Sheamus & the 7 Best Current Foreign-Born WWE Superstars

The first "W" in the WWE, as we all know, stands for "World."

Yet, when you look at the company's roster, it's comprised largely of American-born superstars and Divas. This is definitely something the company needs to work on, as it could certainly benefit from adding some more international stars.

Still, the WWE does have a number of foreign-born performers who help make that "W" actually mean something, and in fact, a number of the company's top performers were born somewhere other than the US.

The WWE has used plenty of talents from abroad, but just which international superstars stand out from the rest of the pack.

Let's take a look, with my rankings of the WWE's seven best current foreign-born superstars.

NOTE: Christian will not be considered for this list because of inactivity, nor will William Regal because he's almost strictly an announcer these days.

7. Justin Gabriel

Wrestling fans seemed to be mixed on Justin Gabriel, with some thinking that he's a highly athletic and entertaining superstar and others viewing him as nothing more than a bland high-flyer.

But me? I'm a big fan of the South African superstar.

No, he's not the most charismatic wrestler out there, and he hasn't shown a ton of skills on the mic in the limited opportunities he's had to do so. But he's a ridiculously agile and athletic performer who does his talking in the ring and actually connects with the crowd pretty well, especially considering how seldom he's been pushed.

A former three-time WWE Tag Team Champion, Gabriel will never be a main eventer. Yet, he brings a lot of value to the midcard as an awe-inspiring aerial artist and can do things in the ring that no one else on the roster can. 

I think his current push in the midcard is more than warranted, as he's patiently waited for the chance to show that his in-ring skill is unlike anyone we've seen in the WWE's.

While Gabriel will never be a huge draw, he is one of the most underrated workers in the WWE and should have a place in the company for the foreseeable future.

6. Antonio Cesaro

Antonio Cesaro made his WWE debut roughly six months ago, and it's clear that company officials have high hopes for him.

Cesaro, who was born in Switzerland, made a name for himself in ROH as "Claudio Castagnoli," came to the WWE with a bit of a cult following and took just a handful of months to win one of the WWE's midcard titles, the United States Championship.

While Cesaro certainly has the wrestling background and the support of the higher-ups, he's largely unproven on the grand stage of the WWE.

He hasn't been around that long, and during his short span on the main roster, he hasn't been given a whole lot of opportunities to get in the ring and steal the show. That's largely the fault of the creative team, which also hasn't done a whole lot with Cesaro's character.

Beyond speaking five languages, there isn't much to Cesaro's gimmick, which seems to be his biggest drawback at the moment.

Still, anyone who watches Cesaro when he's in the ring can tell that he really knows what he's doing, and anyone who watched him in ROH knows that he's a bona fide star just waiting to explode. 

Cesaro's talent is worthy of a higher spot on this list, but until he gets involved in more high-profile feuds and matches, he's going to stay right here.

5. Tyson Kidd

Tyson Kidd has been signed with the WWE since 2006, and over the course of his six years there, he's proven to be one of the most misused superstars in the company.

Though Kidd is not overly charismatic and is only average on the mic, he is, without a doubt, one of the very best in-ring performers in the business.

The Canadian-born Kidd, who is the final graduate of the famous Hart Dungeon, is both an incredibly skilled technician and an extremely athletic high-flyer—a rare mix in a business where most wrestlers are usually one or the other.

Aside from a couple of tag team title runs with DH Smith, Kidd hasn't really been pushed to the same level as his talent, as he's consistently spent the majority of his time on the WWE's lesser-watched shows like NXT and Superstars.

All it takes is a look at one of those matches or even his performance in the Money in the Bank match earlier this year, though, to see that Kidd is highly underrated and definitely underused.

I'm not sure Kidd will ever get a fair shake at making it to the top of the WWE, but should the WWE ever decide to capitalize on his great in-ring abilities, he could be an upper midcard fixture in the company for years to come.

4. Kofi Kingston

Remember when Kofi Kingston was supposed to be Jamaican? 

Well, we know he's not and that he was actually born in Ghana before moving to the United States early on in his childhood. It was here in the US that he began to pursue his dream to become a pro wrestler, and I think it's safe to say that he picked the right profession.

Though Kingston is another one of those stars who gets criticized for his supposed lack of mic skills, I think he's actually pretty solid on stick, and as we all know, he's one of the best and most consistent in-ring performers in the entire WWE.

In a recent article, I compared Kingston to Ricky Steamboat because he's spent his entire career as a babyface, almost always puts on great matches and continues to be over with the crowd. But like Steamboat as well, I'm just not sure he'll ever make it to the very tip top of the WWE.

Kingston has held the WWE Tag Team, Intercontinental and United States Championships a total of eight times, but I don't know that he'll ever be more than a solid upper midcarder. In fact, he may have reached his peak position on the card way back in late 2009 during his feud with Randy Orton.

That's not necessarily a bad place to be, though, because I think Kingston will always have a spot in the WWE and continue to be one of its most exciting performers for years to come.

3. Alberto Del Rio

Next to John Cena, Alberto Del Rio might be the most criticized man in the WWE.

After "The Mexican Aristocrat" made a huge splash upon his WWE debut, he's quickly become one of the stalest characters in the company and could definite use some sort of gimmick change to freshen himself up.

That being said, ADR remains one of the most talented performers in the WWE, especially in the ring. He's got a unique, somewhat "old school" style that isn't flashy, but typically results in good matches when he's working with the right opponent.

Most fans don't really seem to hate on Del Rio for his in-ring skills, though, which are well above average. Rather, it's his aforementioned staleness as well as his mic skills that are seen as the problem.

I actually don't think Del Rio is bad on the stick. At all. I think his accent and broken English can make his promos hard to follow at times, but when it comes to the tone of his voice and his facial expressions, they're pretty damn good.

Del Rio certainly isn't going to be a fan favorite or someone who's loved by the WWE fans, but the former three-time WWE Championship has carved himself a nice little niche as an upper midcarder, and deservedly so.

He's great at what he does, even if he is still stale.

2. Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett is awesome. There, I said it.

When the English-born Barrett first made it to the WWE's main roster as the leader of Nexus in 2010, he brought with him the same excellent mic skills that made the winner of the first season of NXT. His fantastic abilities as a talker, however, have never really been in question.

Most people can see that Barrett is one of the WWE's best mic workers, but what's impressed me most about him over the last couple of years is how much he's improved in the ring.

Admittedly, I didn't think Barrett was quite ready to put on main event-caliber matches in late 2010. But now? He's established himself as one of the best big men around.

His recent matches with Sheamus have been very good, and his pre-injury matches with Randy Orton were some of the better bouts of his career. Now, it's just a matter of keeping that momentum going.

Barrett has been out of the loop for a while and hasn't had a real storyline since his return from injury, but at 32-years-old and with a ton of experience working in the main event, he's only one step away from being a main eventer again or even a World champion.

Just wait. The Barrett Barrage is about to take over the WWE.

1. Sheamus

Hating on Sheamus has become the "cool" thing to do as of late, but if you can overlook the ridiculously strong booking of his character, you'll probably see that he's one of the best all-around talents in the WWE.

No, Sheamus isn't an elite mic worker, and yes, he can be far too corny at times. But he's an above average talker, is pretty damn charismatic and has a likability that you wouldn't expect a pasty redhead to have.

What's perhaps Sheamus' biggest strength, however, is his ability as a wrestler. Since 2009, he's gone from someone who was nowhere near ready to be in a main event to someone who almost always puts on good matches.

The first Irish-born WWE Champion in history has consistently had some great matches over the last year or so with a number of guys, including Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler and Randy Orton. Along the way, he's developed into a highly underrated seller and arguably the best brawler around.

I understand that Sheamus isn't everyone's cup of tea and that he's booked way too strongly, but I can't really hate on a guy with a great work ethic who's a fantastic representative for the WWE and consistently delivers in the ring.

I mean, what more could I ask for out of a top guy?

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter!