Superstars Who Deserve More Praise For Their Mic Work

[NotoriousWWE]

For years now WWE have pushed superstars not only due to their in-ring abilities but also their talent on a microphone. I think its fair to say that the likes of The Miz wouldn't have been WWE Champion if it wern't for their promo skills. But some old and current superstars deserve a lot more praise for the promo skills. Some ooze energy whilst others make you think very seriously for what they are saying. Here's a list of superstars that I believe deserve more acclaim for their abilities.

Kane
After being un-masked Kane went from being a horrifiying masked monster to a bald, less scary yet ugly 300 pound giant who lost his spark due to his un-masking. However when Kane begun an interesting rivalry with his so-called brother The Undertaker in 2010, Kane begun to speak and boy did we listen. With eerie music playing in the background, Kane grabbed a microphone and started claiming that he would put an end to whomever attacked The Undertaker. Of course he was actually the villian and when found guilty of doing so he turned heel and his promo's became even more intriguing. There was one of which he actually had me drawn in so much that I felt like it was a realistic story between two brothers that had been fueled from jealousy and under-achieving. Kane however lost all momentum when he turned face in 2011 only to be forced out from WWE action for awhile due to being "injured" by Mark Henry. Vignettes begun to air hinting of his return WITH a mask. And this he did, he returned with his mask and begun a series with John Cena. And on the RAW of 26 December, he took to the mic in what was an incredibly underrated promo on all things hateful. Kane said 'Its okay to hate, people hate, they hate their bosses, they hate their spouses and they hate their miserable exsistence' All whilst still retaining this powerful look and sound that has made him so popular over the years as a heel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAAlSLnsXBw&feature=related


Wade Barrett
I won't ignore the fact that Barrett has actually been praised for his work on the mic by many including his once mentor Chris Jericho. But why hasn't he actually been World Champion yet? That shocks me. He can literally turn a moment of happiness to an intense climate of which fans will just sit listening to the rage of the Englishmens voice. It all begun when he won NXT, a win of which he even back then had solid mic skills. However after this he'd go on to lead a group infamously known as The Nexus. A group of rebels of which destroyed WWE from its inner core even getting power over the one and only John Cena. Barrett in control of Cena had him in his pocket so to speak, and there he'd share his thoughts on Cena. His thoughts on NXT and that the winds of change were blowing. After the Nexus went downhill he left for SmackDown, still retaining these great mic skills. He lead another group known as The Corre and from that, he is now the only one of that group retaining a spot every night of Friday Night SmackDown due to not just his power inside the ring, but his intelligence on a microphone. His best promo, perhaps his anti-America promo at Captiol Punishment which Jericho praised, maybe his speech of which he just joined SmackDown or even his winning NXT speech. Here's one of those three,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGNe5vj1FHk


Mark Henry
No not his happy speeches or his time with MVP, this incredible era of his known as The Hall of Pain. A lot of people are just congratulating him on his in-ring abilities as of late but what about his promo's? To me he has one of the most dangerous sounding voices in WWE, and by that I mean you wouldn't want to be in a room with him on his own. I will take you back to a time when he was a mid-card heel who had just arrived on SmackDown this year. He couldn't even get on SmackDown as it was so he begun wrecking havoc on Superstars. There was this proposed match on the show where he was meant to take on newcomer Johnny Curtis however Curtis did not show (actually legit did not show which is why he's being de-pushed apparently) but anyhow Curtis did not show. Matt Striker jumped into the ring to get the thoughts of Henry on why Curtis did not show and here's what came out of the beast's mouth UN-SCRIPTED I might add.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2YlgPexaow



Mick Foley
This isn't because he has never been truly rewarded for his work on the mic but for me he deserves the following acclaim. The second to none best on the mic there has EVER been. When you talk about someone on the mic the usual spring to mind, the likes of The Rock, Stone Cold and Dusty Rhodes but you NEVER think of Mick Foley in that top 3 category. His style as Mankind was so dissorted and unique, a masked man locked away from the world getting his input on all things was eerie enough but the scary thing was, was that he did it retaining this strange and plump body. Fans were taken back by Mankind but also Cactus Jack, Jack was a sadistic evil man that would go to any length to hurt his opponent. He was extremely extreme yet on the mic was derranged in a way and just said it as it was in his own magnificent way. Then there's Dude Love, a disco-dancing all-loving hippy who on the mic was hilarious. Props to Mr Foley for even coming up with these 4 unique characters and his way of changing his voice for all 4 was amazing. Hall of fame!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34bT-dyfaBs


Raven
His gimmick is today one of the most unique to date. His in-ring ability didn't scream world champion but had its qualities. But what he was damn good at was entertaining us with his mic skills. He had a cult type gimmick and so he could talk an insanse game on the mic. He used his voice to sound like a wretched sounding evil man who wanted to put pain upon those who opposed him. His voice sounded so normal yet scared the living hell out of me. Why isn't he ever remembered for these incredible promo's?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9uKz9biU4A


Big Show
Lastly perhaps one of the most shocking to make this list. The Big Show is the largest athlete in the world and comes with a formidable arsenal of moves. His knockout punch and his chokeslam are enough to send a message to anyone in the locker room. And so with that I bring this promo that is recent. He cut this talking about taking down Mark Henry. Vengeance being his. Watch as he builds up his emotions. Sounding so realistic yet word for word spreading his anguish of being injured. Deserves more credit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2rNvIZGK60

 

[BooMan]

How does Dolph Ziggler not get mentioned here. Although VIckie is there, Dolph has proved himselve time and time again even going against Cena, Punk, THe Miz and others. I think we need a Ziggler title run and the time is right to drop VIckie, Doplh has enough heat to be on his own now. However I do like the comedy the "E" is giving us with him and Swagger. Could be interesting to see what 2012 will be like for the #heel

 

[Cena Is A Punk Rocker]

Foley may go unnoticed to the casual wrestling fan, but most of us die-hard's know Mick is easily tops on the stick, ever. From his WCW days all the way to the end of his run, everything that came out of Foley's mouth was gold.

 

[ECW Sandman]

Stewbakka is right Mick Foley is a very good speaker hell look at what he has done out side of wrestling he's written two or three New York's Best Sellers.

 

[Rockyfolifebo!!!]

Road Dogg Jesse James. Period. I believe he's underrated when people talk about the best on the stick. All of his catchphrases and rhymes made his character and personality very animated. The "Oh you didn't know, yo ass better call somebooodyyyyy!", then you have "it's me, it's me, it's that d-o-double g!". Next it's "ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, D-generation X proudly brings to you, it's WWF TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS OF THE WOOOOOOOORLD! The Road Dogg Jesse James. The Bad Ass Billy Gunn. The New Age Outlaws!" He's definitely in my top ten best on mic.

 

[#heel]

When feuding with mike the miz Alex Riley cut some awesome promos and has so much potential why was the best push ended, he wads great on the mic and the 'say it to my face' thing could work wonders. But he needs air time.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

There are several guys in WWE right now that haven't been or currently aren't getting enough credi for their work on the mic:

Wade Barrett - Since the debut of Nexus, Wade Barrett is someone that has consistently shown the ability to talk on the mic. Barrett's promos are generally smooth, he seems extremely comfortable, he projects an aura of confidence and sounds intelligent. Barrett doesn't really come across like the tough street guy that he actually is on the mic, but I don't have any problem with that. Why can't a tough guy be intelligent as well?

Cody Rhodes - If there's anyone that's improved every single aspect of their game in WWE over the course of the past few years, it's Cody Rhodes. Cody Rhodes has really become one of my favorite young guys to watch in the ring and on the mic. His "Dashing" character might not have been the most favored among guys, but Rhodes exuded a natural confidence and was very comfortable in that role. While wearing his mask, Cody definitely improved in terms of connecting with the audience, facial expressions and body language. As of now, Cody seems to me to have combined the best elements of the Dashing & Masked characters into who he is now. He's confident, but mentacing, he's handsome, but brutal and he has a nice level of confidence to boot.

Mark Henry - Mark Henry hasn't done anything particularly revolutionary, but I don't think there's been a heel in all of wrestling that's been more believable in the past 6 months than he has. Henry's promos are generally straightforward that convey a simple, understandable & believable message: I'm gonna fuck you up. Henry has the kind of physical look, the physical presence and the legitimate physical strength to scare people. Believability has been a HUGE key to Mark Henry's near unimaginable success in the second half of this year. It makes me wonder why WWE didn't do this with him a decade ago.

The Undertaker - Mic work, in all honesty, is more than simply talking on the microphone. Otherwise, guys like Jeff Hardy & John Morrison would be promo superstars. Of course it's important to say what you're thinking, but good promo work can also involve setting a mood and a stage for the audience to get caught up in. The Undertaker is a master of ring psychology. Every aspect of his entrance is designed to get your attention and keep it, every methodical step he makes is designed to keep your eyes on him and you find yourself listening to every word he says on the mic. He doesn't have all the flashy catchphrases, he doesn't hop around the ring like a coked up squirrel, he doesn't talk about how many ladies he's banged or how much money is in his bank account. His character has been built and build as someone that's above such things and the atmosphere that Taker is able to generate during his rare promos is able to make fans believe that.

Dolph Ziggler - Dolph Ziggler is currently enjoying the traditional IWC backlash that seems to victimize every WWE wrestler that's heavily pushed towards or is elevated to the main event level. However, don't let that hide the fact that Ziggler is someone that's made substantial improvements to his promo work since becoming the United States Champion. I'm not saying that Ziggler has set new standards or that he doesn't have some work to do. But, Ziggler has worked on his mannerisms, expressions, his body language, the way he carries himself and the way he speaks into the mic. Now, Ziggler is someone that actually speaks with passion and confidence in himself. Before becoming United States Champion, none of that happened. I do think Ziggler needs to cut longer promos to show just how much he's improved and I do agree that he no longer needs Vickie to get a reaction. As I said, there's some work left to do, but the man's come along way so give some credit where it's due.

 

[sajsSAMynwa1892]

mick foley not appreciated on the mic? WHAT?!! paul heyman called mick foleys ecw "anti-hardcore" promos the most creative and best delivered promos in the history of this business, bar none. i think thats almost verbatim, i think more people should give him credit yes definitely but he he isnt exactly underrated

 

[#CenaHeelTurn]

I dunno what it is about Ziggler, but I don't like him on the stick. It's probably Vickie, I tune out SOOOOO much when she is on screen.

As others have said, Wade and Cody have been impressing lately.

I think Kane is VERY underrated. The way he delivered that promo this past week, was probably the best I've seen a promo delivered in WWE since Eric Bischoff.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

Cody Rhodes voice annoys me and it really adds to his character so in that respect I would say he is underrated.

Back when Kane went from the Big Red Monster to the Big Red Machine he did a lot of funny work on the mic and in interviews. His tag title run with RVD was classic and his segment with The Rock and Hogan before they took on the NWO was great.

Then the dark Kane does some good work on the mic, really adds to his character.

Barret does a good job of sounding like that arrogant elitist British heel and he deserves more credit. I'm glad he is finally getting a good solo push without Nexus

 

[Walker456]

The thing is we all know guys like Miz , Punk , Kane and Barrett can talk on the stick. When I see this thread I thought you meant guys that need more praise not guys that get praise.
Personally I think we are forgetting someone. Drew Mcintyer! ( apologise for the spelling ) the guy knows how to talk! You back to his work on Smackdown with Teddy Long , Kofi and Morrison. The guy has it on the mic! To be fair his ascent helps him a lot. But if there is a guy that deserves praise it's him.