Wrestling is a family business in a lot of ways. It takes a ton of training to make a performer between the ropes, which makes the children of wrestlers ideal candidates for breaking out in the industry. For as long as the industry has existed, children have followed in their parent's footsteps, keeping the trade secrets and their parent's legacies alive. As a result, some top performers such as Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, or newer talent like Dominick Mysterio or AEW's HOOK continue to entertain fans each week.
Performers learning from a family member will frequently compete at the very highest level in front of thousands of fans across the country. However, not every 2nd or 3rd generation talent can make it to the big time. Some have to work their way up through the independent wrestling scene. Others compete for promotions like Impact Wrestling, either as a first step or as a home to reach their own stardom.
10 Tessa Blanchard (Tully Blanchard)
The first woman to win the Impact World Title, Tessa Blanchard, is one of the younger daughters of Tully Blanchard, an original member of the Four Horsemen. Tessa Blanchard's career has since ended after allegations of racism and bullying backstage.
Blanchard spent most of her career in Impact Wrestling and was synonymous with the brand from 2018 to 2020. Her matches for the world and x division title were among the highest-profile inter-gender matches in North America. Her eventual championship win against Sami Callihan came at a time when women's wrestling was growing, making her a viral hit when the company needed one desperately.
9 Cody Rhodes (Dusty Rhodes)
The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes has competed worldwide, not unlike his father Dusty Rhodes. With his venture in AEW ending and a main event run in WWE kicking off at WrestleMania 38 it can be easy to see Cody as the certified star he is. However, when Cody left WWE for the first time in 2016, he had to make a career putting on amazing matches throughout the independent scene. This journey included an often forgotten run in Impact wrestling.
His tenure on Impact only included a couple of failed title opportunities, a mixed tag team rivalry with his wife Brandi, and a brief stint as a jealous heel. Although Rhodes moved on quickly from the company and was never exclusive, he did compete on several occasions in the Impact Zone.
8 Randy Savage (Angelo Poffo)
The Macho Man Randy Savage is not usually remembered as a 2nd generation performer. His father, Angelo Poffo, was a competitor who debuted in the industry way back in 1949. Another Savage fact that some forget is that he was an early member of the TNA/Impact roster.
Randy Savage only had one match for Impact, and he was barely involved in the outcome. Instead, the Macho Man left the company in the middle of a major storyline for the world title in 2004. While he had creative differences with management that ultimately ended his departure from the company, the living legend lent his name to the new promotion.
7 Lacey Von Erich (Kerry Von Erich)
The Von Erichs were a staple of the early territory days and members of the most significant faction of their era. The family held titles, had feuds in USWA, NWA, and WWE, and built a legacy for in-ring excellence and a myth around their tragedies outside of it.
While the Von Erich family were all men when they began their legendary run, the third generation included a former Impact knockout champion and Kerry Von Erich's daughter, Lacey Von Erich. Lacey has since retired from professional wrestling but was part of her iconic team when she joined Impacts Beautiful People.
6 Alberto El Patron (Dos Caras)
El Patron, who has himself been isolated from the wrestling industry due to accusations of misconduct, was a significant player in both Impact and even WWE. Alberto El Patron doesn't have a famous last name in the United States but comes from a prevalent wrestling family.
Patron's father is Dos Caras, who many consider one of the greatest heavyweight wrestlers to ever come out of Mexico. Caras' prime came in the 1970s and 80s when he won the Universal Wrestling Associations Heavyweight title on multiple occasions. He has also competed in CMLL, a company his son would later compete in.
5 Road Dogg Jesse James (Bob Armstrong)
Road Dogg Jesse James became a staple of WWE's attitude, until his initial release in 2001. The 2nd generation superstar eventually found his way to TNA's Impact, where he reunited with his former tag team partner and had a relatively mediocre run as B.G. James.
In addition to reuniting the new age outlaws, he joined the same company his father came out of retirement to help launch. Bob Armstrong was an NWA original, where he competed from the 1960s through the 1980s. Armstrong even let Road Dogg don his old bullet mask and joined him in a storyline that saw James compete for the NWA title Armstrong could never capture.
4 David Finlay (Fit Finlay)
David Finlay is one of the newest 2nd generation superstars to join the industry, debuting in 2012. His time in Impact is even more recent; he is currently competing for the company and is already an Impact tag team champion. He is also the son of wrestling legend Fit Finlay, who rose to prominence in the 90s and early 2000s.
David's famous wrestling father had never been able to agree in his own TNA Impact run and is currently employed by WWE as a producer. The run of success David Finlay has had in Impact could open doors in the industry that even his last name couldn't.
3 Chavo Guerrero (The Guerrero Family)
Not many families in the industry are better known and respected than the Guerrero family. For three generations, Los Guerreros have competed in quality matches. While Eddie Guerrero is the name most well known to fans, third Generation performer Chavo Guerrero Jr is the only one to spend some time in nearly every major wrestling promotion in the United States.
Chavo Jr. joined TNA back in 2012 and returned after a hiatus in 2019. Between his two runs with the company, Chavo has held the promotions tag team championship on two different occasions and has put on some of the brand's best bouts in between the ropes. He has since left the promotion but not the industry so the Guerrero legacy is always an option for Impact.
2 Rachel Ellering (Paul Ellering)
One of Impact's most recent 2nd generation talents is a former Knockout Tag Team champion. Rachel Ellering debuted for Impact in 2021 and had a year-long run with the company. While her father is not known for his in-ring ability, Rachel's father, Paul Ellering, is still a legend in the wrestling community.
When an injury ended his career in 1982, he became one of the best managers in WWE history. While he managed a few teams for the company between his various runs, he is best known for his work in the tag team division with the legendary Road Warriors.
1 Trevor Lee (Tracy Caddell)
From 2015 to 2019, Trever Lee, known now by most fans as Cameron Grimes, was a fixture on Impact television. As a result, Lee was able to earn 3 X Division titles and a Tag Team championship with Brian Meyers. The character was well-liked and versatile, playing both the hero and the villain to fit the promotion's needs.
The Impact faithful may not be aware that the former Lee was prepped for that success from a young age. In addition to training with the Hardy Brothers, the North Carolina natives' father, Tracey Caddell, was also a professional wrestler. Caddell was a local promoter and performer whose own resume may appear light, but he is credited with spawning the careers of Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Shane Helms, and of course, his son.