7 AEW stars who are children of WWE Superstars

AEW has made it big in the wrestling industry in a rather short period. Tony Khan’s finances, coupled with the vision of many top wrestlers, have helped fans get something different.

AEW has hired some former WWE Superstars to get more viewers and also given new faces a chance to perform on the big stage. Some new stars who are performing in AEW today are children of former WWE Superstars.

Instead of joining the same promotion in which their parents made it big, these wrestlers decided to give AEW a shot. Their decision could prove to be fruitful in the years to come.

With that being said, take a look at the seven AEW stars who are children of former WWE Superstars.

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#5. Former WWE Superstar Taz’s son Hook will likely make it big in AEW

In late 2020, Taz and Cody Rhodes had an interesting interaction in the middle of the AEW ring. Taz demanded proper respect from Tony Khan and AEW after Powerhouse Hobbs picked up a victory.

Cody confronted Taz and revealed Taz's son Hook is training to become a wrestler. Instead of training with Taz, he's training with the Nightmare Family.

This brought Hook, the son of the ECW legend, to the limelight. Taz had a good time with WWE before joining AEW as a manager and commentator.

Ricky Starks, who’s a member of Team Taz, recently appeared on the WrestleTalk Podcast. There, Starks gave his thoughts on Hook and how the newcomer had become so popular.

“I think it’s pretty cool for the fact that Hook hasn’t really said much of anything and he hasn’t wrestled at all. It’s such a crazy thing to think about because he hasn’t done anything, and yet he has this groundswell for him. But that only helps to add the mystique of Hook. What is he about? How does he sound? How does he wrestle? I like his mysterious, cool, James Dean type feel he has going on.”

Team Taz is doing phenomenally well in AEW. The former WWE Superstar has done well to bring several newcomers into the limelight and give them a good run. Hook will likely become a force to be reckoned with once he becomes a full-time in-ring performer for AEW.

#4. Former WWE Superstar Billy Gunn has teamed up with his sons to form The Gunn Club in AEW

Late last year, Billy Gunn made history on an edition of AEW Dark. The veteran joined a small group of fathers after he shared the ring with his two sons at the same time in a match. Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn, who recently made their debut for AEW, joined Bill to form The Gunn Club.

Billy made his WWE debut back in 1993 and formed The Smoking Gunns. He became a two-time Hardcore Champion and one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion in the company.

The 57-year-old joined AEW in 2019 followed by his two sons, Austin and Colten. The Gunn Club sat down with Chris Jericho on the Talk Is Jericho podcast and revealed why they decided to join AEW rather than the WWE Performance Center.

“So, obviously, the relationship between WWE and my dad has been rocky, I guess, up and down, up and down, up and down,” Austin noted. “Obviously, this came up, and I was, like, ‘What do you think about the Performance Center?’ He goes, ‘I don’t want you to lose your love for wrestling that you have right now by going there and then them having you turn into that Performance Center, follow directions. You need to be this instead of me being just free spoken and just express myself naturally.’ So it was a discussion that we had, but we tried everything to not go there.”

The Gunn Club has had a few good matches in AEW. While Billy will likely retire from the ring soon, his sons will carry the family name for many years to come.

#3. AEW star Brian Pillman Jr. is the son of a late WWE Superstar

Brian Pillman Jr. competed on the independent circuit for a few years before joining AEW. He teamed up with Griff Garrison to form The Varsity Blondes.

Many fans believe the AEW star has what it takes to become a future superstar. What many may not know is that he is the son of a former WWE Superstar.

Brian Pillman Jr. is the son of the late Brian Pillman who competed for WWE for a short time. He competed for WCW, ECW, and WWE for a few years before tragically passing away on October 5, 1997. Pillman was scheduled to wrestle Goldust at WWE In Your House 18: Badd Blood the day he was found dead. He was 35 years old at the time.

Brian has followed in his father’s footsteps and become a professional wrestler. Speaking on the 411 Interview Podcast, Brian revealed that at first he thought his father’s death was part of a WWE storyline.

He also revealed that there’s a lot of pressure on him to live up to his father’s level.

“Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of pressure. And there’s a lot of situations that are presented to you that may not even be fitting for you or your character, but are kind of pressed on you in a certain capacity. And we’ve learned that the hard way with certain promotions that have tried to book me in certain ways. And eventually, my true character showed, and my career is going a lot smoother as far as making my own name for myself.”

AEW is serving as a good platform for the late WWE Superstar’s son. Brian Pillman Jr. will hopefully become a breakout star and head to the top of AEW in the years to come.

#2. AEW newcomer Brock Anderson is the son of WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson

Brock Anderson made his AEW debut this year and has already competed in a few big matches. Brock is the son of WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson.

Arn Anderson is a former WWE Tag Team Champion and one of the members of The Four Horsemen. He worked with WWE in different capacities before joining AEW in 2019.

Brock is looking to make his way up in AEW. He's already had some good matches to get off the right foot. Arn appeared in an interview with DAZN to discuss the AEW Dynamite debut of his son, Brock Anderson.

“It would be easy for me to try to play a hard on this and go, ‘Oh well, business as usual.’ When it’s your son out there, he probably had not enough training yet to be under those circumstances, and I was nervous for him. I was more nervous than he was. He actually was pretty solid all day long. But to see him have his first day in a business that I have loved since I was eight years old — and I tell people, it’s the greatest way to make a living on the earth, it really is. To see him enjoy himself and hold his own and do well. I am a proud papa,” said Arn Anderson.

Arn Anderson will be extremely proud of his son, who has the charisma to make it big in the wrestling world. Will Brock Anderson go on to become a world champion in AEW someday?

#1. AEW stars Dustin and Cody Rhodes are sons of the late WWE Superstar Dusty Rhodes

It’s no secret that AEW stars Dustin and Cody Rhodes are half-brothers. The two men had an epic rivalry in AEW that showed what they are capable of in the ring.

Dustin and Cody are the sons of the late WWE Legend, Dusty Rhodes. Dusty is one of the most well-known and iconic WWE Superstars of all time. Cody and Dustin have followed in his footsteps and have become big names in the industry.

Dusty passed away in 2015 after changing the entire landscape of wrestling. Cody posted a heartfelt Tweet in honor of his father last year.

Dusty would've been extremely happy to see how far Cody and Dustin have come over the past three years. The American Nightmare has now become one of the most influential men in the wrestling industry.