Which is The Greatest Wrestling Family of All Time?

[SickJames]

There are lots of them from The McMahons to The Anoa'i Family to The Harts to The Von Erichs to The Guerreros to The Vachons, hell even The Dudleys, why not.

There are many more professional wrestling families big and small.

What I wanna know is, which one do you consider the greatest of all time.

I dont just want you to answer based on the one you like. I want you to answer in three different categories, then an overall.



1. The greatest in terms of Wrestling (which family is the best overall on a wrestling basis)


2. The greatest in terms of Entertainment (which family is the best overall on an entertainment basis)


3. The greatest personally to you (which is, just your favorite)


4. And lastly, which is the greatest overall? Which family has the bigger legacy taking everything into consideration and with comparison of overall accomplishments of each contributing individual from each family and the family's value to wrestling and contribution as a whole.



I know a lot will likely agree on the same ones for some, but I know opinions differ, I didnt see anything on this, so I wanted to make a thread on it. See what people say.



Bonus: I want you to pick ONE wrestler from each family, the one that you think is the greatest accomplished SUPERSTAR not just in terms of wrestling, but all around stardom, the total package, and do that for each family...

then tell me which one out of all of the family's best representatives, which ONE do you think is the greatest individual, the greatest individual star to ever come out of a professional wrestling family.

 

[the_mollusk_]

1. I think in terms of Wrestling, the Harts.

2. In terms of entertainment, I like to think the McMahons were pretty good at getting me to sit and watch their t.v shows every week.

3. To me, personally, I like the Anoa'I family. I'm a fan of the Samoan heritage. With The Rock, Big Kish, Eddie Fatu, High Cheif Miavia, Usos(even though the E doesn't seem to like them that much), and so on.

4. Hart-Bret Hart, Anoa'I-The Rock, McMahon-Shane-O-Mac.

 

[#hamler]

1. The greatest in terms of Wrestling (which family is the best overall on a wrestling basis)

It's hard as fuck to argue with the Hart family. The Hart family is probably the most technicly sound most well rounded group of wrestlers the World had ever seen. Bret Hart and Stu Hart are obviously the stars on the Hart Family. Owen, Davey Boy, just an overall well rounded family. A lot of wrestlers like Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho owe their success to the Hart family. The Guerrero family would also be a great selection for this category. The Guerrero's help popularize the lucha/mexican style in the United States. Both of these families are very influencial in today's wrestling world.

2.[/B] The greatest in terms of Entertainment (which family is the best overall on an entertainment basis)

Like I said, The Harts and Guerreros were pretty well rounded athletes; star power, charisma, in ring ability, mic skills, gimmicks. But if I had to chose which family has entertained me the most, it would definitely go to the McMahons. With the exception of Linda, every member of the family is entertaining. They weren't the best in ring competitors but when they performed - whether promo or wrestling - they drew me in. Fanfuckingtastic group of entertainers.

3.[/B] The greatest personally to you (which is, just your favorite)

McMahons definitely. There really isn't a need to explain, but the McMahons are by far one of the greatest families in recent memory.

4. And lastly, which is the greatest overall? Which family has the bigger legacy

Legacy? Besides the McMahons...I'd say Harts, just because they've produced a lot of great history and momorable moments in the WWE which includes some phenomenal matches and rivalries...Davey Boy Smith vs Bret Hart Summerslam '92, Michaels/Bret Hart, Austin and Bret and the countless awesome Bret Hart/Owen Hart matches. Their history goes unmatched. Not to metion all these guys owe their wrestling careers and legacies to Stu and the rest of the Hart Family: Chris Benoit, Abdulla The Butcher, Chris Jericho, Edge, Christian, X-Pac, Gorilla Monsoon, Roddy Piper, Brian Pillman just to name a few off the top of my head.

 

[SickJames]

I appreciate the responses thus far, I expected ppl to say The Harts mostly for the first one, but the thing is I get why you question why I even mentioned some questions the way I did.

I also know not everyone is or thinks the same, was just curious to see the responses, specifically the diversity in opinion, because there would be as there is with every thread topic, and that also comes down to different things be it old vs new fans, or maybe casual who dont even know much of some family's legacies

I was just curious to see the diverse responses moreso over the expected majority on some questions

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

There are lots of them from The McMahons to The Anoa'i Family to The Harts to The Von Erichs to The Guerreros to The Vachons, hell even The Dudleys, why not.

There are many more professional wrestling families big and small.

What I wanna know is, which one do you consider the greatest of all time.

I dont just want you to answer based on the one you like. I want you to answer in three different categories, then an overall.



1. The greatest in terms of Wrestling (which family is the best overall on a wrestling basis)


2. The greatest in terms of Entertainment (which family is the best overall on an entertainment basis)


3. The greatest personally to you (which is, just your favorite)


4. And lastly, which is the greatest overall? Which family has the bigger legacy taking everything into consideration and with comparison of overall accomplishments of each contributing individual from each family and the family's value to wrestling and contribution as a whole.



I know a lot will likely agree on the same ones for some, but I know opinions differ, I didnt see anything on this, so I wanted to make a thread on it. See what people say.



Bonus: I want you to pick ONE wrestler from each family, the one that you think is the greatest accomplished SUPERSTAR not just in terms of wrestling, but all around stardom, the total package, and do that for each family...

then tell me which one out of all of the family's best representatives, which ONE do you think is the greatest individual, the greatest individual star to ever come out of a professional wrestling family.

wrestling wise of course you gotta go with the hart family every one of them was pretty good in the ring and atleast 3 are now hall of famers with the wwe!

entertainment wise....i gotta give the devils there due and go with the mcmahon family i mean come on who wasnt ever entertained by a shane mcmahon match and everybody always wonders whats gonna happen when vince or steph show up on tv!

the greatest personality overall from any wrestling family..hmmm quite a few vince mcmahon of course,bret hart of course and then the rock of course so ill say all 3 of them but i wanna add 1 more in their and thats shane mcmahon i mean come on who didnt like shane-o-mac? he was awesome!

 

[H33LTurn]

1. The greatest in terms of Wrestling (which family is the best overall on a wrestling basis)

The Hart family. Brets considered the best for a reason and Owen is said not to have been bad himself. Then theres the whole Dungeon thing which makes them the only appropriate choice for this category.

2. The greatest in terms of Entertainment (which family is the best overall on an entertainment basis)

The McMahons. Without them wrestling wouldnt be as big as it is today. You can say what you want but most people here wouldnt be watching today if it werent for the McMahons. Vince put wrestling on a whole new level.

3. The greatest personally to you (which is, just your favorite)

The Guerreros. They've always been respectful and stayed true to the business regardless of what was happening around them. Both Eddie and Chavo worked hard to get to where they were and its hard to say that the family didnt have a huge impact on this business. Sure the Harts have their legacy as well but theres always an excuse for them. Their stupid mistakes, and I'm sorry for saying this because I dont like speaking ill of the dead (Owen) brought them to their own downfall. The McMahons put wrestling on the map for a lot of people but they havent exactly made honorable decisions. If you use dirty tactics to get somewhere it says a lot about who you are.

4. And lastly, which is the greatest overall? Which family has the bigger legacy taking everything into consideration and with comparison of overall accomplishments of each contributing individual from each family and the family's value to wrestling and contribution as a whole.

It has to be the McMahons. They made it all possible for the other families of the wrestling business.

Bonus: I want you to pick ONE wrestler from each family, the one that you think is the greatest accomplished SUPERSTAR not just in terms of wrestling, but all around stardom, the total package, and do that for each family...

then tell me which one out of all of the family's best representatives, which ONE do you think is the greatest individual, the greatest individual star to ever come out of a professional wrestling family.

Ortons- Randy Orton
Harts- Bret Hart
Guerreros- Eddie Guerrero
McMahons- Vince McMahon (wont count him because hes not a wrestler)

Eddie is my pic. He put on so many legendary matches, became a household name, and did it all honorably. I know I'm gunna rattle some feathers here but Bret wouldnt be as big if it hadnt been for the screwjob. He accomplished a lot on his own right but in my book the Harts have lost a lot of respect. Bret wasnt as big superstar wise either. He was a good wrestler, but his character didnt capture you. It was there but he just inst that big in my eyes. I know a lot of people dont feel that way but oh well. Randy's career isnt even over. He made it but hes hasnt reached legend status yet so I cant say hes really accomplished. I think Eddie was able to keep himself relevant, tell a story in the ring, make a name for himself, and most importantly accomplish all of that with honor. Hes the only guy out of this entire list that nobody has a bad thing to say about.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

When it comes to the term "Wrestling Family", there are usually about 3 that tend to jump out. I'm not including the McMahons here because they've never been in-ring wrestlers. That's not to say that they're not important, quite probably THE most important family, but I'm limiting this to families that primarily made their reputation inside the ring rather than outside it.

The three families that I tend to think of are the Harts, the Guerreros and the Von Erichs as they all had a lot in common. All three families were big fishes in their respective territories back in the day, boasted a lot of accomplishments and had at least one family member that stood out from the rest.

In terms of who was the best in terms of "wrestling", I'd have to go with the Hart family. Stu Hart is legendary for his rigerous and some would say torturous training that's produced some of the greatest stars in the history of wrestling. Mat and submission wrestling was what Stu Hart was all about and we saw a lot of those skills he taught to his sons Bret & Owen while they were in the WWF. The Guerreros were more famous for their lucha libre style. It's flashy but the novelty of it wears off quickly for me. The Von Erichs used a lot of athleticism coupled with just some good old fashioned brawling.

When it comes to an entertainment perspective, I'm going with the Von Erichs. The stuff going on in WCCW just had such a raw feeling about it. The Von Erichs were athletic and coupled that with some of that hard hitting, stiff brawling that was well known in Texas wrestling circles. They just had a more energetic feel about them than the Harts or the Guerreros for me. Those hot crowds they had at the Sportatorium also made the Von Erichs truly believable as the ultimate Texas faces. Whether it was the old man or whether it was Kerry, Kevin or David; the crowd was always hot for whatever they were into.

The greatest personally for me...hmmm well that's hard to say. I like both the Harts & Von Erichs more than the Guerreros but it just seems like the Guerreros have done a much better job of avoiding the pitfalls of wrestling than the other two have. The Harts have suffered personal tragedies, there seems to be constant bickering and feuding based on what we read in books and they just don't seem to be the tight knit clan that they were as kids. The Von Erichs are a Greek tragedy that, personally, I think could possibly have been avoided if Fritz Von Erich put more effort into the welfare and health of his sons because they were his sons rather than the stars of his wrestling promotion. With the Guerreros, the passing of Eddie Guerrero is their biggest black eye and it's a big one. Eddie made a lot of choices that ultimately cost him in the end but, as a family, the Guerreros seem to have thrived. So I'm gonna split it down the middle. I like the Harts on the basis that I just liked seeing them perform more and I like the Guerreros for lessons on how to conduct yourself and how to make wise decisions.

As to who has the greater legacy, I don't think it's that simple. I think all three families have great legacies that contribute to wrestling. As I aluded to earlier, there are lessons that can be learned here I think. All have had their highs and most definitely had their lows. I think I'm giving this one, however, to the Guerreros. They've done a lot for wrestling, they haven't let the business rip them apart and, for the most part, they're generally still on one piece. The Harts & Von Erichs have been decimated by a combination of horrible life decisions, personal ego and the general tear that pro wrestling can have. The Guerreros have really managed to hold things together for the most part. They have a few scars here and there but they've gotten out with the least amount of damage. Sometimes, that's really the best you can hope for.

As to who is the overall stand out, it's got to be Bret Hart. We all know that Bret Hart is, arguably, the best all around pro wrestler of his generation with the matches and wrestling accolades and all around respect to back up such a claim. He's just been involved in so many huge moments, some of which have literally changed the face of pro wrestling, that I just can't overlook him.

 

[Roodey]

1. No arguement from me -- The Hart family for their own in ring accolades and accomplishments and for those of all who were trained by them.

2. Entertaining? Call me crazy but i'm going with the Rhodes family. In his heyday, Dusty was the man. Classic promos make up for his lacking ring work and man he was OVER. Dustin's work as Golddust has always been fun... well, maybe not TAFKA Golddust but overall that character is a gem. Today Cody is making his own mark on the Smackdown brand and winning over more people with every showing.

3. Villano's one through five of course. Okay, okay... The Harts, although the Anoa'i clan is a close second.

4. The greatest overall based on their contributions and legacy without a doubt is the MacMahon family -- and that's not even looking at them as on screen performers.

Bonus: Owen Hart, Dusty Rhodes, VillanoIV (haha) and Vincent K. MacMahon.