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Every wrestling fan has their opinion over who 'deserves' to be champion. This is true of all sports. But while football and basketball fans can point to charts, stats, and wins as a form of objective measurement, in pro wrestling the definition is usually quite subjective.
This is because of the entertainment aspect of the Sports Entertainment equation. It's not enough to be able to perform well in the ring, though that is quite important. A wrestler today must be able to speak well to press, fans, and maintain a good profile on social media.
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Sometimes fans and critics scratch their heads when a particular talent isn't pushed in equivalence with their ability. Likewise, sometimes a wrestler will spend years at the top of the card without really being all that interesting.
Here is an entirely subjective list and my personal opinion of five overrated wrestlers, and five that are underrated:
Overrated: Jeff Jarrett
His father was a successful wrestling promoter, and naturally, this opened a lot of doors for him in the industry. Which is a good thing, because Jeff Jarrett is, at best, an utterly average performer.
His technical ability barely passes muster, his promos are carbon copies of each other, and he often comes across as a cartoon villain reading scripted lines. Despite this, Jarrett has held the IC title multiple times in WWE and even wore the WCW world title around his waist. Most recently, the TNA founder earned Hall of Fame recognition by the WWE.
Jarrett isn't a terrible wrestler, but he's terribly mediocre for all the success he's enjoyed.
Underrated: James Ellsworth
Despite his unconventional appearance, Ellsworth is one of the best talents in the business.
The WWE must have realized their mistake in firing him, because they sought him out for another contract. Ellsworth is every bit as talented in the ring as AJ Styles, and has a lot of fan support for a glorified enhancement worker.
Ellsworth could be so much more than his limited role allows. Given his appearance, he looks small even compared to cruiserweight wrestlers, making him a perfect underdog champion for 205 Live. He has also worked entertaining angles with Braun Strowman among others, meaning he can perform against any size opponent. Ellsworth is internationally recognized talent and the WWE would be smart to utilize him more.
Overrated: Big Daddy
Unless you followed the UK wrestling scene decades ago, you may not have heard of Shirley Crabtree, better known as Big Daddy.
And trust us, you're not missing much.
Big Daddy was in a lot of ways the UK's Hulk Hogan; the perennial babyface who always found a way to win. However, while some may criticize Hogan's workrate between the ropes, the Hulkster looks like Dean Malenko when compared to Big Daddy. Crabtree's main offense was running into his opponents with his belly and hitting them with weak forearm smashes.
Crabtree's success given his lack of athleticism is truly astounding.
Underrated: Roman Reigns
When Ric Flair was once asked why he hadn't performed a five-star match in years, he answered 'Because Ricky Steamboat retired and now I'm working with Hogan.'
A lot of the criticism lodged at Roman Reigns about his lack of wrestling ability is unfair, because many of the men he has faced. Brock Lesnar, for example, is quite protected because of his dual UFC career, and doesn't take as many bumps in the ring. Others, like Braun Strowman, are still relatively green and have yet to achieve nuance in their work.
Roman never injures his opponents for real, has great cardio and is never tired, and can work with any size of athlete from Finn Balor to the aforementioned Strowman. The fans should really cut him a break!
Overrated: Ultimate Warrior
Yes, the Warrior is a dearly departed Legend, Icon, and former WWE World and IC champion and we give credit where it is due.
However, when it came to in-ring ability and dynamic change for his persona, Ultimate Warrior came up short. Though he had the look of a champion, Warrior was always stiff and lacked agility, making his matches botch heavy, brief, and rough looking. Too, he was always a more compelling character chasing a title rather than actually owning one.
Warrior's legend will live forever, but there were and have been much more worthy men to hold the world title.
Underrated: Ceasaro
The Swiss Superman is one of the most gifted athletes in professional wrestling today. His strength has been compared to Bruiser Brody and Dino Bravo, two of the strongest to ever lace up a pair of boots, and he has plenty of agility and technical ability.
Ceasaro is a former singles world champion in every promotion he has worked in save WWE. Management believes that Ceasaro does not resonate with the fans, but they should check out his social media accounts, which are stacked with female admirers and male fans.
This man could be a major player in WWE and make them lots of money...if only given the chance.
Overrated: Mick Foley
Mick Foley is a beloved hardcore wrestling icon and a genuinely nice person. But, unfortunately, he's also one of the most overrated performers of all time.
It's understandable that Foley's ring performances suffered because of brutal deathmatches in Japan, and that by the time he reached WWE he had what doctors called the body of a sixty-five-year-old man. However, it doesn't change the fact that Foley's wrestling ability was barely adequate beyond taking brutal bumps.
Ric Flair once called Foley a glorified stuntman; Sadly, in the later years of his career, that's exactly what he became.
Underrated: Buddy Murhpy
Murphy is an astoundingly talented athlete who can smoothly transition from wrestling cruiserweights to taking on heavyweights and make it all look credible.
His forays onto 205 Live have led to many match of the night performances, and his five-star bout with Cedric Alexander is still being spoken of. Murphy could be a solid Intercontinental champion as is, and may even be able to break into the main event one day if given the chance.
Overrated: John Cena
He might be Big Match John, but he's also one of the most overrated performers of all time.
John Cena himself admits that he only has a limited moveset, joking about using his 'three moves of doom'. Combined that with his squeaky clean, can do no wrong never-give-up persona and John ends up feeling stale after awhile.
Cena was never able to unite the fans in cheering for him like Hulk Hogan or Daniel Bryan, but nonetheless was portrayed as the kiddie superhero for almost his entire run. Though now he is more of a part-timer and reality tv star/movie actor, John still holds a coveted spot on the WWE roster.
Underrated: Dolph Ziggler
It feels strange to name a former WWE world champion as underrated, but if the shoe fits, wear it.
Ziggler is like a combination of Mr. Perfect, Shawn Michaels, and Rob Van Dam. He treats every match as if it were the main event of Wrestlemania, and is one of the most consistently entertaining performers on the WWE roster.
In the ring, Ziggler simply has no flaw. If given the opportunity he could be every bit the icon Shawn Michaels has become.
There you have it; Five of the most overrated wrestlers, and five of the most underrated. If you have comments, please leave them below and thanks for reading!
