Super Cena Posted March 20, 2011 Author Share Posted March 20, 2011 Whenever Ring of Honor is brought up in conversation, many of us will instantly think of a psychology-free, spot-heavy, characterless haven for fat, greasy American fans who've never been laid and rarely venture far from their parents' houses. Â It's a perspective which would be difficult to argue against, and I have little intention of doing so. Â However, a few years ago, hidden beneath the spotlight occupied by Nigel McGuinness head butting ring posts, and when the Briscoes weren't performing in bouts which amounted to little more than wanking material for the hardcore ROH perverts, Gabe Sapolsky had time to book a little faction called the Embassy, which was managed by Prince Nana and featured Alex Shelley and my choice, Jimmy Rave. Â Now I don't know the full back story to the Embassy or the storylines that were going on at the time, but what I do know is that Jimmy Rave could attract heat like I'd never seen the likes of before. I was amazed at the way he was getting the crowd to react to him, and it seemed as though the fans were ready to riot. I managed to find a fair few matches of his on the internet around that time and he was achieving the same awesome level of heel heat no matter which promotion he was performing in (granted, there was only so much he could do in front of 42 fans in some of the venues). Â Rave was one of the few guys in ROH who got over by merit of his character, not how many rotations he could turn coming from the top rope or how hard he could kick his opponent whilst wearing kick pads. Prince Nana worked perfectly as Rave's mouthpiece, though that isn't to say he couldn't hold his own on the microphone when needed. He also proved during his ROH title match against Danielson that he could go toe to toe with the best of them, never looking out of his depth once. Â Jimmy Rave would be a wrestler I would find hard to place in WWE. However, he's the exact type of guy who, alongside guys like Robert Roode and AJ Styles, would be perfect at the top of the TNA 'homegrown' pile. Booked properly and even comforted with the backing of Prince Nana in TNA if necessary, I am adamant that Rave would have succeeded. Â It was a complete travesty the way that this kid was booked as being the drizzling shits in TNA. Jimmy Rave was the biggest waste of a talent from the latter half of the 00's that I can think of. Â Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members bAzTNM#1 Posted March 20, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 I don't know if he's *truly* underrated, but I've always loved John Tenta's work. He could definately move that big body about for some good grappling bouts. Â Honourable mention goes to Kerry Von Erich. It wasn't just Flair carrying him you know, he could pull out some great matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Gordon_The_Gopher Posted March 20, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 I know this was yesterday's discussion but: Â Â Is that John Atkins as in "Hardcore" John Atkins of IPW:UK/FWA/MMA fame?? I think it is!!! Â Here he is playing "Baby on board" on the ukelele - Â ON TOPIC: Â I would second the Earthquake nod. I would also like to add Mad Man Manson to the list. He is only ever considered for his ridiculously OTT and hilarious side however he is also an incredible wrestler. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sivy Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 i think Bam Bam was a great worker who is forgotton when mentioned the best big men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamtheman Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 My Pick   Great look good abilties a fantastic character as shown in his you tube videos  he should really be pushed in santinos position as top comedy face before a serious feud so he could break out (maybe with CM Punk) the series of matches he had with christian towards the end of ECW were very underated and given the chance he can prove himself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Ron Simmons Posted March 20, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 A wrestler that is underrated? Â Drew McIntyre. Â I don't know what the general consensus about the guy is, but I think he's improved massively in the ring and out of it. He's developed a character for himself that I personally find really intriguing, and I'd like to see more of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimufctna24 Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 i think Bam Bam was a great worker who is forgotton when mentioned the best big men. Agreed  My pick is Rick Rude  Great on the mic and produced one of the finest carry jobs I have seen against the Warrior in their Cage match. I think he ranks up there with Dibase as a all rounder and a heel, one of the best of his generation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteelEdge Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 My Pick  Great look good abilties a fantastic character as shown in his you tube videos  he should really be pushed in santinos position as top comedy face before a serious feud so he could break out (maybe with CM Punk) the series of matches he had with christian towards the end of ECW were very underated and given the chance he can prove himself  This is the first guy that sprang to mind when I saw todays topic. I love Zack, he's great. Going to Raw at the O2 next month and he is the guy I wanna see most. My mate thinks I'm insane lol! Although with Superstars ending a couple of weeks before I go, I doubt I'll see him on the 'A' show. Wouldn't surprise me if he is released before I go either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 fave game-wcw/nwo revenge on n64, wm 2000 & mo mercy  fave dvd-wrestlemania 5 & 6 tagged classics, just pure old school at its best  overrated wrestler-stevie richards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awards Moderator HarmonicGenerator Posted March 20, 2011 Awards Moderator Share Posted March 20, 2011 Whenever Ring of Honor is brought up in conversation, many of us will instantly think of a psychology-free, spot-heavy, characterless haven for fat, greasy American fans who've never been laid and rarely venture far from their parents' houses. It's a perspective which would be difficult to argue against, and I have little intention of doing so.  However, a few years ago, hidden beneath the spotlight occupied by Nigel McGuinness head butting ring posts, and when the Briscoes weren't performing in bouts which amounted to little more than wanking material for the hardcore ROH perverts, Gabe Sapolsky had time to book a little faction called the Embassy, which was managed by Prince Nana and featured Alex Shelley and my choice, Jimmy Rave.  Now I don't know the full back story to the Embassy or the storylines that were going on at the time, but what I do know is that Jimmy Rave could attract heat like I'd never seen the likes of before. I was amazed at the way he was getting the crowd to react to him, and it seemed as though the fans were ready to riot. I managed to find a fair few matches of his on the internet around that time and he was achieving the same awesome level of heel heat no matter which promotion he was performing in (granted, there was only so much he could do in front of 42 fans in some of the venues).  Rave was one of the few guys in ROH who got over by merit of his character, not how many rotations he could turn coming from the top rope or how hard he could kick his opponent whilst wearing kick pads. Prince Nana worked perfectly as Rave's mouthpiece, though that isn't to say he couldn't hold his own on the microphone when needed. He also proved during his ROH title match against Danielson that he could go toe to toe with the best of them, never looking out of his depth once.  Jimmy Rave would be a wrestler I would find hard to place in WWE. However, he's the exact type of guy who, alongside guys like Robert Roode and AJ Styles, would be perfect at the top of the TNA 'homegrown' pile. Booked properly and even comforted with the backing of Prince Nana in TNA if necessary, I am adamant that Rave would have succeeded.  It was a complete travesty the way that this kid was booked as being the drizzling shits in TNA. Jimmy Rave was the biggest waste of a talent from the latter half of the 00's that I can think of.  That's a good shout actually, he was great with The Embassy, though I think Nana may have been an integral cog in that - probably the high point of his career as well (being a semi-regular enhancement guy in a leopard-skin leotard on WWF Metal aside).     I'm going with Spike Dudley in WWE. Not the most obvious choice, but I've picked him because he's not the most obvious choice - for anything. Looking at him, he's the last guy you'd ever expect to even get a chance in WWE, let alone get over and keep his job for a good few years. He even got a t-shirt:   He's mainly known for being a bump machine, but doing that well must be a lot more difficult than it looks. Elaborating on Super Cena's points about typical ROH guys, it doesn't matter how hard you kick someone if they don't sell it, and Spike helped a lot of guys get over as total monsters. Not just the likes of Awesome in ECW, but Brock Lesnar on his first night in WWE (triple powerbomb wasn't it?) and even Undertaker during his 'RESPECT ME' period. I remember Spike saying on WWE.com that the worst bump he ever took was a chokeslam from Taker from the ring to the floor. Stupid, yes, but also incredibly gutsy.  He added a lot to the Dudleys to keep them fresh in 2001 - his run-in and involvement in TLC 2 is extremely entertaining. He proved he could do the 'entertainment' side of sports entertainment with his stuff with Molly Holly - still one of my favourite wrestling 'couples', along with Trish and Christian, and I should point out here that Trish as a heel was also pretty underrated. And he got a main event match against Steve Austin. Not many guys billed as being 150 pounds could say that.  So, I put forward the suggestion that Spike Dudley is very much underrated. DUDLEY DAWG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePhenom Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Bradshaw He is an amazing talent, and he doesn't get nearly as much praise as he should get. I enjoy all of his promos, nearly all of his matches are fun, he has the look of a a right hard nut, and he could beat anyone up for real (The Blue Meanie's black eye of June 2005 is an example of this). He is smart as well, he left when he felt his body was giving up on him, and is rich. All he has to do is play golf all day! I enjoy him as Justin Hawk, The Blackjack, the Shotgun Saturday Night hard nut, the Ministry member, the APA partner and the rich cowboy who outgrew Texas. Not only that, I give him 5 stars for his commentary as well. If you haven't seen it, give the match with Eddie Guerrero a watch from Judgement Day 2004. I enjoyed it almost as much as Rock/Austin from Wrestlemania 17. He truly is a superstar of this generation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pitcos Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 CRASH! AAAA-AAAAAAAH! King of the impossible! Â I loved Crash Holly during his big Hardcore title era. Played a perfect character for his size, and did it so well. Like Spike, he was a great underdog. He made non-entities like the Headbangers interesting for a few minutes. I was willing him to beat Kurt Angle at King of the Ring. It was a shame his career dropped off a cliff when they bought WCW. I liked him being added to the MFers in 2003, but that was all too short-lived. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted March 20, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 I'm going with Crash Holly. He almost single-handedly kept me interested in the lower card WWE for about 2 years with his work in the Hardcore division. He played his role absolutely perfectly. He was naturally funny, he instantly adapted the 'Houdini Of Hardcore' idea to his character, and he was also technically a very fine wrestler.  I miss him  EDIT - Fucking hell, King Pitcos, that's as spooky as fuck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted March 20, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted March 20, 2011 he could beat anyone up for real   This man says otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Pitcos Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Great minds, Gladstone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.