By Olusesan Olukoya
There is a long list of family relations in professional wrestling.
Since the beginning of the artform’s secretive history family members have been involved in all aspects of the industry, often to keep it closed off to outsiders.
Although most connections are among wrestlers, there have been contributions from family members in many other fields such as managing, promoting, training and refereeing.
Sure, sports-entertainment might not be the first thing that pops into your head when you think of a “family business.” But the fact of the matter is grapplers have been passing on the secrets of wristlocks and hammer throws to their offspring since the 1930s when a band of interrelated terrors known as The Dirty Duseks raised hell across Nebraska.
Since then sons, daughters and other family members of sports-entertainment greats have inherited a passion for the squared circle the same way most of us inherit nearsightedness or male pattern baldness.
The 15 greatest families in WWE history are the DiBiases, the Colons, the Poffos, the Windhams, the Vachons, the Hennigs, the Briscos, the Guerreros, the Funks, the Ortons, the Von Erichs, the Rhodes, the Anoaʻi / Maivias, the Harts and the McMahons all in the USA.
Nigeria as a nation is following suit with Big Joe who has his real name as John Apemeiye Atula a pro wrestling talent in the middleweight category. Big Joe is taking after his uncle Morris Atula who has indeed seen it all in wrestling, the grunt and groan game. The legacy of Morris, the former World Light Heavy Weight Pro Wrestling Champion with pro wrestling name ‘’The Golden Warrior’’ during his active days has been well documented. His prowess lasted for decades as the only wrestler that represented Nigeria worldwide wearing green white green, his trademark dressing costume, in many different states in Nigeria, different countries in Africa, in the Caribbean Islands, European nations and at different cities in America during his wrestling career in the light heavyweight category.
“I am the wrestling Superstar of the moment in the middleweight category in Nigeria. I am a prize fighter of appreciable repute and I can say that professional wrestling runs in my veins considering the exploits of my uncle, The Great Morris Atula” explained Big Joe.
