Who are the greatest brothers in wrestling history?

[shalliin]

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...

It's hard to tell if you're trying to be sarcastic or are naturally this ridiculous. I can't tell if you're being serious or not, and frankly, at this point it doesn't matter. If you are being serious, then you are a fool who knows little about what the thread and posts are supposed to be about, and if you are trying to be humorous you're failing spectacularly.
By What definition are you referring to the PG era as one of the most successful? The dropping stock price? The falling ratings, ppv buyrates, house show attendances? The only area of success in the pg era is in merchandising and even that is reaching a saturation point.

My reply to your post was not an attempt to insult you, merely to question whether you were being actually serious about considering Jake and Sam as the greatest brothers in the biz, or were trying to be funny. So I pointed out the flaws in your statements. 99 out of 100 people you ask, whether following wrestling for 5,10 or 20 years won't even remember who Sam Houston is, let alone that he is Jake Roberts brother. So that automatically disqualifies them from being considered as the best brothers in wrestling history. However your reply shows that you don't understand this or the question that was asked for this thread.

As for Johnny Ace, he was a career midcarder who got to were he did by being a kiss ass and yes man for the mcmahon family. He was mediocre at best in the ring and even the heat you say he had was not 'heat' but hate. People weren't booing or jeering him because of the storyline, but because they honestly disliked him for his backstage politicking that lead to a downgrade in role for the more popular JR and others in the back. The story of how he got the job as talent relations over JR is fairly known, that JR was basically pushed out of the position and the blame for the dropping ratings and failing of hired talent to get over was placed on JR, instead of on creative and on Vince for the bad stories and booking.

As for the last paragraph of your reply, your sarcasm fails yet again to do anything but show your arrogance and disrespect for everyone who is trying to be somewhat serious in their consideration of a fellow fans honest question. As I said in my post, there was no serious consideration for Sam Houston to win or be a favorite in that battle royal. The commentary hyping him as such during the match, is again as I said, something they do at some point to each competitor in such a match as means of adding interest in the event. To take it to the conclusion you did, by saying that you shouldn't have believed the lies of the commentators, then you have to extend that to not believe anything they say about any match since ALL matches are scripted in advance with who is going to win/loss, and according to you, they should just skip the match and tell us who is going to win before they even start. There is nothing wrong with hyping a person involved in the match, in fact that is a commentators JOB, but if as I mentioned you were being serious in your post, then you aren't very bright and if you were trying to be funny, you failed and it was disrespectful to the original post/thread creator.

 

[Matty~!]

As for Johnny Ace, he was a career midcarder who got to were he did by being a kiss ass and yes man for the mcmahon family. He was mediocre at best in the ring and even the heat you say he had was not 'heat' but hate. People weren't booing or jeering him because of the storyline, but because they honestly disliked him for his backstage politicking that lead to a downgrade in role for the more popular JR and others in the back. The story of how he got the job as talent relations over JR is fairly known, that JR was basically pushed out of the position and the blame for the dropping ratings and failing of hired talent to get over was placed on JR, instead of on creative and on Vince for the bad stories and booking.

Whilst I whole heartedly agree with the rest of your post and commend you for having the time and patience I didn't have to respond to HeenanGorilla. I feel you are a little short sighted on Johnny Ace in America he is probably all those thing you describe. However, in All Japan where he worked for close to if not over a decade he was part of a roster which was easily the best in the world in the first half of the 90's and among the best in the world during the latter half of the 90's. When Ace worked with the likes of Misawa, Kobashi, Kawada and Taue he generally kept up his end of the matches and his teams with Hansen and Steve Williams were as good as any gaijin tag team of the time.

Also the way Ross was taking out of the talent relations position is slightly factually wrong. Basically when Ace came into the WWF 2001 he was being groomed to take over from JR from day 1. There was no time frame for the succession and it was always going to be McMahon's prerogative. Basically Ross got fed up of living in New York and wanted to move his family back to Oklahoma for reasons that are at best sketchy McMahon didn't like this and downsized him to a consultant to Johnny Ace and took him off TV as the lead announcer.

 

[justtxyank]

Agreed about Johnny Ace. He was NOT mediocre. His work in Japan was very good.

Anyway, you guys are falling for HeenanGorilla's fun kayfabe irony. I really enjoyed his post about Sam Houston and could see the obvious reality of it was. In fact, I think he should be repped for it because it was hilarious.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

HeenanGorilla nearly nailed it, except the forgot the Monsoon classic line" A lot of fire from this youngster" which translated as - "We want you to like this kid, but we know there is no way it's gonna happen..."

Ace was not a "legend" a solid Gaijin worker who carved a niche, just as his brother did but he HAS had an impact on the business from his Talent Relations roles in WWE and WCW.

 

[shalliin]

Whilst I whole heartedly agree with the rest of your post and commend you for having the time and patience I didn't have to respond to HeenanGorilla. I feel you are a little short sighted on Johnny Ace in America he is probably all those thing you describe. However, in All Japan where he worked for close to if not over a decade he was part of a roster which was easily the best in the world in the first half of the 90's and among the best in the world during the latter half of the 90's. When Ace worked with the likes of Misawa, Kobashi, Kawada and Taue he generally kept up his end of the matches and his teams with Hansen and Steve Williams were as good as any gaijin tag team of the time.

Also the way Ross was taking out of the talent relations position is slightly factually wrong. Basically when Ace came into the WWF 2001 he was being groomed to take over from JR from day 1. There was no time frame for the succession and it was always going to be McMahon's prerogative. Basically Ross got fed up of living in New York and wanted to move his family back to Oklahoma for reasons that are at best sketchy McMahon didn't like this and downsized him to a consultant to Johnny Ace and took him off TV as the lead announcer.

Thank you for the reply. I know that Ace was big in Japan, but when I consider a list such as this or the question of who is greatest or what not, i have to consider the entire body of work, and what was larger bulk of their fame. Which sadly means that I rarely if ever consider anyones work outside of the North Amercan territories and companies. So I don't consider any of the Japanese companies, because before the Net, most fans didn't even know such places existed. This might be a diservice to the wrestler, but the sheer numbers of the various fanbase and possible viewer base at the time when the wrestler was most active. And sadly in the case of the Ace, after he left to go to Japan, he never came back or had no impact of any kind when he did since I don't remember ever hearing his name until he started in the back office. I didn't even remember his surfer/skater gimmick until wwe started showing clips when he first started his on air role not that long ago.

 

[HBsam31]

I am leaning toward the Harts as well. The Funks have to be considered to, but the Harts made a great team and also made great enemies. Bret vs. Owen is one of my favorite feuds of all time, and it went all the way until they reformed the Hart Foundation to go against Stone Cold. It is a shame Owen passed because I think we would have seen more chapters in the Hart saga.

 

[jbwphoto1]

My husband demands to know why no one has mentioned Harlem Heat? Booker T and Stevie Ray came from very humble beginnings both wrestling-wise and life-wise starting in Texas and wrestling in the Sportatorium in Dallas.

Stevie Ray was sidelined with a career ending injury which prevented his ascent in the WWE along with his brother. We are talking hall of famers here. They went on to train others at their school and Booker T is currently promoting his own organization.

How many times when you're fast forwarding RAW or Smackdown, do you slow it down and hit play when Book shows up? And don't get me started with Sharmell telling us to, "All hail King Bookah!!!"

 

[shalliin]

My husband demands to know why no one has mentioned Harlem Heat? Booker T and Stevie Ray came from very humble beginnings both wrestling-wise and life-wise starting in Texas and wrestling in the Sportatorium in Dallas.

Stevie Ray was sidelined with a career ending injury which prevented his ascent in the WWE along with his brother. We are talking hall of famers here. They went on to train others at their school and Booker T is currently promoting his own organization.

How many times when you're fast forwarding RAW or Smackdown, do you slow it down and hit play when Book shows up? And don't get me started with Sharmell telling us to, "All hail King Bookah!!!"

Two things really, and maybe a third.

1st is that I dont' think they were really around long enough to be really considered one of the greatest brothers of all time.

2nd is that honestly, I've never been sure if they really are brothers. I've heard both that they were and that they weren't so I was never sure if it was kayfabe or RL.

3rd possible is that Stevie Ray was too low card in his career to be among a list of greatest brothers. Aside from Harlem Heat, Stevie did nothing in his career and while it was cut short due to injuries, I just don't see him even going above midcard or upper lower card. He didn't have the famous 'it' factor that Booker did.

 

[justtxyank]

Stevie Ray's career wasn't cut short, he was old. He was 42 when he retired. That's not a short career.

They were one of the best brother tag teams of all time, up there with the Steiners. But on a list of greatest brothers in wrestling history they aren't going to get up to with the Funks.

As an individual, Stevie Ray is just too weak a link.

Oh, and they are brothers in real life.

For me the list is not debatable. It's the Funks #1 and no one else gets close.

After that you could put a hat over Steiners, Harts and maybe Harlem Heat. The idea that the Harts are in contention with the Funks is recency bias and Owen Hart sympathy bias.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Stevie Ray's career wasn't cut short, he was old. He was 42 when he retired. That's not a short career.

They were one of the best brother tag teams of all time, up there with the Steiners. But on a list of greatest brothers in wrestling history they aren't going to get up to with the Funks.

As an individual, Stevie Ray is just too weak a link.

Oh, and they are brothers in real life.

For me the list is not debatable. It's the Funks #1 and no one else gets close.

After that you could put a hat over Steiners, Harts and maybe Harlem Heat. The idea that the Harts are in contention with the Funks is recency bias and Owen Hart sympathy bias.

I'm kinda curious...

how do you not include the Brisco's at all?

I've got no problem with anyone considering the Funk's the best brother combo in wrestling history, because they were just fucking awesome.

But if you think anyone considering the Hart's has 'recency' bias (and I wouldn't disagree)... then I have to assume your history knowledge goes beyond when Vince Jr. took over from his dad... in which case how can you not even consider Jack and Jerry? Most fans from back when both the Funk's and Brisco's were in their prime would probably consider them even at best, and more likely put the Brisco's a little bit ahead of the Funks.

 

[justtxyank]

I'm kinda curious...

how do you not include the Brisco's at all?

I've got no problem with anyone considering the Funk's the best brother combo in wrestling history, because they were just fucking awesome.

But if you think anyone considering the Hart's has 'recency' bias (and I wouldn't disagree)... then I have to assume your history knowledge goes beyond when Vince Jr. took over from his dad... in which case how can you not even consider Jack and Jerry? Most fans from back when both the Funk's and Brisco's were in their prime would probably consider them even at best, and more likely put the Brisco's a little bit ahead of the Funks.

Yes, you are right. The Briscos belong on the list as well, but under the hat. The Funks trump the Briscos because of their longevity, their success in Japan, and because Jerry wasn't the singles success of his brother or either of the Funks.

Good call on them though. I'm sure there are other brother teams that belong on the list under #1. I just don't think #1 is debatable.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Yes, you are right. The Briscos belong on the list as well, but under the hat. The Funks trump the Briscos because of their longevity, their success in Japan, and because Jerry wasn't the singles success of his brother or either of the Funks.

Good call on them though. I'm sure there are other brother teams that belong on the list under #1. I just don't think #1 is debatable.

Brisco's and Funk's are interesting, and not just because their families were rivals in the 70's.

As an actual tag team, you have to go with the Brisco's. While the Funks were a very accomplished team, they really were more both singles stars... whereas the Brisco's spent long stretches where they were pretty much an exclusive team.

Individually, I'd say Jack was probably the best of the 4... but Jerry was also the worst of the 4. Terry and Dory being in the middle, and probably being interchangeable over which was better (Terry had the longevity, Dory was the bigger deal when both were in their primes). Jack was actually supposed to be the guy who unseated Dory as NWA champ, but Dory had a mysterious truck accident that prevented him from showing at that card (most felt that was really Dory Sr. not wanting his son to lose to a Brisco)... while Terry did win his NWA title from Jack (rumor being that Jack simply got tired of the travel and asked to be able to drop the belt).

Overall though, Terry and Dory make up the difference between Jack and Jerry, and I'd agree that the Funks ended up being the better brother duo... and that Terry's mid to late 90's resurgence is probably what puts the Funks over the top.

 

[Trill Co$by]

For me the list is not debatable. It's the Funks #1 and no one else gets close.

Just out of curiosity, where would you rank the Guerreros? While the Funks may have held world titles, it could be argued that a family of brothers with over 105 Championships is easily more successful than two brothers that held 6 world titles between them. And that's not counting the success of Chavo Jr. or Shaul. I'm just saying, you're going around counting recent bias and everything. But wouldn't adding World titles as your argument also be a bias against a family that has also achieved tag team and solo success world wide?

Although, being technical, the achievement of World HEAVYWEIGHT Championship status is another bias. Simply because in places like Mexico, the Heavyweights are considered what the Cruiserweight in America is to the World Heavyweight title. So for someone like Eddie, Hector, or even Mondo to go and win World Light Heavyweight, Junior Heavyweight, and even Cruiserweight world titles; depending on where you're located, that could mean that the Guerreros have held MORE world titles than the Funks.

 

[Matty~!]

Just out of curiosity, where would you rank the Guerreros? While the Funks may have held world titles, it could be argued that a family of brothers with over 105 Championships is easily more successful than two brothers that held 6 world titles between them. And that's not counting the success of Chavo Jr. or Shaul. I'm just saying, you're going around counting recent bias and everything. But wouldn't adding World titles as your argument also be a bias against a family that has also achieved tag team and solo success world wide?

Although, being technical, the achievement of World HEAVYWEIGHT Championship status is another bias. Simply because in places like Mexico, the Heavyweights are considered what the Cruiserweight in America is to the World Heavyweight title. So for someone like Eddie, Hector, or even Mondo to go and win World Light Heavyweight, Junior Heavyweight, and even Cruiserweight world titles; depending on where you're located, that could mean that the Guerreros have held MORE world titles than the Funks.

The problem with the Guerreros compared to the Funk in the overall scheme of the business there really is no comparison. The Funk's world titles came at the time a number of territories across the country were hot not to mention Japan, the NWA title was the pinnacle of the business that included Mexico.

Even though Eddie later won the world title his success and drawing power couldn't be compared to the Funk's in any way shape or form because it was an era where the brand was the star, it was no longer the star who made the belt, it was a case of a belt making a star.

If Dory Funk Jr or Terry or any other person that held the belt didn't have the star value to make the belt, they didn't have the belt for very long, because they had to go round all round the country and the world to work a plethora of different styles.

Brisco's I would like to add are someone I totally overlooked and definitely worth adding the discussion, I think it could be argued that they jointly had better careers that Bret & Owen, although I still think it's hard to dislodge Terry and Dory.