Who is the greatest mic worker in the history?

[RJJ]

Simple question, who is the most skilled mic worker in the history of the wwe?


"We constantly complain about John Cena, and how he's shoved down our throats as people like to say. But we fail to realize that the catchphrases of The Rock was practically shoved down our throats as well to some extend."

"Of course it's not about cutting a serious promo. But it's also not about cutting a funny promo. It's about being able to cut a promo in general and make it work. Get an reaction from the crowd as well. All of the names mentioned in here has been able to do so. But it doesn't make The Rock the greatest. Because Austin got just as big, if not bigger reactions. And Hulk Hogan's reactions blew the roof off every damn building."

"However, to say he is the greatest of all time on the microphone is very arguable. Some may agree with you, however I will disagree and say that I prefer a Triple H, Shawn Michaels or even Stone Cold promo than I enjoy a Rock promo.

"However, to say he is the greatest of all time on the microphone is very arguable. Some may agree with you, however I will disagree and say that I prefer a Triple H, Shawn Michaels or even Stone Cold promo than I enjoy a Rock promo."

Ferbian







Is it:


Hogan

Austin

HBK

Rock

HHH

?

 

[Ferbian]

Neither one of these would be getting my vote. I have a big love for Roddy Piper and Ric Flair. Both great talkers that got their point across in a very exciting and energetic way.

Just looking back at some of Ric Flair's NWA promos proves that he was indeed the man, and he could talk a big game with practically anyone. He could get a great reaction, and garner great heat and eventually great face reaction all due to how immensely talented he was on the microphone.

The exact same thing could be said for Roddy Piper. Especially considering he often had me thinking of him as the WWF's solution to Ric Flair.

However, on that list - My personal preference is Triple H. He also reminds me a lot of Ric Flair, but in a more calm kind of manner. Triple H can be very condescending and incredibly heelish, while turning it 180 degrees and being absolutely face-ish for the most parts. He was very versatile on the microphone, and he was able to work any style.

Triple H like we've argued, is one of the few great guys of the past 10-15 years that hasn't been bound to rely on catchphrases to make a promo work. He practically eradicated the usage of catchphrases throughout his Evolution time, and this is the very period that proved that Triple H was indeed one of the best the business had to offer. And this especially counts for the promo abilities.

 

[hdchz013]

I'm going to have to go with Ferbian on this one. I'd have to pick Roddy Piper...he was just "that damn good".
And if I had to pick from your (very limited) list of superstars...I'd have to go with Triple H...of the choices you placed on this thread..he had the most originality in his promos...I mean that as he didn't have the same 3 or more catchphrases for every single promo.

 

[RJJ]

Neither one of these would be getting my vote. I have a big love for Roddy Piper and Ric Flair. Both great talkers that got their point across in a very exciting and energetic way.

Just looking back at some of Ric Flair's NWA promos proves that he was indeed the man, and he could talk a big game with practically anyone. He could get a great reaction, and garner great heat and eventually great face reaction all due to how immensely talented he was on the microphone.

The exact same thing could be said for Roddy Piper. Especially considering he often had me thinking of him as the WWF's solution to Ric Flair.

However, on that list - My personal preference is Triple H. He also reminds me a lot of Ric Flair, but in a more calm kind of manner. Triple H can be very condescending and incredibly heelish, while turning it 180 degrees and being absolutely face-ish for the most parts. He was very versatile on the microphone, and he was able to work any style.

Triple H like we've argued, is one of the few great guys of the past 10-15 years that hasn't been bound to rely on catchphrases to make a promo work. He practically eradicated the usage of catchphrases throughout his Evolution time, and this is the very period that proved that Triple H was indeed one of the best the business had to offer. And this especially counts for the promo abilities.

LMAO! Now you're backing up. Hiding behind flair and piper. Alright, there is no doubt that flair was amazing on the mic, but you gotta admit flair never had an interview without "WOOOW"ing, which is a catchphrase. Plus, i never said hunter wasn't a good mic worker, as you said he's one of few that can cut a promo without using a catchphrase, but the problem is during his prime(attitude era) hhh couldn't cut a great promo as a babyface, he needed to be heel to be great on the mic.

 

[xxxdaniel_ariesxxx]

I'd have to go with Roddy Piper. He can do it all on the mic. Calm, excited, happy, angry, funny, serious... Just look at his mic skills on the Old School Raw, it was like watching Michael Jordan in his prime showing the freshmen JV team how it was done. He was able to make a feud with anyone he faced that much bigger, just from his mic skills alone.

Another great who I will give an Honerable Mention to is Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Imagine if these two had been able to have a feud? The promos alone would have made it one of the truly classic feuds of all time.

 

[hdchz013]

Flair's "wooing" was a catchphrase, I agree....and I did do that during every promo...now let's switch gears to the Rock and count his catchphrase during ANY 1 promo.
As far as Hunter is concerned...you said he was better on the mic as a heel over being a face....You might want to have a look at the last DX run. I'm also surprised that you didn't mention the fact that Hunter even used a catchphrase. lol
But Flair and Hunter EASILY had more more originality in their promos than The Rock did.

 

[RJJ]

I'm suprised to see no mention of Mick Foley. I've always thought he was a genius behind the mic.

Foley is a top 10 mic workers in history IMO, i miss those cheat pops lol. I made this thread because ferbian said hhh, hbk, and austin, are better than rock on the mic. Foley was amazing, i really miss him as a commisioner.

Guys, hogan?anyone? i thought he used to get bigger reactions on the mic than rock...

 

[hdchz013]

When it comes to relying on catchphrases...I'd have to agree that HHH, HBK and Austin were ALL better than The Rock...What did Austin have? Oh yeah, "That's the bottom line....." and "What". The "what" catchphrase wasn't around during his entire "Stone Cold" career..and "that's the bottom line...." was only at the end of his promos. The Rocks catchphrases were DIRECTLY at the beginning, several places in the middle, and DIRECTLY at the end...almost like we wouldn't know who he was if he didn't say "FINALLY, The Rock has come back...." and "If you smelllll, what The Rock....."

 

[Karaoke Superstar]

I agree with Ferb that the list was a bit limited and is missing some absolute greats on the mic. Here, in order is what I would rank the list.

1. The Rock: In my opinion he never had a bad promo, ever. I watch promos of his on youtube till this day and still laugh my ass off. The crowd hung on his every word and he had them eating in the palm of his hand everytime. Even if he isn't as versatile as some as the others in this list his excellence at what he does earns him the top spot.

2. HHH: His mic skills are severely underrated. In every area whether he was a heel or a face he excelled. His mic skills are great, no matter if he was an arrogant heel, a hilarious face, a bad ass face/heel it didn't matter.

3. Austin: He may be the second most popular wrestler of all time, but I will put him at #3 on this list. For what he did, Austin was great at it. He was a no-nonsense badass tough beer-swilling redneck and on the mic he reflected his character perfectly. Within the confines of his character he's not gonna have the most colorful promos, most of them are gonna be about drinkin' beer or whoopin' ass, but still he gave us many to remember and the crowd ate it up. For Stone Cold, actions always spoke louder than words, the best part of a Stone Cold promo is the stunner that followed.

4. HBK's mic skills are usually overshadowed by his wrestling ability. He is still very good on the mic and cuts passionate and emotional promos. He does a great job of selling a story such as ones against HHH and Undertaker.

5. Not bad but not great either in my opinion. I think the era he started in really helped and he was the that great all american hero that everybody could look up to and sympathize with. So his mic skills complemented that. Bottom line: it worked.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I would pick Stone Cold Steve Austin. The thing that was so good about him was that you believed everything he was saying. His serious promos were top notch and I would say that his serious promos are better than any promos that I have ever seen from anyone. That being said he did not really have to try hard to be funny either. All he had to do was abuse his opponent a bit. It fitted his character so perfectly that no matter how generic the abuse was, the crowd popped huge for it.

I would say though that after he returned in 2000, Austin was much less abusive but no less of a promo man. He showed his comedic talent as a goofy heel leading up to the formation of the Alliance, something that I thought he would never be able to do.

I just feel that with the advent of comedic promos, some of us fans have forgotten that it is the serious promos that sell a storyline. Austin was the best at the serious stuff from what I have seen and hence he is my choice as the greatest promo man in wrestling history.

 

[Ferbian]

LMAO! Now you're backing up. Hiding behind flair and piper. Alright, there is no doubt that flair was amazing on the mic, but you gotta admit flair never had an interview without "WOOOW"ing, which is a catchphrase. Plus, i never said hunter wasn't a good mic worker, as you said he's one of few that can cut a promo without using a catchphrase, but the problem is during his prime(attitude era) hhh couldn't cut a great promo as a babyface, he needed to be heel to be great on the mic.

I'm not backing up. I still believe that Rock isn't the greatest. I never once said that I didn't think very very highly on Ric Flair or Roddy Piper anywhere. Yes Ric Flair never got through many interviews without wooing. But at least his catchphrase was fun, and it never got old.

Also, of course you never said Hunter was bad. But I'm simply saying he's better than The Rock from my own preference. You want people to answer the question of the thread, and I did just that.

Also, Triple H wasn't in his prime during the Attitude Era, he was in his prime during the Ruthless aggression era where he was with Evolution. At least if you ask me. Either way, Triple H could easily cut a good babyface promo. However he didn't need to, because he was a heel.

 

[reed214]

The Rock would easily win this considering the other choices, but a horribly done poll considering Piper or Flair (best talker ever) was not an option

 

[RJJ]

I'm not backing up. I still believe that Rock isn't the greatest. I never once said that I didn't think very very highly on Ric Flair or Roddy Piper anywhere. Yes Ric Flair never got through many interviews without wooing. But at least his catchphrase was fun, and it never got old.

Also, of course you never said Hunter was bad. But I'm simply saying he's better than The Rock from my own preference. You want people to answer the question of the thread, and I did just that.

Also, Triple H wasn't in his prime during the Attitude Era, he was in his prime during the Ruthless aggression era where he was with Evolution. At least if you ask me. Either way, Triple H could easily cut a good babyface promo. However he didn't need to, because he was a heel.

HHH wasn't in his prime RA era. Yes, he owned raw during that time, held the WH title more than anyone, but that because rock and austin were gone(not to mention the brand extension-2 world titles).

"Triple H could easily cut a good babyface promo. However he didn't need to, because he was a heel"

Yes he could, but his heel promos are simply better, he get more reactions than he get as a face.

 

[Ferbian]

HHH wasn't in his prime RA era. Yes, he owned raw during that time, held the WH title more than anyone, but that because rock and austin were gone(not to mention the brand extension-2 world titles).

That doesn't change the fact that Triple H was on a roll during that period of time. And it was the period of time that he would've been considered in his prime, considering some of the quality of the matches, the fact that he looked better than ever, and was dominant as hell.

"Triple H could easily cut a good babyface promo. However he didn't need to, because he was a heel"

Yes he could, but his heel promos are simply better, he get more reactions than he get as a face.

Of course Triple H was a better heel promo cutter. Triple H is a very very easily hateable guy due to being so talented at what he's doing, as well as the backstage material which causes legitimate hatred to the guy.

However, that changes nothing to the fact that Triple H is a great promo cutter no matter what.

 

[hdchz013]

RJJ..you should make up your mind....first you said "hhh couldn't cut a great promo as a babyface, he needed to be heel to be great on the mic."...then you just stated "Yes he could, but his heel promos are simply better". Which is it? either you think he was good on the mic as a face....or you think he wasn't.
Triple H was always able to cut a great promo...I think the thing is...he was just able to get a bigger reaction when he was a heel than when he was a face on the mic...One thing Triple H did always have (in my opinion) on the mic...was originality.

 

[UltimateHitman]

I have to go with the guys that said Piper. Not known for catchphrases, even though he had a couple minor ones such as "just when you think you know the answers, I change the questions", but all in all, he's known for his all around mic excellence. I think he's on a pedestal as far as that goes.

But as far as the selections above go, I chose Austin. I was recently watching some of the What? videos on youtube, and this guy (apart from the What? catchphrase of course) was just great at whatever he did. He didn't necessarily rely on the catchphrases like the Rock even though he had his share of those, and could work the mic heel or face and just sound natural. Whatever he did he had the audience enthralled, not just because of his voice, but also his mannerisms as well. That's why I went with Austin over the Rock. Rock was good at the catchphrase thing, but I think Austin was better overall.

 

[b3zy]

Mic Worker?? Im looking and I see The Rock is winning the polls, but when I read the comments, everyone is saying otherwise...

Flair, HHH, and Austin are all GREAT on the mic.. We know this.

But none were as exciting, as charismatic, or as good as the Rock Heel or Face.

The Rock knew how to keep you entertained and going, and he had the crowd in the palm of his hand with every promo.

I used to get boreddddna, of HHH'sna longa promooooonas,.. putting me to sleeeeepna...

You cant say anyone is better or not better than the other over a catchphrase, because if HHH and Flair besides the whooooo! was even clever enough to have character like the rock to make a catchphase they would have.

Rock is a natural on the mic.. Hence what he doing right now on the big screen.

Not to take anything away from the greats of Piper, hbk, HHH, Austin, Edge, Ultimate Warrior <--- kidding..

I just Think Rock takes this hands down, no contest.

 

[nightmare]

on the list, i chose the rock.

but as ferbian pointed out, u left out a few great names like flair & piper.

but recently i have found 3 new favorites on my all-time list. Jericho, Edge & JBL.

edge can switch from heel to face in a matter of seconds. he has alot of energy but can pull it back to give off a serious, eerie tone. throw in some comedic moments, he has become great.

jericho.... wow. over the years he has come from court jester to the best in the world. i love jericho better as a heel, but his parodies & comedic segments were pure gold. recently jericho has been tremendous as a heel, yet still putting over the talent. very few can lose matches & still have the arrogance that jericho has.

JBL brings to mind the ultimate man to hate. he went from mid card APA beer drinking, ass-kicker - to high class, wrestling god. his work on smackdown was spectacular & had great promos during his reign as whc. his mic work tearing down ecw all the way to 'the inflatable dinosaur' incident. just pure talent.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I'm going to have to go with either Mick Foley or James Cornette. Foley was a promo master in WCW, ECW, and WWE because he can captivate you with his words and really make you feel what he was feeling whether he was happy, sad, mad, etc. His promos as Mankind were really creepy and he delivered them perfect. Cornette can cut a one minute promo and he would say more than someone who cut a five minute promo. He was concise and to the point and his delivery was just as good as Foley's. Can't go wrong with either one of them.

 

[Heartbreak_Kid_707]

How in the world is there no serious mention of the Miz here? I mean other than the Rock (who id put as #1) The miz easily is #2 all time...Weve not seen a face promo from him as hes been heel, but there is still no better!!!!!

 

[RJJ]

Mic Worker?? Im looking and I see The Rock is winning the polls, but when I read the comments, everyone is saying otherwise...

Flair, HHH, and Austin are all GREAT on the mic.. We know this.

But none were as exciting, as charismatic, or as good as the Rock Heel or Face.

The Rock knew how to keep you entertained and going, and he had the crowd in the palm of his hand with every promo.

I used to get boreddddna, of HHH'sna longa promooooonas,.. putting me to sleeeeepna...
You cant say anyone is better or not better than the other over a catchphrase, because if HHH and Flair besides the whooooo! was even clever enough to have character like the rock to make a catchphase they would have.

Rock is a natural on the mic.. Hence what he doing right now on the big screen.

Not to take anything away from the greats of Piper, hbk, HHH, Austin, Edge, Ultimate Warrior <--- kidding..

I just Think Rock takes this hands down, no contest.

LMAO!
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xee7ew_the-rock-dx-segment-2000_sport

at 05:55


I keep telling them rock is without a doubt the greatest on the mic, it's not even close. Love him or hate him, he will get your attention when he grabs a mic, and some how some way you'll get involved, by laghing, by booing, by cheering, it doesn't matter. Smackdown(the show) was named after one of his catchphrases.


And i'll say this one more time, these options are based on what ferbian said on another thread. He said hhh and hbk are better than rock on the mic, he also said hogan and austin got bigger reactions than rock(on the mic). My bad,i posted the wrong title for this thread.

 

[UltimateHitman]

I forgot about Jericho, honestly, after reading through the list, but nightmare corrected my oversight. I mean, this guy was more than catchphrases, and could make the crowd pop or cry for his head on a plate and if he wanted to, probably both in the same night. He could work the mic better than anybody save Piper, and if I had a number 1 and 2 pick not on this list it would have to be:
1) Piper
2) Jericho
But again, as for just the list itself, Austin would still have the top spot hands down.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

How in the world is there no serious mention of the Miz here? I mean other than the Rock (who id put as #1) The miz easily is #2 all time...Weve not seen a face promo from him as hes been heel, but there is still no better!!!!!

Miz is barely in the top 5 mic workers now let alone of all time. Piper, Flair, Hogan, and Foley easily surpass Miz as a mic worker. I've seen Miz cut one great promo and that's it. Foley can cut a great promo in his sleep.

LMAO!
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xee7ew_the-rock-dx-segment-2000_sport

at 05:55


I keep telling them rock is without a doubt the greatest on the mic, it's not even close.


And i'll say this one more time, these options are based on what ferbian said on another thread. He said hhh and hbk are better than rock on the mic, he also said hogan and austin got bigger reactions than rock(on the mic). My bad i just post the wrong title for this thread.

[YOUTUBE]BVLUOsldCu4[/YOUTUBE]

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[YOUTUBE]MM9et3_HWGs&[/YOUTUBE]

I have never watched or listened to a Rock promo that were good as these. Cornette and Foley were so great because they can do shoot and scripted promo and sometimes both at the same time.

 

[RJJ]

Miz is barely in the top 5 mic workers now let alone of all time. Piper, Flair, Hogan, and Foley easily surpass Miz as a mic worker. I've seen Miz cut one great promo and that's it. Foley can cut a great promo in his sleep.




[YOUTUBE]BVLUOsldCu4[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]qYrdpZjIQUQ[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]MM9et3_HWGs&[/YOUTUBE]

I have never watched or listened to a Rock promo that were good as these. Cornette and Foley were so great because they can do shoot and scripted promo and sometimes both at the same time.

You expect the great one to get on his knees with his theme playing talking about facing another guy? I mean WTF? don't get me wrong mick was great on the mic, but that's not rock style. His style is to entertain by mocking his opponents using his ctachphrases.

Alright, how about mick cutting a promo like this one:

[YOUTUBE]5ZPOq90fZRI[/YOUTUBE]

Not even in his wildest dreams.

 

[brandogg]

I think it's easy to see the Rock winning in the polls, but not as many people posting about him being the best, because you simply don't need to argue your case when you choose the Rock. He was the best person on the mic, period. Second (and for some strange reason not on the list), at least in my opinion, would be Chris Jericho.