Year End Sorting Bins: Well, Sure, Maybe, I Guess, Perhaps

He can do good shit, but man, Ospreay just is a turnoff otherwise
Photo Credit: NJPW website

The next category in the sorting bins is "Begrudging Toleration." These wrestlers are as the bin name says, those I tolerate. I don't actively hate them like I do in the other category, but if they're on screen, well, I'm probably going for the other person. Additionally, this and the next two boxes will not have writeups for everyone, because do you want me to be here the rest of the year just writing this one up? Without further ado...

Will Ospreay - The shame part is that Ospreay is a pretty good performer, great sometimes. Every time I see him in the ring, it's like I'm watching the future of wrestling unfold in front of my eyes. That being said, the dude faves racist tweets, bitches and moans about people stealing moves that he borrowed three degrees from the original, and is notoriously bad at Twitter. Every time I wanna feel good about watching him, he gives me five reasons to want to never see his ass again.

Trent Seven - I hate that he gets clowned on for his body type, because fat-shaming is bad. He should get clowned upon because he's a replacement-level worker.

Mauro Ranallo - The bloom came off his rose really quickly. It sucks that he got bullied by human wastebasket JBL, but at the same time, he came back to NXT and was... well, still not as good as his billing in the Cruiserweight Classic.

Billy Gunn - The novelty of seeing him working the New Japan America shows was fun for like a minute, but then Gedo put him in a nearly 15 minute match and well no.

Austin Aries - I felt bad for him for a hot second after his promo meltdown at his House of Hardcore debut, but man, has anyone done less with more than Aries in his career?

Lacey Evans - If the phrase "all lives matter" was made flesh incarnate, that would be Evans, but I'll admit she's a really good worker for her skill level.

Jinder Mahal - Oh boy. I don't think I've ever really enjoyed watching him work outside of comedy stuff in 3MB, but then he went and concussed Finn B�lor and got a main event push. He became a talking point, and the amount of cacophony around him got super annoying to the point where he wasn't a wrestler but a talking point. You could see him improving incrementally, and it absolutely sucked that his entire push was based on racism, but man, the amount of narrative weight sunk into him in 2017 on Smackdown was a waste.

Matt Sydal - Someone check those Peruvian hallucinogens he's been taking because he's turned out to be a massive throbbing cock lately, hasn't he.

Bray Wyatt - I want to like Wyatt, and it's accurate to admit that it isn't all his fault, but how many good wrestlers have overcome shitty booking to show some sort of worth? It's to the point where I'm annoyed WWE is wasting Broken, I'm sorry, "Woken" Matt Hardy on him.

Enzo Amore - He's another guy I really want to like, and honestly, I think I'm re-turning a corner on him in the new year, but it's like putting him in the cruiserweight division when he still can't work feels like a continued slap in the face of everyone who got excited for the division after the CWC.

Hirooki Goto - The big Goto rehabilitation is happening right now, and I still don't see it. He's kinda like if Randy Orton were not a creep and a bit beefier. I just don't get him.

Simon Grimm - I asked if anyone has done less with more than Austin Aries, but Grimm/Gotch comes really close.

Tessa Blanchard - I'd be okay with her as a backstage asshole if she were a) any good, b) not a sanctimonious prick, but hey, she's both!

Brock Lesnar - The only saving grace Lesnar has anymore is that whenever you think his presence on the show is a detriment, he goes out and has a bomb match. But he's just not around enough anymore that the blinks in quality matter.

The Undertaker - Honestly, he should've retired years ago. But he just shows up, and it's groan-inducing. The match with Roman Reigns at Mania was just embarrassing, and you could tell Reigns was just straining and straining to get something out of him. It's just sad to watch anymore.

And the Rest: Bo Dallas, Carmella, Chavo Guerrero, Chris Dickinson, Crummels and DeFarge, Curt Hawkins, Dana Brooke, Dasha Fuentes, Deonna Purrazzo, Ivelisse Velez, Joey Ryan, Karl Anderson, Kenny King, Laynie Luck, Luke Gallows, Marty Scurll, Mike Quackenbush, Nigel McGuinness, Noam Dar, Riddick Moss, R-Truth, Seth Rollins, Sexy Star, Singh Bros., Team Sea Stars, Tino Sabbatelli, Tyler Bate, Vanessa Borne, Wolfgang, Yoshi Tatsu, Yujiro Takahashi