Brothers in arms: wrestling has seen its share of siblings dominate the sport, but sometimes a last name can be deceiving

Wrestling Digest, Dec, 2003 by Keith Loria

THE TAG TEAM OF DANNY AND Doug Basham is quickly making a name for itself in the WWE. The brothers from Columbus, Ohio, have already found themselves on the winning end of big matches against some of the top teams in the federation (although many of those were with the "help" of Shaniqua). Based on their level of action in recent months, it seems only a matter of time before the kin are wearing title belts.

Successful brother combinations in wrestling are nothing new. Siblings have been competing together since the earnest days of wrestling with names such as Von Erich, Hart, and Funk among those that have dominated the squared circle at different times in the wrestling annals.

And while there have been many faux siblings that have been marketed and passed off as brothers--the Dudleys, Kane & Undertaker, and Edge & Christian--there have been enough true brother combinations to make quite an impressive list.

In recent years, for instance, the Hardy Brothers made a huge impact on the sport with Jeff and Matt achieving incredible prosperity as a tag team. As singles wrestlers, both achieved a degree of success, with Jeff getting the initial push before being pushed out the WWE door. Matt has since drawn considerable heat with his Mardtude gimmick and steamy relationship with Lita,

Bret Hart and his late brother, Owen, are probably the best known siblings to the Generation-Xers watching the sport now. Although Bret was a major player in the heavyweight division when younger brother Owen came on the scene, Bret teamed with Owen and his brother the rope: They eventually feuded, and Owen established himself as a strong singles competitor himself, scoring a clean pin on Bret during Wrestlemania X in an amazing battle of technical wrestling. If Owen hadn't tragically fell to his death during a stunt at 1999's Over the Top pay-per-view, many believe he could have achieved the success that brother Bret had in his career.

Inevitably wrestling brother teams are split. The script usually plays out like this: Brothers compete and win a title as a tag team Eventually one wants more credit or a woman will get between them and they will feud for a while in great battles. This sets them up as legitimate ate singles competitors and they soon start leaving their mark on the solo scene.

This was the case with Rick and Scott Steiner back in WCW. When Scott joined the pro ranks, Rick was already an accomplished tag-team star having won numerous titles as a member of Kevin Sullivan's Varsity Club. Scott teamed with his older brother and eventually grew tired of hearing the chants for his way-over bro, despite the fact that they were as formidable a team as they came. Scott soon went ballistic on Rick and he quickly changed his appearance and style. Scott then rose through the ranks to become a heavyweight champion.

Another strong sibling team from the WCW days was Harlem Heat. Comprised of brothers Booker T and Stevie Ray, the duo paid their dues as they slowly built up their momentum to become one of the most popular teams in the biz. There was no denying that Booker T was the more prominent brother as his style and in-ring flair made him one of the best talents WCW had. With his brother by his side, Booker T eventually went on to capture the heavyweight title and he brought it with him when the organization merged with WWE. Stevie Ray has since seemed to disappear and there has been little mention of Booker T's bro, which is a real shame seeing how Booker T could use someone in his corner these days watching his back.

When Kurt Angle was injured last year, his brother Eric posed as the champion in several matches around the country in order to fool Kurt's opponents and give Angle the upper hand. Eric hasn't been around since, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Kurt's brother back in action in the near future.

Of course, it's not just recent times where brothers have shined.

The Von Erich clan (real name Adkisson) of Chris, Kerry, David, Kevin, and Mike are probably the best known of all wrestling brothers and considered the first family of wrestling. They also are infamous for the tragedies that have stricken them throughout their lives, including three of the clan committing suicide. The Von Erichs ruled wrestling in the South for most of the '80s, winning title after title in Texas, the NWA, WCW, and even the WWE.

Back in the 70s, the Funk brothers first came on the scene, as Terry and Dory became big names in the industry winning belts all over the country in various organizations. The second-generation wrestlers were a great tag team but absolutely phenomenal as single competitors. Terry had legendary battles, with Hulk Hogan and Harley Race, while Dory battled such greats as Pedro Morales and Ric Flair. The brothers soldiered on for years in their trademark hardcore style, with Terry even dabbling in some matches in 2000.

Other brother combinations over the years include Barry and Kendall Windham, Jacque and Ramon Rougeau, the Harris brothers, and Jack and Jerry Brisco.