WWE: John Morrison and the 25 Best Mid-Carders in WWE History

Hello Folks! Welcome to a list of the 25 best mid-carders in WWE history.

For those who don’t know, mid-carder is someone who wrestles before the main event, but after the opening contests—they wrestle in the middle of the show, hence the name mid-carder.

Most wrestlers start off in the mid-card before working their way up the ranks, but some are destined to stay in this position for their entire careers.

Mid-carders only ever win up to the secondary title of the company, though they may occasionally get a shot at the top prize. Some never even manage the secondary title.

However, they can become just as famous as main event wrestlers, cementing their place as some of the greatest in WWE history.

I have compiled a list of who I believe are the best of these mid-card wrestlers. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the read.

25. Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy found fame in the WWF, from teaming up with his brother Jeff and forming the daredevil tag team, The Hardy Boyz.

Known for their suicidal moves and lack of concern for their own well-being, the Hardy Boyz were a big hit throughout the Attitude Era.

Their ladder matches became a staple of their act and it wasn’t uncommon to see them both flying around the ring.

While his brother Jeff went onto higher heights, Matt stayed around the mid-card throughout his career.

Despite this, he has managed to amass a healthy portfolio of titles throughout his WWE tenure. Winning no less than eight Tag Team Championships, the European championship, the Hardcore Championship, the Cruiserweight Championship and the United States Championship, Matt Hardy became fairly well decorated.

Very popular with the fans, he was released for a short time in 2005, a move which outraged the WWE Universe.

He featured in some good storylines, and managed to capture the ECW Championship toward the end of his career.

He was never pushed to the Main Event, and will always be remembered for being instrumental in making the TLC match one of the best match types in WWE history.

He parted with the WWE in 2011, leaving to work with rival company TNA.

24. Evan Bourne

Evan Bourne has only been with the company for three years, but his high-flying daredevil style has become a staple of Monday Night Raw—even the way he enters the ring is unfeasible.

His Air Bourne finisher often defies the laws of gravity and he is an excellent Superstar to watch.

He looks set to start a mid-card program with Jack Swagger.

23. Crash Holly

Real name Mike Lockwood, Crash Holly bounced on the scene as the storyline cousin of Hardcore Holly in 1999.

He soon became known as the “Houdini of Hardcore” for his uncanny ability to win hardcore matches with men almost twice his size.

He invented the 24/7 rule for the Hardcore Championship and subsequently became a 22-time Hardcore Champion.

He also found success in the volatile tag team he formed with Hardcore Holly, managing to win the tag team Championships just one time.

He also managed to capture the European Championship and the Light-Heavyweight Championship.

Once the Brand extension happened, Holly became lost in the mix and ended up leaving for TNA in 2003.

Unfortunately, he died shortly after at the age of 32.

Despite only being with the company for four years, Crash Holly brought a lot of fun to WWE programming, especially during his reigns as Hardcore Champion.

22. Val Venis

Real name Sean Morley, Val Venis was an entertaining wrestler who wrestled in the mid-card for his whole WWE career.

He was very popular with the fans—especially the ladies. His gimmick consisted of being a porn-star, before he realised the error of his ways, and joined the cult-like group Right To Censor.

However, after this, he was never as prominent as he once was, though he stayed with the company until 2009.

He displayed good wrestling skills and had a certain charisma when wrestling in his porn star persona.

He had memorable feuds with Goldust and Ken Shamrock, though he never advanced further than the Intercontinental Championship, which he held two times in his career.

He also managed to win the European Championship and Tag Team Championship (with Lance Storm).

He currently works for WWE as a producer.

21. Test

Test, this is a Test, Test, Test, this is a Test.

Real name Andrew Martin, Test was a prominent member of the Attitude Era.

He was a member of The Corporation and then the Union.

He is most famous for his relationship with Stephanie McMahon, and his subsequent tag team with Albert.

T & A failed to capture any gold, but he attained a Tag Team Championship with Booker T.

He was also a Intercontinental and European Champion.

He is an extremely well decorated Superstar and his large physique, long blond hair and trademark sunglasses made him instantly recognisable to the audience as a force to be reckoned with.

Despite this, Test never made it to the main event and stayed in the mid-card for his whole WWE career.

He unfortunately died in 2009.

20. Mark Henry

Mark Henry, the World’s Strongest Man, is one of the veterans of the WWE.

Still with the company after 15 years, he has yet to win a World Title and has stayed around the mid-card for the majority of his WWE career.

He originally joined the Nation of Domination and was humorously eliminated from the 1999 Royal Rumble by Chyna.

He has had some memorable feuds, but faded into the background in the mid 2000s.

However, due to being on television regularly since 1998, and having a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 22, he deserves to be on the list as he is a good, entertaining Superstar.

He has come back recently with a new attitude and has been featured in the main events more often so he seems to be breaking his mid-card hell as he comes to the end of his career.

Only time will tell if he wins a World Championship before retirement.

19. Steve Blackman

Though he was only with the WWE for five years, "The Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman made a good impression on the WWE fans.

Utilising his martial arts skills in his wrestling style, he had a great feud with Ken Shamrock in which they competed in a range of different matches.

A six time hardcore champion, he was an extremely entertaining watch and could do things with weapons other wrestlers could only dream of.

He brought a completely different style to the hardcore division.

18. X-Pac

Real name Sean Waltman, X-Pac is considered one of the best mid-carders in history.

This is due to his first run with the WWE as the 1-2-3 Kid. He scored upset victories over big stars at the time and had unprecedented popularity.

He returned to the WWE in 1998 as a member of D-Generation X where he had the same success he’d had as the 1-2-3 Kid.

He never advanced to the main event despite having exceptional in-ring skills and being extremely over with the crowd.

He has had memorable feuds but the one that stands out for me is his feud with Kane.

I believe it is here that X-Pac really showed what he could do and I watched with excitement as he fought the Big Red Machine.

Throughout his career he won the Cruiserweight Championship, the European Championship and the Light-Heavyweight Championship.

He left in 2002 to join TNA. He has recently re-signed with the company.

17. Al Snow

Though Al Snow had wrestled with the WWE before, his most famous role came during his second tenure from 1998-2007.

During this time he managed to attain the European, Hardcore and Tag Team Championships

His best feud in my opinion was against Big Boss Man throughout 1998.

His gimmick of talking to Head, which started in ECW, was a staple of his character and he had unfathomable popularity for a mid-card wrestler.

16. Rikishi

Rikishi debuted in the WWE in 1999 after getting rid of his Sultan gimmick.

He then started a fun-loving trio with Brian Christopher and Scotty Too Hotty known as Too Cool.

However, his involvement in the storyline regarding the mowing down of Austin at Survivor Series 1999 allowed him to showcase his talents slightly higher up on the card.

He was the one driving the car, and this gained him a couple of main event spots.

However, because he spent the majority of his career in the mid-card, this is the reason for him being on this list.

He is a former Intercontinental Champion and was always prominent on WWE television throughout the early Noughties.

His trademark Stinkface has been used by many other Superstars and Divas since he left the company in 2004.

15. Kofi Kingston

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kofi Kingston has flirted with the main event, but we can all thank Randy Orton for derailing that one.

And so, it seems Kofi Kingston is bound to roam the mid-card for the rest of his career.

He is already a three-time Intercontinental Champion and currently holds the US title. His high-flying style sets him apart from some other mid-carders and he is over with the crowd.

He has a decent amount of popularity and some question why he hasn’t been pushed again.

14. Cody Rhodes

Since his gimmick change last year, Cody Rhodes has become one of the best mid-card talents in the WWE.

He was able to showcase his talents against Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania XXVII where he picked up the victory over the Mexican high-flyer.

He is an accomplished wrestler and has held many Tag Team Championships throughout his tenure with the WWE.

With his masked, un-dashing gimmick, Cody looks set to be propelled to higher heights.

He seems to be able to work with anyone and shows a good aggression that makes him extremely entertaining to watch.

But for now, he is one of the best mid-carders the WWE has to offer, and they should avoid pushing him too soon.

He fully deserves a place on this list.

13. Jeff Jarrett

Jarrett made this list due to his run with the WWE from 1997-1999.

I believe that during this run, Jarrett was one of the hottest mid-carders in the WWE at the time.

His feud with X-Pac resulted in him losing his long blond locks and gave him a new look to fit in with the WWE Attitude Era.

Having his valet, Debra resulted in many feuds and storylines for Jarrett but my personal favourite was his feud with Chyna.

He put Chyna over, losing the Intercontinental title to her cleanly at No Mercy 1999.

He won the prestigious title six times throughout his WWE career.

If that doesn’t cement a place on this list, I don’t know what does.

12. MVP

Montel Vontavious Porter turned his life around after serving 9½ years in prison for armed robbery.

He joined the WWE in 2006 and was a prominent mid-carder before his release in 2010.

His most famous mid-card storylines involved his reigns with the US Championship.

He won the prestigious mid-card title twice in his WWE tenure.

He was known as the highest paid SmackDown Superstar for a time, but faded into the background as the company began to change direction.

He now works for New Japan Pro Wrestling.  

11. John Morrison

Had John Morrison not received an injury a few weeks ago, he may not have been featured on this list as he seemed to be getting a push to the main event.

However, as it is, John Morrison’s career has remained around the mid-card up until this point.

Dubbed the “Prince of Parkour”, Morrison’s unorthodox style has been impressing audiences for years.

Just recently, he avoided elimination from the Royal Rumble by landing on the crowd rail and jumping back into the ring.

At the Elimination Chamber, he scaled the roof in a Splinter Cell like moment, dropping on Sheamus as he realised who was above him.

Since winning Tough Enough III, he has won the Intercontinental title three times but has yet to challenge for the richest prize in the business on a pay-per-view in a singles match.

He is extremely entertaining to watch, though his mic skills aren’t up to much, and it is because of his charisma and skills in the ring, that he has made this list.  

10. Shelton Benjamin

The Gold Standard is one of the best Superstars who never received a push to the main event in the WWE.

His impressive technique and ability wowed the IWC and solidified his status as an un-pushed main event superstar.

He debuted in 2002 with Charlie Haas as Team Angle (later the World’s Greatest Tag Team).

He was featured on television for eight years and in this time managed to win the Intercontinental Title three times and the United States Championship once.

He made the Money In The Bank ladder match a lot more exciting than it would have been due to his agility.

He was released in 2010 despite his popularity and currently works for ROH.

Many hope to see him back in the near future.

09. Ken Shamrock

"The world’s most dangerous man" Ken Shamrock looked set to become the next main event Superstar after he won King of the Ring in 1998.

However, this was not to be and his career with the WWE ended shortly after. His legitimate fighting background helped him develop a decent character for himself within the WWE.

He was only with the company for two years but was extremely popular. He was famous for his ankle lock, snapping midway through the match and entering “the zone.”

His feud with Steve Blackman was excellent to watch and provided the WWE with different programming to what the audience was used to, due to the variety of matches that were created for the two men.

Though he managed to capture the Intercontinental title, he never advanced to the main event, hence his inclusion on this list.

08. Santino Marella

We know Santino Marella as a comedy character who wins with a finishing move that looks like the Fingerpoke of Doom.

However, he is one of the best mid-card talents WWE has to offer, I believe it is just his gimmick that is holding him back.

He has won the Intercontinental Title twice, holding the belt for approximately 80 days for each reign.

His wrestling skills are amazing, and it is extremely obvious how skilled he is when watching him today—even with his comedy character gimmick.

The crowd loves him and he is able to cut good promos, injecting comedy to make the segments more than watchable.

Santino, if he became serious again, could move up this list in years to come.

07. Billy Gunn

Mr. Ass, as he was better known was also a mid-carder throughout his career.

Though he flirted with being pushed to main event status after winning the 1999 King of the Ring, the potential success never materialised.

Described many times by J.R. as probably “the best natural athlete in the WWF,” Billy Gunn managed to achieve unrivaled popularity with his long-time Tag team partner Road Dogg.

He was with the WWE for 11 years, in which time he won the Tag Team belts 10 times, the Hardcore Championship twice and the Intercontinental Championship once.

He was thoroughly entertaining as a mid-carder and as one of the greatest tag-teams ever, but I do not believe he would have made it at the main event level.

His went through a character change when he became “The One” Billy Gunn and was involved in a gay storyline with Chuck Palumbo.

He left for TNA in 2005, but currently works for WFX.

06. Big Bossman

The Big Bossman had two very separate roles in the WWE. In his first run, his gimmick was that of a police officer.

Though famous for this role, and though he challenged for it on occasion, he never managed to leave the mid-card and win the WWE title.

When he returned to the WWE after a five-year absence, his gimmick was revamped to look more like a SWAT guy rather than just a police officer.

Despite this slight modernisation of his gimmick, he still did not manage to escape the mid-card hell he was in, for the entirety of his career with the WWE.

Though again, he did challenge for the WWE title towards the end of 1999, in an angle with the Big Show—It was not very well received, dooming him to spend the rest of his days wrestling lower down on the card, and never attaining the title every wrestler aims for.

Despite this unfortunate luck, he was rather prominent on WWE television during both his runs, as he was Mr McMahon’s right hand man throughout the Attitude Era.  

He unfortunately passed away in 2004.

05. Goldust

Goldust was one of my favourite mid-card wrestlers.

His entrance and his look were different to most Superstars at the time and his gimmick was extremely entertaining.

He is another Superstar that flitted between companies throughout the nineties. He has won the Intercontinental title three times, which is an extremely good achievement.

He had memorable feuds over the affections of his valet Marlena (Terri Runnels) and he formed an unlikely tag team with Booker T.

Many believe that Goldust should have had a push as “The Bizarre One” but he never received one, leaving him roaming the mid-card for the entirety of his career.

Despite this, he was still very over with the fans and he made extremely entertaining television.

Rest assured that you will never forget the name of Goldust.

04. Mr Perfect

Commonly known as one of the best in the ring around his time, Curt Hennig was one of the best mid-carders in WWE history.

Despite never winning the big title, he was extremely popular with the crowd for his abilities in the ring. He had multiple runs in the WWE, his most famous being 1988-1996.

When he returned in 2002 at the Royal Rumble, officials were so impressed at his performance that he was offered to stay on with the WWE.

This would be his final run with WWE before his untimely death in 2003.

He won the Intercontinental title twice.

Despite the lack of Championship gold, he made the list so high up because of his legacy and his ability to entertain an audience with his body.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

03. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

Ricky “The Dragon" Steamboat did not spend as much time as others in the WWE. He has had three runs with the WWE, 1985-1988 and then returning briefly in 1991.

He recently came back to the WWE for a feud with Chris Jericho. During his third run with the WWE, he showed that he could still perform to the highest ability.

Perplexing audiences with his high-flying style, his match at WrestleMania 25 and Backlash 2009 prompted fans to chant “You’ve still got it!”

It is due to these performances throughout his career that he is on this list—his character is somewhat legendary.

A one-time Intercontinental Champion, he never captured the WWE title.

He is in the WWE Hall of Fame Class 2009.

02. The British Bulldog

Hailing from Wigan, but billed from Manchester, England, the British Bulldog made a big impact in the WWE.

His huge physique gave him a great look and allowed him to shove wrestlers around as if they were rag dolls.

He was extremely popular in the late '80s and early '90s.  

He competed in the WWE in four separate stints and had many memorable matches, most of which were with other members of the Hart family.

He won the European, Hardcore and Tag Team Championships twice, and captured Intercontinental gold once.

Toward the end of 1999, he began feuding with the Rock for the WWE title but he didn’t stay there for very long and never attained that success.

Straight after this, he was back down to the mid-card before eventually being released in 2000.

Unfortunately, Davey Boy Smith died from a heart attack on May 18, 2002. He was just 39.

01. Owen Hart

Owen Hart is without a doubt, the best mid-carder to ever grace a WWE ring. How or why he never won a World title I’ll never know.

The brother of the legend Bret Hart, Owen came to the WWE looking to achieve the same success.

He did manage to win the King of the Ring just one year after Bret, but he was never propelled to the main event.  

He had a fantastic feud with his brother that culminated in a great match at WrestleMania X—possibly his best match during his tenure at the WWE.

He ended up joining the Nation of Domination in 1998.

A four-time Tag Team Champion, European Champion and two-time Intercontinental Champion, Hart accomplished a lot while he was with the WWE, but there are many that would like to say he could have been a main event star.

His final angle involved him dressing up as The Blue Blazer, in an effort to fight everything that was wrong with the WWE. It was an entertaining mid-card gimmick that followed his split from the Nation of Domination.

Despite his exceptional in-ring skills, he never managed to escape the mid-card. Unfortunately his life was cut short at the Over The Edge PPV in 1999.

One has to wonder how far Owen Hart would have gone in the WWE had he not have died on that fateful day. 

He deserves the No. 1 spot on this list.

Thanks for Reading!

So there you have it, a list of the 25 best mid-carders in WWE history.

This was the hardest list I've ever had to do for Bleacher Report. I wasn't sure what order to put the Superstars in and which ones to leave out/include.

Did you agree with my list? What would you have changed? Is there anybody I missed?

Please have your say in the comments section below. I always reply to all comments.

I hope you enjoyed the slideshow.

Please check out The Rock’s Top Ten Funniest Promos if you haven’t already.

Thanks for reading.