10 Worst Babyface Backlashes Of All Time

In the early 1970s, the legendary Nick Gulas ran the Mid-American coalition of the National Wrestling Alliance, covering the Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama territories. 

Aside from helping to launch the careers of Jackie Fargo and Jerry Lawler, Gulas was famous for two things: being a notorious tightwad, and obsessively pushing - shoving, really - his son George into the spotlight as NWA Mid-America's top star.

George had initially worked for his father as a ring announcer and referee before beginning to wrestle in 1974. I say wrestle... but that's one thing that George never learned how to do properly. He was all over the place in the ring. 

He didn't really look the part, either: tall, skinny and pretty much entirely charisma-free, the younger Gulas was the opposite of what you think of when you consider the phrase 'star quality'.

Nepotism was and still is pervasive throughout the business. Greg Gagne, son of the AWA's boss Verne, actually could wrestle, but didn't have what it took to be a top draw. Middle-aged Shane McMahon isn't even a wrestler, yet this year was booked to battle the Undertaker competitively in a Hell In A Cell match at WrestleMania.

I've already discussed Erik Watts, but Eric Bischoff's son Garrett also undeservedly benefitted from his father's influence.  Mike and Lacey Von Erich, David Flair, Angelo Mosca Jnr, Brooke Hogan... there are more, but George Gulas leaves them all in the shade. 

Daddy's little boy stank on ice, and everyone knew it. Back in the seventies, there was no greater kayfabe-killer than the sight of Georgie-boy going over the road-hardened warriors of Tennessee. 

The crowd hated him, and business dropped so badly that the issue split the territory. 

Jerry Jarrett (no stranger to nepotism himself, but at least Jeff could work) wasn't prepared to see his own hard work get murdered by the Gulas boys, and broke away to form the Continental Wrestling Association in Memphis in 1977, making wrestling history in the process.

By 1981, NWA Mid-America was closed down after four decades of quality cards across three states. Not only did George Gulas never draw a dime, but the crowd voted with their feet. He killed the territory, destroying his father's business. 

George himself? To my knowledge, he couldn't get hired to jerk the curtain at a peep show: his father's retirement was George's retirement, too.