Being a pro wrestler means having an a shockingly fine balance of skills. It's as much about being a good actor and public speaker as it is a skilled in ring performer. In a lot of cases, being a comedian doesn't hurt, either.
RELATED: 10 Best Sports Entertainers Ever, Ranked
There have been a number of wrestlers over the years who have been valued for their comedic skills over their wrestling abilities. No one would ever suggest that any of these wrestlers did not have what it took to go in the ring, just that their comedy chops outweighed their wrestling acumen, making them more effective as comedic characters.
9 Hurricane Helms
Throughout his career, Shane Helms has easily been one of the most underrated wrestlers in the business. Working for both WCW and WWE over the years, he has proven to be both skilled and innovative in the ring.
Part of the reason why people don't think of Helms as been a top talent in the ring is that his comedy chops are on another level. In WCW, he was part of a boyband faction called 3 Count. Then in WWE, he had an epic superhero character named Hurricane Helms. His amazing antics made it easy to forget how good a wrestler he actually was.
8 Carmella
A second generation pro wrestler, Carmella is a former dancer and cheerleader who transitioned to WWE in 2013. She started with NXT as a manager for the former tag team of Enzo Amore and Big Cass.
RELATED: Every Version Of Carmella, Ranked Worst To Best
While Carmella might not have had the best in ring skills at first, she has greatly improved over the years. But her time with R-Truth proved that she has an incredible talent for comedy. She and Truth had a natural chemistry that shone through, which is something WWE should keep in mind in the future.
7 Santino Marella
When it comes to making an impact on day one, Santino Marella has everyone beat. Plucked from the audience during a show in Italy, Marella defeated Umaga for the Intercontinental Championship with a big assist from Bobby Lashley.
This set the tone for Santino's entire run in WWE. While he was always a competent wrestler, it was his comedic skills in this character that made him a success. There was a period that he even wrestled as his own twin sister, Santina Marella. He was a talented guy who knew how to make wrestling fans laugh.
6 Michael Nakazawa
Very few fans in the US had heard of Michael Nakazawa before he started with AEW, and the man is a good wrestler. But his in ring skill is not what makes Nakazawa stand out from everyone else around him.
He used to coat himself in oil and have weird, greasy fights with people that often ended with him taking off his underwear and attacking opponents with them. Now, he wrestles while dressed like an IT guy and talks to Kenny Omega over a headset while he does it. Nakazawa definitely puts the comedy first in his matches.
5 Zack Ryder
Trying to break out from the pack in WWE is an almost impossible challenge, something Matt Cardona knows all too well. But as Zack Ryder in WWE, he found a way to put himself out there, essentially going into business for himself on YouTube.
He realized that the first step was to get the fans behind him, which he did via the "Z! True Long Island Story" series. That YouTube show got him over in WWE, and he continued trading on the comedic character built through it for years. It even led him to a couple of championships before his release from the company.
4 Colt Cabana
There were a lot of fans who had never heard of Colt Cabana prior to the incredible popularity of his "Art of Wrestling" podcast. But once they got to know his in ring work, they realized that he was damn good wrestler, too.
Cabana seems like the kind of guy who is up for pretty much anything in the ring. His comedy skills are undeniable, and are arguably better than his wrestling. Even the simplest moves are delivered in an exaggerated fashion that brings a smile to the most jaded wrestling fan's face.
3 Jessica McKay
After joining NXT, it took Peyton Royce (Cassie Lee) and Billie Kay (Jessica McKay) a minute to find their footing as The IIconics. But once they started living up to their comedic potential, they became the shrill, absurd characters fans grew to know and love.
RELATED: 10 Backstage Facts About Billie Kay Fans Need To Know
McKay in particular has incredible, natural comedic chops. Even the most straightforward backstage segments go in strange directions when she's around. After WWE inexplicably broke The IIconics up, she worked some hilarious segments with her resume gimmick. Any company that adds her to their roster will get a lot of personality.
2 R-Truth
No wrestling fan in their right mind would ever suggest that R-Truth isn't an incredible athlete with superb in ring skill. He is a multi time champion in various companies, and he seems to be aging in reverse, much like Paul Rudd.
But as good as he is in the ring, R-Truth is even funnier. He has proven that time and time again on social media as well as during wrestling matches. R-Truth and Carmella were an incredible duo. Plus, Truth can boast to being one of the very few people who has actually managed to get Brock Lesnar to break in the ring.
1 Fandango
As a wrestler, it's been all but impossible to take Fandango seriously since moment one. His gimmick was being a ballroom dancer, though he did beat Chris Jericho at WrestleMania. But fans immediately gravitated to him and had Fandango's back since that same moment.
He and Tyler Breeze became a tag team called Breezango. They are beyond absurd. Any fan who missed out on their Fashion Police sketches needs to hit YouTube immediately as there was some absolute comedic gold in them. Just based on skill, Fandango never would have gotten over, but he's a genuinely funny guy and that shines through.
