Speech Impediments in Wrestling

[Via Armbar]

I'm going to go ahead and just skip the obvious Jack Swagger joke here. Wrestlers with speech impediments don't come along very often.

In fact, there have only been a few wrestlers in history to have a lisp and one such man is Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes is a decorated wrestler and has won many titles and has an impressive list of accolades. A multiple time champion in the NWA, celebrated booker and all around personality in the wrestling community. Definitely what most would consider a succesful career.

The question here is this: Did his speech impediment have any effect on his career, either positively or negatively? I'll give you an example of Rhode's mic work if you are unfamiliar.

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Sometimes the lisp was strong and sometimes he was talking so damn fast it was well hidden. It was definitely there though. Some aren't so hot on his in ring work, but many would say that Rhodes is one of the best talkers in wrestling history. A pretty big accomplishment for someone with a speech impedient, something that causes trouble for many people on a social level.

The only other really notable wrestler to have one is Ric Flair. All of the great things about Rhodes can also be said about Flair. A multiple time champion and arguable one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He had the same problem as Rhodes did with his lisp. He was on the other side of the fence though and did most of his best work as a heel. The fact that he had a speech impediment didn't seem to effect him and was still seen as the wheelin' dealin' etc etc.

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Flash forward to present day and you have Jack Swagger. In his short time in the industry he has already made a name for himself and has garnered a good deal of attention. While we aren't here to discuss how good or bad Swagger is so far in his career, we are talking about his lisp. The subject of jokes and ridicule, some have gone so far as to say that the heat he recieves is legitimitely effecting his promos and encouraging the progression of his lisp and the promos goes on.

Personally, I think it's great. There's something there that's a real juxtaposition. You have a stellar in ring performer who cleanly pinned one of the hottest wrestlers in the game right now in Randy Orton. A decorated amateur athelete who has already proved that he can hang with the big boys and is a legitimate threat. Then you have the lisp...something that is often the subject of ridicule and humiliation for the people it inflicts. It's a large target for the crowd to use against him and they really do. To me it gives just the right amount of uniqueness to his mic work when you don't have very many vocal standouts on the WWE rosters outside of the veterans.

The only problem I see with it is if he's ever turned face. Rhodes worked because he was an epic talker and so damn natural at it. It had the audience in the palm of his sweaty hand the whole time as they ate up every word of his American fairytales and common man speaches. I don't think Swagger is horrible on the mic (with the lisp put aside) but there is plenty of room for improvement. He doesn't have the likeability at all yet to be a face, but even when he does he doesn't seem to have the natural charisma to pull it off. For Rhodes, the lisp added to his whole character. The same can be said about Swagger, but only as a heel.

You also have Sheamus, a personal favorite of mine right now. His lisp definitely isn't as noticeable as Swagger's or Rhodes' is, but it's still there. His seems to be a little more overpowered by his accent and way of speaking, using the slang that seems to be foriegn to us Americans. Not to mention that his paleness is so in your face that it's a much larger target than his lisp could ever be.

So do lisps ever have any effect on a wrestlers career in any aspect or overall? Can it aid, hinder or possibly both in the journey to stardom? Has it had any effect on careers in the past?

 

[philbrooks]

Ric Flair had a mild one too I think it helped him in certion promos as he had to spit out certion promos with more venom as a result.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I think I notice something like a lisp right off the bat. I know this makes me sound like a terrible person, but it bothers me...at first. It takes away from promos, dialogue, etc...at first. But eventually, over time, it bothers me less and less.

Swagger is a great example. At first, his lisp really bothered me (I know, it's terrible, and I actually feel bad about it). The reason it bothered me was due to the fact it was distracting me from what he was actually saying. It was so in-your-face, I just couldn't focus on the content of his promos. But over time, I have let go of that bias.

I am not old enough to have watched Dusty Rhodes during his prime, so I'm not sure how I would have reacted to his lisp when he hit the television screen, but I doubt it would have been any different from how I felt about Swagger.

I think it detracts from what someone is saying, and it's not their fault. It's not like someone ask's to have this kind of problem. But in all honesty, I zero in on that kind of thing from the jump. I wish I could stop doing that, but it happens.

But judging by the career Rhodes had, it didn't affect him much, if at all. He is one of the biggest names in the history of the business, and was over everywhere he went. Can Swagger have the same success with the same problem? I don't know. I don't know how well society, today, accepts that kind of a problem in comparison to how people felt about it when Rhodes was wrestling.

I honestly think that will be the deciding factor in how Swagger moves forward; will people, in today's society, accept it? Like I said before, I don't know. I hope people can get past it, because Swagger has a lot talent inside the ring, and I would to see something like that drag him down.

 

[Ferbian]

In the end I don't believe that the lisp has any affect on a wrestlers career whatsoever, seeing as it's quite obvious that Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair was absolutely amazing talents both in the ring and on the microphone, even with their lisp, they still managed to be successful in different promotions, including WWF (WWE) which focuses a lot on the sheer ability to entertain quite obviously.

Which brings me to my next point, being able to entertain, the lisp doesn't destroy that, it hasn't destroyed anything for Jack Swagger, Ric Flair or Dusty Rhodes, they're all entertaining in their matter.

I think when it comes down to cutting a promo, it has absolutely nothing to do with the lisp that will make you a fluke or a success, but all about the abilities to actually cut the promo, seeing as a lisp doesn't kill your promo abilities, it won't affect that aspect of your career.

The comfortability on a microphone, the ability to put on great matches, to draw, to keep the crowd watching, get over through being loved, or being hated, that's what counts in the wrestling business today, not whether you have a speech impediment, never has (as far as I know) and never will (hopefully).

To put it simple: the ability to entertain, through promos AND matches is what's gonna get you far (seeing as Shelton could entertain in the ring, but he couldn't quite entertain on the microphone as an example)

 

[Lee]

Who would you say the most entertaining person on the mic is at the moment in WWE? I'm sure in a top five list people would have Jericho, Punk, some Orton but I'm pretty sure R-Truth will be in there.


VERY noticeable lisp from R-truth in that promo and other promos I have searched for he has one too, also a mild trouble with pronouncing R's in some of the ones I watched. Yet he keeps your attention, and is rarely noticeable and I think he's one of the best in the company at the moment (mic wise) yet he himself has a speech impediment.

 

[Via Armbar]

Interesting bringing up R-Truth Lee, I hadn't noticed that. There could definitely be a lisp there but it could also be the fact that he has gold or maybe silver in his mouth. There's rappers that have a grill like that and it makes them lisp on their S's sometimes. If it is a lisp it sounds like he has had speech therapy for it because it's barely noticeable. Definitely an interesting thought though.

Truth is one of the most over performers on the roster at the moment and works a live crowd like very few. Clearly any lisp he may have had or could still have doesn't effect him much as he has gotten over not only on his moveset but with his mic skills.

 

[HBKevin]

Glad I found this thread, even if it's a bit old. I have seen a huge number of comments lately saying that people aren't good on the mic or can't be taken seriously because of a speech impediment. I have mentioned RIC FLAIR a million times, and Dusty Rhodes is another great example, but people still don't get it. I think Swagger's speech problems add to his character, because physically this guy is just dominating, a huge guy with unparalleled legit wrestling skills in the company, but has trouble getting some of his words out. A combination of strength and imperfection. Anyway, some people need to see this thread.

 

[LitasRevenge79]

You know, I'd have to say that Bobby Heenan sounded like he had some kind of speech impediment if I'm not mistaken, even before he had all that jaw surgery. It wasn't anything I can really describe, but a mix between a lisp and a dialect of sorts (if that really exists). He did really good commentary for wrestling. I liked him, he was good and colorful with his calling of matches. Shame with his health today.