The talent pool for WWE is about as deep as its been in some time, so it can be easy to see why some talents who are able to do their job can get overlooked. There are many talented athletes on the roster, but there are select few who are able to show consistency and have a great feel for the business. With that said, here is who I believe are the 5 most underrated talents on the roster thus far.
5. Cesaro
The man’s promo skills are deplorable, and he doesn’t have much personality, but if you’re looking for consistency in a wrestler, Cesaro’s your man. Cesaro doesn’t have the body-builder physique that Vince bends over backwards for, but his strength is phenomenal. Whether it is his delayed vertical suplexes or his superplex when his opponent is on the apron while he is on the top rope, Cesaro never ceases to amaze. The selling point to Cesaro, though, is in his ring work, in which he is sublime. In his four year WWE career, he has yet to enter a major feud, and while he has United States Championship and WWE Tag Team Championship accolades under his belt, he has yet to receive a high profile feud. Yet he has showed that when he’s in matches for extended periods of times, he has proven to have a myriad of talents that most on the roster would beg to have.What I’ve noticed with Cesaro is that he tries his very best to have the best match of the night, no matter who is opponent is. Even though he hasn’t gotten the opportunity to make it to the main event, and probably never will at this rate, we shouldn’t take Cesaro for granted. He is arguably a top 5 ring talent, and if he would diversify his character, he is more than main event material. His latest showcase at Clash of Champions was another example. He and Sheamus, who have fought for Vince knows how long, had the best match of the night on a card that also featured Seth Rollins facing Kevin Owens for the first time, Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Bayley facing off in a triple threat match and Chris Jericho facing Sami Zayn. He, along with Sheamus, were able to make that match seem fresh and special, and it goes to show the talents that Cesaro displays. In whatever capacity, Cesaro has proven himself to be an asset to the WWE roster.
4. Luke Harper
He’s been out since before the summer, but Harper is definitely one of the more overlooked workers on the roster. Prior to his injury, he wasn’t doing much, as he was still involved in the exploits of the Wyatt Family. However, I don’t think it could be disputed that Harper is the best worker on the Wyatt Family. And if you look at all the members of the Wyatt Family, I don’t think it’s close. Harper is one of the more versatile big men that WWE has had in recent years, combining a physical mat style with more athletic moves to incorporate into it. He can execute a well placed powerbomb, but also have a sharp superkick. He can put his opponents down tot he ground with a beautiful clothesline, but also pop out a suicide dive from out of nowhere. Harper’s single run only amounted in a brief Intercontinental Title reign, but when he’s been in extended singles matches, Harper has impressed time and time again. I’ve likened Harper to be more of a Sheamus type, the brawler who can be counted on to do the dirty work. If you ask me, Harper remaining with the Wyatt Family can only limit him at this point. I honestly believe that he has potential as a singles star. Sure, he doesn’t have the typical WWE look and has an unorthodox character, but those tend to be the more special ones. Harper serving as Wyatt’s lacky won’t advance his career. For everything Smackdown has done well, they are lacking in the depth department in terms of bodies. Harper is a more than serviceable singles competitor, and experimenting with him could prove to be beneficial on both sides.
3. AJ Styles
Yes, I know, I know. How can the WWE World Champion, someone who’s called the Phenomenal One, be underrated? Well, hear me out here. AJ’s had one of the best first years for any WWE superstar in WWE history, being right up there with the likes of Kurt Angle. I always say that the true mark of an elite wrestler is not only his own work ethic and in-ring acumen, but the ability to make his partner better, and that’s what AJ has done. If you look at his performances on PPV, you can’t honestly say that he’s had a bad performance. At Fastlane and WrestleMania with Jericho, at Payback and Extreme Rules (the latter of which was probably the best match in Roman’s singles career), at Money In The Bank and Summerslam with John Cena (the latter of which was probably one of the best matches in Cena’s career), and finally at Backlash and No Mercy with Dean Ambrose (giving him some of the best matches with his career). Aj tends to show out in the big moments, and he’s proven that he can step up when he needs to. However, moving from his PPV matches, what about his performances on television. Going back to when he was first starting, he already made his mark with very good matches on TV against Chris Jericho. Then when he teamed up with Jericho for a brief time to form Y2AJ, they had entertaining matches with The New Day over the tag belts. After WrestleMania, Styles won an incredible fatal four way involving Jericho, Cesaro and KO. He had another banger against Sami Zayn before his match with Roman at Payback. After coming to the Smackdown brand, he put out two great TV performances against the likes of Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose. His veteran instincts also can’t be taken for granted as well. Last week, in his match against James Ellsworth, he realized that James foolishly had his head tucked in and realized that he could have inflicted some serious, and potentially life-threatening damage had he gone through with the move, so he altered it at the last minute in an effort to save him, and he accomplished just that as well. AJ has come in and become WWE’s most valuable commodity. And the best part is that he’s underrated.
2. Chris Jericho
Folks, you need to appreciate Y2J while we still have him. I haven’t been very impressed with his sporadic returns since he came back to the company part-time back in 2012, but in 2016, he’s enjoying his best run in a long while, like fine wine. He returned before the Royal Rumble and he found himself being the one giving AJ Styles his first major singles feud in WWE. He then found himself facing off with talents such as Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayn, Cesaro, Enzo and Cass, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens. Oh, let’s not forget he’s 46. While he’s not the athlete that he once was, and while he may not be the star that he was in 2008, he still has a lot left in the tank and has proven that he can still work at a high level. If you want practical, objective evidence, he’s engaged in high impact matches such as the MITB ladder match, and what I was more impressed with, the Asylum match that he took place with against Dean Ambrose in which he took a preponderance of thumb tacks. Here’s the thing about thumb tacks. You can’t really sell the pain of having razor sharp thumb tacks penetrating your back. It’s a sharp, mind numbing pain that not a lot of talents are willing to go through, yet Jericho went out there and took it. While the match itself wasn’t all that good, it was a testament to the toughness that Jericho provides. His heel turn has also added a new dimension to his character and he is continually able to re-invent himself. Whether it’s the List of Jericho, or drinking in the gift of Jericho, he’s still able to make himself relevant, and since the brand split, he’s been one of the top talents that RAW has had to offer. At his advanced age, it’s amazing to think he can still put on high quality matches, entertain and stay relevant. The fact of the matter is that there will come a day where Jericho won’t be able to do this anymore, which is why we need to appreciate him now while we still have him, because WWE has been blessed with a savvy veteran. Drink it in, man.
1. The Miz
While he may no longer be the Intercontinental Champion, 2016 has been a year for the Miz in which he showed his true value to the company. What impresses me about The Miz is his versatility. How he’s able to work in an abundance of areas and make the most out of each area. He beat John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania and was involved in a segment with The Rock. Then, he went back to the mid-card where he would pick up some Intercontinental Championship victories. However, I didn’t start to fully appreciate The Miz’s worth until he worked with Damien Sandow (Miz-dow) during their tag team champion reign. The obvious point to their tandem was that Miz-dow was the more popular one, but The Miz intentionally did certain things to make sure Miz-dow got over with the crowd, and while WWE failed to capitalize on Mizdow’s momentum, Miz’s worth came to fruition. Then, this year, after beating Zack Ryder for his Intercontinental Championship, he proceeded to become one of the top heels in the company once again. Having great matches, headlined by his fatal four way defense at Extreme Rules, and putting prestige back to the IC Title, it was clear that The Miz had undergone another rejuvenation. He also had another classic against Dolph Ziggler at no mercy in a passionate and excellent match. The Miz has also prefaced this a while ago, in that he could be used in the ring as a top talent, or he could be used in the outside of the ring as a celebrity, a PR guy or even something as simple as dressing up as a chicken. What I think makes this whole thing about The Miz all the more impressive is that he started out in his WWE career changing in the hallway. The Miz joined The Big Show, Edge, Kurt Angle, Edduie Guererro and Daniel Bryan as the only superstars in the history of WWE to win every active male title. The Miz is simply awesome, and he’s the most underrated talent on the roster to me.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know. Until next time.
