Who are the greatest brothers in wrestling history?

[MINISTRYrising]

So after watching the Rhodes brothers team up this last week to get some revenge on the Shield, It got me thinking about who the greatest brothers in wrestling history really are and when I say Brothers, I don't mean somebody like the Brothers of Destruction or the Dudley boyz, but real life flesh and blood brothers. Know there have been quite a few very impressive duo's over the years and they have all reach veried levels of Success, but which pairing do you think are by far the greatest in the history of wrestling.

 

[CM Steel]

Don't you mean "WHO are the greatest brothers in wrestling history?", am I correct? But to answer that question it would have to be Hardy Boys. Yes, they went down different path's in their wrestling career's but they both have made some wrestling history together as a tag team. Jeff Hardy was the bigger star of the two even though he was the younger brother of Matt who lead he followed. Jeff was more of the highlight reel of the Hardy brothers. It was like Jeff Hardy was Michael Jackson, while Matt Hardy was Tito. Lord knows how far Jeff's solo career could have gone in the WWE if not for the drugs, Smh.

 

[fenderjapan]

Going to have to go with the Von Erichs here. Hardys are close but David and Kerry were main eventers in an organization that, along with the WWF, ushered in the Sports-Entertainment era. Then there were the other less successful Von Erichs. Still relevant.

Hardys would be my second choice, followed by the Steiners.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Terry and Dory Funk for sure, closely followed by the Briscoes and then Bret and Owen.

The Funks because both won the NWA World Title, there is no question that is a unique and incredible feat. Both are considered among the toughest guys to ever lace boots and continued to be relevant long into the McMahon era - Terry for his latter work with Flair and in ECW/WWE and Dory for training Team Extreme, Test and Mickie James amongst others.

The Briscoes were a legendary tag team, although only Jack made it to singles World glory - Jerry Briscoe has his own place, despite a stellar career most of us know him as one of Vince's stooges - carrying RAW to it's highest ever segment of the time... even after his health issues he returned and as recently as this month was at a tryout for new talent... The guy clearly knows his stuff and the two speak for themselves as Hall of Famers.

Bret and Owen? What can you say, again only one got the World title - and had Owen gotten that break then they would win hands down on pure ability - but at the end of the day they were at their best apart and as adversaries rather than a family unit.

Honorable mentions go to the Steiners - still one of the greatest tag teams ever, The Laurinitis Boys, Joe (Animal) and Johnny "Mr. Excitement" Ace and Harlem Heat and perhaps Kerry and David Von Erich of that famed but fated family.

 

[Fabulous Freebirds]

Steiner Brothers are the greatest tag team brothers tandem. These guys literally beat the living daylights out of their opponents. Dog Face Gremlin popularized the Steiner line and Scott popularized the frankensteiner.

 

[3/4 Facelock]

The Wild Samoans Afa and Sika Annoi. 20+ time champs around the world.

 

[#heel420]

As singles wrestlers it has to be the Funks. Terry and Dory Jr. are the only brothers to both be World Champion, and they did it in a time when the NWA World Title meant something.

Bret & Owen also have a claim to being the best brothers in wrestling.


The Dudleyz are the best TAG TEAM period.
-23x World Tag Team Champions
-They are the only team to have held the WWE, WWF, ECW, WCW, NWA, TNA, and IWGP Tag Team Championships.

 

[Mac Attack]

I'm more willing to go along the lines of the Funks as well. They're championship prestige plus overall impact to wrestling helps them out a lot. I debated the Hardys but Matt didn't really do anything grand in wrestling ever, Bret and Owen probably are number 2 but the my gut is telling me they're not number one, Von Erich's are greatly over rated in my opinion. Maybe Triple H and Shane need a mentioning see as they're brothers in law.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I'm going with the Hardy Boyz. Six World Championships between them, half a dozen Tag Team Championships together, and along with the Funks, it's pretty damn rare to see a brother tag team who both go on to become World Champions.

 

[Kliq69]

When has Matt Hardy held a recognized world title? He never held the original NWA title, the AWA title, the WWE(WWWF, WWF) title, the WWE world heavyweight title, the WCW title, the original ECW title, or the TNA title.

The Funks held real world titles, both of them. They were also two of the absolute best workers of their times. Both are highly thought of in the states, but it's their fan bases in Japan and elsewhere overseas that should easily move them to the top of this list. Terry and Dory Jr were (and in a lot of respects are) gods in Japan. They had several decades spent on top or near the top of the wrestling world. Jeff Hardy spent roughly 2-3 years as a top singles star, Matt has never been a top singles star. Had Owen not had his career cut short, the answer may be different.

Honorable mentions:

Jack and Jerry Brisco
Rick and Scott Steiner

 

[Aquaman6686]

When has Matt Hardy held a recognized world title? He never held the original NWA title, the AWA title, the WWE(WWWF, WWF) title, the WWE world heavyweight title, the WCW title, the original ECW title, or the TNA title.

The ECW Championship was a recognized World Championship whether you like WWE's ECW or not. It was defended regularly overseas and far more prestigious than when the original ECW was in business. The original ECW title was defended overseas what, three times in their entire history? Matt was a World Champion, there's no argument about that.

 

[Uncle]

I'd have to agree with the Funks has best. The Harts are a very very close second. Who knows if Owen didn't pass so early they might have been number 1 very easily.
Would the Poffo's qualify here? Macho made history, however his bro was little more then a Santino of the time.

 

[joduke41]

I haven't heard anyone mention Arn and Olie Anderson. But I am gonna have to toss in my vote for the Steiners.But I think if Owen had not died tragically the Hart Brothers would be head and shoulders above everyone else.The Hardys to me seem to be a bit of wasted talent.Jeff has a lot more potential but I think fame and success scares him.The Funks came a lil too early.Had the Funks hit the scene in the mid-90's.Now that would've been fun to watch.But then again,if the Guerreros(spelling) had more U.S. coverage,who knows.

 

[Wald]

Arn and Ole aren't real brothers, hence the no mentions of them. Crazily enough, considering how much they look alike, they aren't even related.

I'm gonna go with the Funk Brothers too, could have been the Harts if Owen had pushed on more and become a world champion but as it is I don't think Terry and Dory are in doubt as the greatest ever

 

[Mustang Sally]

I'd pick the Harts, chiefly because of their conflict with each other. The whole "brother vs. brother" program harkened back to the Civil War, where the phrase took on a whole new meaning.

I remember reading that the Funk brothers refused to even consider fighting each other, while the Brisco brothers never came close to engaging in a brotherly feud, either. The Hardys were actually forced to physically tangle a couple of times during the McMahon-Helmsley Faction days, yet they never had a personal (kayfabe) reason to fight each other.

Bret and Owen brought a whole new dimension to the brother concept, engaging in a long program of conflict that included some really fine ring wars. Their ultimate reconciliation had a ring of authenticity to it, even though we knew the whole thing was staged. For that alone, I'd call them the greatest brothers in pro wrestling.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

My vote would have to go to Jake Roberts and Sam Houston. Jake was a master on the mic and a terrific ring psychologist. But, he never held the gold. The closest he got was when Sam Houston would lend his services to helping Jake's career path.

A prime example, held on the grandest stage, was Houston's immediate elimination in the WrestleMania IV battle royale. Sam was one of the favorites going in. He was a lightweight, so he was able to avoid the inevitable jinx of "How on Earth are they going to get him over the ropes?!" bestowed upon such bohemoths as Mabel, Khali, Earthquake and countless others who were almost always eliminated soon after that statement. However, he got himself tossed to pave the way for Bad News Brown to win the match. Jake would then find himself in a feud with Brown, who now had mega heat and was a rising contender. Like I said, Jake never reached the top. But selfless acts of his brother put him in his best position to do so.

The Harts, Steiners, Hardys, Briscos, Funks and others have their place. But I never saw such selflessness as I did with the Houston/Roberts family.

 

[Captain Bernie]

I know they didn't win any major championships and were rarely high on the card but I always appreciated the Rougeau Bros work.

 

[Matty~!]

In terms of achievement I don't think you can look past The Funks, Dory and Terry. Like a previous poster mentioned both NWA World Champions when the belt was THE belt to hold in the entire business. They headlined all across America not to mention being mega stars in Japan. Terry's initial retirement in 1983 is still one of the most emotion filled retirement in pro wrestling that you are ever likely to see.

Dory was a wrestling connoisseurs dream he could go on the mat, he could stand up and brawl and was just plain great. Terry could do all that too however, what made Terry even better was his talking ability, not to mention stage presence. Had he been born 20 years later he would have been on a par with Austin in the 90's. He is without a shadow of a doubt my favourite wrestler ever.

 

[justtxyank]

It's the Funks.

Both men NWA World Champions when that was the most prestigious title in America. Dory also held a main event championship for AWA. Terry Funk was a regular main eventer in Japan, first as a regular main event guy for All Japan and later as a hardcore icon for companies like W*NG and others. Both are honored in various hall of fames, including WWE, Pro Wrestling, Cauliflower, etc.

As a tag team they were main eventers in Japan into the 90s.

No one else comes close. They were stars across the globe that won titles everywhere as tag teams and individuals. Not to mention that if you throw away titles, drawing power and everything else, they were both damn good wrestlers who contributed to the profession well beyond the money they brought in.

 

[shalliin]

NO one mentions the Poffo brothers? Leaping Lanny and Randy Savage? Even with the drag factor of Lanny, having Macho Man evens things out and elevates this brother duo to among the top brothers of all time.
As mentioned, the Von Erichs, the Hart Family and the Steiners are among the best.He's a joke now, but Johnny Ace. Animal and Marcus Laurinitas. There are countless extremely famous and talented mexican siblings and japanese families as well. The Vachon siblings are also up there, but don't get considered often nowdays.
And no one brought up the Guerrero family? Eddie, Chavo Sr, Hector and Mando?

 

[shalliin]

My vote would have to go to Jake Roberts and Sam Houston. Jake was a master on the mic and a terrific ring psychologist. But, he never held the gold. The closest he got was when Sam Houston would lend his services to helping Jake's career path.

A prime example, held on the grandest stage, was Houston's immediate elimination in the WrestleMania IV battle royale. Sam was one of the favorites going in. He was a lightweight, so he was able to avoid the inevitable jinx of "How on Earth are they going to get him over the ropes?!" bestowed upon such bohemoths as Mabel, Khali, Earthquake and countless others who were almost always eliminated soon after that statement. However, he got himself tossed to pave the way for Bad News Brown to win the match. Jake would then find himself in a feud with Brown, who now had mega heat and was a rising contender. Like I said, Jake never reached the top. But selfless acts of his brother put him in his best position to do so.

The Harts, Steiners, Hardys, Briscos, Funks and others have their place. But I never saw such selflessness as I did with the Houston/Roberts family.

Sam Houston was never a favored to win going into any rumble or battle royal. He was a footnote of a foot note, and if I hadn't just checked a list of siblings/relationships through google, I wouldn't have known the name as I have absolutely no memory of him. Every one at some point during a rumble/royal gets a mention by the announce team as a favorite, but it's just playing up to the audience, not a reflection of reality.

 

[Killercam]

It's easily Owen & Bret. It is unfortunate the way Owen died. I believe if this didn't happen the way it did Bret would have opened up to WWE a lot earlier than he did, and if Owen were still alive then those guys could have made the 94 program look like shit compared to what they could have done 5-8 years later together. I guess I'm going on what could have been but the potential was there. Bret was already a legend and Owen was on his way, not to mention how much the rest of the hart family (and not the in-laws, Bulldog & Niedhart were respected). In 93 and 2010 the entire Hart family were featured in major angles at major ppvs. That's a 17 year gap and that's a first and likely an only

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I would lean towards either the Hart brothers (Bret and Owen) or the Funk's (Terry and Dory Jr), I can't really pick between the two.

Bret and Owen are two of the most technically gifted wrestlers ever to step into the ring. Bret as we all know is a multi-time World Champion, capable of pulling of off a great match with almost any opponent and while Owen never won a World title, it's commonly thought that he could have reached the pinnacle had his life not tragically ended due to the accident at Over The Edge. The 2 brothers had great chemistry working together and against each other in some brilliant matches. Bret is in the WWE HOF and everyone believes Owen should be in there alongside him, but issues with his wife Martha is still preventing his induction.

However, both Terry and Dory Jr were World Champions in the NWA when that title was the biggest in the business, and were also mega stars across the globe. Dory was a great performer and we all know the impact Terry has had on the business. As well as being a very good wrestler, he had the charisma to remain a draw well into his 50s and did alot to bring the hardcore style of ECW to the mainstream when he was a long way past his physical prime. There is almost noone in the business more respected than Terry Funk.

I was considering listing the Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff) as my pick, but I think the achievements and impact of the Hart's and Funk's is greater than that of the Hardy's, so they are stuck in the number 3 spot for me, followed by the Steiner's.

I have not seen enough of the Von Erich's to comment on them, although I know they had a major impact in the Texas territories, and that Kerry was an NWA World Champion.

 

[HeenanGorilla]

Sam Houston was never a favored to win going into any rumble or battle royal. He was a footnote of a foot note, and if I hadn't just checked a list of siblings/relationships through google, I wouldn't have known the name as I have absolutely no memory of him. Every one at some point during a rumble/royal gets a mention by the announce team as a favorite, but it's just playing up to the audience, not a reflection of reality.

Gee...I guess my whole post sounds silly now. Here I am, thinking I had a post full of solid facts and thoughtful insight, but it turns out that I was way off base. You can imagine my disappointment.

I will change my vote. I now vote for Johnny Ace and his brother Animal. Animal is fairly well known for his stint as half of the Legion of Doom. He even won a title. But, much like Randy Savage lifts the Poffo family, Johnny Ace lifts the Laurinitis brothers. He was the heel with the most heat during one of WWE's most succesful eras--the PG era. His voice is as recognizable as any superstar out there and his roles in the company both on-air and off are the stuff of legend.

I actually feel foolish for not thinking of this first. But, I was swayed by the ingenuine hype given to Sam Houston from an announcer that was, quite frankly, a liar. Is my face red...

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I'm more willing to go along the lines of the Funks as well. They're championship prestige plus overall impact to wrestling helps them out a lot. I debated the Hardys but Matt didn't really do anything grand in wrestling ever, Bret and Owen probably are number 2 but the my gut is telling me they're not number one, Von Erich's are greatly over rated in my opinion. Maybe Triple H and Shane need a mentioning see as they're brothers in law.

More to the point, Matt was for a time the most decorated champion in WWE history, having held so many different titles during his career. He never got one of the "big 2" but he'd held everything else multiple times.

Someone asked why the Guererro's didn't get mentioned and it's cos in reality only Eddie did anything of note (no the Gobbledygooker doesn't count) much as with the Rougeaus, only one actually did anything outside the team - Ray was retired as soon as they split.