Rick Steiner And Other Wrestlers Who Have Children That Are Athletes
It pays to have good genes. The majority of professional athletes have parents who were also extremely athletic and likely played a sport at the professional level. It's also easier to break into a sport and become known among scouts and executives if one's father was a star in that sport. There are dozens of second- and third-generation athletes in the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. The same is true in WWE, where The Rock's daughter, Simone Johnson, is granted the opportunity to become the company's first-ever fourth-generation superstar.
Wrestlers are, for the most part, incredible athletes, so it should be no surprise that their children are also mostly athletic. There are exceptions - The Undertaker's son Gunner Calaway has no interest in wrestling or athletics, for instance - but it's generally true that the athletic gene is passed down. However, not all children of wrestlers want to follow in their parents' footsteps. Below are 13 children of professional wrestlers who followed different athletic paths.
13 Rick Steiner (Bronson Rechsteiner)
Rick Steiner is a tag team legend who wrestled in WCW, WWE, and several other promotions from the early 1980s into the mid-2000s. He's an eight-time NWA/WCW World Tag Team Champion and was voted PWI Tag Team of the Year with Scott Steiner in 1990 and 1993. His son, Bronson Rechsteiner, is a fullback who recently signed with the Baltimore Ravens. He does, however, intend to pursue wrestling at some point in the future.
12 Lex Luger (Lauren and Brian Pfohl)
The second-ever WCW Triple Crown Champion, Lex Luger played football at the University of Miami and later played in the Canadian Football League and attended Green Bay Packers training camp. His son Brian Pfohl played basketball at Mercer University and his daughter Lauren was on the swimming and diving team at Tulane University.
11 Vader (Jake Carter)
A big star in New Japan, Vader wrestled in WCW and WWE during the 1990s and was a three-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Like many other wrestlers around that time, he played college football before pursuing a career in wrestling. His son, Jake Carter, is a former NXT wrestler who was recruited to the University of Oklahoma on a football scholarship in 2005. Unfortunately, he suffered hip and back injuries that derailed his football career.
10 Hacksaw Jim Duggan (Ceila Duggan)
Despite being synonymous with WWE, Hacksaw Jim Duggan never won a championship in the company. Nonetheless, he was such an important figure during the 1980s and early 90s that he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011. One of his two daughters is Celia Duggan, whose Instagram profile paints her as someone with various athletic interests. She is a former collegiate volleyball player at Coker University and St. Andrews University.
9 Sting (Steven Borden Jr.)
Again, like many other 80s-era wrestlers, Sting played football growing up. He didn't play at the collegiate level, but his son Steven Borden Jr. was a highly touted player in high school who was recruited to play tight end at the University of Kentucky. Upon graduating, he had a tryout with the Kansas City Chiefs but ultimately didn't make the team.
8 AJ Styles (Ajay Jones)
AJ Styles played baseball growing up and later took an interest in amateur wrestling while attending Anderson University. He has four children, the oldest of which, Ajay Jones, is an up-and-coming baseball player in Gainesville, Georgia. He has won multiple tournaments with the Georgia Braves and made at least four All-Tournament teams according to Perfect Game.
7 Mark Solis (Tito Santana)
Tito Santana, whose real name is Merced Solis, has three sons named Matthew, Michael, and Mark. Before wrestling, Santana played tight end at West Texas State University and was even a teammate of Tully Blanchard. His son Mark also played football at the college level and has coached at Olentangy High School in Ohio since 2013.
6 Mark Henry (Jacob and Joanna Henry)
Being the children of an individual who once held the title of "World's Strongest Man" has to be difficult, but Jacob and Joanna Henry are doing their part to live up to those lofty expectations. Jacob, 14, qualified for the 2018 Junior Olympics in the shot put and discus, while Joanna, 10, is already a two-time Junior Olympian in track.
5 Ken Shamrock (Ryan Shamrock)
Ken Shamrock might be known more for his MMA career, but he had a solid run in WWE during the late 90s and has even recently wrestled in Impact. His son, Ryan (not to be confused with Alica Webb who played his sister Ryan Shamrock in WWE), also tried to carve out a career in MMA, but was relatively unsuccessful with only three professional fights, two of which were losses, to his name.
4 Jeff Jarrett (Jaclyn Jarrett)
A member of both the TNA Hall of Fame and WWE Hall of Fame, Jeff Jarrett has held dozens of championships across multiple promotions and is considered one of the all-time great Intercontinental Champions. One of his three daughters, Jaclyn, recently concluded her senior year at Henderson High School, where she was a star on the school's soccer team.
3 Bobby Roode (Nick Roode)
Bobby Roode hails from Canada so it should be no surprise that his son, Nick Roode, enjoys playing hockey. The 16-year-old native of Peterborough, Ontario played this past season with the Peterborough Petes Minor Midget AAA team and recorded 24 points in 32 regular season games. That was good enough for third on the team in scoring.
2 Road Warrior Animal (James Laurinaitis)
Perhaps the most accomplished athlete on this list is James Laurinaitis, the son of Road Warrior Animal and nephew of John Laurinaitis. Selected in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams, the linebacker played eight seasons in the NFL and even led the league in solo tackles in 2012. WWE showed interest in him when he retired in 2016.
1 Brock Lesnar (Mya Lesnar)
Brock Lesnar has been married to WWE diva Sable since 2006 but, prior to that, he had twins with his former partner Nicole McClain. His son, Luke Lesnar, is an incredibly jacked 18-year-old who intends on following in his father's footsteps as a professional wrestler. Mya Lesnar, meanwhile, was one of the top high school shot putters in the United States and recently enrolled at Arizona State University.
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