How come TNA doesn't have any second generation wrestlers

[tbp82]

WWE has Ted Dibease Jr., Cody Rhodes (and Dustin), Carlito and Primo Colon, Chavo Guerrero, Rey Mysterio (his uncle wrestled). David Hart Smith and Natayla. Plus in developmental they have a younger Dibease, a couple of Mike Rotundo's kid's, Joe Henning, and Meng's son. Plus there may be some I am missing. Wonder why TNA hasn't signed any second generation guys?

 

[kbrill21]

Wow. I never thought of that. I guess Jeff Jarrett could be considered 2nd Generation. I wonder if it has something to do with the WWE's developmental territory being considered one of the best training grounds for young wrestlers. TNA doesn't really have a farm system so to speak. That is a good observation though, that I never really thought of.

 

[jokeboy624]

The main reason I imagine is that WWE likes to look at these second generation guys and see what they have to offer. It's undeniable that "wrestling can run in the blood" and Vince is aware of that. With TNA being a relatively young company it doesn't have any "legends" that "owe their career and fame" to the company, so they have no one to send their kids to TNA. Think of it as a Fraternity, where you get in much more easily if your father or brother was part of the Fraternity before you. It's literally called a legacy.

Another point, and correct me if I'm wrong, TNA doesn't have a developmental program so they have to pluck their talent from indy organizations and WWE cast-offs. Any second generation names worth having will already be picked up the WWE by the time they would be ready to be on TV. If TNA can stay around for a while and Samoa Joe or AJ Styles have kids, then someday they might, but for now they're all going to start with the WWE and who can blame them for that.

 

[Reddannihilation]

Technically TNA had a second generation wrestler when Dustin Rhodes was with company(Black Reign), but for the most part you'll often find second and third gen wrestlers will show up in the company their family was affliated with, The Rock's family were in the WWE so that would've been the obvious choice, same with Dibiase, The Hart's, etc. With TNA they haven't been around long enough for it to happen, AJ and Daniels' kids may one day be TNA's second generation stars but it's going to be awhile because the majority of wrestling families are linked to the WWE and will probably focus on working where their family worked.

 

[bigp523]

Technically TNA had a second generation wrestler when Dustin Rhodes was with company(Black Reign), but for the most part you'll often find second and third gen wrestlers will show up in the company their family was affliated with, The Rock's family were in the WWE so that would've been the obvious choice, same with Dibiase, The Hart's, etc. With TNA they haven't been around long enough for it to happen, AJ and Daniels' kids may one day be TNA's second generation stars but it's going to be awhile because the majority of wrestling families are linked to the WWE and will probably focus on working where their family worked.

If you go way back to the beginning they had a stable named generation next(possibly next generation, not really sure). It was a second generation stable of Erick Watts,Brian Lawler, and i think it was David Flair, not really sure. They feuded with legends and felt like they were owed something cuz of their fathers.

They also have BG James who is a second generation superstar, although he doesnt really wrestle anymore

 

[Harthan]

As far as recent second generation stars go, it's mostly because the majority of their dads worked for the WWE, have friends in the WWE, and can insure a push in the WWE. The Harts have never had any real presence in TNA (Teddy Hart might have been there briefly, I'm not positive), and while Dusty Rhodes worked there, he's got much better connections in the WWE. To my knowledge the DiBiases have never set foot there. The Colons could have opted to go there, but considering they both needed a good developmental system to work through, the WWE was the logical place. Jesse...well, Jesse really wouldn't have made a difference.

Jeff Jarrett and BG James only marginally count, considering JJ founded the company and BG is his bromance. So really, TNA just isn't a hot attraction for second gen stars, most of whom get their start by their dads making connections for them. In time, some might jump ship, but really, there's nothing attractive for them there when they can get a much easier ride into the WWE.

 

[SavageTaker]

I think it’s because 2nd generation wrestlers decided they don't wantto go to TNA. They know that because their dads have worked for the WWE in the past they can pull some strings and put in a good word for them so it’s more likely they could join the WWE, even if they have to start in developmental. Many 2nd generation wrestlers’ dads have worked for the WWE and have stayed on good terms with the company so it helps the 2nd generation wrestlers a lot if they want to join the company. I think they would rather go to the WWE were they know it’s very likely they’ll be able to join because of their dads than TNA were they know they might not succeed. It could also be because they prefer going straight to the major leagues (WWE) over starting in the minor leagues (TNA). They know they’ll be more likely to succeed as WWE wrestlers than TNA wrestlers because of their dads so they go to WWE. It's just the best thing for them and their careers to join WWE over TNA.