The art of the promo continues to be one of the most vital components of professional wrestling. When a performer is speaking to the audience and the viewers watching at home, they are providing a lens into their motivations and desires. Whether it is calling out a champion, or antagonizing a current rival, promos are an excellent way for wrestlers to connect with the fans.
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Stone Cold became a true superstar when he cut his famous "Austin 3:16" promo. CM Punk took over the wrestling world when he caustically aired his grievances on Monday Night Raw. Randy Savage's promo style has often been imitated, but never replicated. Verbal masterclasses can also be humorous and several of wrestling's most famous promos are hysterical, whether it was meant to be or not.
10 King Booker & The New Day
After beating The Bludgeon Brothers to become five-time Tag Team Champions, The New Day held a celebration on an episode of SmackDown. Booker T, dressed as King Booker, made a special appearance to welcome Big E, Kingston, and Woods into the "Five-Timers Club". Famously, Booker held the WCW Championship five times.
The WWE Hall of Famer proceeded to name Kingston, "Sir Kofi the Brave", and named Woods, "Lord Xavier the Wise". Big E wasn't given a nickname as "Big" was already in his name. The segment ended with everyone performing a Spinaroonie.
9 Chris Jericho Is The Man Of 1,004 Holds
In one of Chris Jericho's most famous rivalries, he and Dean Malenko were embroiled in a feud over who was the better in-ring performer. Malenko had been regarded as "The Man of 1,000 Holds". Therefore, Jericho had to counteract that by proclaiming that he knew 1,004 holds.
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On an episode of Monday Night Nitro, Jericho went to the ring with a comically large list and stated every wrestling maneuver he knew. Hilariously, he spoke as the show went to commercial, and as Nitro came back on the air, Jericho was seen continuing his tirade. He mentioned "armbar" several times.
8 Jay Lethal & Ric Flair Woo-Off
Throughout his career, Ric Flair was known for his eccentric mannerisms and catchphrases. On the other hand, Jay Lethal was known for his impressive impersonation skills, in particular his tribute to "Macho Man" Randy Savage. In a 2010 episode of Impact!, Lethal interrupted Flair and started to impersonate the Nature Boy.
Insanity ensued, as both performers started to scream "Woo!" at each other with increasing intensity. Flair took off his loafers and threw them at Lethal. In response, Lethal gave an elbow drop to his suit jacket.
7 Sexy Kurt
Kurt Angle is a generational professional wrestler. There are very few who can match his level of in-ring brilliance, legitimacy, and character versatility. He gave an all-time great promo performance on a 2005 episode of SmackDown. During the build-up to his WrestleMania 21 match against Shawn Michaels, Angle sang a rendition of Michaels' theme song with Sensational Sherri, who was Shawn's former manager.
Similar, to his previous work, Angle was excellent and fully committed, even though it made him look like a fool. The Olympic Gold Medalist awkwardly danced around the ring and showed off his impressive comedic range. "I'm just a Sexy Kurt, I'll make your ankle hurt" was such a memorable line that Angle sang it during his WWE Hall of Fame speech.
6 Ultimate Warrior's "Crash The Plane"
While Ultimate Warrior was not known for his in-ring prowess, he was famous for his shaking intensity and nonsensical promos. Before WrestleMania 6, Warrior addressed his future opponent, Hulk Hogan.
Warrior's promo was as indecipherable as it was hysterical. The face-painted heavyweight rambled through aggressive snorts and screams and proclaimed that Hogan wasn't ready for their World Championship match and was going to self-destruct. He also mispronounced Hogan's name on several occasions, as he referred to his opponent as "Hoke", and not "Hulk," in addition to telling him to "crash the plane."
5 This Is Your Life
Mick Foley and The Rock are wrestling's greatest odd couple. On paper, the pairing would raise an eyebrow or two. Foley, despite being quite earnest and lovable, was quite silly. Contrastingly, The Rock was effortlessly cool and always the center of attention. However, magic struck on an episode of Monday Night Raw.
Foley held a "This Is Your Life" segment for his tag team partner. Various individuals from The Rock's past entered the ring and proceeded to get verbally berated by The Great One. Foley also excelled as he just wanted to make his friend happy. This segment was critically acclaimed and produced Raw's highest ever television rating.
4 Scott Steiner's Math Promo
Scott Steiner is a man of many talents. Alongside, his older brother Rick, he was a standout collegiate wrestler. Steiner is also one of wrestling's strangest personalities. He once made an entrance on Nitro with a tiger, for no apparent reason. However, he is not a math expert.
In a 2008 episode of Impact!, Steiner proclaimed that Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe, his planned opponents for that year's Sacrifice PPV, had no chance of defeating him. Through a series of illogical calculations, Steiner boldly claimed that he had a "141 and two-thirds" chance of winning at the event. Samoa Joe would go on to retain his TNA World Heavyweight Championship at the event.
3 My Name Is Billy
Historically, winning the King of the Ring tournament signifies the rise of a future World Champion. Stone Cold and Brock Lesnar's careers were catapulted following their tournament wins. However, this was not the case for Billy Gunn. Despite being victorious in the 1999 King of the Ring, Gunn would never reach the heights that former and future winners would reach.
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The Rock played a strong hand in this, as his "My Name is Billy" promo on Gunn completely halted any momentum the former New Age Outlaw was gaining. The People's Champion pretended to be Gunn and sent a prayer to the heavens saying that although he won the tournament, "everyone thinks that I absolutely suck." He then spoke as God and exclaimed that it didn't matter what Billy Gunn's name was.
2 The Rock Insults Everyone Before Armageddon 2000
On the go-home Raw before Armageddon 2000, The Rock took the time to insult all the opponents he would face in a Six-Man Hell in a Cell Match. With his excellent facial expressions and quick wit, The Brahma Bull rattled off barbs in rapid succession. The Rock ridiculed Kurt Angle's bland and non-exciting demeanor.
He did a monotonous impression of Rikishi and Triple H. In particular, he mocked Triple H's drawn-out speaking patterns. He then mocked The Undertaker's past obsession with death and the afterlife. Finally, he insulted Steve Austin, his most-famous rival, when he put on a camouflage baseball cap and ran through Austin's legendary catchphrases.
1 Macho Man Is The Cream Of The Crop
Following his loss to Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania 3, "Macho Man" Randy Savage reassured the audience and television viewers that he was still one of the best in the business. He claimed that he was still the "Cream of the Crop". To the confusion of the legendary Gene Okerlund, Savage continued to reveal small cups of coffee creamers as spoke to the camera.
Notably, Macho Man put one of the coffee creamers on his head. As it fell down, he stated that even if he was "on-balance or off-balance", he was still the best. Savage was exceptional in this promo, and his captivating aura and impeccable comedic timing played a large part in that.
