5 Unsung WWE Talents Who Need More Love

The words ‘underrated’ and ‘overrated’ are thrown around so easily by Wrestling fans. You can take any of the posts made by current superstars on social media and find various statements about how “X should be pushed” or “isn’t X a total wank pheasant”. As obnoxious as some opinions may be, mine included, you have to hand it to WWE for actually taking the initiative to listen to some of them. Zack Ryder and Heath Slater, being the prime examples of superstars who have found success in the past year, after over half a decade of being ‘underrated’ and held back by the confines of squash matches.

Now of course, the following is all based off my own opinion. So please do hold back your pre-reddit-approved comments about how I’m the worst human being in the world for suggesting such rubbish. But here are five names (because three ain’t enough) who I believe should be given similar treatment as Slater and Ryder. Perhaps it’s time for some fresh faces to take over the divisions.

 

1. The Ascension

Anyone who knows me personally would have seen this one coming prior to even reading the first sentence. It’s no secret that their debut on the main roster fell flat on its face. The monotonous booking over ‘local talent’ and directionless throwback gimmick halted any momentum they had, coming off of a record-setting NXT Tag Title run, which continues to be the only good thing mentioned about them on commentary to this day.

It’s a shame, both Konnor and Viktor are solid workers, and have the makings of being a cornerstone of any tag division. From the offset, many fans assumed that they were both sluggish and basic in the ring, going through the motions of a typical roughneck heel persona, eventually falling to a babyface comeback sequence. However, what has kept me intrigued in their work is that they seem to capture something which many younger superstars fail to grasp, in-ring psychology. Telling a story within a match is just as important as the big-pop spots, and The Ascension manage to structure a match perfectly as bullying heel characters.

Their wrestling ability isn’t anything to turn your nose to either, Viktor in particular has an incredible ground game, mixing impressive grappling with a legit tough-guy presence (Unless JBL is commentating). Konnor may not be as well-versed in technical wrestling, but for a guy of his size, he can make any move seem impactful. Their diversity of style keeps their act fresh, and have had some decent matches on episodes of Main Event and Superstars.

Granted that they’ve recently been given a bit of a love in the form of ALMOST winning the Smackdown Tag Titles back at Elimination Chamber, but they seem to have sunk back into obscurity since. For a moment, I thought we may have been witnessing a rebrand of their gimmick, drifting away from the Legion of Doom/Demolition and bringing a unique style to their in-ring aesthetic.

Whether you’re sold on their role as enhancement talent, think there are better tag teams waiting to replace them on the blue brand or just enjoy getting pumped over the intensity of their entrance, you have to give it to The Ascension for bringing something to the tag division that stands apart from the typical. They may never be able to shake off the awful start to their main-roster careers, but there’s still plenty of time left for the guy who used to be a rat and a demonic student of the Hart Dungeon.

 

2. The Vaudevillains

From one former NXT tag alumnus to another, The Vaudevillains have done a great job at pissing off the wrong people. Somehow, the gimmick just hasn’t translated that well onto the main roster. Some may argue that a vaudeville strongman team just wouldn’t cut it in today’s era, but you can’t deny that people ate that up when they were given a chance. The former NXT Tag Champions were one of the most over acts on the card for many live events, peaking in popularity at TakeOver: Brooklyn I, defeating Blake and Murphy with the help of everyone’s favourite nobody – Blue Pants.

Various testimonies have pointed out that Simon Gotch isn’t the most popular person backstage, being put in his place by Sin Cara on the eve of the Draft. Perhaps this is the reason they have secured the position of ‘first to be eliminated in any battle royal’. Others have suggested that Vince just didn’t get them, assuming the worst for their careers and immediately reducing them to the role of enhancement workers. Even though it’s rare to see them achieve any offense against their opponents, you can’t take away from their genuine ability to make even a drop toe hold look fancy.

Prior to the rise of American Alpha, Gotch and English were the masters of catch as catch can wrestling, making audiences go nuts for the complicated holds and technical mastery. The two have an undying chemistry with one another, and hopefully the reputation that Gotch attracted backstage won’t hold them back forever.

 

3. Elias Samson

I promised myself that this wasn’t going to turn into an appraisal of all under-appreciated tag teams, so here’s some love for the champion of attaining nuclear heat wherever he goes, The Drifter! Call me ignorant, but I still don’t understand just how he managed to become so hated. Usually a superstar has to be a pretty magnificent case to be booed out of an arena as soon as he appears on stage. It’s not like he’s unable to execute a single wrestling manoeuvre like Eva Marie, nor is he a big enough dog to be so strongly booked against the fan’s will. So what is it?

The gimmick is so basic, yet so effective. Working on the basis that contemporary society hates on anything that is considered hipster, Elias Samson has come to personify the worst kind of human being – someone who plays acoustic guitar (not badly, but ironically I guess?) and doesn’t have any friends. Using this, he’s really come into himself as a heel character. I remember first seeing him debut at TakeOver: London and wasn’t really impressed by much other than his decent looking elbow drop off the top. Yet today, he’s able to pick apart the fans and play on their desire to hate him.

Apologies if this is a spoiler for any of you readers, but he’s recently been involved in a short programme with the returning Kassius Ohno, resulting in a Loser Leaves NXT match which I think is to be broadcast on the week of me writing this. A fairly predictable result, which can hopefully mean big things for the Drifter. Potentially a run on the main roster? I can’t imagine he would take off any more than the two aforementioned entries, but his natural charisma may be able to carry him through to success as a traditional heel character. Maybe even a potential winner for the Andre Battle Royal at Wrestlemania this year? Perhaps that’s wishful thinking. But he’s an incredible talent who shouldn’t be ignored.

 

4. Jack Gallagher

The Extraordinary Gentlemen was probably the hottest product coming out of the Cruiserweight Classic last summer. Despite not making it past the quarter-finals, Gallagher was one of the most talked about entrants in the entire thing, with a unique blend of grappling and submission art, and an outlandish form of character and charisma to his name. Since debuting on the main roster, he’s received a very different treatment to many of the other Cruiserweights; his feud with Ariya Davari was given a lot of time on both Raw and 205 Live episodes and was the only member of the Cruiserweight roster to make an appearance in the Royal Rumble match, providing one of the more memorable moments with the help of his sidekick umbrella.

It was only a matter of time before he was thrust into the Cruiserweight title picture. In a losing effort against Neville at FastLane, he remains a hot product amongst an ailing 205 Live roster. My worry is that since the end of his short-lived feud with Neville, and the title picture is moving on to the Wrestlemania-worthy programme with Austin Aries, Gallagher is going to be left behind and struggle to find a place amongst the roster. His act is one of the few that could transcend the Cruiserweight Division and work in amongst the expanded Raw roster, he’s proven that he can wrestle amongst the bigger names in the few minutes he managed to survive in the Rumble, so why not let him?

His gimmick is working! His in-ring efforts are fun to watch, albeit a little routined, so why shouldn’t he be rated among the best?

 

5. Kane

How far the mighty fall. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of Kane, but the difference a year can make to a superstar’s work is astounding. Prior to his return as ‘The Demon’ Kane during his feud with Seth Rollins last year, Kane’s workload decreased under the guise of his Director of Operations gimmick. Aside from the occasional match and live event appearance, it seemed as if they were winding down on his career as an active performer. Then suddenly, he was back to appearing regularly and being placed into the title picture to work with younger talent.

Not that I was complaining about this of course, but I’ll be the first to admit that his in-ring ability has slowly deteriorated over-time. His matches with the likes of Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Baron Corbin haven’t exactly been mat classics, his routine has slacked and he has looked better in terms of his appearance. Not that anyone can blame him for succumbing to a combination of physical capabilities and the results of spending well over two decades competing in the ring and never suffering from a major injury.

Despite seeing better days, Kane has always been heralded as one of the safest people to work with in the ring. His in-ring style is basic, true and tested, suiting the role of his character perfectly, whether he competes as a babyface or as a monster heel. Not everyone is able to take The Big Red Machine quite as seriously as they used to during his prime, but I’d argue that he is still one of the most solid wrestlers in the WWE. It’s a shame that so many fans seem to be turning against the likes of Kane and The Big Show, slating their work and suggesting that they definitely need to retire as soon as possible. Kane can operate as a credible enhancement worker, a suitable tag partner for almost anyone as well as a draw for fans looking for some cheap nostalgia. Even though his matches have historically been met with poor ratings and certain groans, it’d be hard to say that people aren’t entertained, he understands the craft of storytelling and isn’t afraid to take a few risks to make a memorable match.

Thinking back on my time as a wrestling fan, most of my fondest memories involve Kane. Whether it be from my favourite Wrestlemania match vs The Undertaker at ‘Mania 14, my undying support for the odd-couple tag team of Kane and Rob Van Dam, or him managing to steal the show at Backlash this year against Bray Wyatt. Perhaps I’m just marking too hard, but in my humble opinion, Kane remains one of the most underrated talent to this day.

Honourable Mentions
– Rusev
– Tom Phillips
– Goldust
– Erick Rowan
– Drew Gulak