respect for Hennig and the match that they put on. Unfortunately, this would be as good as the end of Hennig's in-ring career (despite various comebacks, he was never the same Curt Hennig again).

AWA Heavyweight Champion

Promos were one of Hennig's strengths and this fit well with his next roles of being on commentary and in managerial roles. Despite not being able to wrestle to the standard that he would have liked, there was still a huge contribution to be made. Curt Hennig was posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007.

Curtis Axel is Joe Hennig's second attempt at 'making it' on the main roster. Previously, the name Michael McGillicutty was given to him and an association with CM Punk and the New Nexus was made. This wouldn't be his breakthrough moment, though, as Punk would become the centre of attention in mid-2011 and the New Nexus stable would quietly dissolve, with most of it's members going back to developmental.

In May of this year he was repackaged with the Curtis Axel name and has now been given an opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in the business. First, he became the newest 'Paul Heyman Guy'; joining an elite group of names that have each gone onto greatness (Steve Austin, Rick Rude, Brock Lesnar...). He has also won the Intercontinental Championship - fittingly on Father's Day - in a stroke of luck; he wasn't scheduled to be in the match in the first place but replaced the concussed Fandango.

Ted Dibiase Jr (30) - 'Million Dollar Man' Ted Dibiase Sr (Was 30 in 1984)
Much like Dusty Rhodes and Bob Orton Jr, Ted Sr never made it big by the time he reached Ted Jr's age. He had had a spell in the WWF, becoming its first North American Heavyweight Champion (later that title would be unified by Pat Patterson to create the Intercontinental Championship) in 1979. He would become well travelled through the 1980s, working for the NWA, Mid-South Wrestling and even All Japan Pro Wrestling before finding fame with a character that elevated him to superstardom.

In 1987, the WWF came calling with a character that Vince McMahon would have loved to play himself if he were to become a wrestler - The Million Dollar Man. This character would go onto become one of the most hated villains in wrestling history - flashing the cash at every opportunity and 'buying' whatever or whoever he wanted. The biggest example of this was in 1988 when he attempted to purchase the WWF Championship from Andre the Giant; something that the evil Giant welcomed. This title 'reign'/purchase has never been recognised and Ted Sr never won the WWF title in his time with the company.

Ted Sr's career would wind down in the early-to-mid 1990s, becoming a three-time Tag Team Champion alongside fellow veteran IRS (Mike Rotunda) before retiring from in-ring action in 1994. He would then create the Million Dollar Corporation - a heel stable that would dominate in WWF's unpopular era in the mid-1990s. He would also become the forth member of the NWO faction in WCW in 1996.

Even though they would become stars in their own right, Ted Sr was the gentleman that would introduce The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin (The Ringmaster at that time) to WWF audiences. Even though he was merely the middle man in these situations, these guys went onto become two of the biggest stars in WWE history. Big thanks should go to Ted Sr for nurturing these guys in whatever small way that he did.

Ted Sr (w/ Million Dollar belt) & Ted Jr

In May 2008, Ted Sr would introduce Ted Jr to WWE audiences (maybe hoping to have the same effect as his previous clients?) and this would set in motion Ted Jr's immediate rise to Tag Team gold (with Cody Rhodes). Together, Rhodes and Dibiase would become a dominant tag team and eventually be a part of Randy Orton's Legacy stable. Unfortunately, after the end of Legacy, things have taken a nose-dive for Ted Jr. He and Cody feuded for a little while with Cody looking far superior. A time on Superstars (TV show) and an injury have resulted in him going very much in the wrong direction in the last couple of years. But they repackaged Michael McGillicutty, didn't they?

Summary
After researching this, I was very surprised to learn that, with the exception of Curt Hennig, the other fathers hadn't really made the strides that their sons have made thus far. With the huge names, and reputations, that each has - along with all being members of the Hall of Fame - it's amazing to think that they gained this fame a lot later in their careers. This just shows the difference between then and now.

With how legendary the names Dusty Rhodes, Bob Orton Jr, Curt Hennig and Ted Dibiase are, I sometimes wonder if their sons will ever live up to the family names and go above and beyond the achievements gained by the fathers. In a way, it is nice to see that Randy, Cody, Curtis (Joe) and Ted Jr all have plenty of time on their sides compared to when their fathers found their callings. They are relatively young and have achieved so much already - that bodes well for them creating their own legendary status.

Obviously, it could be argued that Randy Orton is Hall of Fame bound in the future due to his very credible career so far. Cody Rhodes and Curtis Axel are in solid positions on the main roster at the moment, too, with both heading in the right direction in the last few months. The odd man out here seems to be Ted Dibiase Jr - why is he in this article? Well my thinking behind it is to show that it doesn't always go to plan. Yet. Although he seems to be a disappointment at the moment, the same could've been said about Curtis Axel a few months ago. There is still hope. Ted Sr was 33 when the Million Dollar Man gig came along so Ted Jr definitely has time on his side.

Something else to think about here is that despite their incredible talents, Curt Hennig and Ted Dibiase never became World Champions in the WWE. This must be something that Curtis Axel and Ted Jr will be wanting to get to at some point in their careers to rectify the injustice to their family names.

@jimmosangle