3 best kayfabe wrestling families of all time
Despite the kayfabe nature of professional wrestling, many real families have made their mark on the business. Names like Hart, Anoa'i, Guerrero, Von Erich and McMahon have all left an indelible impact on the pro wrestling industry.
Most real family members have turned out to have good chemistry in the ring. Also, it is often difficult to realistically pass off unrelated individuals as family. That said, there have been a few kayfabe families that have found success in the business.
THE DUDLEY FAMILY 1995 ECW WRESTLING. https://t.co/zKRydAVKBM
On that note, we let's take a look at the three greatest kayfabe families in professional wrestling history.
#3. The Anderson Family: Kayfabe extended family
On This Day in JCP TV History - 1985
This week across Crockett's three main shows there was a lot of these men - The Minnesota Wrecking Crew - The Andersons. The National tag team champs are looking to clean up the tag division, and Arn's fixing to officially claim the TV title. https://t.co/wd3McD99jR
One of the earliest and longest-lasting kayfabe wrestling families, The Andersons first appeared in the 1960s and continue to be a part of the business to this day.
Stemming from a tag team known as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew, storyline brothers Lars and Gene Anderson were the first members of this clan to appear on TV. They were soon joined by fellow kayfabe brother Ole and their nephew Arn.
Ole and Arn would later find greater success in the Four Horsemen. Arn Anderson, in particular, would stand out as a renowned singles and tag team superstar. To this day, Arn is the most famous person to bear the Anderson name. In fact, he remains active even today in AEW, where he manages his son Brock Anderson.
Aside from the "main" Andersons, other extended members of this kayfabe clan include Karl Anderson, C.W. Anderson and even Ric Flair, who was often billed as Arn's cousin during their time in the Four Horsemen.
Although unrelated in real life, most members of the Anderson family share certain prominent traits. They are usually big, burly, powerhouse-type wrestlers who are bald or have a receding hairline and have prominent facial hair. They also often use the Spinebuster as a signature move.
To be made an Anderson, a person must bear a convincing resemblance to the rest of the members. This allowed them to realistically pass off as relatives and kept them believable to the audience, especially during a time when kayfabe was very strongly protected.
#2. The Dudley Family: Kayfabe half-brothers
A tongue-in-cheek joke at the very concept of the kayfabe family, The Dudleys were the complete antithesis of the Andersons.
Unlike the Andersons, who resembled one another well-enough to pass off as relatives, the Dudleys were a group of men who were obviously unrelated in real life but were presented as kayfabe brothers.
Fans often remember the most famous brothers, Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley, as one of the greatest tag teams in wrestling history. Although presented as brothers, Bubba Ray was a white hillbilly turned New-Yorker while D-Von was a black man.
The two were often joined by the smaller, Spike Dudley, who also bore no resemblance to either one of his "brothers." In their ECW days, other Dudleys included the imposing Big Dick Dudley, the mute Sign-Guy Dudley, the overweight Chubby Dudley, the Native-American Dances With Dudley and the "perfect" Dudley Dudley.
The storyline explanation for the brothers' clear lack of resemblance to one-another was that they shared the same father but each came from a different mother. It was an intentionally absurd origin story that drew humor for how difficult it was to believe.
In hindsight, the Dudleys were successful in playing off the need to maintain kayfabe in the first place. Becoming memorable for intentionally taking people of different looks, builds and even ethnicities and passing them off as a family, the Dudleys were also more than capable of holding their own in the ring.
Perhaps the most ironic part about the Dudley family was that none of its members had the Dudley surname in real life.
#1. The Brothers of Destruction and Paul Bearer: Kayfabe half brothers and father
There is no truer testament to the success of something kayfabe did in wrestling than for people to continue to ask if it was real. The Undertaker and Kane's backstory was something out of a Hollywood film, yet the people behind these characters played their roles so well that some fans still think that they are brothers in real life.
The Undertaker and his manager Paul Bearer were said to have known each other since the former's childhood. Bearer worked at the funeral home run by Undertaker's parents before it was burned down. In the story, Undertaker's parents and younger brother Kane were killed in the blaze.
When Paul Bearer turned on the Undertaker in 1996, he revealed that Kane had survived the fire and that he was coming to exact revenge. Making one of the greatest debuts in wrestling history, Kane appeared at Bad Blood 1997 and was a clear physical match for his unstoppable brother.
In another twist to this story, Bearer revealed himself as Kane's father. Confessing to having an affair with The Undertaker's mother as a young man, Bearer raised Kane in secret to one day take his revenge.
Over the years, both The Undertaker and Kane would alternate between teaming up and feuding with one another. Bearer would also switch allegiances between the two throughout their many battles. When not involved in a storyline with one another, The Brothers of Destruction were able to build upon their legendary singles careers as well.
This storyline was so well played out that many fans believed it to be true despite its fantastical nature. Even today, where the secrets of the wrestling business are open for all to see, a noticeable number of people are still unsure if Mark Callaway and Glen Jacobs are brothers.
It's essentially a given that no other kayfabe wrestling family will ever be as successful as the Brothers of Destruction and Paul Bearer. With the announcement that The Undertaker will be inducted into the 2022 Hall of Fame, all three members of this storyline family will sit forever among the greatest names in the business.