The Great Eight: Top 8 Underrated Wrestlers

Last week was all about my favorite wrestlers; this week, I wanted to shed some light on wrestlers who I think fly under the radar and deserve more credit than they receive. It’s easy to look at someone like Austin, Rock, Flair, Michaels, Hart, or Guerrero and recognize that they are great; they exude professional wrestling in ways that others don’t. Or, in wrestling terms, they possess that undefinable “It”- the thing that draws people to them over the countless other wrestlers. But what about the wrestlers who flew under the radar? The ones who were there alongside the greats but got overshadowed by them? In wrestling, you need the “It” wrestlers, but just as much you need the solid “good hands”, the mid-card stalwarts, wrestlers who maybe were never going to be World Champion, but without them, you wouldn’t have a full show. Let’s talk about them for a bit today.

My two disclaimers. 1. These are in no particular order, as all of them are great and deserve more credit than they have received. 2. Wrestling is an art and, therefore, is subjective. If you disagree with my list, awesome! Please post your list in the comments section. I encourage positive discourse about this silly art we all love. What I don’t encourage is discourse dissolving into insults about people who disagree with you. Remember, we all love wrestling, so have fun and don’t be a dick!

Honorable Mentions: Brad Armstrong, Don Muraco, Bam Bam Bigelow, Alex Wright, Sean Waltman, and Jerry Lynn

8. Tito Santana

The land of WWF, in the mid-late 80s, was one of giants. Larger-than-life men lumbered around the ring using their strength to brutalize each other. Tito Santana was a stark contrast to this norm; he was 6’2 and around 230 pounds. He relied on his quickness and technical skill to survive against much larger opponents. After an early run in the WWF from 1979-1980, he would spend a few years in AWA and GCW before returning to the WWF for a decade-long run that included two Intercontinental Championship runs, two runs with the Tag Team Championships, and winning the 1989 King of the Ring. He would have classic feuds with Don Muraco, Greg Valentine, and Rick Martel. Santana’s more athletic approach would be an inspiration to future generations of wrestlers, and his impact can still be seen today.

7. Dean Malenko

The man of a 1,000 holds, and most of them aren’t even an armbar! Malenko was the technical base for the Cruiserweight division, someone to contrast and ground all the high-flying action. He was methodical in his execution, and everything he did looked so crisp and devastating. An unfortunate lack of charisma held him back from doing more, but he still managed to rack up two ECW World Television Championship runs, one ECW World Tag Team Championship run, four WCW Cruiserweight Championships, a run a piece for the WCW United States and World Tag Team Champions, two WWF Light Heavyweight Championship runs, and surprisingly a run with the DDT Ironman Heavymetal Championship. Not a bad list of accomplishments for someone who lacked the size and charisma of his contemporaries. More importantly, since his retirement in 2001, Malenko has been a constant presence behind the scenes. He spent 18 years as a producer for the WWE and has been a producer for AEW since 2019. Malenko deserves more credit for his inspiration on the 2000s indie scene, which gave rise to many of today’s top stars and the up-and-coming generation.

6. The Miz

From the “Real World Guy” to one of the longest tenured active wrestlers. Miz has forged a 21-year-long career with the WWE. He had his fair share of ups and downs, but has always found a way to make the most out of what was given to him. His team with John Morrison is when people started to take notice of him, and he used that momentum to launch his successful singles career. He is the first two-time Grand Slam Champion, a two-time WWE Champion, an eight-time Intercontinental Champion, a two-time United States Champion, and a nine-time Tag Team champion. Despite his longevity and accomplishments, he is often overlooked in comparison to his contemporaries. His in-ring style will never set the world on fire, but he has worked a style that is safe while not being boring. He has a lot of charisma and isn’t afraid to make a fool of himself, and has proven he can still be taken seriously afterwards. Miz will probably never be on anyone’s top ten list, but he deserves way more credit than he has ever received, not just for his in-ring accomplishments but for being such a great ambassador for the business. And the wrestling world will be lucky if he sticks around as an agent and/or coach post-retirement.

5. Claudio Castagnoli

During Castagnoli’s 11 years with the WWE, Jinder Mahal and Braun Strowman both had runs as World Champion, The Fiend version of Bray Wyatt and Goldberg had two runs, and Alberto Del Rio had three. Yet Castagnoli, a man who can speak four languages, is one of the strongest, pound-for-pound, wrestlers around, and one of the best all-around wrestlers, never got a run. He is this generation’s Arn Anderson, a great hand and mid-card stalwart, but he could have been so much more. It took AEW buying ROH for Castagnoli to finally have a World Championship to his credit, and that is just a shame. Whether as a singles wrestler or tagging with Chris Hero, Sheamus, or Tyson Kidd, Castagnoli is always a joy to watch. Much like Malenko in the 90s, he was a perfect contrast to the indie stylings of the 2000s, providing a technical and powerful base that set him apart. He just missed the cut for my top 8 of all time, and I hope future generations give him the credit he deserves.

4. Chris Kanyon

Kanyon deserves credit for a lot of things. He was an innovative wrestler who came up with a lot of moves and had an impact on the 2000s indie scene revival. Most importantly, he was a favorite of Matt and Nick Jackson; they would watch him as they grew up, and that would lead them to want to be wrestlers themselves. While clearly not the only reason, a case could be made that he had a small hand in ensuring AEW exists today. Outside of that, Kanyon was incredibly entertaining both in the ring and on the mic. He was a bright spot in the dying days of WCW and could have been a future World Champion if WCW hadn’t run into the ground and been sold to the WWE. Injuries and never being given a chance to show what he could do stalled out his WWE career. He would pop up in TNA and PWG before retiring in January of 2010. Sadly, he never felt he could come out as a gay man, and struggled with the stress and depression that came with hiding it, and he would take his own life in May of 2010. I recommend reading his autobiography as he details his struggles as a closeted gay man during the 90s, as well as his love for wrestling. Also, if you or anyone you know is struggling with coming out as LGBTQIA+ to reach out to The Trevor Project [phone] (if you are in the US) or a similar organization within your country. (If anyone knows what organizations are there to help within your respective countries, please put them in the comments section.)

3. Rick Rude

Some may think it’s strange to have Rick Rude on this list, as many fans remember him fondly, but I feel like he deserves way more credit for his contributions to this business. His promos were ahead of their time. Rude in his prime would have fit right in with the Attitude era and would probably be a former WWF World Champion. He carried The Ultimate Warrior to some of his best matches, had a body like nobody else, and oozed charisma and sex appeal. He was a three-time WCW International World Heavyweight Champion, which came from the murky time when WCW pulled out of the NWA and was figuring out how to handle the belt. He was also a big part of the earliest form of DX and, due to Raw being taped, was able to appear on both Nitro and Raw on the same night.

2. Arn Anderson

Anderson probably would never have been someone’s pick for a World Champion; he was short, stocky, and balding. But he was also one of the most believable guys out there. If he had been around in the 40s, 50s, or 60s, I could see him tearing it up with Lou Thesz, Bruno Sammartino, and Buddy Rogers. He had that grizzled tough guy look that made him a credible threat, and he had the in-ring skills to back it up. What a lot of people forget is that he was also a great talker, of course, when you are paired up with Ric Flair and JJ Dillon, it can be easy to be overlooked. But Anderson channeled his grizzled look into some intense and fiery promos that made you believe he wanted to kill whoever he was about to step in the ring with. His post-retirement career has been just as impactful and important as his in-ring career was. He spent 18 years as an agent for the WWE and another five as one for AEW. His wisdom and guidance have helped to shape many of the current generation of wrestlers, and his contributions to the business will never be forgotten.

1. Rick Martel

Yes, I purposefully made this list to be book-ended by Strike Force, but before Rick Martel was a Model, he had his first run in the WWF, capturing the WWF Tag Team Championships twice with partner Tony Garea. He was also an AWA World Champion, a title he held for 19 months, the third-longest reign ever for that title. During this time, he had matches against NWA World Champion Ric Flair, Jimmy Garvin, Nick Bockwinkel, and King Tonga. He would return to the WWF and start a successful tag team with Tom Zenk as the Can-Am Connection, which would end when Zenk left the WWF. Then he would team with Tito Santana to form Strike Force; they would win the WWF Tag Team Championship once, before breaking up and having a two-year-long feud. Martel would then go on a six-year run as The Model, and while never holding another title in the WWF, he would continue to show his talents in the ring and on the mic. I don’t think Martel gets enough credit for his body of work and is way too often forgotten or passed off as a joke due to his run as The Model. He deserves more credit for both his technical skill and his character work.