Mic Skills or Ability

[Soul Reaper]

Which attribute do you think is more important? To be able to sell the rivalry, or the match?

I prefer a wrestler's ability, although having mic skills certainly makes them more interesting and heightens their ability to work a feud. However, in today's mainstream wrestling promotions, mic skills and charisma are more important to move up the card. A bad wrestler with a lot of charisma or a good look will get farther in the business than a good wrestler with nothing. Take for example, Shelton Benjamin, Great skill and awesome athletic ability, but no mic skills, which is why he mid-cards at best.

 

[Shocky]

In the ring is what people are going to be remembered for more. Sure mic skills mean a lot to get the feud started, but if you suck in the ring, pretty much everyone will tune you out. Matt Striker and the Miz are marginal on the mic, but yet are completely terrible and no one cares about them. But then you have the flip side, aka Charlie Haas.

 

[RadioGaGa]

While I do feel that a certain balance is needed between the two I'd have to go for wrestling ability as a lack in mic skills can be rectified by a decent manager while a lack of wrestling skill can't really be changed. Having said that arguably the most entertaining mic workers in history the Rock wasn't the most technically gifted wrestler ever but he got a long by his prowess on the stick

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

To get to the very top and become the next mega star like Hogan, Austin, etc, its more important to have very good mic skills with at least mediocre ring skills.

To be a solid midcarder, you need good in-ring skills, but mediocre mic skills.

Not very many people can get over by just having the ring skills, but its been done before.

Take a guy like Shelton Benjamin. He's fine tuned in the ring, but his mic skills are still lacking a little and he doesn't have a fresh personality. Until he develops his own personality instead of just being another "cocky black guy" like MVP and Burke, he'll just be in the same position he's in now. Then you take the guys like Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and Triple H. HBK especially is very good on the mic, extremely good in the ring, and has his own personality. It all depends on what you're in need of. I think we all want someone with both, of course, but you can't always get what you want.

 

[Father:_Polley]

a balance is needed, but the mic ability is more important. if you can't get over with the crowd, the feud is never going to take off. it's important that there's a balance but i think mic skills tip it - the stars of the business have all been good on the mic, and some of them haven't been outstanding in the ring

 

[Soul Reaper]

How did Bobby Lashley get over when he had absolutely no mic skills.

 

[Father:_Polley]

it could have been the fact he was an amateur champion and did actually have talent, it could have been the fact he in a high profile feud with VKM.

 

[Shocky]

How did Bobby Lashley get over he had neither wrestling ability or mic skills.

Huh???

 

[Lil Wes]

Huh???

x2?????

I'm eagerly awaiting this response.

 

[Father:_Polley]

this lashley's amateur background
Armed Forces Championship (2 times)
CISM World Championship Silver Medalist in 2002
Missouri Valley College National Championship in 1996, 1997, and 1998
NAIA National Wrestling Championship in 1997 and 1998

it's hard to win that much with 'no wrestling ability'. know what you're talking about before running lashley down

 

[Lil Wes]

I want Lashley vs Angle damnit! Hurry the fuck up TNA!

Another good thing, is TNA will let him wrestle. Like he did against Cena. What a match that was.

 

[Father:_Polley]

I hate the way WWE booked Lashley. it was clear he wanted to wrestle, but had to play the power game. at least TNA would let him go his way as wes said

 

[Shocky]

I hate the way WWE booked Lashley. it was clear he wanted to wrestle, but had to play the power game. at least TNA would let him go his way as wes said

agreed, the WWE sees muscles and builds the guy as a power house. Nothing was as painful as watching Lashley attempt to use the "dominator" on big Show,b ut fail to get him up until the 3rd try.

Sure he's muscular, but he wants to be on the mat. That was a prime example of the WWE fucking someone up.

 

[Father:_Polley]

granted, lashley was one strong dude...but he was also a smart wrestler. As an amateur, you'd change style against show, you'd keep him down. yeah, it's more impressive lifting a guy that big, but it looks stupid when you can't actually do it right.

they did the same with brock, and while he was a stronger guy than lashley, he had the background that you just felt part of him wanted to mat wrestle. you could see it against angle

 

[Lil Wes]

Another prime example is in the making with CM Punk.

This guy is abysmal when it comes to WWE style. Yikes.

 

[Soul Reaper]

Huh???

I was saying the way the WWE booked him it made it seem like he had no wrestling ability and I liked his Cena match best match Cena ever had.

 

[Shocky]

Well it made sense for Brock and Lashley to use power against smaller guys, but for them to try and out power the big Show was just plain stupid. Impressive looking yes, logical, no.

 

[Shocky]

I was saying the way the WWE booked him it made it seem like he had no wrestling ability and I liked his Cena match best match Cena ever had.

good man

 

[Soul Reaper]

You know what I hate how during the build up to GAB 07 they made it seem as if Lashley and Cena were equal when Lashley was far better then Cena in every category except mic skills.

 

[Father:_Polley]

A good recovery.

 

[Father:_Polley]

It's mic skills that are John's strong suit. I don't like him, but i can't deny he can work a crowd. Add to that they're both big young guys and it was just done to put cena over

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Which was gay. the whole thing with lashley pisses me off to no end. FUCK.


BTW...Sheltons mic skills right now > Lashleys ever.

just sayin

 

[Father:_Polley]

lashley could have improved given time. he just didn't look comfortable and I think time working with Cena or HBK could have helped him out. He could have been great. As can Shelton

 

[Cage917r]

Obviously you need to have both, but when it comes down to being a star, mic skills are more important. Look at guys like Hogan and Austin, did they have great in ring skills, no, but they could sell there rivalries on the mic just as good as anyone. Was The Rock a top notch wrestler, no, but he was probably the best of all time on the mic. So lets look at this, during the attitude era, arguably the time in which wrestling was at its highest point, the two top stars, what where they great at? Was it wrestling skills? NO. The Rock and Austin were not great wrestlers in terms of in ring ability, but they were two on the best on the mic guys of all time. So does that tell you what is more important, you can have all the wrestling ability in the world, but to be a bigtime star, you have to be good/great on the mic.

 

[sniksag]

what happened to the days when you didnt need to talk on the mic to be a star i remember dean malenko gettin in the ring and doin his thing... he never really said anything, but i guess that fit his character. but i think that if youre good enough in the ring then it doesnt matter how good your mic skills are thats what the likes of james mitchell and......damn there really arent any managersin wrestling anymore... that sucks... but develop ability first then mic skills second because no one is gonna care what you say if you cant get it on in the ring