There are always a few wrestlers that come to mind when a fan hears the term “Underrated”. Usually, the athletes and entertainers have their fans, but don’t get brought up nearly as often as the likes of Steve Austin or The Rock.
So here’s a list, in no particular order of *IN MY OPINION*, Wrestling’s most Underrated.
1. Steve Corino
Steve Corino was in his prime during the 2000’s, being one of the final ECW champions….which leaves me scratching my head at how the hell WWE never hired him? He did sign with WCW….only for that company to go under almost immediately. He was an amazing in-ring worker and could play a good heel or babyface. I could easily see him being a Heel US or IC Champion during the Ruthless Aggression era.
It’s highly believed that the main reason WWE never hired him was because of Paul Heyman, whom like many ECW stars, Corino had money issues with. Unlike guys like Tommy Dreamer, RVD, Raven, Tazz, etc. things between Corino and Heyman weren’t exactly forgive/forget. The most he’d ever do for the company as a wrestler were a handful of dark matches, one of which being the main roster debut of Kofi Kingston.
Steve would do some good work with Ring of Honor both in the ring and backstage, and had a solid run in Japan, and since 2016 he’s been a trainer and road agent for NXT and the performance center, but you can’t help but wonder about the run he could’ve had if it weren’t for the bad blood with Heyman.
2. Arik Cannon
Think back to literally ANY indie fed throughout the 2000’s and 2010’s, and there’s a good chance this guy popped up at least once.
Cannon is a textbook example of a workhorse, capable of putting on a good match with just about anybody. I see him in a similar vein to Kevin Owens, being incredibly agile despite his average build, and executed every move flawlessly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bad match involving the anarchist.
I highly recommend seeking out his work in PWG, Chikara, IWA-Midsouth or even Wrestling Society X, The only “major” promotion (and I use that term loosely) to feature him prominently aside from a few AEW Dark appearances. One gem in particular would be his bout with Bryan Danielson in 2005.
3. Xavier Woods
The only member of the New Day not to get a singles push, which is surprising because not only is he a fantastic technical/flyer, but he’s also been the mouthpiece of the group for years, and considering this is WWE we’re talking about, you’d think he’d be seen as more than a Tag Team guy.
But even then, he’ll definitely be going down as one of the greatest tag team wrestlers of all time, with one of his many reigns with Kofi Kingston breaking the record for longest-reigning tag champs.
Obviously, Big E deserved it arguably just as much, and it’s sad that his career was cut short so abruptly, and Kofi is…well Kofi, but the fact that Xavier Woods has been with the company this long, and hasn’t held even ONE singles title is ridiculous.
4. Bryan Clark
A prime example of a guy with a great look, Solid Athleticism, and could hold his own in the ring, but was a CONSTANT victim of bad booking, Crappy gimmicks and Nonsensical Storylines. 100% Wasted Potential.
Clark was another incredibly agile big man who wrestled with a perfect blend of strength and speed not unlike that of Mike Awesome or Bam Bam Bigelow. His early 90’s WWF gimmick, Adam Bomb could’ve worked…if they didn’t take the piss out of him by having him lose pretty much every match that wasn’t against a local Jobber.
He faired a bit better in WCW as Wrath… it’s just too bad he debuted to feud with Glacier in the Bizarre Mortal Kombat ripoff angle. After that he was actually picking up steam, racking up a solid winning streak, and there were even plans to have him build up an undefeated streak that rivaled Bill Goldberg, blowing off in a Streak vs Streak match…but instead they made him a victim of the streak on free television.
He finally seemed to get a solid push as one half of the tag team, Kronik with Brian Adams, having two short reigns with the WCW tag team championships, but this was during the dumpster fire that was WCW in the year 2000. They showed up during the tail end of the Invasion storyline in the WWF and had an abysmally bad match with Kane and The Undertaker, and they would both retire in 2003 due to a myriad of injuries.
So yeah, Bryan Clark is a perfect example of having amazing potential, but awful luck.
5. Stevie Richards
Richards is the biggest example of doing the most with what little he was given. Always a solid worker in his own right, but his character work is what makes him underrated.
Whether he was Raven’s sidekick, leader of the BWO, a simp for Victoria, Abyss’ psychotic therapist, or even just a guy who liked to dress up in funny costumes, he took any gimmick or storyline he got and ran with it. Hell, he managed to make Sunday Night Heat entertaining as the fake General Manager.
But the period where Stevie Truly shines was his run as leader of the Right to Censor. A group of suit and tie wearing puritans trying to shove self-righteous morality down the audience’s throats made them the perfect heels for the attitude era. It’s here where Stevie was his most unrecognizable character-wise, and where he cut his best promos getting the loudest boos every night.
He could switch between Comedy and Serious Wrestling with ease, and was capable of working just about any style whether it be Technical or Hardcore Brawling. I’ve seen him perfectly described as a Wrestling Swiss Army knife, anything a company needed, Stevie had it covered.
The only place where Stevie didn’t showcase his range was in WCW, because they did quite literally nothing with him. But regardless, anytime Stevie Richards was on Screen, 9/10 times you would be in for either a fun match or an entertaining angle.
