TOP TEN MOST UNDERUTILIZED WRESTLERS OF THE 2000s
(By PWTorch.com reader B.P.)

Over the years, there's been a ton of superstars (some of whom are still around today) that WWE has really missed their chance on or will miss their chance on if they continue going the way they're going.

(10) Jack Swagger: Looking at his stint in ECW, mainly the feud with Christian and his time at the top of the brand, Swagger was a heel that I really enjoyed watching. He has the perfect charisma and although he's not perfect on the mic, spending their time making fun of his speech impediment and putting him in lame Superstars Matches is really screwing him over. Swagger can make it big as a Heel or a Face, and WWE doesn't seem to realize that.

(9) Charlie Haas: Really? I mean this guy's quite good at technical wrestling, and from what I've seen he's got some nice high-flying offense as well. He's been nothing more than a midcarder in what's almost been seven years now. WWE - from what I've read on other sites - is paying him to stay home rather than releasing him, when he could be high-carding feuds with Dolph Ziggler and the likes. A bad move on their part.

(8) Mr. Kennedy: This guy was awesome. He could connect as a Heel or a Face, and he had incredible in ring skill. Instead they release him after one week of being back. I know the guy had some injuries, but that doesn't mean he couldn't eventually work through them and get the well deserved push. No Mercy 06', Last Ride Match, anyone? The guy had what it took to make it big.

(7) The Miz: Yeah, I know, he's the United States Champion. So what? Really, that Title hasn't meant anything since 2004-05 when it was held by John Cena/Carlito or Eddie Guerrero/Big Show. It's basically a prop, and when we DO get Matches with The Miz, they're about five minutes long, or less. He's shown that he has amazing mic skills and good ring work, yet they refuse to push him to that level that he could (and should) be at.

(6) Carlito: He cut a great promo against John Cena, and before that had a nice run in the Tag Team Division with Primo. Then, they just seperated them and ruined both of their careers. They could have kept Carlito and Primo together and had another good Tag Team in the Tag Division.

(5) M.V.P.: Another great star, who'se being held down by the World's Most Boring Wrestler. I like Mark Henry, but these two don't make a good pairing and even when they feuded for the Tag Belts, the Matches seemed to drag rather than excite. I'd much rather see M.V.P. feud with Randy Orton or even feud WITH Mark Henry, rather than against him.

(4) Kofi Kingston: I thought there was hope when Kofi Kingston trashed the car, and won the Tag Match at Survivor Series, but they can't keep this feud going well enough. I'm disappointed that WWE gave Kofi the ball, but they didn't put much air in it to keep it going. (Bad analogy, I know.) Still, Kofi Kingston is over with the fans and he's amazing in the ring but he can't seem to take that last step to stardom.

(3) Christian: Christian is GREAT. He's one of my favorite superstars and he's perfect on the mic as a heel or a Face. Yet he's still on ECW? Why? I love ECW as much as the next guy, but Christian could be selling out arenas in Matches with people like Randy Orton or C.M. Punk, especially after seeing their Survivor Series Match. Instead he's ignored on SyFy Channel that nobody watches. Disappointing.

(2) Zack Ryder: I was never really sold on Ryder, even when he was moved to ECW with a new gimmick. Then, I saw his Match with Christian, and the following Match, and it really clicked that this guy has that personality that people are going to hate, and he can get over as a heel really well. Instead he's jumping on couches and jobbing to Kane. What sense does that make? On Smackdown, Ryder could team with someone like Dolph Ziggler and they'd have a really high-card Tag Team especially since they're both so high on themselves.

(1) Dolph Ziggler: This guy, like it or not, is a Future World Champion. Dolph Ziggler has in-ring style, charisma, and talent that is unique. He has a pretty badass finisher too and fitting theme music. I loved when he started to get pushed on Smackdown, and seeing him outperform Batista in his first Match on Raw many months ago was enough to sell me on him. I don't know what WWE did to kill his push, but it's stupid and it's not clicking with me. Move him to Raw and get rid of Hornswoggle, then let him feud with Shawn Michaels. Really.

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Send your top ten lists on either the year 2009 or the decade of the 2000s based on any criteria to pwtorch@gmail.com. Thanks!

[Mr. Kennedy art by Grant Gould (c) PWTorch]

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