10 best retired wrestlers you have never heard of

#2 Johnny ‘Ace’ Laurinaitis

Three certified wrestling legends...and Johnny Ace.

Yes, most people know that Jon Laurinaitis is one of the ‘yes-men’ that CM Punk despised during his WWE tenure. What most people forget is that Johnny Ace was actually a very good wrestler in Japan.

Johnny Ace succeeded in Japan because that country emphasises workrate and athleticism over gimmick and personality. Therefore, Ace succeeded in AJPW during the 1990s, especially in tag team matches.

Johnny Ace became a tag team specialist in Japan, working particularly well with ‘Dr. Death’ Steve Williams. In fact, Dr Death & Johnny Ace actually took part in the Wrestling Observer’s Match of the Year in 1996, in a tag team match against the team of AJPW ace Mitsuharu Misawa and rookie Jun Akiyama.

It’s a pity that WWE didn’t let Johnny Ace use even a fraction of his wrestling talent in that dreadful bout with John Cena in 2012. If they did…that match might’ve actually been acceptable.