Better Than Daddy?

[IrishCanadian25]

This fun exercise challenges posters to pick out a father-son combination and rank them on the following scale:

1= Father was MUCH better than Son
2= Father was SOMEWHAT better than Son
3= Father and Son were roughly EQUAL
4= Son is SOMEWHAT better than Father
5= Son is MUCH better than Father

You don't have to use the numbers, but I want to make the ideas behind the rankings clear.

Criteria is up to you. I'll be looking at the overall - in ring, mic, drawing money, etc. I will take into account the total body of the father's work vs where I see the son now and in the future.

Here's a sample, and an easy one. You may pick your own or debate mine.

Randy Orton is SOMEWHAT better than Cowboy Bob Orton.

Sure, Randy is a clear top guy in the much bigger and more lucrative WWE now-a-days, but his father Bob got heat in the old days like nobody's business. Along with a few guys like Don Muraco and Paul Orndorff, Bob Orton was one of only a handful of consistent villains for the freight-train that was Hulk Hogan in the 80's.

From his piledriver to Ric Flair in 1983 at the behest (and financial compensation) of Harley Race to the use of his forearm cast in the mid-80's to cheat to win against Jimmy Snuka, Bob Orton was the prototypical heel.

I don't think that Randy Orton is going to be SO great that he completely overtakes his father and becomes MUCH better than Bob was. But I think Randy has surpassed his dad in terms of performance value, draw, in-ring work, experience, etc.

 

[CelticCorey]

I have my own

The Million Dollar Man is MUCH better than Ted DiBiase

This current DiBiase is a good wrestler and I have enjoyed his work; but he hasn't gotten over. His mic skills haven't been as good as Cody Rhodes. The crowd is silent for him. The Fortunate Son gimmick had potential but it fell flat. He gets no reaction whatsoever and thus if he wasn't the son of a Hall of Famer I am not sure if he would even be in the company.

The Million Dollar Man not only was a good wrestler but he had charisma. Alberto Del Rio is seen as a mixture of JBL and Eddie. I can see that. I also see some Million Dollar Man qualities in him since he wears fancy suits, he is the rich man, his charisma is there and is over with the crowd as a heel. The thing with the company today nowadays is that even though you have the aristocrat in Del Rio, many guys are just bland and have little to no gimmick. It was different during the Golden Era and the personalities were larger than life. DiBiase also was a big part of the company too. He was supposed to walk out of Atlantic City with the WWF title, but since Honky refused to drop the IC title to Macho Man, that's how they made it up to Savage. Nothing wrong with that since I am a fan of the Macho Man.

DiBiase Jr. is by no means a bad wrestler, but he has a long way to go if he ever wants to be what his father was in the company and more.

 

[TUFFY54]

I'll give you one of each.

Dusty Rhodes was Much better than Cody Rhodes
Dusty might be the greatest talker in the history of wrestling. He also got over without the look. Cody's dashing gimmick is nothing more than a two bit ripoff of Rick Martel.

The Rock was Much better than Rocky Johnson
Doesn't even need to be explained. The Rock is one of the top ten guys to ever lace a pair of boots. His dad was a bodybuilder who wrestled tags.

 

[clinicallyawesome]

1- Ric Flair was WAY, WAY better then David (and unless he can stop getting arrested with heroin, Reid). We all know the rap sheet on Natch'... 16 time world champion, leader of the infamous 4 Horsemen, and banger of broads everywhere.

David, well... I guess he was US champion once in WCW and who can forget his tag title run with Crowbar (anyone...seriously, anyone remember this?!)

Last scene on TV, at Ric's hall of fame induction looking like not only had he stopped training but he had eaten at least two of Ric's ex wives prior to the ceremony.

 

[krisdoorga19]

Davey Boy Smith MUCH better than David Hart Smith

The British bulldog had a better look, gimmick, better on the mic and had more personalty and chrisma.

Not saying David couldnt get there but he isn't showing any signs at the moment.

 

[Wrestling Free Thinker]

Shane McMahon is somewhat than Vince

Shane jumped of titantrons, can do the vanterminator, and has had insane moments and matches.

Vince though is a better character and one of greatest heels ever.

 

[Amped08]

I am going to say Goldust is equal with his dad, Dusty Rhodes. He's got more ring talent, but mic skills aren't quite as good as his dads so I feel they even out.

 

[ScruffDog]

2: Jerry "the King" Lawler is Somewhat Better than Grandmaster Sexay

Sorry, I couldn't make this a 1 because I have such a soft spot for Too Cool

and Another fun one

3: Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart is Equal to Natalie

She is just so dominant in the Woman’s division, Her Father would be very proud.

 

[JGlass]

I'm going to go examine Ted DiBiase and Ted DiBiase Jr. I think it's clear Ted DiBiase is MUCH more talented than Ted DiBiase Jr.

Ted Sr. was, in his hayday, a top heel in the WWE. He got the better of both Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage when they were both at their peak, something few people could boast. Other accomplishments include winning King of the Ring, being a three time WWF World Tag Champion, and participating in one of the most memorable programs of the era when he bought the WWF Championship from Andre the Giant after Hogan was screwed out of a victory, and these were just his accomplishments in the WWF. He was also an NWA Heavyweight Champion and won a variety of tag titles alongside Stan Hansen.

Furthermore, Ted Sr. could draw heat like a motherfucker, many times in his own unique way. He would insult the audience, he'd cackle at the expense of someone else, and who can forget when he kicked the ball away at 14?

And despite Ted Sr. never having tremendous success in the WWF (he never won a major singles title) he is still remembered as one of the most important superstars of his era simply because of the programs he was involved in. The most memorable, as mentioned before, is when Andre surrendered the title to him, but he was in many more than that. He had his Million Dollar Championship angle, he had lengthy feuds with Jake Roberts, Big Bossman, and Dusty Rhodes, he had a good run with IRS, and even played a major role in the Undertaker's early years in the WWF.

Now it's difficult to compare Ted Sr. to Ted Jr. when they both wrestled in two very different times and Ted Jr. is so young, but Ted Jr. is missing a lot of the elements that Ted Sr. brought to the table.

Ted Jr. has shown the complete inability to draw heat. He just doesn't seem to have that vicious contempt for the rest of humanity that Ted Sr. seemed to have. When The Million Dollar man looked at the crowd, he saw a bunch of inferior beings who had minuscule checking accounts. When Ted Jr. looks at the crowd, you don't get the feeling he thinks the fans are any less perfect as he is.

Furthermore, Ted Jr. seems to be missing the passion his father had. Ted Sr. was an extremely believable character, so much so that he lived in character when in the public eye. The WWF gave him extra money so that he could throw it around when he went out and pay for a candy bar with a hundred dollar bill. Ted DiBiase Jr. has not managed to make himself a believable character. Now while it's certainly true that Ted Jr. isn't trying to emulate his father's character, he definitely borrows certain qualities, but he doesn't make them pronounced enough to make me buy into it.

As an in ring worker, they're probably about the same skill, but this still works in Ted Sr.'s favor. Back in the 80's and early 90's he didn't have to worry about guys like Daniel Bryan or John Morrison showing him up, or even guys with fast paced power games like John Cena. Back then the wrestling was fairly straight forward with much fewer big spots in favor of realism. Because of this Ted Sr. could come off looking pretty good in matches with guys like Savage or Roberts, because he could just hit them with a few clothes lines and body slam them once, and that in addition to the rest of the traditional wrestling match would make him look good. However, now Ted Jr. has to do much more than that. The fans expect nonstop fast paced action from start to finish with maybe a few moments for rest holds. When the wrestlers are in action, they want more big moves like suplexes and back breakers, and while traditional scoop slams aren't a totally lost art, they are not as appreciated as a sidewalk slam. Even striking has become different. Back in 80s and 90s all it took was a few punches to knock a guy silly and put him on wobbly legs within the first 60 seconds of the match. Now a few punches would hardly soften the opponent up enough for a clothesline outside the ring, let alone enough to make him look like he's on the verge of losing. Ted Jr. has not shown the ability to meet these higher expectations, and thus is dull compared to most other superstars in the WWE.

Therefore, there is not one thing Ted Jr. can do better than Ted Sr. Perhaps in time I will be proven wrong, but I do not see Ted Jr. making any progress in the WWE, and I expect him to be stuck putting over lower level faces for years to come.

 

[orton0384]

"I don't think that Randy Orton is going to be SO great that he completely overtakes his father and becomes MUCH better than Bob was. But I think Randy has surpassed his dad in terms of performance value, draw, in-ring work, experience, etc."

Sir you pretty much negated everything you said in the beginning of your statement with the end of your statement. So he pretty much surpassed his father in everything you need to do in wrestling basically. But hes not better than his father? I am confused.

 

[HBKStreakbuster]

Let me divide my comment into Mic Skills and ring ability...
Dusty Rhodes clearly better on the Mic than Goldust and Cody, but thy are all pretty damn good in the ring....Randy and Cowboy Bob are both lackluster on the mic but I give the edge to Randy, and a little more of an edge to randy in the ring as well...Ted Dibiase Sr is far and away better than Ted Jr on the Mic, but Ted Jr has more moves than the old man...Rock is unmatched in the Mic..Rocky wasn't much of a talker, but both men didn't overwhelm with in-ring ability..Rocky Johnson was a Physical specimen back in the day! I think you cant compare the Flairs..David was nepitism at it's best...I think McGillicuty shows promise in the ring and I hope to see if he has as much skill as Mr Perfect, we shall see....I hope he breaks away from being a non factor in Nexus...

 

[IrishCanadian25]

"I don't think that Randy Orton is going to be SO great that he completely overtakes his father and becomes MUCH better than Bob was. But I think Randy has surpassed his dad in terms of performance value, draw, in-ring work, experience, etc."

Sir you pretty much negated everything you said in the beginning of your statement with the end of your statement. So he pretty much surpassed his father in everything you need to do in wrestling basically. But hes not better than his father? I am confused.

You just have to read the original post. What I am saying is that Randy Orton is SOMEWHAT better than his father, but not MUCH better. And I don't think he will become MUCH better.

Bob was so good, and so often overlooked, that even though I do think Randy IS better than his father, it's far closer than, say, the obvious gap people feel exist in the DiBiase bloodline.

Hope that clears it up, man.

 

[GodCompleX]

Bruno Sammartino is FAR GREATER than David Sammartino
Does this even need to be debated? Bruno is one of the greatest champions of all time. David, well, let's just hope he had a good back up plan.

Ivan Putski is FAR GREATER than Scott Putski
The Polish Hammer was a main event draw in the 70's and somewhat relevant in the early 80's. Scott never really got over at all.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

curt henning > Larry the Axe and McGillicutty and most ppl for that matter, Randy Savage > his dad, Superfly > Tamina and Deuce combined. Its crazy how some guys are so much better than their fathers and some not, another i'd say his IRS > Husky!

 

[Mustang Sally]

Superfly Jimmy Snuka is better than his daughter Tamina, although I enjoyed the way she takes the leap from the top rope without letting her feet hit the mat first. Dad trained her well.

However, Tamina is better looking than the Superfly. She must take after her Mother, and thank all that's holy for that.

 

[King Blitzkonic]

2: Jerry "the King" Lawler is Somewhat Better than Grandmaster Sexay

Sorry, I couldn't make this a 1 because I have such a soft spot for Too Cool

and Another fun one

3: Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart is Equal to Natalie

She is just so dominant in the Woman’s division, Her Father would be very proud.

The Anvil EQUAL to Natalie? I think not. I'd say Natalie is SOMEWHAT BETTER than Anvil. Daddy had a hard time getting over without the Hart Foundation while Natalya has done very well without Kidd/Hart Smith. Daddy was more of a pure power wrestler while Natalya combines power with technique. In time, we could change this answer to MUCH BETTER, but Natalya's not been in the public eye long enough to get a full idea of her potential.

 

[MisterRob]

My problem with this is that for most cases you're viewing a father whose career is over and therefore we know how good they were with a son or daughter who are JUST starting their careers for the most part. I really don't think it's a valid judgment of people like Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase Jr, Natalya NeidHart, David Hart Smith, Joe Hennig, and the list goes on because they're still so incredibly young and still have so much to learn and develop before they've reached their potentials. All of them are in their twenties still for the most part, haven't had the years of experience and development their parents had. It's impossible to judge how good or bad they'll be in five years time.

I do however think there are some who can be judged in this way:

5. Randy Orton is MUCH better then Bob Orton.
I don't care on what layer you're comparing the two on, Randy Orton surpasses his father on every single level. Orton's a multiple time champion, is incredibly over, is a draw, and the list goes on. There's just no comparison, and I think this is the best example of anyone of a SON being better then his FATHER.

2. Dusty Rhodes is SOMEWHAT better then Goldust.
I think number one would be highly underrating Goldust. Dustin Rhodes has good wrestling ability, he's actually really good on the mic, and he got over and made quite an impact with the Goldust character. He may not have reached the levels of his father, but what he has accomplished and the ability he does have I don't think should be downplayed.

 

[Davi323]

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! DIG IT!

Randy Savage is MUCH better than his father, Angelo Poffo.

This really should be a no-brainer. He sometimes gets left out of the "second (or third) generation wrestler" category, as people forget that his dad was a wrestler too. Angelo Poffo had a good career. Not a fantastic career, but a good career. But his son Randy is an all-time legend.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

The Rock was MUCH better than Rocky Johnson.

Rocky Johnson is a pioneer for black wrestlers looking to make it big in the WWF/E. He was one half of the first African-American tag team champions. But he will never reach the heights of superstardom that his son achieved. The Rock did it all. He main evened WrestleMania 3 times in a row (should've been 4 but that's for another thread), won 9 World Championships, won the Royal Rumble and was a Triple Crown Winner. I don't think I even need to bring up the mainstream success either. Rocky Johnson was a pioneer but his son was a true superstar.

 

[ABMorales787]

"Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase was MUCH (and I mean MUCH) better than Ted DiBiase "The Fortunate Son"

For God's sake. Ted DiBiase was WWE's most hated and consistant heel of the late 80's and early 90's. This guy was cutting edge on promo's, he was dynamic and more importantly a competent ring worker and mic worker. Meanwhile his son has shown very little in the past 3 and half years since his TV debut. Being around Randy Orton only made people thing he was good but after that veil was lifted, we saw him fail to emulate his father's gimmick, reveal the fact that he pretty much looks like he's constipated when he's speaking and he is pretty damn unteresting in the ring. Ted Sr. is miles beyond what his son could ever do and whoever says otherwise should just stop being so damn modest.

Natalya is better than Jim Neidhart.



Yes, Jim was a part of the huge tag team, the Hart Foundation and it's subsequent stable and yes, he was a great midcarder. But that took him decades. Meanwhile, his daughter is the top figure of WWE's Women's Divison. GOOD GOD! What an accomplishment! Yeah, sacasm aside, the fact that she pulled through with her skills instead of her looks shows that WWE is clearly behind her. She has a completely bright future ahead of her and with some good indy years and TNA as an open option, she has the doors open to do more in the wrestling business than her father did.

 

[Decarow]

How can you people say somebody is better than someone else if the latter is still competing and hasn't had a chance to shine yet? Of course I'm talking about the DiBiase's. Now I'm not dissing Sr's talents, but to say he's MUCH better than Jr is a little exaggerated. Jr has only been around for a few years, and will likely have a better career than his dad, achievements wise.

Furthermore, how would you say someone is better? Better speaker? Talent? Achievements? Performer?

I think I'm going to have go say Randy Orton is better than Bob Orton. While Cowboy was a big part of the WWF back in the 80s, he didn't have as big of an impact as Randy has had over the past half decade. He's had a hell of a lot more achievements, can give a good promo, and has had extremely interesting stories.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The Rock is MUCH better than Rocky Johnson

Now I know his Dad is in the HOF (a decision that somewhat baffled me, when you see some of the names ommited as of now), but The Rock is on a completely different level to his Father. In fact, they are so far apart its not even the same league.

Rocky Johnson had a good career, and a decent amount of success as a tag team wrestler with Tony Atlas, but his son has accomplished more than almost anyone else in wrestling history.

From his days as Rocky Maivia in The Nation, to his spell as the Corporate Champion then going on to enormous success as a multi-time World Champion, Tag Team champion and becoming the face of the WWE, The Rock has done it all in wrestling.

The most charismatic performer I have ever seen, The Rock can captivate an audience and has trancended his success in the wrestling world into acting, becoming a success in Hollywood and now being given the honour of being the host of this years Wrestlemania

The Rock is a pop-culture phenomenon, and his Dad must be extremely proud of him.