Best Mic Worker in the Company- Now it's Chris Jericho, but who's next???

[Robi2184]

Im gonna go out of limb and say the best mic worker in the WWE right now is CM Punk. When you get a 15 minute segment on the Mic you have to be great, just not good or the next best mic worker. Punk is becoming a heel like the likes of those we have not seen in a long time.

With Jericho you get the Y2J chants, Randy has his fans and even the Miz has a visible fan base at shows. Punk is not drawing any pops what so ever and he is pissing the hell out of fans. Look at last week segment, Punk was in the what many call The Bible Belt South Carolina and he got under that crowd like we have not seen in years. Kept calling himself a Savior in a place people worship Jesus. How about the whole One Nation Under Punk with Integrity and Soberity for All. Dude that is right there pushing it in these political times. The kid is amazing and each and every week gets better.

Im not gonna forget when he brought out the whole Hardy arrest and I was like this is what WWE needs and Im really happy McMahon is letting him do and say everything he is saying. Especially for guys like me who have followed Punk his whole career. The fact he is allowed to write his own stuff is awesome.

Im not putting down The Miz who I think is also becoming great in the mic, but one great promo can not label him the next big thing when Punk has been doing it week in and week out for a while now. The Miz is truly Awesome and I would want nothing more then to see him succeed, but he still has a little bit more to go. Punk is just ahead of his time and reminding of a guy like Flair who people would pay just to see him lose.

Jericho is great on the mic, but I think Punk has already taken his place as the next Best Mic Worker.

 

[crotchknocker]

I'd call Jericho the best right now, but mostly because I'm taking into account his entire body of work. Anyway, when I turn on Raw the person I want to see cut a promo the most is easily the Miz. That includes when Jericho was on regularly. The Miz is the most entertaining because lets face it insults are funny. This was months ago, but I was at Judgement Day last year, and my favorite part of the show was when the Miz came out and ripped on Alfonso Soriano.

I have to start watching Smackdown! again, I haven't seen it in months because Jericho is the only guy I thought was worth watching and he was continuously on Raw. Apparently I've been missing out on CM Punk, I've always thought he was good, but not great.

 

[CJ The Pirate]

I stand by that Jericho isn't repetetive. Sure, he probably has said the same thing a few times and I will allow him his catchphrase of "I am the best at what I do" but in the end it's one line and the words Parasite and Sycophant are just two words.

To go back to my previous example of Triple H. His list of honors went on for well over 2 minutes and was being delivered week in, week out. That is the level of repetition I judged it on.
Sheamus is similar. The promo's he's hit since joining Raw have been the same. I'm gonna make an impact. I'm gonna retire Jamie Noble. I'm gonna beat you. I'm gonna be the next champion. I'm gonna retain the title. I'm Gonna... I'm Gonna... I'm Gonna. It's boring. I tend to record Raw and Smackdown and fast forward through the aisle walks. As soon as I see a microphone, I tend to hit play and listen. Where Sheamus is concerned, I just don't see the point. It's boring and repetetive. And the reaction he gets when he hits it says to me that I'm not alone. He's not getting heel heat. He's getting bored heat. He definately needs some help.

I thought very hard about including the Miz and obviously was wrong not to. He is one of my favourite parts of Raw and has been since he came to Raw. I regret never watching the Dirt Sheet now, I'm sure it was golden. I do however still award the title to CM Punk. I hadn't watched Smackdown for months, strictly watching Raw. I then started watching again the episode Luke Gallows was introduced and have watched weekly since. Those few weeks have stood out to me more than the Miz has in months to me. Not an insult to Miz at all as he is fantastic but CM Punks recent work has just been that much better. I'm trying to track down as many of his promos over the last few months as I can on youtube.

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

I'll go with Punk. I think he's come a long way and plays the heel very very well. I also think that when his face turn comes he'll adapt to it well, much better than his previous face time.

Now if you've read posts of mine you'll know that I absolutely HATE the Miz. But I will give him credit, as he has gotten much much better. There's just something I don't like him. No matter how good he gets I just don't think I'll ever like him. He looks like a ******ed Jersey Shore castoff.

As for Cena being mentioned in the initial post, I would almost have him ranked last. I just don't find his mic work good at all. I honestly get more enjoyment from Khali on the mic than Cena. Everything he does just seems so forced.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

Well first off, I have to disagree that Chris Jericho is the best mic worker in the company. I feel that John Cena is actually better than Jericho is, and is the best in the business. The guy is over the top and when he is, he has the audience's attention, even though I may personally find him corny.

However, Cena is at his best when he is serious, like he was tonight with Vince in the ring. When he gets like that, he is extremely convincing on the mic, and is at a level above what Jericho can pull off.

He is convincing, electric, serious, over-the-top, loud, quiet, hits the right beats ... and is really the total package on the mic. One of the reasons he has his spot, along with his work ethic and overall wrestling ability.

As far as who may be the next "Cena", that is just too early to tell. The Miz is doing a great job on the mic as a Heel, and I think he has what it takes to pull off a Face role very well, too. But I can't really endorse him as the next Cena until I see him as a Face in this day and age.

Although few may remember, but he started out as a Face with the company as a host on Smackdown, but he was very restricted in what he could do there, and we didn't see all that much from him.

 

[CJ The Pirate]

Well first off, I have to disagree that Chris Jericho is the best mic worker in the company. I feel that John Cena is actually better than Jericho is, and is the best in the business. The guy is over the top and when he is, he has the audience's attention, even though I may personally find him corny.

However, Cena is at his best when he is serious, like he was tonight with Vince in the ring. When he gets like that, he is extremely convincing on the mic, and is at a level above what Jericho can pull off.

He is convincing, electric, serious, over-the-top, loud, quiet, hits the right beats ... and is really the total package on the mic. One of the reasons he has his spot, along with his work ethic and overall wrestling ability.

As far as who may be the next "Cena", that is just too early to tell. The Miz is doing a great job on the mic as a Heel, and I think he has what it takes to pull off a Face role very well, too. But I can't really endorse him as the next Cena until I see him as a Face in this day and age.

Although few may remember, but he started out as a Face with the company as a host on Smackdown, but he was very restricted in what he could do there, and we didn't see all that much from him.

You find him corny but you still rank him as better than Jericho. Isn't being corny a bad thing? I agree with you, he is great when he is in serious mode, not yet seen his performance on Raw, only just started watching it now, but I just find him false and pathetic when he's all hyped up, cartoon character like and... corny!

It is fascinating how different people view it though. In the last two posts we've had 'Lord Sideous' say he's the best and 'I Like All Wrestling' say he'd put him at the bottom of the list.

 

[Belladonna29]

Hmm, ok I'm not the biggest fan of ranking so I'll just mention who comes right to mind when it comes to good mic workers in the WWE.

After Jericho ( who I do feel is presently the best mic worker in the company ), I would say right now Punk is the best mic worker in the company.
He's really stepping into his new 'Bizarro Jesus' role well.
He usually has control of his audience, he doesn't stumble on his owns much and he speaks with plenty of authority and conviction.
His promos in the indies were usually great so as long as the WWE doesn't screw with his character, he should be fine.

Next, I guess I would say the Miz. I know what got people on his bandwagon in the first place was his mic skills and he's stepping up pretty well right now.
The 'REALLY?' stuff can get annoying at times, but beyond that, he's been strong enough on the mic lately for a vote on confidence in that department.
I know this has been mentioned before, but something about his delivery reminds me of Jericho. I can't put on finger on it, but it's most likely the 'Respect me cause I'm great!' tone usual sets in his promos.
Anyway, he's a mid-carder who's actually getting consistent heat from the crowd, so that's always a plus.

I think someone mentioned Christian and that's true. He's always been good on the mic, but as usual, he goes unnoticed by the masses. He can make jokes but still come across as being a serious face without looking goofy or contrived.

Now, after those 3, things become less obvious.
I think Cena is solid on the mic, he's obviously got the WWE Universe's support, but he's usually given such corny things to say, it's hard to get over that. He can also go into the 'I"M ANGRY AND SCREAMING CAUSE OF IT' phase of his promos which make me want to change the channel. He's hit or miss.
Same thing with Orton. He's less annoying than Cena by far, but the mechanics of how he speaks is kinda weird. Sometimes he talks too slow, and sometimes, it's like it emphasizes the wrong words while he's talking.
I guess it's not a big deal ( perhaps it makes him look more crazy? ) but I notice it enough to call him hit or miss.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

You find him corny but you still rank him as better than Jericho. Isn't being corny a bad thing? I agree with you, he is great when he is in serious mode, not yet seen his performance on Raw, only just started watching it now, but I just find him false and pathetic when he's all hyped up, cartoon character like and... corny!

It is fascinating how different people view it though. In the last two posts we've had 'Lord Sidious' say he's the best and 'I Like All Wrestling' say he'd put him at the bottom of the list.

Corny is usually a bad thing, I agree. So is being boring, repetitive, and often times monotone like Jericho currently is in his Heel role.

Cena does a far better job at pulling off a more-believable "serious" attitude than Jericho does, as his acting is a lot better, where as Jericho's is more wooden.

Jericho simply can not convince me that he is really an evil Heel, where as I have no problem believing Cena is really a heroic, all-around good guy. Jericho comes across as the more likely person who is putting on an act to me while playing a character, than Cena does.

 

[Chill]

I would say John Cena is better on the mic than the fabled Chris Jericho. I don't want to say Jericho is overrated because he's not but his mic work to me just seems so repeatitive at times, what with all the references to "hypocrites", "sycophants" and "tape worms".

Jericho's current promos are essentially the same thing he's been reciting for who knows how long now and while I'm sure some would argue the same could be said for Cena, I still find Cena to be more exciting on the mic than Jericho's monotone and repeatitive promos.

Don't get me wrong, Jericho is certainly one of the best on the mic and his delivery is excellent but I'm growing a bit tired of him being given the same old stuff to say time and time again by Creative. A typical Jericho promo is great as a stand alone piece of mic work but when he says a similar thing over and over for the better part of a year, it get's a tad boring.

On a side note, did you know Jericho is the "best in the world at what he does"? If you didn't, just listen to him the next time he has a mic in his hands and he'll tell you himself...

 

[Mr. TM]

There is few in the industry that could compete with Jericho on his good nights. He is able to move on story lines, while calling down his opponents, yet not to the point where they look inadequate. So Jericho is good at that. Someone I feel that is not good at that is CM Punk. He hardly ever makes his opponents look great.

I won't say Christian, because he himself will not be in wrestling forever, and I won't pick any other established veterans.

I think that the Miz is good on the mic, better than many other younger wrestlers, and it really makes you connect with his character. I don't fancy myself much like the Miz in real life, but I care about him when he is cutting a promo. That is why he is one of the futures.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I like Jericho, but I don't think he's the best on the mic in WWE. At first, the whole righteous man in a suite routine was something refreshing, but overtime it has become stale. Listen to Jericho's promos, it's the same thing over and over again. Him calling the fans "hypocrites" and "parasites" tends to get tiresome after a while. Also, because of his character, his promos won't work on just anyone. What I mean by that is, when he was feuding with HBK, a lot of what made the promos and segments between the two great was, how Jericho kept claiming he was better than HBK because he was an "honest" man. Remember this whole thing started when HBK faked an injury, and got cheered by the crowd, while Jericho was booed no matter what he did. They tried to re-capture this same magic during his short feud with Cena, but it never really took off.

I will name two people who I think are better than Jericho, and the are John Cena and Christian. When Cena is serious about something, he is able to pull it off very well. A prime example would be the segment he had with Vince this past Monday on Raw. Cena was able to do a great job in showing how angry he was at Vince for the way he treated Bret Hart and has treated other legends.

Christian has a very nice delivery as far his promos go. Seriously, it's hard to tell that they are even scripted sometimes because he does such a great job of having a smooth flow to his promos. He's also very good at doing comedy when ever he has to.

 

[CJ The Pirate]

We're getting lost a little here. I'm not talking about his current character. I'm talking his overall ability. Jericho was amazing as face and amazing as heel. This was first time round. Now he's back from his absence and he's still amazing as a face and again as a heel... only this time, it's a different heel character altogether.

EVERYONE has catchphrases or regular words that appear in their vocabulary. Parasites and Sycophants are some of Jericho's. 'I am the best in the world at what I do' is his main catchphrase right now. It's a tool of the business... everyone has one.

Hearing those things does not make me feel he is repetetive. He's doing nothing different to me. I over use the word 'Fantastic' apparantly. I also am fond of saying 'Crack On' when I'm trying to motivate my team at work. I call my Fiance 'Sweets' because she tasted like strawberry bon bons when I first kissed her. It sticks as do all the words in my vocab and eventually something else will come along and it may take its place. The Rock used to go crazy with Know Your Role and Shut Your Mouth. That was rare to hear after he became WWF Champion. He replaced it with Candy Ass. And then Just Bring It and then It Doesn't Matter... but he did use these a lot and would we call the Rock repetitive? Stone Cold? No, I don't think so.

What Jericho does is great heel work. He lingers. He takes his time. He acts like he runs the place. He claims he runs the place "This is my Show" - Again, not repetition... a catchphrase. When Jericho cuts a promo... I sit up and listen. Sure, not every one is a gem that will be viewed on Youtube in five years time, but there are a hell of a lot of those videos on Youtube. Cena hasn't give me one like that in years.

 

[NC_BMAN]

Chris Jericho is amazing behind the Microphone and has been for many years but in this case I would have to go with C.M. Punk especially after is promos this past month including making his hometown crowd in Chicago absolutely hate him and from the Job he had done on NXT this past week. What would be interesting to see is a Commentary team of Y2J as the play-by-play guy (master of the 1004 holds) and C.M. Punk on color could make for very entertaining interactions between the two.

 

[Drazar]

To anyone that thinks Jericho is repetitive because he repeats himself, those are catchphrases. All wrestlers have them, it's part of their gimmick and without catchphrases (example: I am the best in the world at what I do), wrestlers would be slightly less interesting. As far as Jericho goes, I don't think he's the best right now because his gimmick is getting a bit stale, but I do think that in his prime and on the right day Jericho is the best on the mic.

At the moment however I would have to go for either CM Punk or The Miz. Both of their promo work has been good lately, and both of them can draw so much heat that they're obviously doing fantastic jobs as heels. Jericho seems to be putting a lot of people over lately so maybe that's why his mic work and promos haven't been up to the standard we would normally expect of him. I look forward to seeing him get another reign though, hopefully he gets another one. Unlike a lot of veterans I actually think he needs the belt to get over again as he has been losing a lot recently.

With the SES angle on the way out, hopefully this will give more freedom for Punk to cut more new promos, and it'll be interesting to see where his character is going to go from here, I hope he stays heel because I think he's the best in the business right now at cutting heel promos.

 

[Morpheus101]

Jericho is up there with the best of the best as far as I'm concerned. Back in the late 90's, he practically went toe to toe with The Rock himself and could have credibly become long-term championship material even back then.

Who's next? I would say it's a tossup between Cena and C.M. Punk. Both these guys work the mic amazingly well, but neither are quite as good as Jericho.

 

[CyDeez]

I agree with Jericho being the best mic worker in the company and in wrestling period.

So, I will comment on who I think is 2nd in line...

I believe there are a few guys that are at that lower level of great promo work, and are working at getting better. I'll give credit where credit is due. I am not a big fan of Cena, but in the right mood, on my own part, occasionally he is decent.

Other guys like The Miz and Sheamus are really holding their own.

But the guy I consider closest to Jericho is...

CM Punk...

I just enjoy everything he does. It is so believable and done well. He can make a promo, match, interview or backstage segment interesting involving ANYONE else. Though I have grown a bit tired of the SES thing. His promos regarding it and aimed at his targets, have been nothing short of incredible.

It's funny because I am a true fan of Punk, going on quite a few years now. But he does such a great job in his promos, I find myself wanting his opponents to get the best of him, even though I was LMAO at what Punk had just said or done. His arrogance and how he portrays it has been at the top of wrestling's best gimmicks over the last few years, in my opinion!

And despite great match work, his MIC SKILLS have been what truly gets him over these last few years.

 

[scotslad]

I have to go with Miz, his promo's of late have been incredible, and he still has a lot of time left to get even better. Honorable mention to CM Punk, who has really improved his Mic Skills as a heel, and I'm also really enjoying Alberto Del Rio so far, the guy has really impressed me.

 

[dude_d_dude]

CM Punk's recent promos and mic skills have been downright fantastic. He's nailed everything he's wanted to say and looked like a complete jackass while doing it, it's brilliant. And to top it off the guy is great in the ring as well.
I think he'll eventually be the "Next Jericho" sort of speaker, although no one can really replace Y2J.

 

[kthevs]

Sheamus. He just gets so fired up and passionate when he's talking. Also Alberto Del rio.

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

I think The Miz is already great on the mic and I think that he will ge alot better. I can't see him being the best on the mic in history but he will definately be the best wrestler on the mic when Jericho goes, but Punk is good aswell.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

Bar none Jericho is the best, the dude can play any character any time and do it solidly, he can illicit any reaction he wants from the crowd at any given moment... he literally holds the audience like putty in his hands, as for the aforementioned number two contenders....

John Cena - By no mean a fan of his, but he really is good on the mic. Aside from when he goes into second rate rock rants and his stupid over the top metaphors about how the crowd literally fights with him at his back, there's not TOO much to criticize him for

Randy Orton - as of late he's taken a less is more approach and not speaking very much, doesn't really put him in the rankings for second, but it's extremely effective with his character

The Miz - no no no no no no no no no no no NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!! The Miz really is at the bottom of the contenders for second best (of the people mentioned) Yes he's very confident on the mic, and he's got a catchphrase.... that is literally all he has going for him, he doesn't know how to put anyone over but himself. He's pretty good at best.

Christian - Very underrated, able to get people/storylines over, extremely entertaining, and like Jericho, he carries himself and sounds like a main eventer no matter how many times he loses.

CM Punk - I'm with the majority in thinking CM Punk is (a very close) number 2. He and Jericho seem to be the only people who can turn their own hometown against them without using cheap heat (making fun of sports teams) No matter what is thrown at him (getting his head shaved, losing his "Savior" look) he finds a way to adapt and end up being just as convincing, and just as into his character

 

[#hamler]

CM Punk.
As of late he has been priceless. He doesn't studder or make mistakes. Like jericho, he can diss the crowd and whoever is standing in front of him. He is gold on the mic and when stands in the ring, people don't sit there and text or talk to each other. They listen to what he says and boo him. If Punk annoys you, then he's doing his job. If you have a massive heel, getting pops during a promo, he's got to be good on the mic.

John Cena
Best on RAW. Cena is a great face and I love him on the mic. People cheer and actually laugh at his jokes. Even if they are stupid and kiddish. They're halarious. He can get pops even from the guys that hate his guts on the mic. His dissing of Nexus this past week was funny and to me, will never get old.

Chris Jericho
As far as Jericho-best mic worker in the WWE. He's is the only current WWE superstar that can be a great heel or face and still be great on the mic. There has never been anyone (beside rock) that can get the crowd going like he does. Chris jericho knows how to use the crowd to his advantage like calling them galatinus (I know the spelling's wrong lol) tapeworms. Or talking about their hometown hero or even appealing and sucking up to the crowd (like his RAW IS JERICHO catchphrase). Jericho-best mic worker of this era.

 

[Kaneanite]

To me it's CM Punk and it's not close. Sure Miz, Cena, and others can have some good/funny promos. And sure, they'd probably be even better if it wasn't PG. But, CM Punk is a God at promos and on the mic. Jericho is #1 right now I'd agree but Punk is the future of ideal-promo-making. (Don't say he's the future Jericho, he's his own character, I hate when people do that).

I think Edge deserves some SERIOUS consideration as well because he is HILARIOUS and great on the mic. Surprised he hasn't really been mentioned. And yes I'd agree, Christians another good one.

Also, I find a common trend among wrestlers that 'you people' consider "great promo makers" are heels. In turn, I'd say if you are a face and good at cutting promos then they even deserve more credit.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

i agree that the best mic worker is cm punk.now we all know that he rocks as a heel but i just saw nxt and found him extremely funny.i think one day lets say after 3 or 4 years he can turn face and be over as well.i also think he has found his niche on the mic.he was a bit uncomfortable in his first run as a face i think.but now if he turns i think he'll be just as awesome

edge deserves to be mentioned as well.he might not be doing much of late but i find his stuff with zack ryder pretty funny.he should have done this when he returned as a face in the rumble this year.instead they went with the stupid spear chant

christian i feel is one of the few guys in this company who can make pg comedy work.come to think of it e&c were pg too back in the attitude era.

btw he doesnt deserve to be mentioned in the same league buti find daniel bryan to be extremely underrated on the mic.initially i was under the impression that bryan was this second coming of "mr roboto" aka chris benoit.but he has held his own pretty well in his feud with the miz so far

 

[zomigosh]

As Chris Jericho is on his way out I believe that CM Punk is the best on the mic.

Why? He is very confident and makes all of his promo's believable. Although, it does get a little boring after awhile.