Welcome to another edition of Kay's Korner.
I purchased the Dusty Rhodes DVD for my Dad for Father's Day this past year. Having recently watched some of it (though not with my Dad, which irritated me to no end), it made me realize just how hard it can be for 2nd generation wrestlers to break into the wrestling business. I can't imagine anything being more stressful than being a 2nd or even a 3rd generation wrestler. It seems as though the pressure to be 'better' would break any man; and truth be told, it has broke many a man.
I found myself wondering just what it would be like to actually be a 2nd generation wrestler. As my mind raced with various thoughts, the only one that kept popping up was, "How can I fathom something like that?" Truth be told, I can't. I am only a fan of wrestling. I can only speculate and put some thoughts to paper which is exactly what I'm getting ready to do.
The question took me for a walk among memory lane of 'old school' sons who may or may not have been considered as good as or an even better wrestler than their fathers. The list is actually pretty long if you really sit and think about it. (I decided to only name a few of them.)I realize that some of the wrestlers that I mention in this particular column may not be known to some of you which actually could be a good thing. I just might teach you a thing or two.
Of course, having watched the pre-mentioned DVD, I can only imagine how hard it was for Dustin Rhodes. Here's a man who was essentially robbed of a normal childhood by being the child of a famous wrestler. He entered into the wrestling business and did so with the help of his father. Dustin had his own kind of charisma but in a different way than his father. Dusty took the path of the 'good guy' (the plumber's son) to reach out to the 'blue collared' fans. (While I do not believe that Dusty was as great as he thinks he was, I do have to give him his due as he did (and still does) have a long career in wrestling.) Dustin didn't really connect with the audience until Goldust. Goldust was a very unique and strange character in that he kind of dressed like a woman, he kind of wore makeup like a woman, but he was kind of a man. (I know, crazy isn't it?) Personally, I think he definitely rated solid mid-card status with that particular persona. However the pressure of personal problems plagued him and his career was really never the same after he was released the first time. He came back a second time (with a little help from Dusty again) and while I thought the humorous side of him was definitely the way to go with the character, the 'powers that be' decided to release him again. (There are many rumors about this but the truth is that he was released. Why he was released is really not any of my business.)
As I pondered on other wrestlers, another one that popped into my head was Barry Windham. What a talent in the ring that man was in his day! Oh, if there was ever anybody out there that got 'old school', it was Barry Windham, son of Blackjack Mulligan, who is a legend in his own right. (Hey, Blackjack was awesome in his day and I LOVED the feud he had with the 'Nature Boy' Ric Flair back in the Mid Atlantic days. While I realize that he is part of a WWE Hall of Fame tag team, I chose to go with the Blackjack that I saw growing up.) Windham had the look, the charisma, the ring skill, and the passion that it took to make him a bigger singles wrestler than his father. When I was in my younger years watching wrestling, big men didn't move as fast as Barry and that was another reason that I enjoyed his ring work so much. I'm sure that hanging with the Nature Boy back in the day definitely had its perks but the partying life can only go so far in wrestling before it starts to take its toll as it did with Barry.
Then I look at Brad Armstrong, who was great in the ring and never really given his chance to show his charisma (in my opinion). I can only imagine how stressful and irritating it must be to always be compared to your dad. Brad is a great technical wrestler, and towards the final days of WCW, was given the chance to finally show what he had charisma wise but it was a little too little, a little too late. My first memories of Brad were when he teamed with his father, Bob "Bullet" Armstrong. (I always thought that was kind of a cool thing to do. Work in a profession that you love with the man that introduced you to it in the most personal way possible.) The Armstrongs were a strong tag team in the Mid Atlantic era but Brad never really got his singles career off the ground and he really is a great wrestler. I've watched him many times on the Indy circuit and have totally enjoyed each and every match that he is in. He is one of the wrestlers that I think didn't cause a ruckus backstage, which is sometimes the difference between a successful career and a somewhat successful career.
I look at David Flair, who was given way too much too soon. It's a shame that things went down the way that it did for him. I could see where he was getting better and better in the ring with time. He was so green in the beginning when he began his wrestling career at WCW but the weight of his father's career seemed to being weighing him down. Seriously, let's walk in David Flair's shoes for just 30 seconds. Your father is undeniably one of the best wrestlers ever to strut into a ring. You have always loved watching your father and dreamed of walking in his footsteps, carrying on the 'family tradition'. Suddenly, you are thrust into the spotlight with the expectations that you are to be BETTER than your father ever was, even though you really don't have a clue on how to do it because you're not ready for that kind of push. My stars, I would have died of a heart attack right there on the spot. David did have heart (and I believe that he tried very hard at that time) and he has been out on the Indy scene paying his dues 'old school' style which I highly respect him for. He wants to make it but not on the shoes of his famous father and while he may never have the career that his father has, maybe we'll be hearing about him again some day.
You can't mention something like that without mentioning the Rock. My stars, if there was ever the son of a wrestler that shattered the molds of expectations, he is the one that pops out the most in my mind. Rocky Johnson has his own legacy in the wrestling business more so as a tag team wrestler, but he did not have the impact that his son has had. The Rock had the gift of gab and I certainly enjoyed the athleticism that he showed in the ring. He totally understood ring psychology and knew when to be a 'heel' or a 'face' when the crowd shifted gears on him. There wasn't any denying that the Rock was a great wrestler. I have attended many shows in my day and nobody (with the exception of Stone Cold Steve Austin) could make a crowd eat out of his hands the way that the Rock could. He's now in Hollywood making movies but his real God given talent comes from being a great wrestler. Doesn't that just blow your mind? (Author's Note: I do realize that the Rock's grandfather was a wrestler and technically, he is a 3rd generation wrestler. I'm just not familiar with High Chief Peter Maivia and he was the Rock's maternal father.)
Then I look at Randy Orton, a 3rd generation wrestler following not only in his father's footsteps, but his grandfather's as well. He has a better look than them and he is definitely talented in the ring. I don't see him as a leader though; I see him as more of a follower. He knows that he is good and he has the looks to back it up. However, I'm not as impressed by him as I feel that I should be. There have been way too many times that I have noticed that he looks lost in the ring. While I'm sure that his family is proud of his achievement of being the youngest World Champion, he has never really got over with the fans. He can't be a 'face'. This is one time in life where arrogance shows its ugly head in spades and there is nobody in wrestling that is more arrogant than Randy Orton. He's going to be stuck being a 'heel' for a very long time until he can learn how to read the crowd in 'face' mode and learn how to react to it properly.
A great wrestler can be a 'heel' or a 'face' at any given time. Some wrestlers do it very well while others struggle at it. It can't be an easy thing to master but there was one 2nd generation wrestler who got it. I'm talking about the late and great Eddie Guerrero. His father, Gory Gerrero, was a legend in his own right but I don't think that even his father knew just how great his youngest son would be. Eddie could do it all; from talking on the microphone to amazing us with his quickness and just unreal ring chemistry with anybody. I have never seen a match with Eddie that I didn't like. Ever. I've watched this man pour his heart and soul into his work and it showed so much that often times, Eddie stole the show. Here is a man that knew how to steal the show, how to totally kick ass when it came to ring psychology, and how to read a crowd. What a tragedy that we are no longer blessed with his presence in the wrestling world. (I do take into account that his name is still being in used in current storylines but nothing could ever be as good as watching Eddie Guerrero perform whether it was in singles competition or tag team action; there will never be another Eddie Guerrero.)
There are times when I wonder if the 'Sins of the Father' follow the 2nd & 3rd generation wrestlers around. Wrestling is such a cut-throat business and from all that has been said, you never really know who your friends are. So many wrestlers stab each other in the back to cement their spot that it's hard not to look at the children of wrestlers like that and wonder if they are being held accountable for the things that their fathers had done in the past. I do believe that that has happened more than one time and while I could speculate on who's being punished, there really isn't any reason too.
You see, I'm not backstage at the shows. I really and truly have no idea what goes on backstage and to a certain extent, I would just assume keep it that way. Wrestling has always been a part of my life and I really don't see the need in knowing every little thing that goes on in wrestling. It's not fair to the performers who risk their health and bodies to put on a show for me. Who am I to demand to know everything that there is to know about wrestling? Besides, over the years, things have changed so much backstage that it would probably give me a headache trying to keep up with it all.
Do I believe that there is a lot of pressure on the 2nd and 3rd generation wrestlers? Yes, very much so. It's hard not to put pressure on them, even inadvertantly. When you have watched wrestling as long as I have (which is close to 30 years), how can you not do that? When you have watched a father perform and later on, see his son try and accomplish his own thing, it is impossible (for me, at least) to not compare them.
I also feel that there are some 2nd and 3rd generations, who want to be better than their fathers, and try their best to prove a point. Wrestling has always been what has kept them separated due to the traveling schedule involved. Back 20 years ago, it's a wonder that any families that had fathers in wrestling were able to keep the family unit going due to the constant traveling and being away. (I'm talking an average of 300+ days a year people. That has to take a toll on any wrestling family.) I could picture a son wanting dad's attention so bad that he turned to wrestling to do it in order to have something in common with his father. It's a way to have a relationship with somebody that, in a lot of ways, is a stranger to you because you never saw them growing up.
Yes, I honestly believe that it is much harder on a 2nd and 3rd generation wrestler. The expectations can be back breaking and mind aching. I can honestly say that I have more respect for those that do attempt a career in the business because, while I'm sure it's easier in some ways to get your foot in the door, it is also immensely hard having that much stress on you to be better. I can only imagine walking a mile in their shoes and for that, I have to commend them for trying to find their way into the world of wrestling. Wrestling has influenced them more so than those who just happen to get the wrestling bug. They were raised with it being a part of their every day normal life and let's face it; wrestlers and their families do not really have normal lives.
The wrestlers are not at home every night to tuck their children in bed. They are not there when their children take their first steps. They are not there to hear their child say 'Dad' for the first time. They are not there for all of the sporting events that their children participate in. Every time they come home, their children have grown and they see it more profoundly because they are gone so much. I'm sure that many a child has considered wrestling the enemy. It took their fathers away from them and I'm sure that resentment and jealousy can play a part in it.
However, where some children hated the wrestling profession that took their fathers away from them, there are several of them who fell in love with the sport and decided to follow in their father's footsteps. Haven't we all, at one time or another, put our dads up on pedestals? I think at some point and time, we are all guilty of that but children of wrestlers especially. Imagine just going out to eat with your dad (something that normal people don't think much about) and having to deal with fans wanting your dad's autograph or to take a picture with them. This becomes a part of everyday life to them where their lives are anything but normal. I can't even imagine how that affects them or the way they see the business. To some, I'm sure it's enticing. To others, I'm sure that it's annoying as hell but something that you have to deal with as the nature of the business.
At any rate, 2nd and 3rd generations of wrestlers should not only be looked at for their talents but for having the guts to follow in their parents' footsteps. It takes a strong will and an even stronger passion to make it in the business of professional wrestling. Somehow I can't help but feel that they have already sacrificed so much of their families that this is the way the business goes full circle. The wrestling bug not only bites the father, but the children as well.
That's it for this edition of Kay Korner. I really and truly hope that you have enjoyed this edition. Feel free to drop me an e-mail at lilwrestlegrl@yahoo.com for column feedback or just to give me your thoughts and opinions. Until next time, take care everybody and happy holidays!
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