Shhhhh don't tell anyone. Jessie Belle Smothers isn't really the daughter of Tracy Smothers. She isn't even a Smothers at all. None of that really matters though.
Jessie Belle started wrestling in 2010, but she morphed into Jessie Belle Smothers in 2012. The connection to ring veteran Tracy actually helped both of their careers. Jessie got the "rub" from her famous "dad," while Tracy was introduced to a new audience of wrestling fans. It didn't hurt that he was now associated with a beautiful young wrestler.
I had the pleasure of watching Jessie wrestle a few times at Resistance Pro. She always was solid in the ring and very nice when mingling with the fans and wrestling crew.
Wrestling has a long history of non-related "relatives" and ring names. Arn Anderson's name isn;t really Arn Anderson and he isn't really related to Gene, Ole or any other Anderson. It worked for storyline purposes though.
Sometimes the fictionalized relations don't work though. Such was the case with Lance Von Erich, a supposed cousin. Lance never really got over with the fans and when he left the area, Von Erich patriarch Fritz announced that he was never actually a Von Erich. I remember being shocked at that announcement, not the fact, just that it wa actually acknowledged.
Who knows how long the Jessie Belle-Tracy pairing will last or how it will end. For now, it is working for both and that is all that matters. Wrestling is ever-changing and fans are taught to have short memories.
Jessie Belle and me in Chicago, IL-July 2012.
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