Posted on by bdamage1
Brian Damage
It was reported in the news that Mike Dibiase…son of Ted Dibiase and half brother to both Ted Jr. and Brett was arrested after a 12 hour stand off with police. Mike…a professional wrestler himself…had spent his entire career within the independents. While half brothers Ted Jr. and Brett earned WWE contracts, Mike was left out in the cold. It made me think of other siblings of famous wrestlers who gave the business a try and some never coming close to matching their brothers successes.
Ricky Gibson
Ricky Gibson was actually the older brother of famed “Rock N Roll Express” member Robert Gibson. Rick helped train his younger sibling and watched as Robert gain tremendous fame and success teaming with Ricky Morton. Rick Gibson never achieved the amount of fame that Robert did despite many saying that Rick was the more talented of the two brothers. He had a great career, just wasn’t the sensation his brother and Ricky Morton achieved as the Rock N Roll Express. Injuries and a nasty car wreck shortened Rick’s wrestling career. He passed away in 2006.
Vic Steamboat
We are all aware of the greatness that was “The Dragon” Ricky Steamboat. He did indeed have a younger brother that attempted to mimic his success by the name of Vic Steamboat. Vic spent a “cup of coffee” in WCW in 1996, but for the most part…was a fixture of the independent scene…mainly with the Internation World Class Championship Wrestling. (IWCCW) Vic retired from active competition in 1998.
Armand Rougeau
The younger brother to both Raymond and Jacques Rougeau…Armand had a bright future in the business. He signed with the WWF and was ready to join his brothers “The Fabulous Rougeaus” but a serious back injury forced him to retire after only 5 years as a pro at age 26.
Marcus Laurinaitis
It’s not that Marcus had a bad career…because he did have some success in the Florida territory as well as Japan…it’s just that he has become the forgotten brother of the Laurinaitis clan. His older siblings….John who had a tepid career in the states…but better career in Japan…became famous as the heel WWE general manager and “People Power.” Then there was that other brother Joe who wrestled as “Animal” in a little tag team called the Road Warriors. Even his nephew…James Laurinaitis…famed linebacker of the St. Louis Rams has overshadowed his wrestling uncle.
Chris Von Erich
This selection could’ve easily gone to Mike Von Erich seeing as his career was cut short by illness and suicide, but Chris gets the nod because unlike Mike, Chris desperately wanted to be in the family business. The problem with Chris wasn’t his heart or passion…it was his body. Chris was a smaller stature to his other brothers and couldn’t withstand the day to day rigors of pro wrestling. Disillusioned by both his lack of success in the ring and the deaths of his brothers…Chris committed suicide in 1991 at age 21.
Eric Angle
The older brother of Olympic gold medalist and pro wrestler Kurt Angle…Eric tried to follow in his younger brother’s footsteps. He received a WWE developmental deal and even appeared alongside his brother at a couple of tapings…but after a tumultuous 2 to 3 years…realized pro wrestling just wasn’t in the cards for him and retired.
Jesse Hennig
Jesse Hennig is the younger brother of the late Curt Hennig. He was trained by his brother and father Larry Hennig and received additional training from Brad Rheingans. Jesse wrestled for a couple of years for promotions like Windy City Wrestling and Pro Wrestling America before calling it quits.
Luke
No Harts?