FanPost

Top 5 Underrated Wrestlers

5. Scott Hall

Back in the early to mid nineties, Scott Hall aka Razor Ramon was one of the hottest stars in America. His classic matches with Shawn Michaels made him a headline attraction and also one of WWE's most interesting personalities. His gimmick at the time was of a shady Cuban gangster in the vein of Tony Montana from Scarface. The character was a hit and Hall played it perfectly, always having a knack for delivering sinister promos. After having battles with the likes of Randy Savage, Bret Hart and 1-2-3 Kid, Hall was put in a feud that would make his career. His classic battles with Shawn Michaels climaxed with a ladder match at Wrestlemania X, which would be one of the greatest matches of all time and ensure both men would go down as legends. Hall's stature in WWE would eventually lead him to be courted by WCW and he and Kevin Nash eventually agreed multi-million dollar contracts with the company.. Hall would reach great levels of infamy in WCW as part of the NWO - the group that revolutionised wrestling. He would be at the top of the card for many years alongside the likes of Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Sting and Bret Hart before his vices began to rule over him. A severe drug addiction would lead to his fall from grace though he was given a chance at resurrection by WWE then they reformed the NWO is 2002. Clearly not in the shape he once was and after a disappointing encounter with Stone Cold at Wrestlemania 18 and he would be released. His personal problems mounted over the years and his drug addiction worsened leaving him near death. Hall through his good friend Diamond Dallas Page is currently on the right path once again and sorting his life out, good news for all. Because of all the controversy that has surrounded him over the years, it has become easy to overlook his wrestling accomplishments and focus primarily on the man outside the ring which does great disservice to his irreplaceable talent. Hopefully, he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the coming years, giving him the validation he so very deserves.

4. Dean Malenko

Quite possibly the greatest pro wrestling technician of them all, Dean Malenko was the man of 1000 holds, yet sadly, he may be all but forgotten by the current generation of wrestling fans. An effortlessly smooth performer, everything he did was picture perfect and executed with unbelievable efficiency. Small in stature and rather stocky, Malenko never looked like a wrestling star, yet he honed his craft and eventually, after years of wrestling all over the world finally got some recognition. Malenko's best days were in ECW in the mid-nineties where he proved that ECW had the best technical competitors as well as the fiercest hardcore brawlers. His 1995 battles with Eddie Guerrero rank alongside the greatest matches ever captured on film and words just can't describe how awe-inspiring those bouts were. He and Guerrero would eventually be offered big bucks to join WCW, and they did, which was a sad day as both men were stupidly wasted and booked down the card by Eric Bischoff. Despite WCW acting like he didn't exist, Malenko would still end up being a premier performer and his clashes with Chris Jericho would be a highlight of late 90s WCW. After duelling the likes of Rey Mysterio, Pschosis, Ultimo Dragon and Disco Inferno, Malenko received a push and was made part of the latest and last incarnation of the Four Horsemen along with Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Chris Benoit and Steve McMichael, though the angle didn't receive much success. After getting fed up with WCW, he, Chris Benoit, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero left and joined WWE to form the stable, the Radicalz. Malenko was finally booked with some authority in a promotion with a major audience and fans began to love his cool, unmoving demeanour and remarkable wrestling ability. His stay in WWE was much shorter than anyone would have liked as he retired, which meant he still remained without a world title to his name. Currently a trainer in WWE, there is no better job for someone with the ability of Malenko than to pass on his skills and knowledge to the stars of the future.

3. Shelton Benjamin

The college roommate of Brock Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin is one of the greatest athletes to ever step foot in a WWE ring, yet he never quite made it to the big time. Despite putting on impressive performance after impressive performance, Shelton Benjamin just couldn't get over with the casual fan. Benjamin always had trouble on the microphone, but he wasn't helped by a series of bad gimmicks that made him look like an embarrassment. Benjamin was most at home in the Money in the Bank matches and would frequently be at the centre of huge spots that only a few men could pull off. Starting off as part of Team Angle with Charlie Haas, Benjamin eventually developed his skills and had the talent and ring awareness to go against the top level stars, but no matter how great he was, WWE wouldn't send him to the top. Great matches against the likes of Rob Van Dam, Christian and Shawn Michaels would endear him to the hardcore fans of wrestling but it was no good, and after an eight year run, he was eventually let go, disappointing the internet in one simple move. His match against Shawn Michaels on Raw was one of the matches of the year and one of the greatest in the Monday night show's long and storied history, but he just couldn't work an audience. The memories of the unbelievable high spots and classic memories will stay forever, but it should have been more.

2. Raven

One of the best independent performers over the last 20 years, Raven always brought something interesting and unique to the ring. Nobody else looked like him, nobody else talked like him and nobody else wrestled like him. He could be creepy, mad and hypnotic all at the same, often putting genuine fear into the audience. Raven made his name in ECW, becoming a hardcore legend in the process. He was a master of psychology in the ring and his feuds were often highly emotional and personal and back in the ECW days, he had classic rivalries with The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer. Both those feuds reached high levels of infamy for their graphic nature and cutting-edge storylines. The rivalry with The Sandman in particular attracted a lot of attention that climaxed with Raven crucifying Sandman on a wooden cross. Apart from the hardcore wrestling and intense storylines, Raven was a genuinely superb technician and master storyteller as he proved in feud against a young CM Punk in Ring of Honor. As ECW was crumbling, Raven jumped shipped to WWE but was mostly misused during his three year stay there. The high point of his WWE career is undoubtedly his match against Big Show and Kane at Wrestlemania 17 for the WWE Hardcore Championship. A series of crazy spots and battles in the backstage area made it a memorable match and Raven more than held his own against the two bigger men. After WWE, Raven went to TNA and did his thing for many years, working well in front of a much lesser audience, though it was still exciting to see what new ideas he could come up with. A creative genius, Raven was one of ECW's greatest stars and sadly WWE never quite understood what kind of talent they had on their hands.

1. Dynamite Kid

For an all too brief time in the late 80s, Dynamite Kid was one of the most exciting stars in all of pro wrestling. Originally cutting his teeth in Stu Hart's Stampede Championship Wrestling, his path led to the WWE where he would become one half of one of their greatest tag teams ever. But even before he set America alight, he engaged in one of Japan's greatest feuds with Tiger Mask. The two would go on to pioneer light-heavyweight wrestling with their series of scintillating matches that showcased some extraordinary moves that were revolutionary for the time such as the superplex and diving headbutt. Famed for his athleticism, but also known for his toughness both in and outside the ring. The high point of Dynamite Kid's career came in WWE when teaming with long time friend Davey Boy Smith as The British Bulldogs. They would have an epic but underrated feud with The Hart Foundation that featured classic match after classic match. Sadly riddled with back injuries throughout his career, Dynamite Kid was prevented from fully reaching his potential, which was also in part due to his combative nature and detestation of authority. After leaving WWE, Kid would never quite be the same again, and though he wrestled in Canada and the UK for a while, his ability was clearly beginning to fade and he was forced to retire in 1991, just 32 years-old. Because of his early retirement and fairly brief tenure in WWE, Dynamite Kid has almost been forgotten. His legacy and influence on the business has been remarkable, though he is given very little credit for his abilities and work as a performer. Dynamite Kid most notably had a huge influence over Chris Benoit who would model himself after the high-flyer and adapt much of his move-set in his own career. Bret Hart called Kid the greatest wrestler he ever saw, and there is no higher compliment than that. Now if we could just give him his dues and put him and Davey in the Hall of Fame, everybody will be happy.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.