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Unlike several wrestlers who come from wrestling families, many WWE Superstars' parents have had ordinary jobs.
The WWE Universe knows the fathers of The Usos, Natalya and Charlotte Flair, having all been legends in the pro wrestling business. However, many superstars come from homes where no one has ever set foot inside a WWE ring. Their parents have worked in different fields, and the WWE Universe knows very little about them.
Several of these little-known parents have inspired and helped their sons and daughters become the WWE Superstars they are today. A few WWE Superstars have also followed in their parents' footsteps before becoming pro wrestlers.
Here are ten WWE Superstars and their parents' professions.
#10. WWE Superstar Big E
Big E and his New Day partners have spent years spreading the power of positivity. The former Intercontinental Champion is no stranger to spreading the word as his father, Eltore Ewen, was a preacher.
The 35-year-old WWE Superstar comes from a religious house. Growing up, Big E spent a lot of his time in the church with his father, which affected his personality.
"When you spend three to four days a week in church for like two to three hours at least, you are going to just naturally absorb certain parts of a preacher's delivery," Big E said on his episode of WWE 24.
Big E has excelled in WWE since his debut in 2012. He is a former NXT Champion, two-time Intercontinental Champion, and multi-time Tag Team Champion.
The former Intercontinental Champion recently became Mr. Money in the Bank after winning the briefcase last month. He is now a threat to Universal Champion Roman Reigns, who will go one-on-one against John Cena at SummerSlam.
#9. WWE Champion Bobby Lashley
Before becoming a WWE Superstar, Bobby Lashley served in the United States military for three years. Joining the U.S. Army is nothing unusual for the WWE Champion's family.
Lashley's father served in the United States Army for 24 years. His military background had a huge influence on his son's career.
"I grew up in a military background. My dad was in the Army for 24 year, retired, and he always taught me a lot of things about the military. I grew up and I did ROTC in high school so there was so much that I did in the military, outside the military, grew up in the military so I always knew that the military was gonna be a direction that I went somewhere in life," he explained in an exclusive interview with WWE.com.
Lashley revealed that serving in the military has taught him discipline and how to develop a plan to be successful. His plan seems to be working well as he is now one of the most successful WWE Superstars.
#8. WWE Superstar MVP
WWE Superstar MVP has had a tough childhood. When his parents split when he was young, MVP lived with his mother and not his police officer father.
Despite his struggles in his teenage years, MVP grew up to become a successful man. He entered the pro wrestling business in the early 2000s and made his first WWE appearance in August 2006. The 47-year-old had a successful first run in WWE, winning the United States Championship twice and the Tag Team Titles before leaving in 2010.
After spending a decade wrestling in different promotions, MVP returned to WWE last year. He is now WWE Champion Bobby Lashley's manager.
#7. WWE Superstar Randy Orton
Randy Orton is a third-generation WWE Superstar. He comes from one of the most famous wrestling families. His grandfather, Bob Orton, father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, and uncle, Barry Orton, were all wrestlers. His dad was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.
Although the WWE Universe knows Orton's father well, many do not know what The Viper's mother does for a living.
The 14-time World Champion's mother, Elaine Orton, works as a nurse. In an old interview with Kevin Eck, he revealed that his mom did not want him to become a pro wrestler. However, her attitude changed once her son made it on WWE TV.
"Once I got in the business and I was on TV, that's cool for any parent. I made them proud, and my mom – I think her attitude turned around. She was happy to see me doing well. She's a nurse, and her friends at work – my mom would call me and say, 'I need 10 autographed pictures.' Now she's a little superstar at work because her son's on TV. I think my mom just thinks it's cool now."
Randy Orton is now a WWE legend. He continues to entertain the WWE Universe on Monday Night RAW.
#6. WWE Superstar Shanky
Shanky started his pro wrestling career nearly six years ago but recently joined WWE. The 30-year-old is now Jinder Mahal's protégé alongside Veer.
The Indian WWE Superstar is the only child of a factory supervisor and a housewife. Before becoming a WWE Superstar, Shanky worked as an accountant. His life changed when he joined The Great Khali's wrestling academy. There, he learned the ropes and won the CWE Heavyweight Championship twice.
Shanky has had two matches so far in WWE. Before his alliance with Mahal, he teamed up with Giant Zanjeer, Rey Mysterio, and Ricochet to defeat Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, King Corbin, and Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE Superstar Spectacle last January.
He joined forces with Veer to have his second match last Monday against Drew McIntyre. The Scottish Warrior won the match via disqualification following interference from The Modern-Day Maharaja.
#5. WWE Superstar Veer
Unlike Shanky, Veer is part of a big family. He grew up among eight other siblings in India. Their father worked as a truck driver, and their family suffered from financial difficulties.
Despite not having a luxurious life as a kid, Veer excelled in baseball. He became a professional baseball player and moved to the United States after winning a pitching contest on a reality TV show named The Million Dollar Arm in 2008.
After Veer became a professional baseball player, his father retired from driving trucks.
"Now my father only supervises the farming of the 4 or 5 bighas of land we have at Holpur," Veer told Indian Express in 2010.
In January 2018, Veer left baseball for a pro wrestling career in WWE. He debuted on NXT in October of the same year. In May 2021, he made his main roster debut allying himself with Jinder Mahal.
#4. WWE Superstar Zelina Vega
WWE Superstar Zelina Vega was born in Queens, New York. Her father worked as a Telecom Analyst for the firm Cantor Fitzgerald. Vega started watching wrestling with her father and younger brother Timothy and fell in love with it.
At ten years old, Vega lost her father as he was a victim of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Following her father's tragedy, the WWE Superstar's family moved to Long Island. She started her wrestling training at the age of 17 and joined TNA in 2011. Five years later, the 30-year-old signed for WWE.
Vega revealed that her late father was her inspiration to become a WWE Superstar.
"I thought, finally at around 15, 16, what was it that my dad and I loved so much? And it was wrestling, it was the WWE. I fell in love with wrestling when I was 4-years-old and I kinda knew right away that's what I wanted to do."
Vega spent four years in WWE before she was released in November 2020. However, she recently re-signed with WWE and returned to SmackDown.
#3. NXT North American Champion Superstar Isaiah "Swerve" Scott
Despite being born in Washington, the WWE North American Champion Isaiah "Swerve" Scott spent the first seven years of his childhood in Germany. Scott's father was a sergeant first-class cook in the United States military. Following Scott's birth, his father was sent to serve at a military base in Frankfurt, Germany, so the family had to relocate.
Following their return to the United States, the current NXT North American followed in his father's footsteps and enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he spent eight years. He later decided to become a pro wrestler.
Scott has trained and wrestled in several promotions starting in 2008. In 2019, he finally signed a contract with WWE.
The 30-year-old is currently competing on NXT. Scott defeated Bronson Reed last June to capture his first-ever title of his WWE career, the NXT North American Championship.
#2. WWE Superstar Johnny Gargano
Thanks to Johnny Gargano's father owning a catering business in Cleveland, the WWE Superstar got his first taste of pro wrestling.
Knowing his son's love for wrestling, Gargano's dad agreed to host a Cleveland Wrestling Alliance event in his parking lot on one condition: eight-year-old Johnny has to get inside the ring.
"He knew I was a huge fan, so he said, ‘Of course. Yes, please, as long as my son could maybe get in the ring.’ My wrestling name was ‘J.A.G.,’ John Anthony Gargano. ‘J.A.G.’ it was very clever. Seven years later was actually my first official match, and it too happened in this parking lot," Gargano said in an Interview with WKYC.
After his father helped him kick off his wrestling career, Gargano competed in several promotions. He tried out for WWE a few times before finally signing a contract in 2015.
Gargano is one of the biggest names on NXT today. He became the first-ever NXT Triple Crown Champion after winning the NXT Championship, NXT North American Championship, and NXT Tag Team Championships.
#1. WWE Superstar Damian Priest
Damian Priest is not the only member of his family who knows how to throw punches and kicks. The WWE Superstar's father is a martial artist and was the first to teach Priest how to fight.
Fighting was not the only thing Priest's father taught him. The former NXT North American Champion also learned from his dad not to be complacent and always wanting more. That attitude helped him get to WWE despite him thinking it was a far-away dream.
"I really wrote off WWE for a little bit. I didn't think I was gonna be able to make it here, but it didn't stop me from trying so to speak or trying to improve which eventually did get me here. So I think it was my dad who I probably got it from. He's just one of those people just unwilling to be okay with just living, you have to live more," Priest told Digital Spy.
Damian Priest made his main roster debut earlier this year, joining Monday Night RAW. He is currently feuding with the United States Champion, Sheamus.
