Headlocker — Jay Shannon
The Family Business
Our resident philosopher, Jay Shannon, looks at the sons and daughter of past superstars. Can they step out of their parent’s shadow and carve out their own distinctive careers?
Not too long ago, the WWE released a DVD about the great families of wrestling. The world of wrestling is filled with second and third generation stars, now. Some of these stars will succeed and some will fail. In this edition of HeadLocker, I want to grade the current crop of kids that are trying to bring honor to their famous family names.
Cody Rhodes
Cody has two different shadows to fight out from under. His father, Dusty Rhodes, is a certified legend in this industry. Cody’s half-brother, Dustin, is one of the most unique individuals to ever lace up a pair of boots. Cody could easily just play on his famous name, but the kid seems determined to earn respect, both from the fans and the other wrestlers. Instead of waltzing in and expecting everything to be handed to him, Cody has come in and taken his beatings and learned from them. In his first big feud, against Hardcore Holly, Cody came up short. Holly dominated him. Cody took the lessons learned and turned them into championship gold. Teaming with the man who humiliated him. Cody and Holly won the Raw tag belts.
Will Cody become as big a star as his father? No chance. Dusty Rhodes is one of the top 10 performers in the history of wrestling. Cody couldn’t possible out-do his father. Will he pass by his half-brother, Dustin? Most likely. Dustin had great runs in both WCW and WWE, but he never quite made it to the top. He wore the United States and Intercontinental titles, as well as tag team gold, but never captured the big prize. With his current character in TNA, it is highly doubtful that Dustin/Black Reign will take the TNA World Title. Cody, on the other hand, seems destined to wear one (or more) of the three top belts in WWE.
Cody’s Ratings:
Potential: A
Attitude: A
Talent: B
Over-all Grade: A-
Randy Orton
Ok, I’ll admit it, I don’t like this kid. He’s a well-documented problem child that should have been given his walking papers, a long time ago. Vince McMahon, out of some kind of respect or loyalty to Randy’s dad (Cowboy Bob Orton), has let this kid slide. Randy’s been suspended, more than once. He was sent home from a big European tour, due to bad behavior. Yet, the kid is the Raw champ. Why? Well, when John Cena went on the shelf with an injury, Vince had to quickly find a new champ. Since Randy was feuding with Cena, at the time, Vince decided to give the belt to Randy. Randy has been a mediocre champ. His championship run will more likely be compared to a Sgt. Slaughter or Great Khali, instead of a Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart or Steve Austin.
Randy has out-shined his father and grandfather, but that’s not really saying much. Bob Orton, Sr. was a great competitor, but he was never a top level star. “Cowboy” Bob Orton will forever be known as “Roddy Piper’s sidekick”. He was the Robin to Piper’s Batman. The fact that Randy has held gold, on several occasions, is something that his father never did. However, Randy will likely end up on par with the Lex Lugers and Sid Viciouses of this industry. They, too, came in as the “future of our industry”, but dropped the ball. Randy will likely do the same.
Randy’s Ratings:
Potential: B
Attitude: D
Talent: B
Over-all Grade: C
Carlito (Colon)
Carlito’s father is biggest star, of all time, in Puerto Rico. Carlito entered the WWE with loads of talent and plenty of attitude (the good kind). Somewhere along the way, it all went terribly wrong. Carlito instantly became a laughing stock, thanks to his unruly hair. It was nearly impossible to take him serious. Even when Carlito won gold on his first nights on both Raw and Smackdown, the crowd just never saw past his ridiculous hairstyle. Marketing soon discovered that Carlito would actually hurt the product if he made it to the top. So, Carlito was placed into a series of nowhere feuds that further pushed him out of the title picture. Carlito further injured his career by being publically critical of the company prior to last year’s Wrestlemania.
Carlito has recently teamed with Santino Marella. While they’ve had moderate success, the ultimate goal of tag team gold doesn’t mean much. The tag team division in the WWE is a mere ghost of it’s former self. Unlike the heydey of the 1980’s and 90’s, the tag team scene, today, is down to, maybe, 8-10 teams, split between 3 brands. Winning the tag belts would do little to set Carlito back on the right path. The only thing that could rejuvenate his lack-luster career would be winning the Royal Rumble and then taking a top singles belt at Wrestlemania. He’s got about as much chance of doing that, this year, as snow has the chance to fall in Death Valley. I admire Carlito, but he’s, most likely, going to be stuck at mid-card level, at least for the time being.
Carlito’s Rankings:
Potential: C
Attitude: C
Talent: B+
Over-all Grade: B-
D.H. (Harry) Smith
About a year ago, I wrote a column about the WWE Hall of Fame-Class of 2027. Harry Smith was on the top of the list. He had the right attitude to succeed in wrestling. He had great skills in the ring. He had not one, but two, famous families to draw inspiration from. He couldn’t lose. Ah, what a difference a year can make.
Harry, now known as D.H., has begun his WWE career in the worst way possible. Within weeks of making it onto Raw, D.H. got suspended for failing the testing for the Wellness Program. What caused him to fail was not revealed, but the damage to his reputation is massive. His father, Davey Boy Smith, died an early death, shortened due to health issues brought about by many years of drug and steroid abuse. For D.H. (Harry) to fail the testing shows a huge lack of both maturity and common sense. There is no way that the WWE is going to risk pushing D.H.. Like Chris Masters, it is possible that D.H. will have a limited run with the WWE. Even if he manages to get his life back on track, it will be some time before D.H. will work his way back up the ladder. The original plan was to have D.H. become part of a tag team (Canadian Bulldogs or the New Hart Foundation) with his cousins, Teddy Hart and Nattie Neidhart. Teddy was the first member of the team to self-destruct. Is D.H. only a step or two behind his infamous cousin? Sadly, he may well be.
D.H. (Harry)’s Ratings:
Potential: C
Attitude: D
Talent: B
Over-all Grade: C-
Jesse (Terry Ray Gordy, Jr.)
I met Jesse’s dad, many years ago, at a charity event at the University of North Texas. Terry (Sr.) was very polite and willing to talk with a star-struck 22 year old who was doing one of his first interviews. That meeting brings a smile to my face, even now, 20 years later. Jesse seems to have the same attitude that his dad did. Jesse seems to really enjoy what he’s doing. With his “uncle” (Michael Hayes) working on the Smackdown brand, Jesse has a great support system. Jesse is following in his father’s footsteps by focusing on the tag team division. As I mentioned earlier, the tag team division is nowhere close to what it once was. It might be better for Jesse to strike out on his own and go for individual gold. Jesse could make a run for the U.S. title, but he could also become lost in the mid-card mix. By staying in the tag division, Jesse is setting himself as a big fish in a small pond. Take a look at former tag team specialists that have gone on to singles superstardom: Shawn Michaels, Davey Boy Smith, and Bret Hart. These three started in the tag team world and exploded into the singles division after learning the ropes with a partner. Is this the fate that awaits Jesse? There’s a better than average chance.
Jesse’s Ratings:
Potential: A
Attitude: A
Talent: A
Over-all Grade: A
Teddy Hart
When it comes to this third generation star, it can be summed up in two, simple words: Train Wreck. Teddy has burned every bridge imaginable. Teddy has made the foolish, immature mistake of buying into his own hype. While he does come from one of the most successful families in the sport of wrestling, he shouldn’t expect everything handed to him on a silver platter (but he does). He’s had opportunities in both TNA and WWE and he’s blown them both. His lousy attitude and poor work ethic have alienated him from just about everyone he has associated with. He is a blemish on the good name of Hart.
Is he talented? Yes. Does he possess an amazing arsenal of moves that should impress the talent scouts? Absolutely. Will he be a future Hall of Famer? Not a prayer. At least not until he loses the prima donna mind-set and gets his priorities straight. Teddy Hart should have never gotten into this business, but since he did, let’s hope he chooses to either clean up his attitude or do us all a favor and retire, quickly. Teddy makes David Flair and Eric Watts both look good. That’s a sad commentary on his abilities.
Teddy’s Rankings:
Potential: F
Attitude: F
Talent: B
Over-all Grade: D- (and that’s being generous)
Nattie Neidhart
Time to go from one extreme to another. Where Teddy and D.H. are damaging the Hart family name, Nattie is bringing nothing but respect and praise to it. She is a well-grounded competitor who learned from her father (Jim Neidhart) and her uncles (the Harts). She has taken a slower path to stardom. She’s learned the ropes in Canada, Europe, Japan, Mexico and the U.S. She’s worked as both a valet/manager and as an active competitor. Her work ethic has been heralded as a measuring stick for others to be compared against. All the stars seem to be lined up in her favor. She is the absolute “Total Package”: brains, beauty, talent, mic skills, and, most importantly, the “right” attitude.
Nattie will be called up from the developmental territories, soon. She should go to Raw to focus on the Women’s World Title. A good feud between Nattie and Beth Phoenix would help them both. Nattie could be the “Wendi Richter” to Beth’s “Fabulous Moolah”.
If Nattie were to choose the managerial path, there are numerous options open to her. The most obvious would be to accompany D.H. Smith and/or T.J. Wilson (her long-time boyfriend) to the ring. She could also ring-lead a Legacy/Generations stable that could include: D.H., and Ted and Mike DiBiase.
There are so many options available to Nattie. She seems level-headed enough to make the most of her time in the industry. I will be both amazed and disappointed if Nattie doesn’t end up as the brightest of the “Next Generation” stars.
Nattie’s Rankings
Potential: A+
Attitude: A+
Talent:A+
Over-All Grade: A+
Deuce (Jimmy Snuka, Jr.)
Imagine if Andrew “Dice” Clay and Laverne DiFazio (Laverne and Shirley) had a child. That is the character of Deuce. He’s fun to watch and he’s talented. Sadly, he’s stalled out in his career, at the present time. Deuce and Domino are sliding backwards in the tag team division. Deuce should ditch his “greaser” persona and embrace his heritage. Even adding the famous surname (Snuka) might elevate Deuce to the next level. I can respect that he wants to prove himself, without relying on his famous father, but a little name recognition wouldn’t hurt, either.
Deuce would also do well to increase the number of wrestling moves that he uses. He is very one-dimensional and predictable. He should, perhaps, look into some martial arts moves and a high-flying move or two. With his size, Deuce could be brutal from the air, as well as on the mat.
Deuce’s Rankings:
Potential: B
Attitude: A-
Talent: B
Over-all Grade: B
In Conclusion:
These are just a few of the second and third generation stars out there. There are more on the way. Mike DiBiase, Ted DiBiase, Jr, Lacey Von Erich(Kerry’s daughter), Blade Hart(Bret’s son), Garrett Borden/Bordon(Sting’s son), Reid Flair, and more are either working the indies or just getting ready to start. The future does look bright when it comes to the next generation of stars. There are a few dark clouds, but they will fade away. I embrace the future with a happy heart. These men and women, for the most part, will extend and enhance their famous family names.
–Jay Shannon
Boxworld@sbcglobal.net
(1/22/08)
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