10 Most Underrated Wrestlers Of 2023

5. Santos Escobar

Athena underrated
WWE.com

Santos Escobar isn't short of flowers for his bell-to-bell run on the main roster, which never falls below three stars and typically shoots higher. But for most of 2023, he's been one of the most captivating figures on WWE television for establishing the when-not-if atmosphere around his heel turn on Rey Mysterio.

Having lost a chance at a shot at the Intercontinental Championship in a February fatal four-way that also included Mysterio, he reached out to the Hall-Of-Famer to offer his immense respect when he needed it most. Rey was embroiled in a bitter feud with his own son, and Santos looked more than ready to occupy that spot, especially when the LWO was reimagined and reformed around their relationship.

Since then, tensions delicately built around the pair, especially when Rey yet again got in the way of Escobar winning gold and seemingly favoured a returning Carlito's wishes over his. The former Legado Del Fantasma boss continued to grin until he couldn't bear it, and through some fantastic performances, we all got to see it coming apart from the less-than-totally innocent victim himself.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett