Best ECW Promo Guy?!

[Rated K for Kennedy... Kennedy!]

Now I know on the surface there are only three real candidates for this, but I'm gonna list my favourite and reasons for so, and please feel free to post your own and comment.

1. Mick Foley - his anti-hardcore promos were the most emotional, terryfying, believeable roller-coaster ride I've ever been on. That man can talk.

2. Raven - Really, really out there, I never knew where he was gonna go next, I remember particualry the angle with Sandman's "son" which was pretty damn intense, and for me made the Eddie and Rey angle for Dominick a non-starter having seen ravens work here. (Not an Eddie knock, Viva La Raza!)

3. Steve Austin - His promos kinda confused me, I was just getting into wrestling and only the Hulk Hogan references did I get, but having re-watched them recently I've gotta say his angle here was smart, and Heyman gives him total credit for them.

4. Taz - didn't say much, but didn't really need to, made his point, left. Simple as that!


... Let's start a debate, not a firefight!

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Shane Douglas. Because let's face it. He was incredibly average in the ring. But he did blistering promos. The buy was awesome. It always surprised me why he never became an announcer. The guy was great at putting himself over. If he concentrated alittle I'm sure he could put over other wrestlers too.

 

[RVDgurl]

There were alot of guys in ECW that could cut a great promo. As previously mentioned, Mick Foley and Steve Austin had some fantastic segments during their short stints in ECW. Stevie Richards, Al Snow, and Taz also delivered some great promos. But in my mind, it boils down to these 3:

Raven - This guy was an incredible talker and he delivered some of the most creative promos ever seen in this business. Most of which were off the top of his head while he was competely trashed. Raven elevated his gimmick by the use of promos which were innovative.

Shane Douglas - Probably the best promo guy ever. Shane was absolutely amazing on the mic. He made people believe what he was saying. He created so much heat with his words. Shane was always intelligent and passionate in his promos and he evoked emotion every time he spoke.

The Dudley Boyz - The inventors of controvery. For anyone who is not familiar with their work in ECW: please view material from 95 - 96. They were the ultimate superheels. They provoked actual riot on more than one occasion where the shows had to be stopped to calm the crowd. Now that's playing your role to the extreme. These guys crossed the line in nearly every promo they cut and it was phenomenal.

 

[bambam]

There were alot of guys in ECW that could cut a great promo. As previously mentioned, Mick Foley and Steve Austin had some fantastic segments during their short stints in ECW. Stevie Richards, Al Snow, and Taz also delivered some great promos. But in my mind, it boils down to these 3:

Raven - This guy was an incredible talker and he delivered some of the most creative promos ever seen in this business. Most of which were off the top of his head while he was competely trashed. Raven elevated his gimmick by the use of promos which were innovative.

Shane Douglas - Probably the best promo guy ever. Shane was absolutely amazing on the mic. He made people believe what he was saying. He created so much heat with his words. Shane was always intelligent and passionate in his promos and he evoked emotion every time he spoke.

The Dudley Boyz - The inventors of controvery. For anyone who is not familiar with their work in ECW: please view material from 95 - 96. They were the ultimate superheels. They provoked actual riot on more than one occasion where the shows had to be stopped to calm the crowd. Now that's playing your role to the extreme. These guys crossed the line in nearly every promo they cut and it was phenomenal.

This is perfectly stated and I could not have said it better. I would say the Dudleyz first though, because they did actually start riots with there promos.

Then Douglas.... Douglas was the man. I remember when he came back and was suspposed to be kinda face, and quicker than you can snap your fingers, MASSIVE HEAT. Wanna great promo.... watch Douglas after he wins the NWA Title, and then throws it in the trash and says he is now the EXTREAM Champion......ah that was great!

Austin gets high points for his promos as well as..... Brian Pillman. ALL of Pillmans promos with the "booker man" and the pencil were great...I thought he was ACTUALLY CRAZY. When he said he was going to rip out his wang and piss all over the arena, that sh*t was great! Pillman was awsome!

But I also want to throw in Steve Corino towards the end of his run in ECW, he was getting great heat after every word he said.

 

[HighFalutinTutin]

I remember one promo Raven did. He appeared with Tori (the Sandman's wife). I can't remember exactly but Tori was completely in the nude. They were sitting on the floor, Tori was in front of Raven. The championship belt covered Tori's privates. And I'm pretty sure the only thing covering her breasts was her hair. Aye carumba! He's just casually sitting there and the wife of his rival is nude with him!

 

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

I would have to agree that Raven did some of the best promos that were ever done in ECW. He was a master of the mind game and the five minute rant about nothing. But he drew you in so deeply that you never knew what to expect next. His old promos were classic. You have to wonder what could have happened if WCW or WWE would have utilized him correctly while he was still in his prime.

After him would be the following guys:

1. Paul Heyman- Alot of people forget that Mr. Heyman used to get on the mic and get the crowd going at the shows. He was also very good and helping to further storylines. Whether the crowd loved him or hated him, Paul E. was the man on the mic when he chose to be.

2. Shane Douglas- I think that being in a place where he could say "fuck" definitely did him some good. He was able to tap into his raw feed and scorch other wrestlers with it before he even hit the ring. They were definitely on the ball when they picked him to give the innagural speech that gave birth to EC F'N W.

3. Bill Alfonso- While he was annoying making his way around the ring with a whistle during matches, he did pretty well putting over the guys underneath him. While Sabu and RVD had the moves to make the money, Alfonso played the Juimmy Hart type and made his men sound like the biggest ane best thing going to help the fans salivate before they actually got into the ring.

Cyrus- What can I say? He came along later and played an insignificant role, but he was great at it. I would like to have seen what this guy could have done with a little more time and the ability to help some up and coming wrestlers along.

 

[Raven13]

Raven was the best ever in ECW. He had so many crazy things that he would do that it was just awesome.

Heyman really knew how to get out there and tear the house down. The dude never wrestled but he knew how to talk the ECW way.

Props to Shane Douglas, Tazz and Cyrus too.

 

[blackhart07]

Heyman's shoot on TNN was so good. One guy i think some people forget is Steve Corino he cut a great promo after N2R 2000. And was in the right spot, wrong time with him he really started to get over when ECW was in there final days. I loved when Shane Douglas would go out and shoot on guys like Flair and the WWE. Joel Gertner and The Dudley Boys were starting riots. I think so many people in ECW could do such good promos because they were scripted, and had the freedom to say what they wanted.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

1. Taz - He had some awesome promos where he took jabs at Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Bam Bam Bigelow or anyone else that he wanted to. The guy was intimidating with his shredded towel hanging over his head. His back and forth promos with Shane Douglas were classic and the way he cut promos challenging all other rival companies was gold.

2. Shane Douglas - He was pretty much the company's revolutionary from the beginning. His promos were full of passion, charisma and substance. There was some legitimate heat in his promos that he delivered to his opponents, especially as part of the Triple Threat. He also proved himself by being the Champion with the mouth.

3. Mick Foley - Legendary promo deliverer. He pours so much emotion into his promos that it's 99% believable. This man made it seem like whatever he won in ECW was a staple in his career and drew sympathy or heat from the fans. He was a great mic manipulator.


Honourable Mentions: Raven, Joel Gertner, The Dudley Boyz, Tommy Dreamer, Chris Candido, Steve Corino

 

[hurrakaingvc]

some of the ones no one has brought up but i loved were:
roadkill was my favorite "chickens" i don't know why but i just loved that
the sinister minister promos
the jt smith full blooded italian promos were awesome
the promos that the gangstas and public enemy did for there feud were amazing as well

 

[AnthonyM4]

Man to me, Shane Douglas is without a doubt the best promo guy in ecw history. I loved his promos in ecw! They were so intense. I loved when he got in the ring and yelled "Cut the F'N music!!!" His best promos were when he would shoot. They should make a dvd of just Shane Douglas' ECW promos.

 

[midgensa]

I am gonna side with AnthonyM4 here. I think Shane Douglas was the best by far when at the top of his game. Some of the other guys cut great promos (including Mick Foley of course), but I dont think anyone compared to Douglas in his prime.

 

[FireAtWill]

Im going to have to say Mick Foley, hell when I first got into ECW, I looked forward to his promos more than I did his matches. The guy put absolutely EVERYTHING into his promos. Gold on the mic. If the WWE ever let him cut loose like that, he would have gone over even bigger than he was when he won his first heaveyweight title match.

 

[FoleyIsGod]

Id have to say Raven, Shane Doulgas and Cactus Jack had unbelievable promo skills. They helped build ECW, along with the out-there product in the ring.

Though the Dudley Boyz had some funny skills, like when Bubba basically tore a fan a new ******** and the fan tried to get into the ring. That stuff never gets old.

 

[E C Dub]

I agree with many above but i'll throw one out there that hasn't been mentioned.. Surprisingly:

Joel "(insert any of your favorite catchphrases)" Gertner

One of the funniest guys i have ever heard on the mic.. Wasn't afraid to touch any subject or mention a certain fan in the crowd

 

[shull80]

I honestly have to go with Steve Austin and Shane Douglas. I mean really prior to this who had actually heard of a shoot interview reaching the air. It was an amazing time and amazing quality.

Douglas's declaration of ECW was truly a scene to be remembered!

 

[teamcritical]

Shane Douglas takes it for me. He had white heat at many points, and that is just soo hard to do its not funny. Dudley Boys & Raven come in close second. I could listen to any of these guys for hours and hours and never get tired of it. They are all extremely talented, and I have so much respect for each of them.