Anderson family

[1][2][3] NWA Hall of Famer Gene Anderson (the pioneer of the group), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, started his professional wrestling career in 1958.

[2][3][5] While working for Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling Association (MSW) in 1983, Martin Lunde, who started his professional wrestling career in 1981, was sitting in the locker room during an MSW event when Watts was having a conversation with Matt Osborne, Ted DiBiase and Jim Duggan.

Watts explained that they needed to find Osborne a tag team partner when Sylvester Ritter (Junkyard Dog), who was also in the locker room, suggested that since Martin strongly resembled Ole Anderson, who was currently working in GCW, he should be sent over to GCW as an Anderson and be Osborne's tag team partner.

[2][3][7][8][9] As early as 1974, the 2 time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair was being billed as the cousin of Ole and Gene, teaming with them sporadically until 1977.

[10] In 1977, Flair teamed with Blackjack Mulligan and Greg Valentine in a feud against his storyline cousins Gene and Ole.

During this time in MACW, Flair began working as a team with Ole and Arn in different combinations in a feud against WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T. A., Billy Jack Haynes and Manny Fernandez.

[2][3][12] During an impromptu interview after an 8 man tag team match that the group won, Arn said, "The only time this much havoc had been wreaked by this few a number of people, you need to go all the way back to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse".

[2][3] Over the following years the team would change in combination of different variations of existing and new members, including; Lex Luger, Barry Windham, Sting, Sid Vicious, Paul Roma, Brian Pillman, Chris Benoit, Steve McMichael, Curt Hennig, Dean Malenko and Jeff Jarrett.

[2][3] The stable was a major influence on professional wrestling in North America, creating the blueprint for future groups such as the New World Order, The Triple Threat, Evolution, The Four Horsewomen, The Pinnacle, The Extreme Horsemen and Fortune.

[14][15][16][17] Rocky was contacted by Ivan Koloff who told him he had been training a guy named Pat Connors, who both looked and wrestled like an Anderson.

[14][15][16][17] Shortly afterwards Pat met Christopher Wright at a show he was working at for Carolina Championship Wrestling Alliance (CCWA).