There is no doubt that being a second or third-generation wrestler comes with its advantages, as it can help to get someone through the door to be looked at by WWE. Many have gone on to thrive in the business such as Randy Orton or Charlotte Flair, yet some don't enjoy as much success.
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They end up being stuck in developmental for a long time, struggling to make an impact. Because of that, certain wrestlers who have family connections have been unable to get out of developmental to make it to the main roster, despite the fact their parents were stars in the industry.
10 Richie Steamboat
Richie Steamboat is someone that WWE had high hopes for when he was in developmental. The company pushed him heavily, and the expectations were that he would become a big star, and then transition into the main roster, but that never ended up happening as his career came to an abrupt end.
Unfortunately, Richie suffered an injury that stopped him from developing as a wrestler. Not only did Richie not get out of WWE's developmental system, but he ended up having to retire completely.
9 Jake Carter
Jake Carter is the son of Vader, who is one of the biggest legends in the history of professional wrestling. Because of that, people had high expectations about what Carter was going to be able to bring to the industry as a talent, but he didn't end up progressing to the point that people thought.
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Carter competed on NXT briefly, but he never got given much of a push from the company. Carter didn't have the physically intimidating presence that his father had, and that is something that stopped him from becoming a top star in the industry.
8 Rachael Evers
Rachael Evers is a talented in-ring worker, and that has been clear from the work that she put in during her time with Impact Wrestling. However, when it came to WWE, she was unable to get out of the developmental system, as the company just kept her in NXT.
Even then she didn't get many opportunities to shine, as she rarely competed on television. She did get to work in the Mae Young Classic tournaments, but outside of that, there was very little for her in terms of career progression.
7 Shaul Guerrero
Shaul Guerrero is the daughter of Eddie Guerrero, which opened up the door for her to get into WWE's developmental system. That is something that allowed her the chance to compete and learn, but it didn't lead to any progression as far as the main roster goes.
At the time, a lot of fans were excited about the idea of Shaul progressing simply due to her family name. However, the company didn't see enough when it came to her in-ring talent, and she didn't end up making the move to Raw or SmackDown.
6 Memo Montenegro
Memo Montenegro is one of the former NXT Superstars that a lot of fans likely forgot about, as he only competed in two matches during his time on the roster. He is the brother of Alberto Del Rio, which is something that WWE could have tapped into, but that connection was never made.
Montenegro is the son of Dos Caras, who is a legend of the wrestling business. However, for Memo, his WWE career simply didn't pan out, and instead, he had to go and become a bigger star in Mexico.
5 Brett DiBiase
The DiBiase family has brought several great names over the years, but fans typically think about the Million Dollar Man or Ted DiBiase Jr. While the latter was able to follow his father's footsteps by becoming a top WWE Superstar on the main roster, the same cannot be said for Brett DiBiase.
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He also tried to get into the business, and he did get to work at FCW for several years. Unfortunately for him, he suffered knee problems during his career, and that led to him deciding to retire from the industry before he ever reached the main roster.
4 Wes Brisco
Considering his family legacy, a lot of people thought Wes Brisco was going to end up being a big name in the industry, but that didn't end up happening with WWE. Brisco was involved in developmental, but he was cut before being able to make it as a main roster talent.
Of course, he did end up having some success in the wrestling business, as he ended up being signed by TNA. Wes Brisco was part of the famous Aces & Eights faction, but when it came to his WWE career, it was just the developmental system for him.
3 Santana Garrett
At one point WWE did have plans to move Santana Garrett to the main roster, but Kenny 'TNT Keny G' Garrett's daughter never ended up being given the chance to shine on SmackDown or Raw. She is a talented worker, and that has been seen in appearances she has made in AEW.
But when it came to her time with WWE, Santana didn't get any further than the developmental system. She got plenty of matches in NXT, but even then she was never a featured star like others on the roster at that time.
2 Dakota Darsow
Dakota Darsow is not a name that most wrestling fans would be familiar with, and that is purely down to the fact he did not make it out of WWE's developmental system. His father portrayed a variety of gimmicks during his own career, perhaps being best known as the Repo Man.
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He only got to work in WWE's developmental system for a year before being let go by the company. He made some appearances in TNA, but ended up moving on from professional wrestling to being involved in the police force.
1 David Flair
While Charlotte Flair and Ric Flair are two major names in wrestling, the same cannot be said for David Flair. He didn't quite reach the same level of stardom as those two, despite his best efforts. David did get a run in WCW, which was slightly more memorable, but his WWE career wasn't a hit.
He got signed to OVW, but the company never saw enough in him to make David move to the main roster. There were chances for a storyline with him due to the family links, but the company just didn't go for it.
