Professional wrestling is a family sport, but it is not necessarily a sport for every family member. It has a history that involves many members of the family competing, but sometimes, one can not live up to the success of the rest of the family. There are rare cases like Randy Orton where the youngest generation star of the family becomes the most successful, but that is rare in this business.

RELATED: 10 Wrestlers You Didn't Know Had A Family Member In Professional WrestlingSometimes, multiple siblings have joined a wrestling promotion trying to follow in the footsteps of their parents or other members of the family. One sibling might thrive while the other gets left in the dust. Most times, though, the younger stars are trying to live up to their parents' success, just to be brought down. This has happened in WWE and elsewhere.

UPDATE: 2022/07/05 12:04 EST BY Shawn Lealos

15 Failures From Legendary Wrestling Families

For years, Cody Rhodes was someone that some fans considered a tremendous disappointment. The son of The American Dream Dusty Rhodes, Cody drifted through storylines in WWE and every time it seemed he was about to be elevated, he ended up dropping back down the card again. Stardust seemed to be the last call for Rhodes. However, he left WWE and remade himself, rebuilding his image, and helped launch AEW into a global brand. Cody then did the unthinkable and returned to WWE, where he was the biggest star he had ever been there, and proved he could live up to his dad's name. Not everyone can say that.

15 Tessa Blanchard

Some could argue that Tessa Blanchard was incredibly successful in her short time in professional wrestling. However, she wasn't as successful as she could have been and ended up as a failure in the end, and she doesn't look like she is going to be rebounding soon. The daughter of Tully Blanchard and stepdaughter of Magnum TA has alienated most companies she worked for and hasn't wrestled in two years.

Blanchard has a match coming up in 2022, but she was at one time the Impact World Champion. That isn't the Knockouts title, but the world title. She never lost it and the company stripped her of the title and made it clear they did not welcome her back. Blanchard should have been the face of women's wrestling but is now an outcast with no promotion willing to bet on her due to allegations of racism and general unprofessional behavior.

14 Greg Gagne

The only success that Greg Gagne had was what his father, Verne Gagne, gave him. Wrestlers like Kevin and Kerry Von Erich made their name as great wrestlers despite their dad's show of favoritism, even making it into the WWE Hall of Fame. However, Greg remained overshadowed his entire career by his father.

While Greg Gagne held titles in the AWA, that was all under his dad's booking, and no one ever considered him a legitimate star. Tall and lanky, Gagne was never a threat to the top stars, and he never made it anywhere he wrestled outside the AWA.

13 Sim Snuka

Jimmy Snuka had two kids who made it to WWE. While Tamina Snuka has never been a massive success, she at least remains in the company and has been part of some major women's wrestling storylines over the years. However, his son only had one taste of success and then left the company. Fans knew him by the name of Deuce.

It was a great gimmick, with Sim Snuka using the name Deuce and working in the tag team known as Deuce and Domino, a throwback to the greasers of the 1950s. They won the tag titles in 2007, broke up in 2008, and WWE released Sim Snuka in 2009. His last match came in 2017 in the indies, but he is most well-known for being the man who failed to catch the Undertaker at WrestleMania 25.

12 Kendall Windham

Kendall Windham had wrestling royalty in his blood. His father was the legendary Blackjack Mulligan. His brother was Barry Windham, considered one of the greatest members in the history of the Four Horsemen. However, try as he might, Kendall never made it to success in professional wrestling.

He wrestled in Crockett Promotions at the same time that Barry did, but he was a mid-carder and only got wins over enhancement talents. Even when WCW tried to put him in the Four Horsemen, fans mostly ignore him, and he never once found the success that the Windham name should have guaranteed.

11 Ray Gordy

As the son of the legendary Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy, Ray Gordy should have been a massive star. However, WWE booked him in a manner where fans only saw him as a joke. The company branded him as Jesse and put him into a team with a drooling big man named Festus. While Festus came out of the angle and reinvented himself as Doc Gallows, Jesse wasn't so lucky.

After the tag team ran its course, WWE rebranded Ray Gordy as Slam Master J, a rap gimmick. It was a complete failure. He dropped on the card, and then WWE released him one year after the gimmick change. He is now a police officer.

RELATED: 10 Things Fans Should Know About The Von Erich Family

10 Epico

Epico Colon has been a wrestler for over 15 years and has worked for a few different promotions. He is a member of the Colon family and is the cousin of Carlito Caribbean Cool and Primo. Epico has worked as the tag team partner to his cousin Primo for most of his career.

He was with WWE for about 10 years and even became a Tag Team Champion, but it was a short-lived reign. His gimmicks have primarily followed along with his Hispanic heritage with his most well-known being a Spanish Bullfighter. He sat in WWE limbo for a while before being released from his contract. Now, he is working on the independent circuit.

9 Bo Dallas

While never mentioned on WWE TV, former WWE Superstar Bo Dallas is a member of the Rotunda-Windham family. His father is Mike Rotunda, who famously portrayed I.R.S. in the Golden Era of WWE. His uncles are Barry and Kendall Windham and his grandfather is Blackjack Mulligan.

Even though his brother Bray Wyatt rose to the top of the WWE ladder, Dallas ended up as a mid-card and jobber on the roster. He had a promising debut as part of the 2013 Royal Rumble, but that did not get him far. Overall, he developed a great and fun gimmick with the Bolieve moniker, but it did not compare to the ones the rest of his family members had.

8 Manu

The Anoa'i family has put out some of the best wrestlers in the sport's history. The list includes The Rock, Roman Reigns, The Usos, Rikishi, and many more. Though most of their careers skyrocketed, Manu, the son of Wild Samoan Afa, was not one of those stars.

Though he competes on the independent wrestling scene, he is not a well-known name. Manu was a member of the WWE roster for a short period, but disappeared just as quickly. His television debut was as the fourth member of the faction Legacy. He joined forces with Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes. WWE removed him from the group and then released him from his contract shortly after.

7 Ted DiBiase Jr.

Speaking of Ted DiBiase Jr, he never lived up to the career that his father, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase did. There were high hopes for him when he signed with the WWE in 2007, and he was quickly rushed to the main roster after a short time in development. He formed a tag team with Cody Rhodes, and they jumped right into the Legacy faction with Randy Orton and Manu.

RELATED: 10 Pairs Of Wrestlers & Wrestling Personalities You May Know Were RelatedOnce Manu left the group, Rhodes and DiBiase Jr. had the chance to become the top tag team in the company. Once the group split up, he had a depressing run as a singles star. WWE paired him with his father and gave him the Million Dollar Championship, but after a while, it went dry. He left WWE and worked on the independent scene, but now he runs a successful charity and gives back to the community.

6 Steve Armstrong

As one of the four sons of "Bullet" Bob Armstrong, Steve Armstrong really had to step it up if he wanted to compete with the likes of his brothers; Brad, Brian, and Scott Armstrong. Brad Armstrong was a competitor for several promotions and competed against top names.

Brian played a few different gimmicks throughout his career, but most famously, he was "The Road Dogg" Jesse James in WWE. Scott was a wrestler during the '90s but has been a top WWE referee since 2006. Steve has had a long career, but failed to make an impact in any major promotion as a professional wrestler.

5 Curtis Axel

With his grandfather being Larry "The Axe" Hennig, and his father being "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, Curtis Axel's name defined who he was. There were high expectations for Axel when he signed with WWE, and after a short time in development, he appeared in Season 2 of NXT. Later, he would join the New Nexus faction before being sent back to developmental.

He reemerged with a new gimmick and even though he became an Intercontinental Champion, fans had a hard time getting behind him. He eventually became a comedic character, portraying a Hulk Hogan-style gimmick, but this ended after Hogan's leaked recording sparked controversy. Curtis tagged with Bo Dallas for a while before WWE released both from the company.

4 Lacey Von Erich

The legendary Von Erich family has had some incredible highs in the wrestling business, but they also have had some heartbreaking lows. Most of the family passed away at a young age and not leaving much of a bloodline to continue their name.

The daughter of Kerry Von Erich, Lacey, tried to get into the wrestling business, but her career was short-lived. She signed a developmental deal for WWE in 2007 but never made it to the main roster. Lacey did some time on the independent circuit, trying to improve and become a bigger star. She eventually signed to TNA, aligning herself with The Beautiful People. She has since retired from wrestling after about three years. Now, she runs her own business and has a family.

3 Shaul Guerrero

The daughter of the late Eddie Guerrero and current AEW star Vickie Guerrero was born into Mexican wrestling royalty. The Guerrero family is one of the largest in the wrestling world, and has put out major stars in the past. Shaul signed a WWE developmental deal in 2010 and left in 2014. She won one championship and competed against stars like Paige.

RELATED: 10 Wrestling Moves That Wrestling Families All UseShe left the company because of personal issues and never made a WWE comeback. Shaul eventually appeared on the independent scene, primarily working with GCW and Women of Wrestling. She worked for AEW as a ring announcer for their Women's Tag Team Tournament but disappeared soon after. She currently is married to former WWE star Aiden English and is focusing on building her own brand.

2 David Flair

Ric Flair is undoubtedly one of the most popular names in professional wrestling history. His daughter Charlotte is currently one of the top stars in WWE and is quickly becoming a legendary competitor in her own right. David Flair, however, has now become the forgotten Flair.

He worked for WCW for most of his career, winning multiple championships and appearing in storylines with and without his father. David signed with WWE for a short period, but his career never took off there. He also worked for TNA, then ended up retiring from wrestling.

1 Davey Boy Smith Jr.

The Hart Family is probably the most famous wrestling family. Coming out of Canada, Stu Hart started a wrestling school that turned family members into in-ring competitors. The school also created many other stars, but Stu's sons, Bret and Owen, were two of the best of all time. Smith Jr is a direct relative to them, the son of "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith and Diana Hart.

He signed with WWE and became a member of The Hart Dynasty with other members of his family. WWE eventually released him from his contract and he went to work in promotions all over the world. He re-signed with WWE in recent years but ended up released again without ever appearing on TV. He is still an active competitor, but he still needs to accomplish a lot if he wants to live up to his family name.