10 Most Underrated Wrestlers In WWE Today
Superstars-in-waiting, long-time overlooked sensations and every underrated WWE wrestler in-between.
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00:00 This being the same company that champions performers who converse with demented dolls,
00:04 and takes pride in having tribal chiefs massacre the entire field without a credible successor
00:09 in waiting.
00:10 Trying to understand why this bunch of ludicrously talented souls haven't had their unquestionable
00:14 potential tapped into is a rather painful and ultimately futile exercise.
00:18 Yet if I don't salute them, then who will?
00:20 Gareth here from WhatCulture Wrestling and here are the 10 Most Underrated Wrestlers
00:24 in WWE Today.
00:26 10.
00:27 Sarray Combining a bright and unflappable demeanour with a truly devastating in-ring
00:31 arsenal, Sarray and her array of frightening dropkicks looked destined to be an inevitable
00:35 hit with the NXT faithful by the time they were finally permitted to re-enter arenas.
00:39 Yet when that moment did officially come around, the landscape had drastically shifted to the
00:43 point where a star who didn't fall in line with a new brief of physical specimen and/or
00:48 former amateur/pro athlete was always expected to struggle.
00:52 Sure enough, instead of doubling down on her no-nonsense fondness of booting the skulls
00:55 off her opponents, before smiling her way back down the ramp, NXT 2.0 saw Sarray being
01:01 reintroduced as a schoolgirl-like, magic necklace-dependent character.
01:05 The new era of NXT is evidently more focused on getting behind the likes of recent sparring
01:09 partner Tiffany Stratton, and throwing the depressingly undervalued star in there with
01:13 other green up-and-comers like Lash Legend, who's doing the former World Woman Pro Wrestling
01:17 Diana sensation little favours either.
01:20 9.
01:21 Akira Tozawa Make no mistake, Akira Tozawa is a fiercely
01:24 talented in-ring worker on his day, acting as a Dragon Gate legend and well-respected
01:29 technician/kick merchant.
01:31 Yet WWE's odd decision to have him simply play the 24/7 fool in the years since winning
01:35 the Cruiserweight Championship have only served to highlight just how much Vince McMahon and
01:39 co have blatantly overlooked the rest of what he brings to the party.
01:42 Again, it's not as though he's not been given the chance to prove he can seriously
01:45 go in between the ropes whilst under the WWE banner either, putting together notable 205
01:50 offerings alongside the likes of Buddy Murphy and Neville over the years.
01:53 Yet his ability to make chicken salad out of the boss' routinely crap Monday Night
01:57 Raw material have reduced him to nothing more than an unfortunate groom with a penchant
02:01 for roll-ups.
02:02 8.
02:03 MVP Becoming WWE's resident utility player throughout
02:06 much of the creatively stifled Thunderdome era, an MVP only recently reintegrated into
02:11 the WWE way of life, Quietly went about becoming the foundation of some of the most compelling
02:16 parts of a flailing product.
02:18 On top of dipping his toe into the producing waters for a spell, the former United States
02:22 Champion has excelled both as the foil for whatever face needed the rub, and as the finest
02:26 mouthpiece the company has to offer outside of Paul Heyman.
02:29 Again, highlighting just how irreplaceable and valuable he is to the ever-rolling machine,
02:34 the former Hurt Business Manager has now transitioned seamlessly into the role of Omos' much-needed
02:39 cheerleader throughout his ongoing battles with former client Bobby Lashley.
02:42 Yet despite clearly smashing it out of the park in the part of charismatic Kane Branisher,
02:47 a fully-fit MVP still has a boatload of experience and value to offer as a physical performer,
02:52 so here's hoping that once he's fully gotten over those irritating injuries, this commendable
02:56 all-rounder is given the chance to dust off his boots a few more times before calling
03:00 it quits.
03:01 7.
03:02 Fabian Aigner With the cautiously intriguing news of the
03:05 recently rechristened Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser being formally called up to Friday Night
03:09 Smackdown on Fox, came with it the depressing realisation that arguably the most physically
03:14 impressive worker taking up a spot on NXT's roster was being left behind on Tuesday night.
03:19 In Fabian Aigner, did we have a worker who was rivaled only by the likes of Cesaro?
03:23 In terms of pound-for-pound strength and physical impressiveness, as comfortable springing from
03:28 top rope to top rope as he is transitioning a suplex into a powerbomb mid-flight, the
03:33 Italian now-seemingly former Imperium Master is about as complete an in-ring worker as
03:38 you'll find anywhere in the world.
03:40 The only problem?
03:41 Well, he's not over six feet tall and English isn't his native language, which makes him
03:44 automatically an afterthought in the mind of the McMahon upstairs.
03:48 With Aigner currently looking resigned to languishing on an NXT 2.0 product, which isn't
03:52 exactly built to get the best out of super-workers unreliant on garish gimmicks, it remains to
03:57 be seen what the future holds for this carved-up machine of a man.
04:00 But I'm not holding my breath.
04:02 6.
04:03 The Viking Raiders The aforementioned Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser
04:05 will likely be mindful of the way WWE has handled some of the other once-dominant NXT
04:10 duos unleashed onto Raw and SmackDown recently.
04:13 In the Viking Raiders, you have perhaps two of the most disrespected and underutilised
04:17 wrecking balls to have pillaged and raided the wrestling landscape since their joining
04:21 of forces back in 2014.
04:23 Under the moniker of War Machine, Hanson and Rowe completely devastated the Ring of Honor
04:27 and New Japan Pro Wrestling tag divisions with their distinct combination of typically
04:31 powerful big-man offense and unexpectedly athletic alternate tag team weapons.
04:36 Picking up IWGP and Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championships along the way, the eventual
04:40 Erik and Ivar will continue this success as they embarked on an equally enthralling NXT
04:44 run too.
04:45 And then said disrespect and underutilisation happened.
04:48 Seriously, you would be forgiven for thinking that I was talking out of my arse upon witnessing
04:52 how the pair have been routinely undermined and mocked since embarking on their comedy-centric
04:56 main roster portion of their careers.
04:58 Who cares when you look that dapper in a bowling shirt though, right?
05:02 5.
05:03 Drew Gulak
05:04 Is there a more underappreciated player on Vince McMahon's current team of superstars
05:07 than that of Drew Gulak?
05:08 Whether he's providing other talents with the in-ring tools necessary to fully fulfil
05:12 their potential inside of the squared circle, effectively stepping in on 2 on 5 live commentary,
05:17 helping celebrities like Bad Bunny get to grips with the physicality of a wrestling
05:21 match, picking up a microphone and filling in as a backstage personality, putting up
05:24 a main eventers as killing machines in TV segments, or even making recently arriving
05:29 Titans feel that little bit more special, Gulak is the wrestling gift you didn't know
05:33 you needed until it showed up at your deal.
05:35 The fact WWE was so quick to re-sign the former Cruiserweight Champion with a love of all
05:38 things PowerPoint on the back of his deal expiring in May 2020 tells you all you need
05:42 to know about what he brings to the sports entertainment table.
05:45 So fingers crossed he finally gets the long overdue respect, both in front of the camera
05:48 and behind the scenes, and dollar he deserves in the coming years.
05:52 4.
05:53 Asuka
05:54 A big victory for Asuka, not even WWE themselves if her lack of appearances over the last year
05:58 or so are anything to go by.
06:00 Despite looking as though the former NXT, Raw, Smackdown and Tag Team Women's Champion
06:04 had finally gotten over her mid-2021 injury woes at the turn of the year, those higher
06:08 up still didn't feel as though she was ring ready, and rumours of her re-emergence at
06:12 the Royal Rumble were ultimately doused by news of Asuka still being listed as inactive
06:17 as recently as March.
06:19 Taking the crown of undisputed MVP of the crowdless era - yes, even when MVP was around
06:23 - Asuka's routine displays of relentless charm and explosiveness in between the ropes
06:28 led to a much-deserved, though still disappointingly underserved, Raw Women's title run during
06:33 said LED-stuffed period.
06:35 Sure injuries again haven't aided her cause lately, but that still does not excuse the
06:39 complete lack of care sent the always-engaging workers way before her prolonged absence from
06:44 July onwards.
06:45 With that in mind, here's to the Empress of Tomorrow reminding folks at home, and WWE
06:49 themselves, why she still sits head and shoulders above the rest.
06:52 3.
06:53 Naomi
06:54 Though WWE appear to have at least partially recognised what they have on their hands with
06:57 the former Smackdown Women's Champion, to say that the biggest promotion in the game
07:00 have allowed Naomi to bloom into the genuine star many still feel she can be would be a
07:05 blatant exaggeration.
07:06 In fact, before finally giving the one-time Funkadactyl some actual storyline meat to get
07:11 her teeth sunk into in the form of a never-ending feud with Sonya Deville, WWE had done little
07:15 to nothing to capitalise on a swell of legitimate fan support that dated all the way back to
07:20 her crowd-popping arrival in the 2020 Royal Rumble match.
07:23 Again, injuries have at times played a factor in Naomi's stop-start runs within the company.
07:27 Yet even holding tag gold alongside another performer WWE seem hesitant to fully back
07:32 as a bona fide megastar, Sasha Banks, feels like a waste of her unquestionable athleticism,
07:37 innovative creativity and genuine connection with WWE's self-professed universe.
07:41 Still coming in at the not-exactly-old age of 34, there's time for WWE to finally feel
07:46 the glow, but should they drop the glow sticks once again in the coming months, you have
07:50 to wonder whether they'll ever pick them up again.
07:52 2.
07:53 Sami Zayn Few workers would have been able to effectively
07:55 pull off the barmy contraption and celebrity stuntman-filled spot fest that fans were treated
08:00 to at WrestleMania 38.
08:02 Luckily, Sami Zayn is exactly that ludicrously talented performer, often seen as little more
08:07 than a talent to call upon should Vince McMahon need to put over one of his more desirable
08:11 pet projects.
08:12 The plucky underdog fans had grown used to seeing on NXT, and had been clamouring for
08:16 on the main roster showed zero signs of life after another revisit to his always enjoyable
08:21 feud with old pal Kevin Owens.
08:23 It was within an eventual partnership with KO that Zayn's true ability to navigate
08:27 the tiresome WWE system became apparent, however.
08:29 Reinventing himself as a whiny heel, one fond of cutting corners first and rallying against
08:34 a company evidently designed to thwart him later, Zayn has been a revelation regardless
08:38 of whether he's stuck in a management role or crying out for his conspiracy documentary
08:42 to finally be released.
08:44 Will this all lead to Zayn actually being given the main event spotlight, his fierce
08:47 dedication and commitment to producing consistent in-ring and on-the-mic gold as more than earned?
08:52 Or is this WWE jackass destined to be taken for granted?
08:55 1.
08:56 Chad Gable You name it, Chad Gable has more than excelled
08:59 at it whilst plying his trade within a WWE ring.
09:02 Technically supreme, exceedingly witty, energy and enthusiasm oozing out of every damn pore.
09:07 The question Markster would be clearly had over whether or not the former Olympian had
09:10 a place on their roster seemed about as insane as throwing him in a vest and shorts and branding
09:15 him Shorty G. Oh wait.
09:17 But the doubts and garish attire remained for an embarrassing amount of time, before
09:21 Gable was finally able to give us a glimmer of his always-present ability to shine both
09:25 inside of the ring and as a marketable character outside of it from late 2020 onwards.
09:30 And while he has finally been gifted the chance to bring his increasingly impressive technical
09:34 expertise to the WrestleMania stage this year, alongside fellow Alpha Academy member Otis,
09:39 Gable's brilliance in getting over everything from "shush, shush please" to "thank
09:44 you" acts as the clearest indicator yet that he could be doing so much more for Vinnie
09:48 Mac's empire if given half a chance.
09:50 Either that, or he'll be forced to trot out said catchphrases in backstage segments
09:54 well into his 50s.
09:55 Win-win if you ask me.
09:56 (Outro)
10:16 (upbeat music)