20 Most Underrated WWE Stars Of The Past 20 Years

Tyler Kluttz had close to two years in training before his OVW debut, another two years before signing to WWE developmental and further two years before being called up to the main roster to play a (mostly) non-wrestling character. It’s safe to say the kid wasn’t setting the world on fire with his grappling.

So what makes Kluttz so special? Well, that kid was Brad Maddox, corrupt referee turned RAW General Manager. For a while, the rumour was that management were high on his work, and Maddox held that position on television for nearly eleven months between July 2013 and May 2014, playing the hapless figurehead and scapegoat for the Authority’s bullying kingpins.

And he was great. Maddox has a gift for performance and the promo that few veterans ever possess - cutting a quick promo to John Laurinaitis backstage is what got him the developmental contract in the first place.

Every chance he got to appear on television he’d squeeze every last drop of opportunity out of whatever humiliating backstage segment or beatdown he was expected to receive. Brad Maddox was regularly one of the more entertaining aspects of Monday Night RAW for a year… as long as you weren’t hoping for him to wrestle.

Brad Maddox’ story isn’t Daniel Bryan’s story. This underdog didn’t get his shot - he lost the GM role, and creative had nothing else for him. Without the pugnacious self-belief necessary to claw his way back onto television, he was on borrowed time: he was let go in November 2015 over some negligible error in judgment at a live show, having done nothing memorable in eighteen months except get chokeslammed by the Undertaker on The Tonight Show while dressed as a turkey.

Since then, he’s mostly disappeared from view, which is a crying shame. Quite apart from anything else, his comedic chops were first rate.

If he’s given up on wrestling, there may well be other options available for a smart, funny, creative guy with TV experience. Just a thought.