7 of the most underrated Legends in Pro Wrestling

What does it mean to be a legend of professional wrestling?

The dictionary defines a legend as follows:

an extremely famous or notorious person, especially in a particular field.

"the man was a living legend"

synonyms: celebrity, star, superstar, icon, famous person, great, genius, phenomenon, luminary, giant, big name

So, if we apply this definition to pro wrestlers, being a legend means being famous or notorious. That is the only qualification, meaning that wrestling ability or even charisma is secondary to how much fame the wrestler has garnered.

This leads to many fans decrying the legacies of legendary wrestlers. They claim that certain iconic superstars don't deserve their status because they 'couldn't wrestle' or had a 'limited move set.'

Unfortunately for these critics, pro wrestling isn't just about how many different variations of an arm lock you know. It's about performance and getting the crowd emotionally invested in the story being told in the ring. Period. Technical wrestling can be a delight, but it is by no means essential to be a great pro wrestler.

Here are seven wrestling legends who are underrated by critics and fans.

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#1 The Ultimate Warrior

Jim "Warrior" Hellwig, AKA the Ultimate Warrior

We begin our list with one of the most maligned legends of wrestling, the Ultimate Warrior.

Jim Hellwig made his debut alongside fellow face painted warrior Steve "Sting" Borden as part of the short-lived Blade Runners. After Hellwig went to WWE and Sting went to the NWA, he burst out as a major star in a short period of time.

It's hard to appreciate just how popular the Ultimate Warrior was during his heyday. Fans would paint their faces and wear streamers to be just like him. His greatest accolade was when he captured the WWE Championship while also retaining the Intercontinental championship, making him the first double champion in WWE history.

But many fans, especially those who were born after his rise to fame, put down the Warrior for a perceived lack of wrestling ability. It's true that in terms of technical wrestling ability, Ultimate Warrior wasn't in the top ten of his era. Probably not even the top one hundred.

However, he was able to capture the hearts and minds of an entire generation of wrestling fans. The crowd was red hot for his Wrestlemania 6 bout against Hulk Hogan, and he always enjoyed a great reaction any time his music hit.

Maybe he was never as accomplished a grappler as Austin Aries, but Warrior was a hundred times more legendary, and fans shouldn't underrate him so much.

#2 Haystacks Calhoun

Haystacks was an immense man and a major talent in his era.

From the windy plains of Texas came Haystacks Calhoun. When he was still a teenager, Calhoun weighed in at a jaw-dropping six hundred pounds. His immense size and strength led to him performing the work of a half dozen men on his family's farm.

He was scouted by a local promoter and soon became a pro wrestler. He would go on to be one of the most popular stars of the 1950s and 1960s. Calhoun initially called himself 'Country Boy' Calhoun, until an appearance on a talk show. During the show Calhoun tossed hay bales into a stack, earning him the nickname 'Haystacks.'

Many modern wrestling fans send a lot of hate toward Haystacks because he wasn't the most technically sound wrestler of his era. However, he had the crowd in the palm of his hand and proved to be a major draw. It's another case of a wrestler's charisma and ability to perform more than compensating for any perceived lack of athletic ability.

#3 Mick Foley

Mick Foley with the WWE 24/7 championship.

"Mick Foley will always be remembered as nothing more than a glorified stunt man."

Those words were spoken by the Nature Boy Ric Flair in reference to Mick Foley, one of the most celebrated superstars to ever get in a wrestling ring.

Ric Flair is not alone in his criticism of Mick Foley. The man of many faces has been routinely lambasted by fans and critics because of his lack of athletic ability and limited move set. However, despite the fact that he was never the most gifted natural athlete, Mick Foley managed to reach the top of the industry when he wore the WWE World Championship.

Mick Foley's charisma and ability to cut a promo is at the top or near the top of the list of the all-time greats. Whether bantering with longtime ally The Rock or delivering a chilling and unsettling interview as Cactus Jack or Mankind, Foley is an excellent entertainer.

Not to mention he literally sacrificed body parts for the wrestling business, including his ear which was ripped off during a bout against Vader in Japan.

4 John "Bradshaw" Layfield

John Bradshaw Layfield as WWE Champion.

John Bradshaw Layfield cut his teeth in the NWA territories, where he held both the North American title and the tag team championship with Bobby Duncam Jr.

When he joined WWE, JBL went through a plethora of different gimmicks. First, he was one half of the New Blackjacks along with Barry Windham. When that didn't pan out, he was bundled with Farooq as the Acolytes, enforcers for the Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness stable.

When the Ministry folded in on itself, Farooq and Bradshaw dropped their cult member gimmick and instead became the APA, a pair of mercenaries who liked beating people up almost as much as drinking beer and gambling.

Then he transitioned to the JBL character, a sort of JR Ewing homage, and fans started to hate on him. JBL was elevated to the main event and proved to be a capable heel champion, feuding with Eddie Guerrero and John Cena.

The critics who lambaste JBL do so because of his perceived lack of wrestling ability. But JBL was an underrated in-ring performer. As a big man, he had to hold back to avoid hurting his opponents for real. And his Clothesline from Hell is still one of the stiffest shots in all of wrestling.

#5 Lex Luger

Lex Luger

Lex Luger transitioned from a football career to pro wrestling. Upon his debut, he quickly joined the villainous Four Horsemen stable and was considered a blue-chip talent from the get-go.

Luger became an icon of the 1980s and 1990s. Even as he aged into his middle years, Luger had one of the most spectacular builds in all of wrestling. His ability to draw money was never in question, and he headlined the NWA Starrcade pay per view against Nature Boy Ric Flair and came within a hair's breadth of winning the title.

The Total Package would eventually claim the WCW World title, becoming one of the few men to cleanly defeat Hollywood Hogan during his NWO run.

Critics who send hate Luger's way claim he wasn't a skilled wrestler, but that simply isn't true. Luger had consistent, clean performances every time he stepped in the ring. Given his size, he wasn't about to perform moonsaults or frankentsteiners off the top rope. Luger deserves more credit for his in-ring abilities than many are willing to give him.

#6 John Cena

John Cena

He's untouchable, but he's forcing you to feel him!

John Cena is a semi-retired sports entertainer these days, splitting his time between the WWE and his burgeoning Hollywood career. But there's no denying that for over a decade he was the face of the largest sports entertainment company in the world.

Cena came up through Ohio Valley Wrestling as the Prototype. Think a wrestler with Arnold Schwartzenegger's "Terminator" added to the mix. When he debuted on the main roster, he was simply called John Cena. However, it wasn't until he started making offensive raps that fans took notice of him--as a hated heel!

Eventually, he transitioned into a babyface wrestler, and that's when the hate started. Many fans hate on John Cena for only using a few moves in the ring to his 'Superman' booking. However, John Cena has slowly upped his game over the years and has proven he can work well with any other style of a wrestler, from cruiserweight to super heavyweight.

Cena made the most of his immense strength and charisma, allowing him to become a celebrated sports entertainer in spite of all the hate. The critics should really cut him some slack.

#7 Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan at the height of Hulkamania

"My ninety-year-old grandmother could do a better leg drop than Hulk Hogan." -- Lou Thesz.

It seems that fans and critics aren't the only ones who want to hate on the Hulkster. Even his fellow wrestling legends have bad things to say about him.

However, with all respect to Mr Thesz, who is a celebrated legend himself, it doesn't matter if Hogan's leg drop wasn't perfectly executed. That's because the entire arena from pillar to post was rock solid on the side of the Hulkster.

In terms of technical wrestling ability, Hogan may not have been the man of a thousand holds. However, in terms of being a great performer who could tell a story in the ring, he was one of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots.

Hogan is synonymous with wrestling for a good reason. In fact, there's a good chance that you're reading this article now, and are a wrestling fan, because of Hulk Hogan. His popularity helped bring pro wrestling and WWE out of the darkly lit bingo halls and into the mainstream, a feat that should never be discounted.

There you have it: Seven underrated wrestling legends. What are your thoughts on these legends of the squared circle? Please comment and let us know and as always thanks for reading!