15 Unrecognizable Children Of Wrestlers Outside The WWE

A big reason as to why older wrestlers transition out of the WWE to enter the indie scene is for the chance to create their own schedules with leads to increased family time. Even the younger guard such as the Young Bucks, love this aspect of working your own schedule. Rey Mysterio is a prime example, not only is he working limited dates but he’s making a fortune based off his name value and the cost to book him. Easier schedules and guaranteed family time has made the independent circuit a viable option these days.

In this article, we take a look at active performers outside of the WWE and we put the spotlight on their children. For a lot of these wrestlers, you likely didn’t even know they had a kid to begin with. For the most part, these children are unrecognizable. From the old school talents like Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio to new breed like the Young Bucks, we feature a variety of independent wrestlers that are fathers and mothers with children you’d never be able to recognize.

Enjoy the article folks and like always, be sure to share the article with a friend. Without further ado, here are 15 unrecognizable children of wrestlers outside of the WWE. Let’s get started!

15 Jeff Jarrett (Joslyn & Jaclyn Jarrett)

Before Karen Angle entered the mix, Jeff was married to his ex-wife, high school sweetheart Jill. The couple had children, two of which are in the photo above, Joslyn and Jaclyn. The two are beautiful though sadly, they rarely see Jeff these days given his schedule and the fact that he separated his ex-wife a long time ago.

One of his daughters, Joslyn, made the headlines for all the wrong reasons last year. Following a controversial tweet, Jarrett’s daughter was caught re-tweeting it. Here’s what the post said:

"Karen Jarrett with another husband in rehab??? Drives men to the sauce,"

She also put up an emotional Instagram post of her father after he checked in to rehab. The throwback photo was followed by an emotional message:

“I know I haven't been the biggest fan of my dad for the past few years but in the end he is still my dad and I love him more than anything. Dad, I hope when you see this, you really know how much I love you. I'm so proud of the decision you made and excited to see how the next few months go. You can do this and can't wait to see that smile again.”

14 Rey Mysterio (Aalyah Gutierrez)

Rey Mysterio is just one of those rare gems in the wrestling business. He’s regarded as a kind soul by his peers and his personal life backs up that claim. He’s been with the same woman since 1996, Angie Gutierrez and by the looks of it, the two remains very much in love with Rey posting about his partner on the regular.

He’s also a proud father; everyone knows about his son Dominick, though what flies under the radar is his beautiful daughter, Aalyah.

We got a glimpse of her during The Andre the Giant documentary screening; she’s also responsible for making Rey join Instagram, setting the account up for her dad.

These days, outside of the WWE, Mysterio is keeping active. Just search his name and various different headlines will come up pertaining to his indie career, whether it be a dream match at New Japan Dominion, his involvement at All In, a recent match against Jeff Jarrett or even headlining an event back home with AAA. It appears as though Rey is have a farewell tour of the sorts before heading back to the WWE for one final run. Given his in-ring abilities, he clearly has a lot left in the tank.

13 Billy Gunn (Austin Sopp)

Don’t ask Billy Gunn about his WWE release cause it’s more than likely that he won’t answer the question:

"It's a secret that everybody on the planet earth knows except for you. You just wanted to ask the question that I've never answered, and I am not going to answer it now."

Instead, he would rather discuss his current life filled with training, not to mention spending some time with his son, Austin, who recently graduated from college. As a proud father, Gunn posted the photo of his son with a diploma in hand, it must have been quite the moment for Gunn as a father.

In another hilarious recent Instagram post, Gunn paid a visit to ZZ alongside his son. The two had a troubled relationship during the Tough Enough series, given Gunn’s shape, it is no secret that he isn’t fond of lazy people and that was the case with the popular Tough Enough contestant. However, they recently got together capturing a pretty massive gator, her wrote about the experience in his Instagram caption:

“Just want to thank @zzloupe for having us out at his place today we had a blast. Oh and this gator was pretty cool too.”

12 Chris Jericho (Cheyenne, Sierra & Ash)

Similar to Rey Mysterio, Jericho’s family life seems to be perfect. He’s been married to the same woman, Jessica Lockhart since 2000. The family has three children as you see in the photo above. Most would be baffled to acknowledge that Chris has the time to maintain a family and happy wife given the amount of touring he does whether it be on the indies with New Japan or on tour with Fozzy. And oh, as if that wasn’t enough, he even hosts a podcast on the regular, not to mention he set up his own wrestling cruise.

He was asked about he manages to find time for family and friends. According to Y2J, it’s a lot easier than most would think:

“It’s not hard at all. I mean…that’s the priority, and the rest is just my job. So, there is a real good balance in that, you know, when I am working, I am working, and when I am at home, I am at home. I always make sure that I give plenty of time to being at home. I think that is the reason that I am able to make it work, just because I know that you need to spend that time, you know, with your family. That’s the most important thing. So, I never do tours over three weeks long specifically for that reason. It’s balanced, it’s not really juggling, it’s just a balance. You know, as many things as I do, there’s just as many things that I don’t do as far as projects…I am turning down a lot of things. Like I said, family is the most important thing to me.”

11 James Ellsworth

The story of James Ellsworth is truly remarkable. Despite his look, he managed to make an impact as an enhancement talent during a match against Braun Strowman. Who would have thought but Ellsworth would enter the main event picture. During his final days, he served as an “enforcer” for Carmella. Sadly, his WWE run came to an end due to McMahon believing that the gimmick had ran its course. This is the harsh reality of being a pro wrestler. To his benefit, Ellsworth got lots of emails for booking enquires following his release.

Seeing that he has to feed two daughters, James has been nothing but positive when it comes to his indie run.

He has also found his niche as an inter-gender competitor. He spoke about the idea to run such a gimmick and if it would work with the WWE:

“I did (bring back intergender matches) by taking on Becky Lynch. At Wrestlemania with Triple H stepping in with Ronda Rousey, which really Triple h should be the scared gender in that situation.When I left WWE was wrestler Becky Lynch. I felt short and that’s when I said you know what, I am going to create an inter-gender title and I am going to defeat all the women all over the world and get retribution. I don’t think that would fit maybe one day. They have been breaking boundaries with women’s wrestling in general. Maybe one day we’ll have an inter-gender title on WWE television.”

10 Jack Swagger (Presley & Knox)

A little know fact about Swagger, he’s actually quite the family man outside of the ring as a father of two. And as a matter of fact, a big decision to leave the WWE had to with his family and spending more time with his children. It wasn’t all about his lackluster role with the WWE and instead, wanting a change while spending more time with family;

“I valued myself at a certain price, they valued it at another. I’ve gotta move forward. It was just time for a change; time for Jake Hager/Jack Swagger to go out and see other opportunities .I’m kind of green all over again [outside of WWE]. It’s so exciting. It’s the best time to be a wrestler. Transcending countries, languages. It’s really cool to be a part of that movement. I’m grateful for the brand that we created together. I’m home more, I have 2 young kids. If I could be Mr. Mom, I would. Packing lunches, I could take my son to school. I’m a big family man. Now we are putting the family first. 200 days a year out there in a car every night it’s really gotta be in your heart.”

9 Hurricane Helms (Sebastian Helms)

One of the most likable faces in the industry, Gregory Helms is a popular figure for various reasons. His Hurricane character hit a homerun back in the Ruthless Aggression Era. The man behind the mast, Gregory Helms might be even better, he’s known for his witty and hilarious comments during various wrestling podcasts whether it be with Edge and Christian or Konnan (seriously, he needs his own show).

At the age of 43, Helms still gets booked regularly whether it be at an indie event or wrestling convention. It is clear, the dude is still a draw and that was also evident during his Royal Rumble cameo this year. He received a massive pop. However, these days, he’s content as a proud father of two kids. He spoke about the potential of a return at some point with speculation linking the former Cruiserweight Champion to a spot on 205 Live;

“You never know. I’m back down around 205 now. I’m actually under 200 for the first time in forever. We’ll see. I still got a little contract with Impact that I can’t really have no conversations about going anywhere else until that contract’s up. But I watch it, I pay attention.”

8 Matt Jackson (Zachary Massie)

It is truly remarkable to see what older brother Matt and younger sibling Nick have been able to accomplish outside of the WWE. Like most independent wrestlers, they struggled early on and it almost led to them leaving the business. When you’re working to put food on the table for your kids, the pressure doubles and that was the reality for the duo. Thankfully, they stuck it out and a gig with New Japan completely resurfaced their brand value. The two are trailblazers outside of the WWE getting their merchandise in places like Hot Topic. Not to mention, alongside Cody, they funded their event, All In which sold out in 30 minutes.

What makes these two so special is the fact that they are devoted to their families. Matt says a big reason why they don’t join the WWE is due to the fact that they have flexible schedules which allows them to spend more time with the kids:

“I’m a big family man and so is Nick,” Matt said. “One big thing for us is we do this on our own so we don’t have to live on the road as much as those guys (in WWE) have to. I don’t know how they do it. I’d rather have WrestleMania every time I wrestle and be able to go balls out because I’m wrestling way less than they are.”

7 Rosa Mendes (Jordan Elizabeth)

She retired with the intent of starting a family. Rosa gave birth to a beautiful daughter, Jordan Elizabeth. Lots of fans thought that would be the end for the former WWE Superstar as she transitioned on a life outside of the business. However a surprise to many, she recently decided that a return is an obligation of hers, partly because of her daughter. She explains:

"I feel like when I retired, I had a little bit of regret that I wasn't in the ring enough," said Mendes. "Actually, a lot of regret. My father was in the ICU recently, and on his deathbed and he was on life support. And, at the same time, Bobby [Schubenski] had a separation. So, it was one of those moments in my life where I looked at my father, and he was dying, and I thought to myself, I don't ever want to have any regrets. I don't ever want to be in a position where I'm laying here just like my dad, and that I never fulfilled my dream of having a five-star match in the ring. And I've never felt that. And I have a daughter now, and I never want her to have any regrets.

"So, I'm looking at her and raising her, and how could I tell her to do something that I didn't do? How could I tell her, 'Follow your dreams, do everything you've ever wanted and have no fear,' when I didn't do that in my life. So basically... that kind of snapped in my head, and I was like, I have to go back in the ring. I have to. What's the match that I could back, and even if I won or lost, I gave it everything I had and I'm proud of myself. And I can't say that right now. So, that's the reason why I'm going back, and I'm working harder than I ever have in my whole entire life."

6 Dixie Carter (Reese & Tanner Salinas)

One of the most polarizing names in the wrestling business has to be Dixie Carter. When it comes to her legacy as the boss of TNA, various wrestlers have different opinions. For the most part, it is said that she was a kind and gentle soul but not cut out for the wrestling business. She was easily influenced according to lots of former talent and it skewed her perception on the product. She eventually sold most of her stock, although she is still on board these days with Anthem as a minority owner. She’s also a member of the Advisory board. Given her social media account, she’s making an impact (no pun-intended) these days with various charitable causes along with spending some much needed family time with her two children, Reese and Tanner.

When it comes to her legacy with TNA, Carter remains positive especially seeing the influx of talent from Impact thriving with the WWE these days:

“The fact that these incredible talents are having the kind of success they are having is a great compliment to the hard work of the men and women who built TNA,” said Carter. “I’m proud to have been a part of it.”

5 Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio continues to do his best to lay low these days. His Instagram account is littered with positivity these days. One would think he has no choice given his tumultuous past. Things started going downhill in the summer of 2016 when his ex-wife filed for divorce. She listed adultery as the reason for the split, however Del Rio claims cruel treatment was the actual reason for the breakup. It would only get worse for Del Rio entering a terrible relationship with Paige that did nothing for his reputation and cost him a job with the WWE. Things hit another low most recently when he no-showed an Impact event.

At the very least, his relationship with Paige is no longer a thing. A father of three, two girls and a boy, Del Rio listed his children as the main reason for the split:

"We decided to end our relationship because she’s in Orlando, I’m in San Antonio and now she’s back on the road and the schedule over there is non-stop. And my schedule is non-stop with my pro wrestling shows, my projects and stuff with Telemundo-Mexico TV Azteca, calendar, charity events and all that stuff. So we were not seeing each other and then, because she was training and getting ready to go back, they were not letting her come to San Antonio. I couldn’t go to Orlando because I have three little kids and I was coming home two or three days. And I had to choose between going to Orlando or staying with my kids. So, of course, I decided to stay with my kids. We decided to end our relationship."

4 Ken Anderson (Pearce & Prescott)

Anderson had massive potential, he was deemed a sure WWE Champion at one point. However, reckless matches with some of the top stars led to his demise. He was released by the company and at the age of 42, you can still find him around wrestling circles whether it be conventions, as a wrestling trainer or sporadic indie bookings.

These days, he’s enjoying the lighter schedule, especially due to the fact that he gets to stay with his kids. Anderson commented that he hasn’t been approached by the WWE and if he would, he likely wouldn’t take the offer due to the schedule and wanting to see his children grow:

"It's an extraordinarily tough schedule, for one. Working five, six days a week, bumping, falling down, multiple times every single night it's just hard to do that. It's hard on that schedule, especially if someone has a family. And I have kids right now, so you asked if WWE had contacted me and if there's talk of me going back there, there hasn't been, but I don't know that I necessarily could go back if they did reach out because I believe I would have sort of a limited schedule and I don't know that they're willing to do that for anybody other than the really big stars that have been through there (Brock Lesnar) ,obviously, has a light schedule. But I want to see my kids grow up. And that's just me. I want to see my kids grow up and I want to be there for their football games or ballet or whatever it is that they do. I want to be there. “

3 MVP

During his days with the WWE, MVP was a big draw in the mid-card scene. Lots of fans believe his run came to an end far too early. He joined the independent scene making various pit-stops with the likes of New Japan, TNA and Lucha Underground. Like the Young Bucks, MVP is enjoying his freedom these days and admits he would be unwilling to sign a permanent deal to his role as a father;

“I don’t necessarily want to sign a contract anywhere anymore. I’m a father now and I have a 2-year old boy. I only work on the weekends, I make my own schedule and I get to spend time with him.”

He also opened up about a possible WWE return and although he’s grateful for everything the company has done, though it appears those days are behind him;

“ I can do what I do now because of the opportunity that Vince gave me and then when I wanted to leave he said ‘cool. come back when you’re ready.’ I have nothing but respect for Vince and WWE but it’s kind of like that really hot girlfriend that you used to date and everyone was into. When she’s on your arm everybody is like ‘woah! He’s with her!’ but she farts in her sleep too. She has her flaws. Everybody else doesn’t know that and when you go your separate ways there is no animosity, no hard feelings. It was a good time, we had our thing but we’ve moved on.”

2 Tommy Dreamer (Kimberly & Brianna Laughlin)

Like Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio, Dreamer has a squeaky clean reputation in the wrestling business both in and out of the ring. He’s been married since 2002 to the same woman and the couple have twin daughters, Kimberly and Brianna. Despite the family life, Dreamer remains busy running his own promotion, House of Hardcore along with the fact that he still actively wrestles. Dreamer spoke about still taking part in matches:

“I just turned 47, and some mornings I'm 87. (Laughs.)I love it. When my music hits, I'm 24 years old again. I have a full set of hair. I'm about 20 pounds lighter. I'm Tommy Dreamer always. Now, I've become more the player coach. Age is just a number. You look at Tom Brady in the Super Bowl, I just watched Vince Carter dunk on a guy. Age is just a number. I also learned that from Paul Heyman, and Vince McMahon. They both went out there and performed. Paul not so much as a wrestler, but hell, Vince McMahon went out there and wrestled, and got his butt kicked. He'd do everything he possibly could, and he would never ask you to do something that you were uncomfortable with or he wouldn't do himself. That's always been my mantra. Last year I did 187 shows. That just shows how popular wrestling still is. I'm blessed that 187 places wanted to see me.”

1 Nick Jackson (Alison & Gregory)

We spoke about Matt earlier and now we turn to the youngest of the duo, Nick, who is also a father of two children out of the ring. Like Matt, the 28 year old is devoted to putting on a great show in the ring while being the best father he can be outside of it. Matt shared the same sentiment explaining their current mentalities on the indie scene and in their personal lives:

“ I guess what I want you to come away with is if you’re gonna watch us at a live show, and you’re going out of your way to support us, I think that’s so punk rock of you guys following us. Even if it’s the smallest town in the world, just know that if we’re on the card, we’re gonna kill it. That’s just what we do. It’s not a cocky, arrogant, brash thing to say, that’s just the way we are. We’re gonna go out there, we’re gonna do our friggin’ best, and then we’re gonna go home and try to be fathers on two hours of sleep. And that’s the other thing. We’re away from our families, and it’s tough on us, but that’s how much we love our art. We just… we love this. We wouldn’t be here in this building today if we didn’t love it. We love this so much.”