10 Second Generation WWE Stars Who Totally Failed (1)

1. David Sammartino

                                                                                   

Father: Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Sammartino is one of the most popular wrestlers of all time. Some might say he is the most popular simply because of how long he was a top guy. He was the WWWF Champion for nearly 8 years from 1963 to 1971 and also for another three years starting in 1973. There will never be a champion that has reigns that last that long because it’s a much different era today. You think David had big shoes to fill? Of course he did. The biggest of them all.
In the mid 80s, Bruno was in his 50s and no longer a full time wrestler. However, Vince McMahon wanted to use him as much as possible since he was still a huge draw. They would involve him in feuds by either teaming him up with David or as David’s manager. When David was with his dad everything went well because of how big of a star his dad was, but when David was on his own things just didn’t work out for him.
While his mid-1980s run was pretty forgettable, it was even worse when he showed up in WCW to wrestle a few times in 1996. He actually received a Cruiserweight Title match against Dean Malenko on Nitro in December of 1996 which he lost and that was the only time he was on WCW TV.
A big reason for the strain in the relationship between Bruno and Vince McMahon had to do with how WWE didn’t use David in a productive way. Since David didn’t get over and was used as a jobber, Bruno felt it hurt his legacy. That’s why there was a lot of bitterness until things got patched up with Bruno getting inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame in 2013.

Read More

10 Second Generation WWE Stars Who Totally Failed (2)

2. David Flair

                                                               

Father: Ric Flair
Following the footsteps in the man that many people consider the greatest wrestler ever isn’t easy. Give David Flair credit because he certainly tried to do what his father Ric did so well for so many years. If you watched WCW in the late 1990s then you saw how David was used in an angle to turn heel on Ric. Then he became a lunatic involved in storylines with Kimberly Page, Stacy Keibler and the weird trio with Crowbar and Daffney. He wasn’t on the path to become a major champion. He was booked like an awkward guy that didn’t really belong.
David actually had a brief run with WWE. He was sent to developmental (OVW) after WCW was bought out by WWE and appeared on WWE TV when Undertaker beat him up on the road to Undertaker’s match with Ric at WrestleMania 18. There was also an Undertaker/David match on the March 14th edition of Smackdown in 2002. Even though David did not sign a contract with WWE, he did appear in a dark match in 2006 in a match where he lost to William Regal.
Flair’s daughter Ashley (Charlotte in NXT) is doing well in WWE and has a very bright future ahead of her. One of his other son’s Reid sadly passed away just as he was starting in the wrestling business. You can see how much Ashley’s run in WWE means to Flair because she’s doing it not just for herself, but for her brother too.
These days, David is out of the wrestling business. It didn’t seem like something he was that interested in.

Read More

10 Second Generation WWE Stars Who Totally Failed (3)

3. Shawn Stasiak

             

Father: Stan Stasiak
You might remember Shawn Stasiak from a brief run in WWE as a character named “Meat” in 1999. The idea was that he was paired with Terri Runnels, Ryan Shamrock and Jacqueline and he would get tired from having sex with them before his matches. That would lead to him losing, which led to the girls getting mad at him. The Attitude Era wasn’t all great!
His dad was a guy named Stan “The Man” Stasiak, who was a one time WWWF Heavyweight Champion during the era where Bruno Sammartino dominated the title scene. He was what is best described as a transitional champion because he beat Pedro Morales for the title in 1973 and just nine days lost it to Sammartino.
While Stan isn’t in the WWE Hall of Fame, he probably should be just based on his credentials. He died in 1997, so he never got to see his son wrestle in WWE or WCW.
Shawn’s “best” moments may have been when he was part of the Alliance storyline in 2001 and he was booked as an idiot that would try to attack people (mostly backstage), but instead would fall down after failing to be successful at it.
The end of his WWE career was in 2002 when they said he was from “Planet Stasiak” while talking in rhymes. Needless to say, it was another gimmick that failed miserably and he was out of wrestling by the age of 32.

Read More

10 Second Generation WWE Stars Who Totally Failed (4)

4. Deuce (Aka Sim Snuka Aka Jimmy Snuka Jr.)

Father: Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
When you go by multiple names it’s not a good thing. His dad Jimmy Snuka was the “Superfly” that was one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE during the wrestling boom in the 1980s. In fact, most would say he was behind only Hulk Hogan for a number of years. While the Superfly didn’t hold any gold in WWE (a very peculiar bit of info), he did win titles all over the world and was inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame back in 1996.
Deuce was one of half of the Deuce & Domino tag team that was on the Smackdown brand in 2007-08. They looked like guys straight out of the 1950s or an episode of Happy Days since they dressed like The Fonz and had the mannerisms that made him famous. The duo actually had a four month reign as tag team champions on the Smackdown brand although it’s not like the tag team division was on fire during that period. The team lasted for about a year before splitting up.
It looked like he would bounce back as Sim Snuka when he tried to join Randy Orton’s Legacy group in late 2008, but that didn’t end up happening. When it looked like he would be a part of it, they ended up beating him up and he never really got a chance to get revenge.

Read More

10 Second Generation WWE Stars Who Totally Failed (5)

5. Ted Dibiase Jr

Father: The “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase
If WWE had it their way, Ted Dibiase Jr. would be a main event level performer right now. That’s what he was supposed to be. They groomed him for it from the moment he debuted on WWE TV in May of 2008 when he said he was going to be a champion like his father the “Million Dollar Man” Ted Sr.
It’s not like Ted Dibiase Jr. was a complete failure. He had his good moments in the Legacy group with Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes, but there’s a reason he got out of wrestling even though he’s still a young man in the wrestling world. He was always supposed to that next big tar in the company yet it didn’t happen. He didn’t even get to hold the IC or US Title.
When they gave him his dad’s Million Dollar Man style gimmick with the Million Dollar Title and a hot woman like Maryse on his arm, but it seemed so unnatural for him.


Dibiase was barely used in his last year in WWE and left the company in 2013 at the age of 30. Most guys hit their prime at that point, but instead he chose to walk away. We should respect him for wanting to be with his family and to take a normal job. However, he was always supposed to be something more in WWE and just didn’t live up to the hype.

Read More

10 Second Generation WWE Stars Who Totally Failed (6)

6. Scott Putski

Father: Ivan Putski
When your dad is a WWE Hall of Famer you have big shoes to fill. That’s just the way it is. Scott’s dad Ivan wasn’t just any WWE HOFer, though. He was inducted back in 1995, which was before WWE started caring about the HOF again in 2004. Remember that from 1997 to 2003 there were no Hall of Fame inductees. The point is that Ivan was so highly respected that WWE inducted him with some of the biggest names in the business from the pre-WrestleMania years.
Scott had a very brief run in WWE in 1997 at a time when WWE’s roster was really thin, so they were looking for young talent. He started in May 1997, was put into a feud with Jerry Lawler’s son Brian Christopher (a guy that nearly made this list) and hurt his knee really bad during their match at the September PPV that year. He was gone from WWE soon after.
He was a guy that was really ripped when he showed up in WWE, but when it was time to perform he just lacked the things that made his father special.

Read More

10 Second Generation WWE Stars Who Totally Failed (7)

7. Barry Orton (Barry O)

 Father: Bob Orton Sr.
It seems like Barry Orton is the forgotten one in the legendary Orton family. His father Bob Orton Sr. made a name for himself working with the likes Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers. Even though he didn’t make it to the very top as a World Champion in the WWWF, he still had a very successful career because of who he got into the ring with.
Barry’s brother Bob Orton Jr. also had a very good career that saw him end up in the WWE Hall of Fame. He wasn’t a main eventer like his dad, but he did step into the ring with the best. He was a key figure during WWE’s rise in the early to mid 1980s too. Obviously if you’re reading this you know all about Bob’s son Randy Orton, who has been one of the biggest names in WWE for the past decade and is still going strong.
What about Barry? You might remember him as a jobber named Barry O that would make an O with his arms whenever he was introduced. He lost match after match for many years. It paid the bills I’m sure, but he didn’t come close to matching the success of his family members.
                                                         

Read More

10 Second Generation WWE Stars Who Totally Failed (8)

8. Lanny Poffo

         

Father: Angel Poffo
When you hear the name “Leaping” Lanny Poffo what do you think about? A guy that lost more than he won. He was basically a jobber in WWE for a lot of years.
Once Lanny became Mr. Perfect’s buddy that was simply known as “The Genius” he really found a role that he was suited for. He did get a chance to work with the bigger names like Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, but he was always in the role of being Mr. Perfect’s lackey. It’s not like The Genius was this huge name that people believed could be a top guy.
His brother Randy Savage is one of the greatest wrestlers ever that surpassed what their father Angelo did. However, Lanny’s not the kind of guy people remember for being a legendary wrestler. He could talk and he was able to bump his ass off, but he never achieved the same level of star power as his late brother.

Read More

10 Second Generation WWE Stars Who Totally Failed (9)

9. Brooke Hogan

Father: Hulk Hogan

When your dad is arguably the most famous professional wrestler ever you tend to have a lot of pressure when you get in the wrestling business. Brooke’s involvement in wrestling was in TNA although she was a part of a brief angle with Randy Orton about nine years ago and she was beside her dad Hulk at this year’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.

When she was in TNA a few years ago she was in the role as the GM of the Knockouts. That meant that she was in charge of the TNA women on camera. It’s not like they had a lot of women under contract either. Most shows only had one women’s match, but she had a job controlling them. Then they gave her a bigger role as a love interest of Bully Ray (Bubba Ray Dudley), who used her and married her to trick her as well as her dad.

There was an infamous Brooke moment during the wedding with Bully when everybody got attacked, then she scrambled around the ring and audibly said “my boobs are out” referring to her dress falling down a bit too much.

Her TNA run ended when her engagement to a guy in real life made the press, so TNA realized they couldn’t push the fake angle story more. Needless to say, she was not a good fit in pro wrestling.

Read More

10 Second Generation WWE Stars Who Totally Failed (10)

10. Curtis Axel

                                     
Father: Curt Hennig; Grandfather: Larry “The Axe” Hennig
Axel’s a current WWE star that has done mildly well, but when you look at where he was a year ago compared to where he is now he’s fallen off a great deal. Last year he was the Intercontinental Champion, he was feuding with CM Punk and he was a Paul Heyman guy. Now he’s part of a tag team with Ryback that the announcers always say is good, but they really don’t win a lot of matches. How many times can they face off against Goldust & Stardust anyway?
It seems like he’s going to be a guy that has a consistent spot in WWE’s midcard, but the chances of him moving up are slim. They certainly tried to make him come off like a big deal last year. It just didn’t work. Just because he uses his dad’s first name and his grandpa’s nickname as a last name variation doesn’t mean he’s going to be a top guy.
He’s serviceable as a wrestler. It’s just that he may never be more than what he is right now. At least he got rid of the Michael McGillicutty name. That wasn’t going to get him anywhere.
                                                                     

Read More