20 Most Underrated WWE Stars Of The Past 20 Years

A lot of nonsense gets talked about Paul London’s laissez-faire attitude towards his work in his run in WWE from late 2003 to late 2008. They claim the man was ego personified, convinced he could coast on his God-given talent in the ring without having to work hard, or take anything seriously.

There’s certainly no evidence that London was ever lazy in the ring. A storming talent, he regularly gave everything he had in tag team and singles action. It’s certainly possible that he could have given the impression that he was goofing off: London’s nothing if not irreverent, and takes few people seriously, least of all himself.

One thing he does tend to take very seriously is his work, however. Paul London may have made his name performing acrobatic cruiserweight moves at a time when few WWE stars were doing that kind of thing, but he’s not just about the flips… not then, and not now.

Back in the day, he was considered one of the best and brightest of the new independent wrestling scene, a man who could play babyface and heel with equal style and verve, who could sell like he was feeding his family with the commission.

Had he held off signing with the WWE for a few more years, he, Daniel Bryan and CM Punk might have torn the place up together. Instead, he was released in November 2008, having never really been taken seriously in the company.

It’s always possible that a little insolence greased his way out of the company - London’s never been shy about taking the p*ss, then or now. Still, it’s a massive loss - for the company and for the fans - that this generation’s Ricky Steamboat never got the opportunity he deserved to shine on the big stage.