In general, it seems that we wrestling fans are giving all the praise for the same wrestlers all the time.
I'm not saying Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin don’t deserve the talk they get but there are superstars who I feel deserve to be acknowledged a little more. So I have created a list of some wrestlers who I feel are under-appreciated.
Feel free to discuss their careers and add others.
"The Franchise" Shane Douglas
When I first saw Shane Douglas years ago, I thought he was an arrogant, no good, disrespectful asshole that didn't respect anything about the business.
I later realized he was just that great a heel. Yeah he may have had his problems with guys I love and respect in WCW but that was his situation and he spoke as truthfully about those issues as he thought he should.
Douglas is pretty famous for his shoot promos. He was impassioned through his fallings from WCW and WWE and he never missed a beat on the stick. I also feel he is very under-appreciated for his ring work. The Franchise could go as seen in his battles with Too Cold Scorpio, Terry Funk, Sabu and Taz.
Some think he's just a bitter prick, I think he just used that to his advantage. Douglas was a natural heel and got under the ECW fan's skin fairly easily. Paul trusted the guy to help carry the company as the World's Champion to lead in the Era of Extreme in the mid 90's.
Raven
Who ever thought Johnny freakin Polo would maturate into one of the most captivating and thought provoking characters ever. Obviously a large part of that process was the creative genius of the mad scientist Paul Heyman.
But it was the man himself that delivered the Raven character with perfection. Raven did some of the most psychologically scarring things to his opponents especially in feuds with Sandman and Tommy Dreamer.
The infamous crucifixion of Sandman showed that Raven would push the envelope like no other in the business. Another testament to the intrigue of Raven's character was his integently twisted promos that questioned our morals and reality. Raven used that weapon to make the fans hate him even more.
I'm still amazed Raven feuded with Tommy Dreamer for three years and not a single time did Dreamer pin him until Raven's departure to WCW. Raven should definitely go down in history as one of the best villains ever created, booked and played in wrestling.
Jeff Jarrett
"Double J" may be one of the most controversial wrestlers and businessmen in Sports Entertainment history.
Jeff Jarrett will be known in WWE history as one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions ever hold the prize numerous times and competing in a legendary match with Shawn Michaels in 1995. He may also been known as the guy that got his assed kicked by Chyna and dropped the I.C. belt only to jump to a falling WCW and become a 2nd rate WCW World Champion.
What I would like for him to be acknowledged for is being a risk taker, which is exactly what Double J is. And his biggest risk was starting his own promotion in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2002.
Jarrett grew up in the business and knows that competition is so necessary in the wrestling industry and he took the initiative to challenge the McMahon Monopoly of the wrestling industry.
But once again Jarrett had to pay for that risk whether it was from booking himself as a dominant NWA World Champion which caused mass disgust from many fans or maybe the fans were a little too cynical.
I personally enjoyed Jarrett's reign as "The King of the Mountain" on top of TNA. He had genuine heat which I didn't see a problem with because a heel like that established some credibility in the championship and I say AJ Styles, Rhino and Raven benefited greatly with victories over him.
TNA has done well for itself and still stands quite comfortably as the #2 wrestling promotion in North America. All of that largely attributed for better or worse to Jeff Jarrett.
Tully Blanchard
Ric Flair may have been "The Man" in the Four Horseman but I don't think the group was ever the same after Tully's departure. Blanchard was a heat magnet in his day along with his manager's Baby Doll and J.J Dillon.
Blanchard's most heated feud was most likely with Magnum T.A. over the NWA U.S. Championship which culminated into one of the greatest matches of all time at Starrcade '85. It was an 'I Quit' Match inside a Steel Cage and I highly recommend everyone watch this match and I'm sure you'll appreciate it.
Tully was also in a legendary tag team with Arn Anderson in WWE known as The Brainbusters. I personally love their matches with The Rockers.
The man was a marvel in the ring and in promos. His father Joe Blanchard who was also a wrestler told Tully at an earlier age that it was his job to make the people yell the loudest for the longest and he accomplished that for many years.
Bob Backlund
IT'S TIME TO GET BACKLUND IN YOUR LIFE!
Point-blank - Bob Backlund carried the WWE for many years in the prime of his career. If Flair was the wrestler of the 80's and Michaels of the mid 90's then Backlund owned the late 70's - early 80's!
Backlund is an accomplished college wrestler and he implemented that into his very text-book style, no nonsense wrestling that had fans in awe of his great technical showcases.
Backlund was a damn great babyface champion who drew a lot of fans and had memorable battles with Sgt. Slaughter, Superstar Billy Graham and Iron Sheik.
Even when Backlund returned to WWE in the early 90's with a middle-aged crazy and wacky gimmick, McMahon still had faith in him to allow his to win the gold one more time defeating Bret Hart. Even though he lost it in terrible fashion to Diesel, his legacy will not be tarnished.
The most recent memories I have of Backlund was his short stint with Kurt Angle in 2000 which produced some funny promos and his hilarious segments in TNA. I say the WWE should induct this man immediately into the Hall of Fame.
"The Shooter" Dean Malenko
"The Man of 1000 Holds" Dean Malenko is arguably the greatest technical wrestler of all time. He is a second generation wrestler and has performed all over the world.
Malenko proved that for a man his size he could make an impact in North America based on pure talent alone. And Dean had a lot of ability which he used to help make WCW's Cruiserweight division one of the best wrestling divisions in the world ever.
The man is so underrated most likely due to his lack of charisma and it is truly a shame but he excelled so well at what he did best. He was a master psychologist, a genius in the ring and his work rate was off the page.
People always talk about Benoit, Eddie or Bret when in discussion of who was the best in the ring and I feel Malenko's name should always be placed in that discussion as well.
"Wild Man" Terry Funk
Terry Funk will forever be remembered as a hardcore legend from his days in Extreme Championship Wrestling but "The Wild Man" was more than just hardcore.
Funk is a two time NWA's World Heavyweight Champion and at the time only the best wrestlers in the territories were selected to become the #1 man in the industry. Funk was actually a great wrestler having legendary battles with Harley Race, Jumbo Tsuruta, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair and many others.
What Terry Funk means to me is one of the most passionate men to every grace the business. With a terribly beaten body, he still competed and was a huge in making ECW a successful company. Funk took many men under his wing and help groom them into becoming better at what they do (notably Mick Foley and Tommy Dreamer).
The man performed like no other and he immersed audiences into his matches so naturally. Terry's selling was like no other. If he took a neck breaker, his arm would go limp as he grabbed at the injured area and yelled in agony.
Mick Foley has said Terry Funk is "the greatest wrestler he ever saw" and small things like yelling an opponent’s name makes the match feel more authentic and further tells the story. Terry Funk is one of the greatest performers of all time and has a legacy that should be respected and praised for years to come.
These guys just don't get enough respect ...
These guys just don't get enough respect ...
Re: These guys just don't get enough respect ...
Hoping for Christopher Daniels comeback 
