8 Most Underrated Texas Wrestlers

Did you know that WrestleMania 32 took place in Dallas, Texas in front of a record-setting crowd of 101,637? Did WWE mention that mammoth audience and that the show was taking place in the Lone Star State? Did they? Thought they might have done. A lot. 

To be fair to them, WWE were right to pay such extensive tribute to wrestlers from Texas over WrestleMania weekend. The WWE Hall of Fame inductions of Stan Hansen, The Fabulous Freebirds and Jacqueline Moore were all deserved and the appearances of Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels, two of the best wrestlers to ever emanate from Texas, created two of the biggest pops of the night. The show would have felt lacking without their presence. 

And then there were the Texas-born performers actually wrestling matches on the show, such as The Undertaker and Mark Henry, along with broadcasters JBL and Booker T. Indeed, Texas and wrestling seem to go hand-in-hand and WWE have deep ties to the state. 

Ties deeper than you might imagine, as scores more former WWE stars also hail from Texas. WWE might not play up their heritage on air, and they might come to the ring wearing a Stetson hat and brandishing a cowbell, but they were Texans nonetheless - even if it wasn't immediately obvious. 

And they deserve to be celebrated for their contributions to the business. On this most Texas-centric of weeks, let's take a look at some underrated wrestlers born/based in Texas.

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.