8 Most Underrated Texas Wrestlers

8. Lance Hoyt

Just why didn't this fella make it in WWE? He's 6ft 8in tall, weighs 270lbs, is a good-looking chap and can work. He had pretty much everything that WWE looks for in a top talent but he barely made an impression during his all-too-brief spell there. 

Hoyt made his name in WWE after several years working the Texas indie scene. He signed with the Nashville-based organisation in 2004 as 'Dallas', bodyguard and tag team partner of Kid Kash. The big man/little man duo worked well and very quickly won the TNA Tag Team Titles. 

When Kash left the company a year later Hoyt was left without a partner and so he turned face and went solo, developing a strong cult following shortly thereafter. Despite his burgeoning popularity and a noted improvement in his in-ring work, Hoyt was never pushed above the midcard. 

After a couple of years teaming with Jimmy Rave as the 'Rock and Rave Connection', Hoyt left TNA in February of 2009 and signed a contract with WWE, switching up his ring gear, shaving his beard and cutting his hair in the process. 

The new look Hoyt, wrestling as Vance Archer, didn't exactly set the world on fire on WWE's C show ECW, mind. He basically wrestled a succession of meaningless matches before teaming up with Curt Hawkins as 'The Gatecrashers'. They claimed they were there to 'make an impact' but they barely caused a ripple in the waters of WWE, unfortunately. 

Archer got to show what he was capable of in matches on Superstars agains guys like Chris Masters but it was clear he was on borrowed time and that the company had no major plans for him. He was just a guy filling a spot, despite having a tremendous upside. Archer was released on November 19 2010, about a year on from his WWE TV debut. 

Since his release, however, Archer has found success in Japan as a member of the Killer Elite Squad. He and Davey Boy Smith Jr. have quietly become one of the most accomplished tag teams in the world over the last few years.