5 Wrestlers who are being overlooked by fans

Sometimes being underrated is better than what some wrestlers in the business get. With a thriving Independent scene and WWE packed to the rafters, it's hard for certain superstars to catch a bit of breathing space.

These are not underrated individuals or poorly utilized such that they are conspicuous by their absence. These are wrestlers so mired in the day-to-day grind of any event that fans just fail to appreciate the talents in front of them.

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It comes because superstars are either just circling one division in the same position for far too long, or are consistently visible but on the losing end of the spectrum. Wrestlers who might elicit a reaction but never a look back once the job is complete.

So here are five such wrestlers that aren't underrated or overrated but ones that fans just fail to consider or appreciate.

#5 Buddy Murphy

There's something brilliant brewing with Buddy Murphy, with the Australian wrestler set to head home for a Cruiserweight championship shot. A bruiser like Murphy languished on NXT and could have been easily buried on the main roster.

So what does he go and do?

Murphy cuts weight to the exact needlepoint and makes a case to join the changing face of 205 Live. Why? Because he can dominate and portray an interesting character. Always teetering on the weight limit, Murphy is a force of strength that isn't available elsewhere on the 205 Live roster.

While niche fans understand Murphy's value, many missing out on the cruiserweight experience haven't got a taste of his brilliance. Hopefully the Australian special will be the perfect showcase to present the talents of Murphy, making casual fans aware of him beyond NXT and Alexa Bliss.

#4 Shane Strickland

Though widely known and wildly loved as Killshot on Lucha Underground, Shane Strickland is an independent wrestler not as underrated as fans seem to consider him. He's stellar at portraying the vicious and cunning heel, but not many know that at all.

Instead, Strickland requires some visibility which he might just gain as the new EVOLVE Wrestling champion. The year has been stellar for him, winning two world titles of Matt Riddle and engaging EVOLVE audiences with a depleted roster. Strickland now can land big and carry the promotion to a new year renewed.

What Strickland does so efficiently are the basics. He knows when to bide his time and when to viciously strike, it's also coming into play on the fourth season of Lucha Underground. This very ability is what makes him blend so seamlessly into the backdrop of any roster/event, making people forget about him too easily.

Hopefully, the burden and responsibility of being EVOLVE champion will change all that.

#3 Jay Lethal

More than just an imitation, a dose of the best ROH has to offer!

If there's one man WWE really should lap up, especially in a player-coach role it's Jay Lethal. Sure there are other veterans such as Christopher Daniels to go to, but Lethal's also a perfect fixture because he can plug a huge gap on the main roster.

Even with all that WWE tries with its roster, they can't hide the fact that some men in the main event are ill-fitting and need to remain in the mid-card (See: Dolph Ziggler). Lethal is the kind of floater that can play all sorts of roles across the board, from jobber to even the main event.

The last WWE Superstar of such a nature that fittingly can portray all roles (or close enough) is Dean Ambrose. Jay provides this for Ring of Honor especially when it's looking to put over new stars, or in this current case carry the championship when a top prospect is down. That's a dose of lethal injection, WWE could do with.

#2 Sonya Deville

In the latest episode of Smackdown, Sonya Deville found herself on the losing end once again, against Charlotte. Their match much like other encounters, leave fans salivating for a full-blown rivalry. Deville with her MMA background is a great standout for the WWE, one buried under an insipid tag team.

Her and partner Mandy Rose have exponentially improved, ever since they made it to the main roster. In Deville's case, it has taken her from a level of good to great. It's just a matter of time she breaks out into the big leagues. Unfortunately, no one seems to really care.

WWE has done the worst in utilizing the burgeoning mid-card of their women's roster. The Evolution PPV and signs of a women's tag division indicate that case could end up being moot. As a part of tag team or otherwise, Sonya Deville needs the platform to showcase her constantly evolving skills in front of an audience wide enough to appreciate her before she fizzles out.

#1 Jay 'Switchblade' White

When the mirror becomes a reality, when parody becomes originality. That's Jay White — When parody becomes originality. That's Jay White

A gradual increasing dose of high-octane wrestling makes fans then begin to forget the great power that binds wrestling into an art transcendent of the tag of just sports. That is storytelling, whether WWE calls it entertainment or otherwise; it's important. On the top-level, NJPW features competitors with compelling character work but more visibly great wrestling skill.

Sticking out like a sore thumb to most is Jay White, the aptly named Switchblade cuts razor-sharp on fans seeking competitive entertainment in Japan. He just can't go like the others or so they think. Yet look back to White's development as a New Japan young lion or his ruffian ways under the direction of Ring of Honor. This is a man who can clearly go and how.

What fans fail to realize is that Jay White is what he is because he is so aware of his character and the story need to tell with him. Just like his namesake, he cuts deep into fans with his portrayal because he balances genuine egotistical ruthlessness with the occasional sneaky tactic American heels are oversaturated with.

Much like Kenny Omega as the Yang, White portrays the Yin to a perfection of a sliver of the taste of the American incursion into Japanese shores. His style is both an elevation and parody of every other heel running around in the WWE today regardless of size or ability. It's why he cuts like no other compared to the cheap tactics of a Suzuki Gun or Firing Squad.

He's real and that's the scary being, a villain through and through.

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Edited by Shruti Sadbhav