5 current WWE Superstars who surprisingly come from wrestling families 

There are several well-known superstars in WWE at present that have come through the ranks whilst also following in the footsteps of their family members. Charlotte Flair is one of the most famous examples of this after coming to NXT back in 2013 and pushing for a career in the company following the death of her brother Reid.

Flair noted that Reid wanted to be a wrestler so she decided to continue the dream for her younger sibling. Of course, the former Women's Champion is also the daughter of two-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair.

There seems to be a trend of wrestlers from families within the business coming through the ranks in recent years and these stars have since been able to dominate WWE's main roster and their developmental brand.

There are several other second-generation wrestlers who are signed to WWE at present including the likes of Bray Wyatt, Tamina, and Paige but the following list looks at the lesser-known children of wrestling families.

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#5. Current WWE NXT Superstar Raquel Gonzalez

Raquel Gonzalez has become one of the most talked-about women on WWE's NXT brand over the past few months after being able to overcome the threat of Rhea Ripley when the two heavyweights collided in one-on-one action.

Since then Gonzalez has been pushed into the Tag Team Division and was able to partner with Dakota Kai to win the first-ever Women's Dusty Rhodes Classic. This has since led to a match against Women's Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler which ended under controversial circumstances.

Gonzalez has been breaking down barriers in NXT since her arrival but it's quite a well-kept secret that she is also a second-generation superstar. Although her father didn't wrestle for WWE, he did have a lengthy wrestling career in Texas, where he was known as "Desperado" Ricky González.

Despite studying journalism in college and initially pursuing a career in basketball, Gonzalez made a u-turn in 2013 and told her father that she would instead be pursuing a career in wrestling and following in his footsteps.

Gonzalez has since made her way to WWE and after unsuccessfully trying out for the revival of Tough Enough back in 2015, the star was signed to a WWE contract in 2016 and has become a force to be reckoned with in NXT's Women's Division.

#4. Former WWE Women's Champion Carmella

Carmella has been making waves in WWE since she first arrived in NXT and was made the manager of Enzo Amore and Big Cass. It was only when The Princess of Staten Island was promoted to the main roster back in 2016 that she was able to show what she was capable of in the ring and went on to become the first-ever Women's Money in the Bank winner.

Carmella is now a former SmackDown Women's Champion and is currently part of the blue brand but one thing that WWE doesn't push about Carmella is the fact that she is also a second-generation wrestler.

The former champion's father Paul Van Dale is a mixed martial artist and a former professional wrestler who made several appearances for WWE throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Carmella was initially a cheerleader and applied to be part of WWE's Tough Enough competition in 2010.

The former NXT star then withdrew from the competition when she was hired as a Laker Girl before returning and signing a contract with WWE three years later in 2013.

#3. Former WWE Mr. Money In The Bank Otis

Otis has recently turned heel on WWE SmackDown after an eventful few months where he lost his girlfriend and his tag team partner to Monday Night RAW and his Money in the Bank contract to The Miz.

What probably rubs salt in the wounds, even more, is the fact that The Miz recently cashed in the contract and won the WWE Championship, while Otis still awaits his first championship in the company.

Otis isn't a star that many fans believe comes from a wrestling family, but in a recent interview, the former Mr. Money in the Bank noted that his great-grandmother was once a wrestler as part of the carnival scene:

"We’re all short and stocky on my mom’s side. My mom was raised by my great-grandmother, who is our connection to wrestling. She was a big Greek woman—5’5, 285 pounds—and wrestled in carnivals back in the day. She passed away before I was born so I never had the chance to meet her, but my mother always tells me how proud she would be of me. I was really proud to represent my family this week, especially since Sunday was Mother’s Day and last Thursday was my mom’s birthday."

Otis has been able to follow in his great-grandmother's footsteps but he has been able to become a star in WWE rather than as part of carnivals.

#2. Current WWE NXT UK Superstar Bailey Matthews

The rise of NXT in recent years has allowed WWE to push forward and create their own NXT UK brand as well. Whilst William Regal is the General Manager of the main NXT show, he also has British roots and has quite the link to NXT UK at present.

A few weeks ago, the star's son made his debut as part of NXT UK where he showed that he had definitely inherited his father's skills in the ring.

Interestingly, Bailey only began his wrestling career back in 2018 and has since made some waves on the Independent Circuit before the announcement came from WWE.com back in January that he had signed a contract with the company to appear on NXT UK:

“Ready to roar onto the scene and represent his hometown of Blackpool, England, Bailey Matthews is set to bring a unique style to NXT UK inspired by the likes of Johnny Saint, Billy Robinson, and NXT General Manager William Regal.”

Hopefully, Bailey will be able to make the jump to NXT in the future and appear alongside his famous father.

#1. Current WWE NXT UK Superstar Xia Brookside

At just 19-years-old, Xia Brookside made her WWE debut as part of the second Mae Young Classic back in 2018. Even though the youngster didn't manage to win the tournament she did turn heads enough to earn herself a place on NXT UK.

Brookside has been wrestling since she was very young after being trained by her father Robbie Brookside, and Robbie Dynamite Dean Allmark. The star made her debut back in 2015 when she was just 17, and has since stood out on the UK Independent Circuit.

Interestingly, Brookside's deal with WWE now allows her to link back up with her father, since Brookside, a former professional wrestler himself, now works as one of the trainers at WWE's Performance Center.

Brookside wrestled for almost two decades from 1984 to 2013 when he announced his retirement from the ring. After working as a talent scout for WWE ahead of his retirement, the former wrestler was then offered the role as a coach in their developmental system.