8 Related Wrestlers Currently Working Together (And 7 Fake Relatives WWE Created)
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WWE creates storylines and characters for all of their superstars on a regular basis, but while the company add a lot of creativity to some of their employees, there are others who already have family ties that WWE can cash in on. Family links are always something that allows wrestlers to push forward in WWE much faster than their peers, but there aren't as many relatives in the company as many members of the WWE Universe presume. WWE has created a lot of family members purely for storyline purposes or because the stars look similar and brothers work much better as tag teams because of the obvious chemistry.
Even though the company has created a number of family members that have worked well together over the years, much like the Holly family or The Dudley Boyz, there are a number of family members who are actually real brothers or sisters like Nikki and Brie Bella or even The Usos. These aren't the only known relatives that have been able to make a career in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world together. It appears that there are actually a number of relatives making a name for themselves in WWE currently.
The following list looks at just eight relatives who are working together in WWE right now, and seven that the company has created themselves. WWE was definitely quite creative with some of these family members because many of them had the WWE Universe fooled for a long time.
Real: Matt And Jeff Hardy
Matt And Jeff Hardy have dominated WWE's Tag Team Division since the 1990s. The duo from Cameron, North Carolina has lifted the Tag Team Championships seven times in their careers, most recently when they made their return to WWE back at WrestleMania 33 and won a fatal four-way ladder match to lift the Championships and mark their return to the company for the first time in almost a decade.
The Hardyz are not just part of a team that works well together. They also manage to work well independently, as proven by the fact that Jeff Hardy is a former three-time World Champion while his brother is a former United States Champion.
He has taken over the wrestling world in recent years thanks to his "Broken" gimmick, which he has recently been able to move over from TNA to WWE. The brothers are currently on separate brands with Jeff as the United States Champion on SmackDown Live despite his recent arrest, which was reported by Forbes back in March, and Matt as one half of the Raw Tag Team Champions on Raw alongside Bray Wyatt. The two have wrestled now for three decades and they are still two of the most popular stars in the business.
Fake: Shelton Benjamin And His Mother
Shelton Benjamin was originally set to return to WWE following the brand split back in 2016, but was forced onto the sidelines for around a year when he suffered a torn rotator cuff that required surgery. Pro Wrestling Sheet later reported that Benjamin was cleared to return to the ring in March 2017, but didn't resign with WWE until the summer and has since been seen alongside Chad Gable as American Alpha 2.0.
Before Benjamin left WWE back in 2010, there was a point in his first tenure that the former Champion was accompanied to ringside by his "Momma." The Gold Standard's valet would help him to win matches and it was made obvious that this was supposed to be his real mother. Benjamin won the Intercontinental Championship thanks to help from his "Momma" but she later revealed that she was struggling from a heart condition and it was then explained that (in storyline) she was undergoing heart surgery. Benjamin and his mother worked so well together that many of the WWE Universe were convinced that they were real family members when in fact his Momma was portrayed by a stand-up comedian Thea Vidale for a few months before she left the company.
Real: Tamina Snuka And Naomi
While there are a number of blood-related relatives currently working together, former SmackDown Women's Champion Naomi's relation to her former Team Bad teammate Tamina Snuka is a little bit complicated. Naomi is married to Jimmy Uso, who is a former SmackDown Tag Team Champion alongside his own brother Jey, and these two are the cousins of Tamina Snuka through marriage.
According to TV Tropes, Tamina's uncles are WWE Hall of Famers The Wild Samoan's and Rikishi, which means that through her father's Jimmy "The Superfly" Snuka's marriage into the famous Anoa'i family, Tamina is also related to Roman Reigns. Tamina is the only member of this famous wrestling family who has been unable to lift a Championship in WWE, even though she has been there for more than eight years, but she has also spent a lot of time on the sidelines through various injuries. Naomi first came to WWE as a former dancer and was featured as part of the third season of NXT, which was an all-female edition but it was won by Kaitlyn. Both women have been seen together on various episodes of Total Divas, where Tamina's daughters are always spotted alongside Jimmy's sons when the two are working together.
Fake: Kurt Angle And Jason Jordan
Kurt Angle is a WWE Hall of Famer and the current Raw General Manager, but last year the Olympic Medalist was dragged into WWE storylines when it was revealed that he was being blackmailed into publicly disclosing one of his biggest secrets. Angle stood in the middle of the ring on Monday Night Raw and revealed that former SmackDown Tag Team Champion Jason Jordan was his long lost son after he was in a relationship in college and apparently lost touch with his ex-girlfriend.
Jason was then moved over to the Raw roster and the two have worked together ever since, even though their relationship has been somewhat challenging. Sportskeeda reports that Kurt Angle only has five children and Jordan isn't one of them, which means that this is another fake family that the company has created. The revelation definitely made waves through the company and the two stars have been spotted together outside of the company a number of times as they've attempted to remain in kayfabe as much as possible. Jordan is currently on the injured list following neck surgery but is expected to return to the company in the near future, to reunite with his fake father.
Real: The Usos And Roman Reigns
Wrestling is often a skill that can only be transferred from generation to generation, and this has been proven by the number of second and third generation superstars who have made an impact in WWE over the years. The Usos followed in their father Rikishi's footsteps when they joined Umaga in WWE back in 2010, while Roman Reigns was destined to be a football player for a number of years before he joined the family business.
The Usos and Roman Reigns are actual cousins, according to a recent report by Quora. They are the only Anoa'i cousins in WWE right now, even though it's reported that former World Champion The Rock and Roman Reigns are related, or that current Raw Women's Champion Nia Jax and "The Big Dog" are related.
This isn't the case, as their families are just very close and they consider each other to be part of their extended family, but they are not actually related. The family has been taking over WWE for a number of years before The Usos and Reigns decided to step into the squared circle and it's obvious that their bloodline will continue in the coming years, with the children of Jimmy, Jey, and Roman following in their footsteps too.
Fake: Edge And Christian
Any member of the WWE Universe who was watching WWE in the late 1990s and early 2000s will swear that this was the greatest era of tag team wrestling because of The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian and The Dudley Boyz. These three teams collided at WrestleMania 17 in what is considered to be one of the greatest matches of all time and the chemistry between Edge and Christian for so many years lead many of the WWE Universe to believe that they were actually related.
The two blonde superstars have had lengthy careers in WWE that have both now come to an end, but the two are still working together on the Edge and Christian show on the WWE Network and even have their own podcast called Pod Of Awesomeness Podcast.
Edge was forced to retire from WWE back in 2011 after it was revealed that he was struggling with cervical spinal stenosis, while Christian followed suit a few years later. Edge's singles career was much more successful than Christian's but The Rated R Superstar's retirement actually led to Christian winning the World Championship. Edge and Christian may not be real brothers, but their lives have been intertwined for so long, that the two are much closer than many actual relatives.
Real: Nikki And Brie Bella
The Women's Revolution has changed the way that the women in WWE and wrestling as a whole are seen by the WWE Universe in recent years and two of the biggest reasons why this revolution began were Nikki and Brie Bella. Outside of the ring, the two have been pushing Total Divas and Total Bellas forward so much that they are now two of the most recognizable female wrestlers in the world and People recently reported that after five years, Total Divas has been renewed for another two seasons.
Nikki and Brie were signed to WWE following the 2006 Diva Search because the company liked the idea of having twins as part of the show.
Brie then debuted before her sister and would disappear underneath the ring and then reappear afresh and win the match, before it was revealed that Nikki was the one who was finishing her sisters matches. Nikki and Brie are the only sisters who have ever worked together in WWE and they have proved that wrestling is always so much more fun when someone is by your side since both women are former Divas Champions and are looking to return to the company in the coming months.
Fake: The Basham Brothers
Doug and Danny Basham aren't considered to be on the same level as many of the tag team brothers on this list, but they were able to fool the WWE Universe into thinking that they were real brothers. The two looked very similar, which could be why they worked so well as family members, but they weren't related at all, let alone linked to the point that they could be brothers.
The Basham name is one that many fans remember, but their exploits have left them in a position where they are only seen as a footnote in the history of WWE. There were so many teams that had been thrown together at the time that these fake brothers were trying to make an impact, that it would have been impossible for them to stand out. There was once a time when Doug and Danny worked alongside Paul Heyman, but even The Advocate for Brock Lesnar couldn't help to save their career. According to Wikizone, the two were released by WWE back in 2007 and even though they were able to then move straight over to Impact Wrestling, that year appeared to be the final one of their wrestling career.
Real: John Laurinaitis And Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan has been one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE throughout his career but his popularity went through the roof recently when it was revealed that he had been cleared to return to in-ring competition for the first time in two years after he was forced to retire back in 2016 and had taken up the position as SmackDown General Manager.
In his personal life, Bryan married longtime girlfriend and former Divas Champion Brie Bella following WrestleMania back in 2014 and the couple welcomed their daughter Birdie Joe last year. Brie's mother Cathy Colace has been part of the twins journey in WWE over the past 12 years and met former star John Laurinaitis while she was working with her daughters. Their wedding was featured on the last season of Total Bellas and Sportskeeda then reported that Daniel Bryan and John Laurinaitis are now in-laws. Laurinaitis will perhaps be best remembered for his stint as Raw General Manager, but he's also a known face backstage and a well-respected backstage official. John Cena would have also been related to Johnny Ace if his marriage with Nikki Bella went ahead, but it appears that their relationship didn't work out.
Fake: The Wyatt Family
The Wyatt Family was one of the most dominant WWE stables for a number of years and the only group that was able to put The Shield in their place. The stable consisted of Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and their patriarch Bray Wyatt, the trio were later joined by Braun Strowman but he is not considered to be an original member.
All three members of The Wyatt Family did have different surnames, but because of how similar they looked and the fact that they were always referred to as family members, many of the WWE Universe believed that these stars were actually related.
The Wyatt Family worked well for a number of years, but like many other trios from a few years ago they were forced to go their separate ways and Wyatt is now a Raw Tag Team Champion alongside Matt Hardy, while Harper and Rowan are SmackDown Tag Team Champions known as The Bludgeon Brothers. The Wyatt Family gimmick launched the careers of all three men and recently CageSide Seats reported that Harper had requested that fans stop asking if he is part of The Wyatt Family, which suggests that he has finally put that part of his career behind him.
Real: Bray Wyatt And Bo Dallas
Bray Wyatt may not be related to his fellow members of The Wyatt Family, but he is a third generation superstar who works alongside his brother Bo Dallas on a regular basis. Their careers have run concurrently for a number of years with Dallas having a fantastic run in NXT ahead of his brother when he became Champion and Wyatt then stepping up on the main roster as a former WWE Champion.
Wyatt has recently been pushing for his brother to join The Broken Universe by sending him messages on Twitter and it's reported by Pro Wrestling Sheet that the two could finally be set to work together on WWE TV. Wyatt is a Tag Team Champion after being deleted by Matt Hardy, but Dallas was once part of The Miztourage until Miz was drafted to SmackDown Live without his friends, which has left Dallas and Curtis Axel without a storyline moving forward, which could be where Wyatt comes in. Dallas and Wyatt are the children of Mike Rotunda and the grandchildren of Blackjack Mulligan, which shows that the business definitely runs in their blood and the pair could make an unbeatable team if WWE gives them the chance to work together.
Fake: The Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boyz were recently welcomed into the Hall of Fame after a record-setting career in WWE's Tag Team Division. Both men were part of some of the most iconic tag team matches of the Attitude Era and were once joined by a much smaller family member called Spike, who sadly wasn't part of their Induction speech.
The Dudley Boyz were thought of as real family members throughout their time in WWE and they even once had Stacy Keibler join them as the Duchess of Dudleyville, but it was the two main stars, D-Von and Bubba Ray, who made their tag team exploits legendary.
Even outside of WWE Bubba Ray was able to make a career without his longtime brother in Impact Wrestling, but he returned to WWE once again a few years ago in search of another Tag Team Championship. D-Von left the business back in 2016 and quietly moved into a backstage role with WWE, but The Sun reported last year that Bubba had finally announced his retirement from the business after a 26-year career which could be why WWE decided that now was the perfect time to induct the tag team legends into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Real: The Colons
The Colons are the more forgettable members of the WWE Tag Team Division after spending more than a year working as jobbers on SmackDown Live. Primo suffered a legitimate knee injury back in June 2017, which left the duo sidelined for almost a year, before Primo recently returned to TV without his cousin.
The Colons are the brother and cousin of former United States Champion Carlito, and even though many of the WWE Universe believe that the two are brothers, they are actually cousins.
Primo is the brother of Carlito and the son of WWE Hall of Famer Carlos Colón Sr, while Epico's wrestling skill allowed him to step up and join Primo after Carlito left WWE. Together the two are former Tag Team Champions but haven't been close to a WWE Championship in a number of years. Epico hasn't been seen since the 2017 Superstar Shakeup back in the spring of last year and Sportskeeda reported that he suffered a shoulder injury earlier this year that required surgery and has kept him sidelined over the past few months, which means that Primo is going it alone on WWE TV right now, until his cousin in recovered enough to return.
Fake: Undertaker And Kane
One of the best-kept secrets in WWE over the past few decades has been the fact that Undertaker and Kane aren't real brothers. Kane was introduced to WWE as the brother of The Deadman and the person who set fire to their parent's house when they were much younger. He was the man who was supposed to be able to defeat the legend that The Undertaker had become and it appears that the story was so good that everyone believed it.
No one in the creative team thought that Undertaker and Kane would still be in WWE more than two decades later and be known as two of the greatest wrestlers of all time, but because of the longevity of their careers, they have been able to work together many times in recent years. Kane and Undertaker were once known as The Brothers of Destruction and were without a doubt one of the most dominant tag teams in WWE history, so much so that WWE had to break them up because no other team could touch them. CageSide Seats recently reported that Kane is leading the race to become the Mayor of Knox County in Tennesse, which means that even though The Undertaker is unable to walk away from WWE, Kane could be forced to in the near future.
Real: The Singh Brothers
The Singh Brothers have become well-known over the past few years as the valets of former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. Sunhil and Samir have helped The Modern Day Maharaja to become one of the biggest stars in the company ever since he first lifted the WWE Championship last year, but just because they're called "brothers" on-screen doesn't mean that they are actually related in real life.
This list has shown that WWE often puts stars together and calls them brothers, but this isn't the case for these two stars, who are brothers. The two have been wrestling ever since 2004 and were finally signed by WWE almost 12 years later in 2016 when they both competed in the Cruiserweight Classic. It was only when Mahal was set to receive a huge push on SmackDown Live that the two were promoted from NXT to join him. WWE.com reported that Samir Singh suffered a torn ACL back in January and it has kept him out of action ever since, which is why Sunhil has been accompanying Jinder to the ring on his own in recent months. The injury forced Samir to miss this year's WrestleMania, but updates now suggest that he could be returning soon.
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