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Despite originating the hugely popular Yes! Movement, Daniel Bryan’s mastery on the microphone is a shadow of his in-ring excellenceConsidering wrestlers like Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, The Rock and The Undertaker, all of whom bristled with a certain auric “X-factor” and had the audience eagerly clinging on to each aspect of their performance, the WWE has also presented its equal share of charisma vacuums, if you will, who were just unable to inspire the same degree of gravitation in fans. Now, that is not to contend by any stretch of an imagination that these Superstars were not successful; far from it actually, as a dearth of glitz and showboating was often replaced by a greater impetus placed on in-ring competence and technicality.Through the evolution of the pro-wrestling industry, there have been many Superstars that have had their names inscribed in WWE lore but the varying means that they employed to cement their legacies are often anything but formulaic.While certain Superstars relied heavily on their gift of gab to get “over” with the audience, others who were lacking quite the same conviction or edge in speech made amends by displaying greater ingenuity between the ropes.On that vein, this slideshow runs through a list of 5 such Superstars that were quite clueless when it came to marketing themselves outside of the ring, but were nothing short of wizards inside of it.
#1 Bob Backlund
Holding the record for having the second longest WWE Championship reign after the great Bruno Sammartino, one would expect Bob Backlund to be mentioned more frequently in WWE programming for his achievements or perhaps even in an off-hand manner by one of the commentators, given their penchant for making historical references all too lightly.
However, Bob Backlund, or Mr.Backlund as he was referred to in his second stint in the WWE, was quite an oddity who only thrived thanks to his sound technical skills in the ring and that too primarily during Vince McMahon Senior’s era.
His rigid ways and convictions in reality often clashed with the pliability and showmanship aspects that became interwoven with kayfabe by the time of his second coming, leaving Bob Backlund to be perceived by most as an out-of-touch and a rather erratic character.
Without a proper handle on how to market himself with the changing landscape of the WWE, Backlund’s refusal to turn heel and drop the title to Hulk Hogan in 1983 led to the advent of the first transitional champion and his eventual release from a company whose motives and ethos had inexorably passed him by.
#2 Bret Hart
Despite a tinge of surprise that may tug at you in seeing Bret Hart’s name on this list, the Hitman provides one of the greatest examples of a Superstar whose popularity was largely due to opportune timing and exceptional circumstances.
Although Bret Hart was an in-ring technician par excellence, even his most ardent fans would not vouch for his rather unremarkable promo-cutting skills or his understated demeanour.
Had the WWE not felt the necessity to shelf the juiced up Greek God-like specimens from too much exposure following the steroid scandal, Bret Hart might never have received an opportunity to be promoted as the top guy of the company.
Even one of the most notorious feuds in WWE history, that between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart, was constructed off the innate polar aversion that developed between a brash showman with boatloads of charisma and a technically sound workhorse who let his ring work do his talking.
Although Bret Hart’s name will always be associated with one of pro-wrestling’s most dramatic incidents that was the Montreal Screwjob, it is certainly worth noting that the unfolding of the explosive events that led to his departure from the company hardly mirrored the nature of his contribution to it.
#3 Dean Malenko
The Iceman as he was known, and certainly not for his ability to tell a story by sifting through an incredible collection of facial expressions, Dean Malenko’s run in ECW, WCW and of course, the WWE was limited to the mid card only due to his size and the lack of charisma.
Only ever realistically capable of one expression – the icy cold stare, Malenko’s monotonous demeanour hampered his push towards the upper echelons of the WWE despite him being one of the slickest and most savvy in-ring workers of all time.
Unlike other wrestlers of his ilk in Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero, the Man of a Thousand Holds as he was also referred to thanks to his endless repertoire of in-ring offence was mostly confined to the Cruiserweight Division in the WWE and saw fit to call time on a career that had reached its final legs by the early 2000s.
Although known as a charismatic person blessed with a sense of humour backstage, Dean Malenko’s career in the WWE would always be blighted by his inability to put those facets of his character together in front of the camera despite being one of the greatest technical wrestlers to ever grace the company.
#4 Chris Benoit
They usually say that the first impression makes the best impression, but in Chris Benoit’s case, it was his final impressionable act before passing that has left a lasting impact on his legacy.
Now reduced to little more than a taboo subject whose name shall be interlaced with notoriety until the WWE decides otherwise, it is nonetheless glaringly obvious to those that watched him wrestle that such labelling hardly does justice to his in-ring dexterity and skill.
Part of the Radicalz stable when he jumped ship to the company from the WCW, along with other masterful technicians such as Dean Malenko and Eddie Gurrero, Chris Benoit’s eventual success in the WWE was built off his solid in-ring work ethic and ability to tell a story through his actions.
Unfortunately for Benoit, neither his promo-cutting skills nor his out-of-ring persona could hold a candle to his in-ring exploits and as we now acknowledge with no small measure of bitterness, the only story that finally ended up mattering to the company for whom he put his body on the line was the one that was told far from the confines of the squared circle and within the abyss of his mind.
#5 Daniel Bryan
Before die hard fans of the Yes! Movement raise outcry at Daniel Bryan’s inclusion in this list, it may be prudent to note that Daniel Bryan would likely have been another great technician who would have been wasted away by accepting his middling ‘B+ player’ label had the WWE not been so resistant to pushing him in the first place.
Much like Bret Hart, whose success was as much a product as skill as it was timing, Daniel Bryan may never have reached the stratospheric levels of success that he ended up achieveing had he been competing during, say, the Attitude era.
In an age where fans are privy to the WWE’s machinations to a far greater extent than the company is perhaps comfortable with, and owing to the fact that they were equally disenchanted with having Super Cena shoved down their throats every week, it is certainly debatable that Daniel Bryan’s rise to the top in the WWE has been aided as much by his competence in the ring as it has by the audience jumping on the first real opportunity to strong-arm the company into tailoring the product to their liking.
