Welcome back!
Today i’d like to share with you some of the most underrated wrestlers to grace a WWE ring. There are many wrestlers in general who do not get the credit they deserve, and as a result this makes them underrated.WWE has made a bad habit out of pushing aside some very talented superstars,even taking guys who should be getting elevated and turning them into jobbers, they are wasted talent that are overlooked and under-appreciated. Some guys are in their right spots on the card, and some get pushed higher than their talent level indicates they should. But perhaps most often, some very skilled superstars find themselves fighting just to get a spot on the card.Timing and politics can play a big role in keeping a wrestler out of the main event.
And remember! Some of these Superstars may of had very successful careers in other promotions. This list is purely their stints in WWE only!
Ravishing Rick Rude
When you think of great talkers, you instantly think Rock Dusty Austin ect, Add Rick Rude to that list. My opinion! He was better than everybody else, and there was nothing more that he loved to do than shove that fact right down their throats. Highly entertaining guy as face or heel, serious or funny, Rick worked better as a heel, was born to play the part, hitting on the ladies in the house. Still, he is not remembered for being as great as he was, and now that Macho Man is in, Rick Rude should also be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Cesaro
More ‘underused’ than ‘underrated’ but he makes the list regardless. Cesaro could be a huge star in the WWE if only they gave him the chance.There cannot be anyone accusing this man of laziness or a lack of drive, a total workhorse. Not every superstar can make such a claim, especially when they’ve been asked to lose week in and week out. I certainly wouldn’t be putting in the kind of effort Cesaro does if i was asked to job to jobbers on a consistent basis. The guy is pedigree and has all the right tools.
Lance Storm
In terms of great Canadian wrestlers, Lance Storm is right up there. He never got the recognition he deserved. Storm always gets mentioned as “a great trainer”, not the guy who with zero charisma made it to WWE and WCW winning loads of titles.
Steve Blackman
The lethal weapon Steve Blackman. I loved this dude. Dont care that he had no mic skills but he couldve excelled as the silent killer which fit his moniker. The highest he ever got was a hardcore title run in 2000 and it was awesome. (who can forget the ugly sticks) If he came along in the Ruthless Agression era, he couldve gotten a main event push me thinks. But aside from being involved in awesome feud that saw Shane McMahon take a dive off the SummerSlam scaffolding, Blackman was reduced to comedic role alongside Al Snow.
Booker T
Vince missed the boat here as usual, he squandered a big opportunity when Booker first came to the company. He was red hot with the fans, and everyone was clamoring for him to face off against The Rock and Steve Austin. The WWF had everything to gain by putting Booker over a couple of their top stars to create another one but they cut his legs from under him. By the time his push came, a lot of the momentum was gone. His WCW run was incredible becoming the FIVE time, yeah, FIVE time WCW World Champion.
William Regal
Regal had thetechnical ability and charisma to become one of the all time great heel World Champions, but WWE never saw that in him. There loss IMO. He was always great to watch in his roles as Commissioner, IC Champ, and later on, as mentor to the young roster. His ring style wasn’t really what you would call ‘athletic’ but he added legitimacy to wrestling. I think he could have done great things as the top guy, but for some reason it was never meant to be.
Curt Hennig ‘Mr Perfect’
Mr Perfect was World Champion in the AWA before he came to the WWF in the late 80s and I know he’s revered for his overall ability, but the AWA was already starting to circle the drain due to Vern Gagne’s outdated point of view & booking strategies and Hennig never rose above being a strong mid-card champion for the rest of his career. During the early 90s, I genuinely believe that Hennig should have had an opportunity at being WWF Champion.
Ken Shamrock
I don’t want to say Shamrock was badly underrated but yeah, I think he is a little bit forgotten. Ken never won the big one in WWE but it wasn’t hard to picture him as WWE Champion. He could have easily fit into the main event picture at any given time as he was a believable threat to anyone’s championship reign. Shamrock suffered quite a few injuries during his time as a wrestler which caused him to quietly walk away. I remember absolutely loving his ankle lock and his in ring work was top notch.. His talking was getting better as time went on. I guess now, we’ll never know if he would have gone to the next level or not.
Brian Pillman
By the time Pillman got to the WWE, substance abuse, a horrible ankle injury and a heart condition had caught up to him. He lasted only one year, but his light burned incredibly bright. In what i considered one of the Attitude Era’s best moments, when he took part in an angle in which he aimed a gun at Austin.
Raven
Raven had a steller and controversial career in ECW. He was great on the mic; cutting amazing promos and had many great matches throughout his career. For some reason WWE did not see how effective The Raven effect truly was, again, their loss not his.
Bobby Lashley (WWE run)
Lashley was on course to become an absolute beast of a legend in WWE. Vince stuck a big rocket up the guy’s ass and tried to turn him into a Goldberg/Brock Lesnar hybrid. He became ECW champion and faced Umaga at Wrestlemania 23. For some unknown reason, his push was halted and he was released by the WWE.
Shane McMahon
Shane Mcmahon was full of energetic excitement. He made up for his lack of wrestling training with a willingness to sacrifice his body for death-defying stunts. I really miss seeing Shane O Mac on TV, hopefully one day he makes his long awaited return and comes back home to the WWE, lord knows we need him.
Goldust
Goldust. Still remarkably competing today, Rhodes has quietly become one of the longest tenured active wrestlers in the WWE, while maintaining remarkably consistent in-ring work. Very underrated back in the mid to late 90’s when i believe he should have progressed past Intercontinental status and maybe had a world title run or major fued but as of 2011 he is nothing more than a nostalgia act.
Jake Roberts
Jake became one of the WWE’s first tweener characters. He absolutely oozed a sinister evil but his unique charisma was so powerful the fans couldn’t help but cheer. Not just gimmick and charisma, Roberts was an incredible worker in the ring. His psychology and brute force mixed seamlessly with top-notch mat skills.
Arn Anderson
Arn should have been moved higher up the card that he ultimately reached. He could have easily brawled his way through matches but he could wrestle technically with the best of them. Anderson was great to watch in the ring and he had the gift of gab, he did some of the best and less repetitive mic work of the Horsemen and he could talk while he thought. I can’t guarantee that he’d have been a strong main eventer, but I do believe that he should have been given the opportunity.
Bam Bam Bigelow
Bam Bam only really flourished in ECW. Had amazing agility for his size terrribly under utilized in WWE. Bigelow used his brain and left the WWE before the Clique could bring him down. He left as quick as he could.
Tajiri
During his stint Vince gave him the stereotyped Asian gimmick, like he usually does with foreign imports. Tajiri was better than that. He played a great heel with his brutal looking moves, expressive face and little touches like slithering around the ring. His comedic moments with William Regal (GM) was the stuff of legends. Very entertaining. The relentless attacking that enforced with an incredible variety of unorthodox and acrobatic maneuvers made him stand out from the rest.
Paul Orndorff
Mr. Wonderful. The name says it all, no IC strap, no tag title run yet he was solid in the ring, on the mike, good as a heel or a face. He really deserved better. It’s a shame that he got hurt because he and Hogan had amazing chemistry and brought out the best in one another. Orndorff was a guy who the audience legitimately feared was going to kick Hogan’s ass.
Vader
Never got the push he deserved in WWE due to Shawn Michaels bitchiness. Probably should of stayed in WCW and never made the switch.
Dynamite Kid
Dynamite moveset was brutally realistic. Very inspiring too many other wrestlers too. Before a freak injury and drug misuse caught up with him, Kid’s poor attitude and choices halted what could have been an absolute starring career. Bret himself has said Dynamite was perhaps the best wrestler he ever saw, and i’d agree, the best pure wrestler to come out of Stu Hart’s Dungeon. Vince McMahon knew he had a star, if he could have remained healthy only for his careers sake.
