The worst wrestlers who aren’t actually bad

[RedTwoster]

Inspired by Charlotte Flair.

And she maybe illustrates the point of this thread - who are, to you, the worst wrestlers around who aren’t actually bad at wrestling?

Charlotte, for me, is consistently involved in terrible angles and storylines, and she’s frequently shunted in at the top of the card, while rarely contributing anything you’d want to see.

In fact, I’m struggling to think of anything she’s done that I’ve enjoyed - although it could be that the awful stuff has overshadowed the positives. 

So who do you think is terrible, without actually being bad?

[SuperBacon]

Seth Rollins.

[TheScarlettChad]

Chris Jericho. He can be a great character, great promo. but hes been insufferable for almost a decade. He peaked with The LIst.

[Callum1993]

Jimmy Uso. 

[Snitsky's back acne]

Lex Luger always got shit for being a bad wrestler but put him in there with the right opponent and he was great. 

[Cousin Jim Bob]

Adam Cole and his Undisputed mob nowadays in AEW.

Seth Rollins is a great shout. Is obviously talented in the ring but everything else is so shit.

Edited April 7, 2025 by Cousin Jim Bob

[Jesse]

I think the #1 on this list is The Game himself, Triple H.

He has a historic love of the work, puts in the graft at the gym (and the pharmacy), wrestled perfectly competently, and was pushed to the top for forever (and is still all over the place now). But just has the worst instincts of maybe any good wrestler for what people want to see. Stunk up the joint at the vast majority of his big matches, and I'm sure is where Jericho learned to leech the heat out of anything that gets over (and keep doing a gimmick that has gone past enjoyable and into embarassing).

Much like Charlotte Flair he's almost infuriating to watch because you get the sense in a different world where he wasn't best mates with the big boys and then in with the boss - and had people willing to say no to him - he might have actually turned into someone you wanted to see.
 

[IronSheik]

Hogan's a good nomination for this. He was always more skilled than what we saw on a national level but he got over by simplifying his in-ring style to the point where the masses probably didn't want to see him do the technical shit that he learned working in Japan and Hiro Matsuda. 

The definition of "work" which I subscribe to is all about how wrestlers capture and manipulate the emotions of the audience and there can be no questions Hogan was brilliant at that. 

[air_raid]

3 hours ago, IronSheik said:

Hogan's a good nomination for this.

Hogan is the complete opposite of this. This is for Charlotte and Triple H and Seth Rollins who are “good wrestlers” seemingly but are actually shit. Hogan gets criticised for being basic or “not being able to wrestle” but actually most of us grew up loving watching him and plenty still do love his greatest hits.

[IronSheik]

3 minutes ago, air_raid said:

Hogan is the complete opposite of this. This is for Charlotte and Triple H and Seth Rollins who are “good wrestlers” seemingly but are actually shit. Hogan gets criticised for being basic or “not being able to wrestle” but actually most of us grew up loving watching him and plenty still do love his greatest hits.

"The worst wrestlers who aren’t actually bad" I'm reading that the way you have explained above. A good wrestler who some sections have accused of being shit when in actual fact he's good?

[air_raid]

At least you got Cena in the right thread.

[LaGoosh]

14 hours ago, Jesse said:

I think the #1 on this list is The Game himself, Triple H.

He has a historic love of the work, puts in the graft at the gym (and the pharmacy), wrestled perfectly competently, and was pushed to the top for forever (and is still all over the place now). But just has the worst instincts of maybe any good wrestler for what people want to see. Stunk up the joint at the vast majority of his big matches, and I'm sure is where Jericho learned to leech the heat out of anything that gets over (and keep doing a gimmick that has gone past enjoyable and into embarassing).

Much like Charlotte Flair he's almost infuriating to watch because you get the sense in a different world where he wasn't best mates with the big boys and then in with the boss - and had people willing to say no to him - he might have actually turned into someone you wanted to see.
 

Triple H is definitely my number 1. For someone with the long career he's had his actual body of work is pretty terrible. Very few genuine moments of brilliance or creativity. His list of great matches is woefully short for someone of his stature and I don't think there's any Triple H promos that are particularly memorable (in a good way). He's a decent brawler and everything he does looks good and like he's trying to hurt his opponent but he's desperate to be the type of NWA wrestler he grew up idolising when he doesn't have any of the skills to do it. Almost lal his offence is based around irish whips for some reason. He bumps like shit. He's got a small handful of tricks that he uses in every main event he's ever been in. In his whole career never really got anyone else over and actively hurt others (Randy Orton especially). Just endless years of boring and depressing shite. Only had one period where he was consistently great week to week and that was 6 months in 2000. I hate the fucking guy, he's the shits.

However he's also got great fundamentals and timing, looks the business and has enough physical charisma that everything he's involved in feels important. You can see that there's a brilliant worker in there if he just got out of his own way, changed things up and did what he was actually good at rather than what he thinks he's actually good at.

Edited April 8, 2025 by LaGoosh

[BomberPat]

The most frustrating thing about Triple H is that he is capable of more. Against Daniel Bryan and against Ronda Rousey were the only times since the Cactus Jack feud that I've seen him actively work as the heel who has got in over their head and is made to regret it, actually begging off and selling like crazy. That's what, by the time of The Authority story, he should have been doing. His Roman Reigns Wrestlemania match should have been him getting absolutely steamrolled by the new star, not a thirty minute slog dragging Reigns down into the worst kind of Triple H match.

It speaks to one of the things I really dislike about him, and that really betrays this idea of him as this old-school guy who really gets wrestling - he has to be everything at once. He'd be the evil boss in The Authority, but then he's showing up to introduce an NXT show and get all the praise as the babyface booker, and then next week is Old School RAW, so for that show he's going to put on a DX T-shirt and do corny promos with Shawn Michaels, and the week after that he'll be back in a suit as the heel boss. No consistency of character, he has to be everything all at once, because the most important thing is that you all recognise how cool and important Triple H is.

Outside of Ronda Rousey, I don't think there's a single wrestler who can say that they had their best match with Triple H, and that's a terrible legacy for a wrestler who, at his best, was supposed to be the guy who made the real top stars look good.

[LaGoosh]

Triple H always makes his opponent work his match rather than the other way round. And that usually doesn't work too well because his match is boring and shit and usually negates all his opponents strengths. The few times he's actually bent and worked for his opponent rather than for himself the matches are usually pretty great.

Edited April 8, 2025 by LaGoosh

[tiger_rick]

20 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

Outside of Ronda Rousey, I don't think there's a single wrestler who can say that they had their best match with Triple H, and that's a terrible legacy for a wrestler who, at his best, was supposed to be the guy who made the real top stars look good.

That's a real thinker that I've never considered. What a great way to consider it. I'd think a lot of people might put Batista in there. I possibly would. 

Got me thinking about my favourite HHH matches. There are the Cactus ones in 2000, obviously, HBK at SummerSlam 2002 and then the Raw one at the end of 2003, some surprisingly good stuff with Flair around 2005, The Rock in 2000, particularly the Ironman and the one with Jon Moxley at Roadblock that time. The Steve Austin 3 stages of hell is highly rated but the dreadful one with HBK put me off ever watching any of them again. 

From that lot, I think The Rock could have had his best matches with Trips? Maybe it's Austin but I think that's the only close one.