By Speed On The Beat (@speedonthebeat)
Wow. So, in a bit of role reversal, True asked me to write an Underrated post. I had several options. I almost even picked JTG, but decided not to be a dick and troll people. Even though, the way he sold The Cobra on Superstars that one time was LEGEND-FUCKING-DARY. However, after a long internal debate (read: ten minutes), I chose two individuals who have been almost more vital to Seth Rollins' title reign than even Triple H himself. I'm, of course, referring to the team of Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury, also known as J and J Security. Perhaps it's because they were/are seen as JUST comedy characters, but I've always felt that these two never got the recognition they deserved. Let us begin with Jamie Noble.
Jamie Noble
My first experience with Noble was, as mentioned, late era WCW when he was the white guy in the Asian stable. Jamie-San of the Jung Dragons was, admittedly a confusing gimmick. Here's a guy who, in some ways, is playing yellowface. However, he took a shit gimmick and turned it into gold. It's probably the fact that he, just like his Jung counterparts, was agile as hell. When Jamie-San first spoke, with his incredibly thick country accent, it was endearing and reminded me of older wrestling, since I was brought up mostly on older southern wrestling.
When Noble finally got into the WWE, he somehow took the weirdest gimmicks (the jealous boyfriend of Michelle McCool, for instance) and embraced them. So, yes, Noble was a comedy character. But, unlike a Koko B Ware (sorry Koko fans), Jamie could actually go in the ring. His matches were never five-stars, but he had matches that made me pay attention, especially when he went up against bigger talents.
And when I heard that J and J Security was becoming a thing, I was elated, mainly because this guy who I secretly rooted for for years was getting, in some way, a main-event rub. And they haven't disappointed. Perhaps (after their work on RAW), we may even see J and J Security take on the role of a legitimate tag team, something that Noble and his partner are well-versed in.
Joey Mercury
Now, I believe Mercury is underrated because while he's seen the world and has kicked much ass, mainly as a part of MNM, he (in the eyes of some) never reached his full potential. But, let's look at it like this: Mercury is a man who's seen a LOT of shit over his life. He's been addicted to drugs and alcohol, but has been able to clean himself up and get back to WWE. Not many people can say that. That alone makes him underrated to me.
But, when you look at his in-ring work? Wow. Sure, he'll probably never contend for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. But, I believe he doesn't need to. Why? He's crisp in-ring. He sells and bumps like a boss. Plus, how many people can say they've taken a ladder to the face? On top of that, his work on the indie circuit has been pretty solid as well, just like Noble. He's even had matches against Seth Rollins during his Tyler Black days and held his own.
Additionally, the fact that he was cool with allowing his personal demons to be aired out in an angle (CM Punk's SES angle) takes some testicular fortitude. Not too many talents, GOAT or otherwise, would be willing to have that go down the way it did. However, Mercury embraced it, like Noble with the jealous angle et al, and made it something you could relate to, even if you'd never taken a drink or did a drug in your life. It is because of these reasons that I feel that J and J Security should be on more radars for more than just a few laughs...even though they're pretty great as "stooges" as well.
