Everyone always remembers the greats. Decades from now fans will be reminiscing about the days of Roman Reigns and The Bloodline and future legends such as Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes. It makes sense, as they were major wrestlers at the top for a sustained period.
That being said, one doesn’t have to be a main eventer to be remembered. Many minor characters from the world of professional wrestling haven’t been lost to time, despite their small amount of time on-screen. Now, over a decade separated from the 2000s, these ten names somehow stood the test of time.
UPDATE: 2023/11/02 19:15 EST BY ETHAN SCHLABAUGH
Just like any television show, there are the main stars and the side characters. While fans will always remember and love the main cast and the top stars, sometimes the side characters can make a last presence on the fanbase because of their performances. Many names have accomplished that same feat in professional wrestling as not everyone gets the chance to become a World Champion or main eventer and instead needs to get over with the crowd via other methods. Ranging from the best announcer that SmackDown ever had to the runt of the Dudley family, here are a few more examples of minor characters in the 2000s that everyone still remembers.
13 Nunzio
One of the leaders of the Full Blooded Italians, Nunzio was a well-liked wrestler in the 2000s. A veteran of ECW and Impact, he mostly made his name in the WWE’s cruiserweight division wrestling other smaller names.
Outside a few cruiserweight title runs, Nunzio didn’t do a lot of substance. That being said, he was incredibly entertaining anytime he was on-screen. As a result, many fans still like him years later.
12 Spike Dudley
Becoming the “leader” of his on-screen family with Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley, Spike got the chance to become the Cruiserweight Champion on SmackDown in the 2000s. Spike scored victories over names like Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman, and Paul London before embarking on a feud against SmackDown’s number-one announcer who would take the belt away from the Dudley member.
From his insane work in Extreme Championship Wrestling and the WWE, fans remember Spike Dudley as the man threw himself around in a similar vein to AEW’s Darby Allin currently. His last WWE appearance was at ECW One Night Stand in 2005 where he helped Bubba and D-Von win their tag match against Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman.
11 Jesus
Jesus was one of Carlito’s henchmen from 2004 to 2005. Despite his short time in the WWE, he had some major storylines and moments, including stabbing John Cena. Although, that was just an excuse for him to go and film The Marine.
Jesus wound up being released not long after his feud with Cena due to injuries. Despite his short time in the company, his Armageddon 2004 street fight with the 16-time champion is still remembered, as is his storyline with him. Carlito would go on to become a mid-card staple for much of his run, flirting with main event status at times.
10 Maven
Maven is remembered for only a couple of different reasons. For one, he won the first-ever season of Tough Enough. Secondly, he eliminated The Undertaker in the 2002 Royal Rumble and had a brief feud with the Deadman. To ‘Taker’s credit, it was his idea for Maven to eliminate him, so the rookie could get a massive pop from the audience.
That’s essentially it for his WWE run for the most part when it comes to major moments anyway. However, two decades later, he’s still remembered mostly thanks to that iconic elimination. Maven spoke about the elimination and subsequent feud with Chris Van Vliet, and he expressed tremendous gratitude to ‘Taker for giving him that unforgettable moment.
9 Amazing Red
Amazing Red is still one of the most athletic wrestlers to ever step in the ring. In the 2000s, he was a star in Impact Wrestling’s X Division, while also doing some work in Ring of Honor and All Japan Pro Wrestling.
While always incredible in the ring, Amazing Red lacked the mic skills, and size to be a main eventer in the 2000s. That being said, he’s still remembered for his incredible ring work and high spots that he had over the years.
8 Funaki
One of the greatest comebacks in WWE history was when Funaki was revealed as a member of the Japanese commentary team for the company at WrestleMania 32. Funaki made a few appearances before then such as working with Shinsuke Nakamura in NXT and doing some voice work on The Edge and Christian Show.
Fans fondly remember the hilarious gimmicks that Funaki had during his in-ring career whether it was as a part of Kai En Tai during the Attitude Era, SmackDown’s No. 1 Announcer, or Kung Fu Naki in the late 2000s. Funaki always holds a place in the hearts of fans who watched during his tenure and was a great in-ring performer who truthfully deserved a lot more than he got in the WWE.
7 Eve Torres
Eve Torres is still arguably the greatest name to come out of the WWE Diva Search. In 2007, she was chosen out of the competition and began training. While a lot of those names didn’t do much, Torres stuck around for a few years into the 2010s, where she experienced most of her in-ring success.
While a multiple-time Divas champion, she was a star when the company cared the least they ever did about women. Retiring in 2013, she’s still one of the greatest names to come out of that era.
6 Suicide
Suicide has the honor of being the first high-profile wrestler to be born of a video game. In 2008, Impact Wrestling released its first-ever video game. For the career mode, players followed the career of Suicide, with the character being voiced by Low-Ki.
Following the game’s release, Suicide became a star in the X Division. While he’s had several different wrestlers portray him since the 2000s, he’s remained a figure in the company. Furthermore, it’s likely that he’ll return at some point.
5 Finlay
Obviously, Finlay was around before the 2000s. A veteran of WCW, he headed to WWE as a part of The Invasion in 2001. While first working as a trainer, he eventually made a return to the ring in 2004.
From there, Finlay put in years of arguably his finest ring work to close out his career. While he was in the mid-card for the majority of this time, he’s still one of the more memorable underrated figures from the WWE in the 2000s.
4 Charlie Haas
One-half of The World’s Greatest Tag Team, Charlie Haas never got as much as shine as Shelton Benjamin. A great former collegiate wrestler in his own right, the two were put in a team alongside the legendary Kurt Angle.
Sadly, after the team came to a close, Haas struggled to find much success as a singles star. Out of the two, Benjamin had the more memorable singles run, even if his potential was never quite realized either. That being said, Haas is still remembered for a lot of his tag team work from the 2000s, which was excellent.
3 Steve Blackman
Steve Blackman is still viewed as one of the toughest wrestlers to ever get into the ring. Wrestling for the WWE from the late 90s to the early 2000s, he didn’t do much save for a few hardcore championship reigns.
That being said, Blackman is still beloved today by most fans. He lacked charisma on the microphone which held him back, but he was entertaining nonetheless. Perhaps if he had come around at a time when there was less emphasis on mic skills, he’d have enjoyed more success.
2 Gene Snitsky
Gene Snitsky was never well acclaimed when it came to his ring work during his wrestling career. Furthermore, he didn’t have many high-profile storylines, nor did he win any WWE titles. Despite that, he’s still extremely well-remembered.
Snitsky is remembered because a lot of what he was a part of, was downright terrible. I mean come on, the man debuted in a storyline with Lita where he accidentally caused her to lose her unborn child. Things were always going to be downhill from there, but at least it was memorable.
1 Shark Boy
One of the greatest characters that TNA Impact Wrestling ever had was that of Shark Boy. Created by the man behind the mask before joining Impact Wrestling, Shark Boy worked on shows for the Independent Wrestling Association in 1999 as the character and even received mainstream attention on channels like ABC, MTV, and the Discovery Channel.
Famously Shark Boy altered his gimmick to parody that of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin after a kayfabe coma put Shark Boy out of action. TNA die-hards love Shark Boy and the fact that man never captured a single title in the promotion despite working there from 2002 to around 2015 makes no sense.