I always saw multiple character similarities between Jake & Bill Eadie (Demolition Ax). That's a very good thing.
As for Hall - and, I think this may kind of be your point, too - it maybe wasn't so much that he was underrated, but rather his skills were simply overshadowed by his personal problems.
Finally, I think Matt Bourne may have given the Doink character something not too many guys could have. He was a very good hand in the ring on multiple levels, and I think that was what kept the clown gimmick from burying him, as it may have originally been meant to do. You know Vince!