Wrestling is not just about in-ring ability. It’s also about the performance, the entertainment value, and specifically, the mic work.
Some wrestlers who have been stars throughout their careers have actually been pretty mediocre in the ring, but that has never stopped them from becoming superstars in their own right.
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Sometimes, mic work can fuel a match, even if the wrestling isn’t anything to write home about, and we’re celebrating those wrestlers who were given the gift of gab, but can’t quite cut it once the bell rings.
A Master of Words
The Miz has had a fascinating career in the entertainment industry, and if you asked him, I’d bet he’d say it’s because of how charismatic a talker he is.
Forget WWE. This guy was compelling on The Real World, using his larger-than-life wrestler persona and being a generally funny and likable presence.
He took that charisma to the reality show Tough Enough and then to the WWE, where he has been a two-time champion and possibly the best Intercontinental champion the company has had in a long time.
In the ring, he’s average at best and boring at worst, but his feuds are still incredibly compelling a lot of the time because of his ability on the mic.
Because of that promo work, he can make anyone look bad and make himself seem more intimidating. A great example of this is duringhis half-shoot/half-promotionshowdown with Daniel Bryan on Talking Smack.
That promo work got him to the main event of WrestleMania. He has been one of the mainstays in the WWE for the past 20 years and is still fulfilling his role as well as ever late in his career.
If you told me The Miz is still relevant when he’s 60, I’d believe you, because that mic work will never get old, and we’re likely looking at the next great wrestling manager.
6LA Knight
Let Him Talk To Ya
LA Knight is a throwback to the Attitude Era, where mic work made superstars, and he’s taken up that mantle with aplomb.
LA Knight has the voice and the look that immediately demands all eyes on him. Whether he’s facing off in low-profile feuds or going toe to toe with the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns, LA Knight is an expert on the mic.
He’s funny, smart, and best of all, entertaining. Regardless of how you feel about him in the ring, he is charismatic as hell when in a promo battle or just addressing the crowd.
In the ring, LA Knight leaves a bit to be desired. His finisher, the BFT, is a worse-looking version of the RKO or a Stunner, and other than his jump-up superplex, his moveset is pretty basic.
He is also terrible at throwing punches and, overall, moves very awkwardly in the ring.
He’s in his 40s now, so that could be natural ring decline, but even if he is winding down, his mouth will ensure he’s relevant long past his sell-by date.
Oh, You Didn’t Know?
When it comes to the biggest stars on the microphone in the Attitude Era, obviously, stars like The Rock and Stone Cold occupy the top spots. But, credit where it’s due, Road Dogg was right up there.
The fact that this mid-card wrestler was confident enough with a mic in hand to stand up there with Attitude Era greatness says something about his promo work.
From the moment he bellowed, “Oh, you didn’t know?” the crowd was in. His intros for his matches were fantastic, and he managed to get the crowd on his side every time, whether he was a heel or a face.
As one half of The New Age Outlaws, Road Dogg consistently propped up Billy Gunn as a star and made people look foolish on the mic with jokes, insults, and overall being able to captivate the crowd.
In the ring was a different story. Road Dogg didn’t have a lot to offer as his moveset was incredibly basic, and his athleticism was pretty abysmal compared to his peers at the time.
Eventually, that lack of in-ring talent would start to stand out, especially as Billy Gunn got pushed more and more as a singles star, and Road Dogg’s elite mic antics can only take you so far.
4Sid Justice
Sid Ruled The World
Sid Justice, or Psycho Sid, depending on when you watched him, was about as compelling on the mic as anyone in the industry to date.
It wasn’t because of what he did in the ring, but rather out of it, that made him so interesting to watch. Some people might say he was a bad promo, but for me, this guy was magnetic.
You could see the veins popping out of his neck as he roared his often unhinged promos about ruling the world, like when he delivered a promo to an empty baseball field.
He was terrifying, which is something that is rare for a wrestler these days. You believed he was going to go out there and destroy someone and few wrestlers have ever felt the words they say more than Sid did.
Once he got in the ring, things got a little bit less exciting. He was your typical big man, which can always work when done right, but he often relied on his opponents to deliver a good match.
Sid also had his fair share of botches during his career, with the worst of the bunch resulting in a broken leg, which eventually ended his career.
Won the Crowd With the Mic
Jey Uso has been in the WWE for a long time now, and though he’s pushing 40, he’s still in the main event scene.
The reason for his longevity and recent push is that he’s always been able to handle himself on the mic. The best of that was showcased during the prime years of the Bloodline, when he eventually got a push to take on Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship.
Jey caught fire with the audience, with his fiery promos making for appointment TV each week. Eventually, that led to a press conference where Jey was clearly a bit drunk and happened to utter the word “yeet” over and over.
That was all he needed to ascend to superstar status, and he barely needs to do anything on the mic other than utter that magic word to get the crowd going nuts.
In the ring, though, Jey often looks out of breath and weak with his moves. His finisher, the spear, is easily one of the worst variations of the iconic move I’ve seen, and, overall, he just looks undeserving of the booking he routinely enjoys.
2Ultimate Warrior
Compelling Nonsense
Ultimate Warrior is one of the most bizarre stars ever. His character was weird, his promos were unhinged, and even though his in-ring work was weak, he was one of the biggest stars of his era.
The warrior with the mic in hand was absolutely deranged. He would go off on tangents about warriors, other universes, and all sorts of insanity that would just make it impossible to look away when he started a promo.
This would go even further into memorable segments, like a Survivor Series segment with Shawn Michaels and Marty Janetty, where Ultimate Warrior started wrapping everyone in tape.
In the ring, Ultimate Warrior was extremely limited, and despite his strength, the only powerful move he ever used was the Gorilla Press slam.
His finisher was a simple splash move, and other than that, he only really used punches and clotheslines.
Back in his time, in-ring work wasn’t what it is today, but there were still guys like Bret Hart, Ricky Steamboat, Macho Man, Rick Rude, and Shawn Michaels to compare to, so when looking at the Warrior through that lens, he was still thoroughly underwhelming.
1Enzo Amore
The Gift of Gab
Regardless of how you feel about the man, the wrestler Enzo Amore was a revelation on the mic. When this little guy got the audience’s attention, his booming New Jersey drawl instantly gripped NXT’s audience, which he replicated in the WWE.
Something about Enzo with a mic was just compelling. He would roar his smack talk at opponents and essentially get the party going with every entrance.
Enzo managed to make wrestlers 10 times his size look dumb with just his words, and his charisma made him an instant star in the WWE. To the point that he walked right into one of the top tag teams as soon as they entered the company.
When Enzo actually got into the ring, though, he didn’t really back up those words. Even as a small guy, he didn’t have any interesting, high-flying maneuvers and was hurt so often that it made it impossible for the company to build him in any meaningful way.
The mic work held Enzo up for a bit, but his out-of-ring antics eventually led to his release from the company. It was a disappointing end for a guy who seemed to be on a full-speed-ahead trajectory within the WWE.
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