WWE has 2 main rosters full of some of the very best talents in the entire world. From top-to-bottom, WWE offers something for everyone, regardless of what type of Superstar you prefer. With that said, there are obviously some of those stars who slide through the cracks somehow and for one reason or another, they are overlooked or perhaps not given a creative opportunity that they may otherwise deserve.
In today's column, we take a quick look at 5 current WWE Superstars who definitely deserve better. Maybe they are the product of bad timing, maybe an injury threw them off-track or maybe it's simply a matter of poor booking decisions on behalf of WWE's creative minions. No matter the reasoning, there are a few WWE Superstars that are grossly underrated and highly underappreciated. Who are some of the current RAW and/or Smackdown Live Superstars that you feel are being neglected by the men in suits? Here's a look at the 5 WWE Superstars who are the most underappreciated.
#5 Curtis Axel
It's been quite some time since Curtis Axel got his break and made his developmental debut with FCW back in 2007. But if you can recall, there was a ton of buzz surrounding the signing of this third-generation superstar and a lot of hope that he might just be able to mirror some of his father's legendary skills. Unfortunately, the road has been pretty rocky for Axel since he made his main roster debut as a member of The Nexus in 2010.
While some may suggest that Axel simply did not inherit his dads' gene of perfection, I would like to opt for another possible hurdle that has stood in the way of Curtis surging to the top, which would be the lack of quality booking and minimal creative love shown by WWE's powers that be.
I'm fully aware that many, if not most of my readers will probably not agree with my sentiment towards the Ax-Man and I can certainly understand why a fan would not be in Axel's corner. After all, he's not the most charismatic WWE Superstar by any stretch of the imagination. However, I still firmly believe that Curtis has a plethora of untapped potential and if given the proper opportunity, we may all be surprised at what he actually accomplishes. What do we have to lose?
#4 The Ascension
In late-2011, Florida Championship Wrestling was the actual developmental brand for WWE. FCW is where many of today's main roster WWE Superstar's cut their teeth and really learned "the WWE way," prior to the birth of NXT. FCW is also the place where The Ascension was first introduced to the fans. However, The Ascension was originally billed as a faction, with intentions of having multiple members. After that idea failed, Viktor and Konnor came together and formed the tag team that we know today as The Ascension.
During their developmental stint, The Ascension was a good duo...really good. In fact, many, including this writer, would support the argument that The Ascension is the best tag team in NXT's short history. the record for longest reign as NXT Tag Team Champions (364 days), Viktor and Konnor were absolutely unstoppable. That was until they arrived on the main roster, where they were met with strong resistance from the WWE Universe. This was in part due to the fact that WWE officials tried so hard to create a modern-day Legion of Doom, which was completely insane.
The fact remains, Konnor and Viktor are quality WWE Superstars and if given the right opportunity, these guys could really elevate the main roster tag division.
#3 Bo Dallas
Once again, I must go back to mentioning NXT and how well someone performed in WWE's developmental system. Dallas was far and away one of the most charismatic and entertaining NXT Champions in the brand's young history. Bo is one of the key components of not only NXT's surge to greatness, but Bo also played a key role in revamping FCW and making it interesting, prior to the NXT takeover. In fact, while with FCW, Bo Dallas captured the FCW Heavyweight Championship 3-times, which accompanies his one reign as NXT Champion.
When the "BO-Lieve" inspirational vignettes began airing on RAW in mid-2014, many fans who had been following Dallas were eager to see how well he would do on the main roster. Unfortunately, we all witnessed the travesty that would follow. Since joining the main roster, Dallas has yet to get the opportunity to truly prove how great he can be. If the company ever decides to loosen the reigns a little, We may get to see some of the signs of greatness we all watched during the developmental phase of his career.
#2 Tyler Breeze
Tyler Breeze is yet another prime example of someone who came up through the WWE developmental process and became great, only to have his superior talents squandered upon making it to the main roster. One of the things that made Tyler so great, was his ability to morph flawlessly into any situation and make the best out of an otherwise compromising situation. Let's be honest with ourselves, the flamboyant gimmick is not necessarily the most desirable moniker amongst aspiring WWE Superstars. But Tyler Breeze stepped up to the plate and crushed it out of the park. His ability to not only pull off the persona but absolutely own it was what made Tyler Breeze one of NXT's best of his time.
I was very hopeful for Breeze when it was announced that he was being brought up. Unfortunately, Breeze followed a horrific trend of stellar NXT stars coming up, only to get completely neglected by the creative brass. The highlight of Tyler's main roster tenure has been a series of mildly comedic skits with Fandango, who also happens to be another severely underrated WWE Superstar.
Sometimes the best thing to do is to simply go back to the original idea, or initial plan of action. As far as Tyler Breeze is concerned, the "original idea" would be cocky, overly-arrogant demeanor which we came to respect and actually enjoy watching- Prince Pretty. Breeze needs to once again be a solo act, accompanied by nothing more than his innocent selfie-stick and furry boots.
#1 Bray Wyatt
At last, we finally reach the top spot, the number 1 most under-appreciated WWE Superstar on any roster and he goes by the name Bray Wyatt, the self-proclaimed Eater of Worlds.
Bray Wyatt is one of my personal favorite WWE Superstars not only of this generation but of all-time. Once "Husky Harris" was repackaged into Wyatt, I knew within an instant that this was a winner. Watching Bray and the Wyatt Family evolve on NXT, then on the main roster, was some of the most intriguing storytelling in recent memory. The rivalry with The Shield was some absolute genius work by not only the Superstars involved, but the creative team as well.
Once the Wyatt Family disbanded, it still seemed as if WWE officials had plans on pushing Bray into singles glory and in early 2017, Wyatt fanatics witnessed history as Bray captured the WWE Championship after winning the Elimination Chamber main event. Unfortunately what would follow would be a title reign which left a lot to be desired and after only 49 days, Wyatt lost his title to Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 33. After losing the title, Bray has dipped to the bottom of the barrel and now has taken a hiatus to go find himself, which likely means some sort of repackaging, which sounds completely insane.
As a die-hard Wyatt fan, I can only hope to see Bray come back with some sort of confident push behind him. Wyatt is something special, something rarely seen in wrestling and something worth getting behind. Time will soon tell whether or not Wyatt will be allowed to reclaim his spot as one of the main rosters elite, or if WWE will once again be found guilty of squandering one of the most promising Superstars in recent memory.