Under appreciated wrestlers

[IcemanSK]

What wrestlers did you like but just weren't appreciated &/or didn't stick around long or got stuck in smallers organizations?

For me, The Missing Link was one that I always wished made it to bigger shows. He always made me laugh.

 

[terryl965]

The Junkyard dog, the freebirds, abdullah the butcher just to name a few

 

[Grenadier]

Many of the jobbers are underappreciated. These guys are hired on for the sole purpose of providing the bigger names in the organization with some "squash fodder," even though in real life, they could probably beat the stars in a real fight, or even an amateur wrestling match.

The key thing is, that these guys lose day in and day out, while making the other guy look fantastic in the process. They are well-trained, have a good assortment of moves, and sell the star's moves very nicely, and do so without complaining.

I can still remember some of the jobbers, such as Mike Jackson, Mike Starbuck, and Roger Bonn, each of whom were always providing cannon fodder for the ol' NWA. I can also remember King Kong Bundy squashing the tag team of Mike Starbuck and Roger Bonn handily, grabbing both, and power slamming them, and demanding a 5 count.

Ah, the memories...

 

[Skip Cooper]

Many of the jobbers are underappreciated. These guys are hired on for the sole purpose of providing the bigger names in the organization with some "squash fodder," even though in real life, they could probably beat the stars in a real fight, or even an amateur wrestling match.

The key thing is, that these guys lose day in and day out, while making the other guy look fantastic in the process. They are well-trained, have a good assortment of moves, and sell the star's moves very nicely, and do so without complaining.

I can still remember some of the jobbers, such as Mike Jackson, Mike Starbuck, and Roger Bonn, each of whom were always providing cannon fodder for the ol' NWA. I can also remember King Kong Bundy squashing the tag team of Mike Starbuck and Roger Bonn handily, grabbing both, and power slamming them, and demanding a 5 count.

Ah, the memories...

I remember Mike Jackson...he always wore a black singlet, like that of amateur wrestling. He did make the likes of the NWA greats seem much better. Until reading these post, I never really gave much thought to the talent of these unsung heroes. They can be compared to the guys that lose to the Harlem Globetrotters every night.

 

[Skip Cooper]

What wrestlers did you like but just weren't appreciated &/or didn't stick around long or got stuck in smallers organizations?

For me, The Missing Link was one that I always wished made it to bigger shows. He always made me laugh.

The Missing Link was an odd bird! He was ripped though.

I always liked Kevin Von Eric. I always thought he was better than Kerry, but didn't get the same type of fame.

 

[Catalyst]

I remember Mike Jackson as well.

Does Anyone rememeber the "Mulkeys" (I think Randy might have been the first name of one of them) who were in the old NWA?
They were 2 bleached blond guys (brothers?) who were jobbers.
They used to get thrown around the ring by the big names.

I can remember Jim Cornette taunting them with chants of "Mulkey Mania".

I think that after losing about 5 zillion tag team matches they were finally allowed to win a match.

 

[OkayFabe]

George South was always a great jobber. Oddly enough he now runs the Exodus Wrestling Alliance in the Carolinas.

 

[sfs982000]

I remember Mike Jackson as well.

Does Anyone rememeber the "Mulkeys" (I think Randy might have been the first name of one of them) who were in the old NWA?
They were 2 bleached blond guys (brothers?) who were jobbers.
They used to get thrown around the ring by the big names.

I can remember Jim Cornette taunting them with chants of "Mulkey Mania".

I think that after losing about 5 zillion tag team matches they were finally allowed to win a match.

Oh man, the Mulkey's were hilarious to watch.

 

[Guardian]

I remember Mike Jackson as well.

Does Anyone rememeber the "Mulkeys" (I think Randy might have been the first name of one of them) who were in the old NWA?
They were 2 bleached blond guys (brothers?) who were jobbers.
They used to get thrown around the ring by the big names.

I can remember Jim Cornette taunting them with chants of "Mulkey Mania".

I think that after losing about 5 zillion tag team matches they were finally allowed to win a match.

I remember the Mulkeys, those poor boys always got a butt whoopin, but they were allowed to win one, geez, I can't remember who they were allowed to beat.

Who was the kids that Tommy Dreamer had with him for awhile in ECW on Tuesday Nights that was a slap around fool, but then got to play wrestler for awhile and what happened to him?

 

[Ironcrane]

I really miss the Jobbers. They were fun. And a couple of Wrestlers that I really liked that didn't catch on very well, were Glacier, and Mortis from WCW. Glacier started off really strong, but eventually turned into a heel, and a jobber. Mortis didn't seem to ever do that well, until he switched to the persona of Kanyon. (Did I spell that right?) At that point, he was suddenly a much better wrestler, but equally a less intresting character. At least to me anyway.

 

[stone_dragone]

What? No one a fan of the Brooklyn Brawler?

 

[Twin Fist]

The Missing Link was an odd bird! He was ripped though.

I always liked Kevin Von Eric. I always thought he was better than Kerry, but didn't get the same type of fame.

Kevin was the best of the family, in every way. Best on the mike, best in the ring, and most stable out of the ring


Kerry was HORRID on the mike, and wasnt that good in the ring. David was GREAT on the mike and was the best actor of the bunch. Mike was bad both ways, and i dont even count Chris.......

 

[Guardian]

Brookly Brawler LOL LOL, now there was a poor slob if I ever saw one.

I remember Glacier, a big deal was made of his coming and he fizzled if I remember right.

 

[David43515]

"Superfly" Jimmy Snooka, a Samoan guy from Salt Lake City. He used to jump off the topp rope and headbutt people. Saw him once at the airport when I flew into Salt Lake to attend the MTC down in Provo.

Growing up in Toledo Ohio I was always a fan of two old guys who seemed to be semi-retired jobbers in the 80`s, but must have been something big when they were younger (At least big in the great lakes area.), BOBO BRAZILLE and DICK THE BRUISER

 

[Randy Strausbaugh]

Growing up in Toledo Ohio I was always a fan of two old guys who seemed to be semi-retired jobbers in the 80`s, but must have been something big when they were younger (At least big in the great lakes area.), BOBO BRAZILLE and DICK THE BRUISER

Being from Ohio, do you remember Flying Fred Curry, Haystacks Calhoun, and the tag team of Mitsu Arakawa and Yoshino Sato (they cheated by sneaking in "karate" when the ref wasn't looking)?
My favorite underappreciated wrestler was Mondo Gurerro (sp?). He wrestled in the AWA for a while.

 

[Grenadier]

Brookly Brawler LOL LOL, now there was a poor slob if I ever saw one.

Hey now, he's a fantastic jobber, and knows how to sell moves! That, plus I doubt anyone's going to try to copy his gimmick...

I remember Glacier, a big deal was made of his coming and he fizzled if I remember right.

Part of his failure was because he was introduced at a time when the NWO was getting some massive hype. Essentially, his storylines were cast-aside until after the hype died down a bit. Bad timing, since this could have made a significant difference.

The worse part, was that he had some horrible injuries to deal with, courtesy of Bill Goldberg's botched techniques resulting in a shredded knee. I'm surprised he was even able to walk on that knee.

 

[David43515]

Being from Ohio, do you remember Flying Fred Curry, Haystacks Calhoun, and the tag team of Mitsu Arakawa and Yoshino Sato (they cheated by sneaking in "karate" when the ref wasn't looking)?
My favorite underappreciated wrestler was Mondo Gurerro (sp?). He wrestled in the AWA for a while.

I remember Curry and Gurerro. I`d have to see the others before I could say if I remembered them or not. The names alone don`t ring any bells.

 

[celtic_crippler]

What? No one a fan of the Brooklyn Brawler?

Are you serious?

Being from Ohio, do you remember Flying Fred Curry, Haystacks Calhoun, and the tag team of Mitsu Arakawa and Yoshino Sato (they cheated by sneaking in "karate" when the ref wasn't looking)?
My favorite underappreciated wrestler was Mondo Gurerro (sp?). He wrestled in the AWA for a while.

Haystacks Calhoun? I don't think he qualifies as under-appreciated.

Dean Malenko. One of the best technical wrestlers of all time. Definately never obtained the recognition he deserved.

RVD. There would be no X division if it weren't for him and other under-appreciated werestlers...like Jerry Lynn! Those two had one of the best top 10 matches of all time IMHO.

Terry Taylor never reached his full potential. Probably because of the Red Rooster gimick.

Brad Armstrong couldn't break the Armstrong Curse but he was a great wrestler none the less.

Arn Anderson deserved top card but remained in Flair's shadow through his retirement. Great on the mic, great skill, never recognized for it.

...just a few quick thoughts off the top of my head.

 

[Guardian]

Hey now, he's a fantastic jobber, and knows how to sell moves! That, plus I doubt anyone's going to try to copy his gimmick...



Part of his failure was because he was introduced at a time when the NWO was getting some massive hype. Essentially, his storylines were cast-aside until after the hype died down a bit. Bad timing, since this could have made a significant difference.

The worse part, was that he had some horrible injuries to deal with, courtesy of Bill Goldberg's botched techniques resulting in a shredded knee. I'm surprised he was even able to walk on that knee.

LOL on Brawler, that's true, the brawler will never be duplicated for sure. I agree, they didn't give Glacier the time he needed and I didn't know about his knee portion due to Goldberg, that was a shame.

 

[sfs982000]

Are you serious?



Haystacks Calhoun? I don't think he qualifies as under-appreciated.

Dean Malenko. One of the best technical wrestlers of all time. Definately never obtained the recognition he deserved.

RVD. There would be no X division if it weren't for him and other under-appreciated werestlers...like Jerry Lynn! Those two had one of the best top 10 matches of all time IMHO.

Terry Taylor never reached his full potential. Probably because of the Red Rooster gimick.

Brad Armstrong couldn't break the Armstrong Curse but he was a great wrestler none the less.

Arn Anderson deserved top card but remained in Flair's shadow through his retirement. Great on the mic, great skill, never recognized for it.

...just a few quick thoughts off the top of my head.

Lets not forget Jake "the Snake" Roberts. Great on the mic, decent skills, but his personal demons got the best of him.