Worst Skic mills...er...Mic skills.

[Jimmy King]

After watching some old WCW Thunder footage, it seems that Lex Luger is probably the worst wrestler on the microphone. It's not so much about emotion as much as it's about his verbal skills. Lex always seemed to mess up his lines somehow, especially by mispronouncing words.

So, my question is:

Who do you think has been the worst person (with a decent push) to ever grace a microphone and why?

Note This is not about superstars being monotonous (like Ted JR.)

 

[mulkeymania]

the one to immediately pop to mind is sid vicious--he seemed to mess up a lot of lines as well and maybe more than luger. just remember the classic ''i have half the brain you do'' remark towards kevin nash.

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

But Michelle is pretty bad and monotonous at the same time despite a well over 3 year push above all the other divas. Somewhere someone lied to her and said she has charisma and personality.. And she believed it for some fucking reason. She doesn't count? =(

First person come to mind is Bret Hart. I understand not everyone is gonna be a flashy or charismatic guy. I get that. But when you have to wear something to cover your darting eyes, you are very very uncomfortable at what you do. It doesn't help that his return later this year exposed two very real things for me: 1) Bret Hart has always been the same "err.. he is better off just shutting up and just wrestle" promo guy he has always been and 2) Mah gawd the internet couldn't get more bias towards a guy.

Well, Lex wasn't suppose to be a talker. He was suppose to be a bad ass.

 

[Hazardous]

well a few come to mind.. Benoit. the guy really did struggle to come up with things to say.
the ultimate warrior is probably the worst. not only did NO one understand what the fuck he was saying, but watching a bunch of old stuff, he stumbled quite often while doing it

 

[Leonas]

I would have to nominate bobby lashley. One big dude who needed some mike work. Also when he opened his mouth his voice suprised me. I'm glad he's having a successful mma career.

 

[supersrc]

When it come to cutting the promos jeff hardy would be pretty high on the list, another one to put up there "sadly" would have to be bobby lashly. That man just had the look, but sadly not the voice.

When it comes to Hart and Warrior they may not have been the best when it comes to the talk but they did a good job covering it up, intentially or unintentialy. Hart knew his problem that he kept looking around and the glasses hid that and helped define his character. Warrior, he was just so out there and energetic no one understands to begin with so it really doesnt matter if he messes up or not, and at least you can say he wasnt predictable like a few others I wont name.

 

[Decarow]

Though I hate to say it, I gotta go with Brock Lesnar. He wasn't Mike Adamle horrible, but he was pretty damn bad. He had to have one of the best in the business (Heyman) behind the mic for quite a while.

I also have to agree that Jeff Hardy always has and still sucks at the mic. Just can't get into his stories.

 

[rondiesel2005]

the only person that I can think of his Lashley, he had some decent matches, but when i first heard his voice, am like wait a minute that can't be how he sound because this guy was in the army and how he can have a voice like that, i thought it was better for him to stay away from the mic and just wrestle

 

[Boondocks]

First, lol at the title.

Anyways, the first person that comes to mind is Jeff Hardy. In a few of hs promos, he tended to stop suddenly to think what word was next. He also was very monotonous, which made the first stated flaw show more.

 

[Nicole13Edge/HardyFan]

Ummmmm seriously what are you guys thinking that said that Jeff Hardy has horrible mic skills thats like saying Edge has horrible mic skills and we all know thats not true. Jeff is great on the mic and he has the cutest country accent {sorry I know that doesn't count I just had to add that.}.

As for the diva with the worst mic skills thats Michelle McCool. Her voice is just so irritating and you just want to tell her to be quite and never open your mouth again.

As for guys I've only watched the WWE for 7 years so all of these people that you are naming I don't really know. Ummmmm I think that the guy with the worst mic skills is Vladimir Kozlov. I mean he has no expression in his voice and he seems like he doesn't know what hes going to say next.

Also for the ones of you that said Bret Hart has no charism your wrong he has a lot of charism.

 

[Gallops]

But Michelle is pretty bad and monotonous at the same time despite a well over 3 year push above all the other divas. Somewhere someone lied to her and said she has charisma and personality.. And she believed it for some fucking reason. She doesn't count? =(

That's what happens when you are dating The Undertaker. But that's for another time.

As far as worst mic skills, I have a top five, which will include only relevant wrestlers and not guys who were low mid carders/jobbers. This top five is in no particular order.

1. Chris Benoit - Guy could wrestle, and that's what got him his eventual World Title run. His mic skills were awful and I think is what kept him from getting to the top sooner.

2. Ultimate Warrior - He literally just yelled random words/sounds and was only pushed towards the top because of his in ring "ability" to get the crowd into his matches.

3. Bret Hart - Man has always struggled with a promo that wasn't taped. He's dull and usually stumbled, and this was before his stroke.

4. Sid (Psycho, Vicious, Justice, etc.) - Similar to Warrior. Just another big guy who yelled and was only at the top because of his size.

5. Scott Steiner - He's had the well written promos to deliver, but he just doesn't deliver them smoothly. He always stumbles his words, and seems to just drag on way too often and bores fans more than gets them pumped up.

Obviously, Bret and Benoit had the superb in ring skills that they didn't need great mic skills (especially as faces).

 

[Jimmy King]

Ummmmm seriously what are you guys thinking that said that Jeff Hardy has horrible mic skills thats like saying Edge has horrible mic skills and we all know thats not true. Jeff is great on the mic and he has the cutest country accent {sorry I know that doesn't count I just had to add that.}.

As for the diva with the worst mic skills thats Michelle McCool. Her voice is just so irritating and you just want to tell her to be quite and never open your mouth again.

As for guys I've only watched the WWE for 7 years so all of these people that you are naming I don't really know. Ummmmm I think that the guy with the worst mic skills is Vladimir Kozlov. I mean he has no expression in his voice and he seems like he doesn't know what hes going to say next.

Also for the ones of you that said Bret Hart has no charism your wrong he has a lot of charism.

Let me quote my favorite line of Billy Madison, "Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

Kozlov doesn't even speak English, and I'm sure you do not speak any relevant language as him.

Also, to compare Jeff Hardy, and claim that he IS good on the mic because of his cute country accent, to Edge is ridiculous. Edge shows no accent, shows pure emotion and never thinks of any lame similes (i.e., Jeff Hardy's whole "I'm watching this paint dry" promo.)

Please do us 2 favors. 1. post a rational thought next time. and 2. make like the guy from 8 mile and shoot yourself in the weiner.

 

[BuckshotBrian13]

No offense to him, since he passed away lately, but does Umaga come to mind for anyone? I never heard him say a word except for the yelling, but I got to say, Scott Steiner always rambles on the mic and Jeff Hardy can't cut a promo for his life.

 

[Nicole13Edge/HardyFan]

Let me quote my favorite line of Billy Madison, "Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

Kozlov doesn't even speak English, and I'm sure you do not speak any relevant language as him.

Also, to compare Jeff Hardy, and claim that he IS good on the mic because of his cute country accent, to Edge is ridiculous. Edge shows no accent, shows pure emotion and never thinks of any lame similes (i.e., Jeff Hardy's whole "I'm watching this paint dry" promo.)

Please do us 2 favors. 1. post a rational thought next time. and 2. make like the guy from 8 mile and shoot yourself in the weiner.

Okay you obivously can't read. I said that I thought Jeff had a cute accent but I said that didn't count. I think that he has good mic skills because he really gets into his character and shows emotion. So next time read before you post okay.

As for people getting stupider from reading what I wrote I'm not even going to respond to that.

 

[Rasha]

Can't really argue with anyone's picks, although I definitely agree with the fact that guys like Benoit, Hart, Warrior, and Sid, while never great on the mic, somehow made it work in a way that fit their character. With Benoit and Hart, their lack of charisma almost made sense as it fit the "no nonsense/technical" style of their wrestling. And with Warrior and Sid, their babbling just fed the insanity that they always tried to convey.

And there's Jeff Hardy , who just sucks.

Now, for some new entries to the discussion:

Batista - Amazed nobody's mentioned him yet. Very limited on the mic for a guy who's received such a huge push. He's improved a little as a heel, but some his promos during his face runs were just awful.

Rob Van Dam - It just wouldn't be fair if a guy who's so entertaining in the ring was also a brilliant promo cutter. So at least the wrestling gods kept things balanced when they made RVD.

Also, while I won't officially put him on this list because of the unique nature of his character, I think the Undertaker has had some really awful promos at times. Some of the stuff during his "American Badass" gimmick was rough. And even before that, while he was still his normal self, I'll never forget the one he did when he was "mentoring" the Big Show and talked for what felt like HOURS about riding motorcycles in the desert. If you don't remember it, you should look it up for a laugh. I'm pretty sure it was the next RAW after Jericho debuted and has his classic segment with The Rock, because Jericho came out again to stop the Taker's mic time.

 

[King Blitzkonic]

the one to immediately pop to mind is sid vicious--he seemed to mess up a lot of lines as well and maybe more than luger. just remember the classic ''i have half the brain you do'' remark towards kevin nash.

Let's be honest, Sid always had that psychotic giant gimmick. He wasn't ALWAYS bad on the stick though. If we want to talk powerhouses who weren't that great on the mic, let's talk GOLDBERG. His best mic moment was eating the contract to start a heel turn. THAT's bad.

I also have to disagree on Benoit. He actually pulled some funny promos, especially talking about what he could do in 24.5 seconds.

My top ten mic head-shakers (random order):

1. Cena: I'm sure if he changed it up now and then he'd come across better on the mic. Unfortunately he only has 2 modes: Quiet sarcasm to start and then the crowd sucking-up "The champ is here!" fervor. Nothing in-between, most of his promos cover the same items with different opponents stuck in.

2. Bret Hart: Bad then, bad now. "WWF in your Hase....House". Enough said.

3. Owen Hart (RIP): "I am NOT....a nugget!". On the mic you were, sorry Owen.

4. Hulk Hogan: The king of unintelligible promos. About the only thing I could understand was "Whatcha gonna do brotha, when Hulkamania runs wild on you". At least Ultimate Warrior was scripted to have that feral sound.

5. Macho Man: Ya know, it's rumored that Ultimate Warrior was on drugs, but I think Macho was on drugs, especially while cutting promos. Only under Hogan because Macho was scripted to be insane.

6. Dean Malenko: I hate to put him in this list but he only had one decent mic moment: when he was feuding with Jericho in WCW.

7. Michelle McCool: I gotta agree with the others who talked about her. At least Layla's voice is bearable... I think it's the accent.

8. Melina: She's hot, no doubt. But her voice doesn't do anything for me. I blame all that primal screaming she did (and still does). BTW, is it just me or was that split thing she did on Fox slightly botched?

9. Big Show: His joke about his butt needing its own area code wasn't funny in the least. This man can NOT talk on the mic as a face. The corniness burns my ears.

10. Rey Mysterio: The underdog promos are getting stale. >.- Need I say more?

 

[Rasha]

Okay you obivously can't read. I said that I thought Jeff had a cute accent but I said that didn't count. I think that he has good mic skills because he really gets into his character and shows emotion. So next time read before you post okay.

You know who else gets into character and shows emotion? EVERYONE! So let's see... what makes Hardy worse?

He has no character. He just rambles, delivers lines horribly, and comes up with really bad catchphrases. I especially hate this thing he's now doing in TNA where he sings along with his entrance theme. Look, I know you're obviously a huge Hardy mark (your login name and sig say it all), so maybe you should own up to your own lack of objectivity in this discussion. You love him and that's great, but don't waste our time trying to tell us that one of the worst mic workers in Main Event history is "good."

 

[MWRedskins]

Ok this is easy, it is THE MIZ!!! hahaha, just kidding people!! Seriously, it's down to 3 guys that i have already been spoken of
Either Scott Steiner, Sid Vicious and Bobby Lashley, but first let me say who i dont agree with on this list.
Some have said Chris Benoit, well i disagree. Was he great on the mic, no, but he wasnt awful on it. When he spoke, i listened and understood him.

Now for the 3 worst. Steiner's voice sometimes makes it hard to understand him. However, during the LAST part of WCW (when he was World Champion that is) he was better. So that leaves Lashley and Sid. While Lashley wasnt good on the mic, i understood him a little bit. Sid Vicious during his WCW time was horrible on that mic. It was HARD to understand him at times, his promos were in the dark, but it wasnt scary, just hard to hear, plus his promos were dull. He's my guy for worse mic skills. I liked him in the ring, he wasnt bad there, it's just the mic.

 

[Yarrie]

The Ultimate Warrior was terrible if you take into account what he actually said, but you didnt really listen, you were just so hyped he was on the screen, so for me it is Jeff Hardy. The guy coming out to the ring, and in the ring is amazing, but give him a mic...and nothing. he is just boring all around. even in the Hardy boys DVD, Matts story was great and his was dull. His poetry sucks too, over all just a really dull boring person. As a wrestler though I love him.

Have to agree with Randy Savage too, couldnt understand a word he said

 

[Rasha]

Let's be honest, Sid always had that psychotic giant gimmick. He wasn't ALWAYS bad on the stick though. If we want to talk powerhouses who weren't that great on the mic, let's talk GOLDBERG. His best mic moment was eating the contract to start a heel turn. THAT's bad.

I also have to disagree on Benoit. He actually pulled some funny promos, especially talking about what he could do in 24.5 seconds.

My top ten mic head-shakers (random order):

1. Cena: I'm sure if he changed it up now and then he'd come across better on the mic. Unfortunately he only has 2 modes: Quiet sarcasm to start and then the crowd sucking-up "The champ is here!" fervor. Nothing in-between, most of his promos cover the same items with different opponents stuck in.

2. Bret Hart: Bad then, bad now. "WWF in your Hase....House". Enough said.

3. Owen Hart (RIP): "I am NOT....a nugget!". On the mic you were, sorry Owen.

4. Hulk Hogan: The king of unintelligible promos. About the only thing I could understand was "Whatcha gonna do brotha, when Hulkamania runs wild on you". At least Ultimate Warrior was scripted to have that feral sound.

5. Macho Man: Ya know, it's rumored that Ultimate Warrior was on drugs, but I think Macho was on drugs, especially while cutting promos. Only under Hogan because Macho was scripted to be insane.

6. Dean Malenko: I hate to put him in this list but he only had one decent mic moment: when he was feuding with Jericho in WCW.

7. Michelle McCool: I gotta agree with the others who talked about her. At least Layla's voice is bearable... I think it's the accent.

8. Melina: She's hot, no doubt. But her voice doesn't do anything for me. I blame all that primal screaming she did (and still does). BTW, is it just me or was that split thing she did on Fox slightly botched?

9. Big Show: His joke about his butt needing its own area code wasn't funny in the least. This man can NOT talk on the mic as a face. The corniness burns my ears.

10. Rey Mysterio: The underdog promos are getting stale. >.- Need I say more?

Good call on Goldberg. Can't believe I didn't think of him in my own post. I also agree with you about Benoit and Sid; slightly underrated.

I wanted to make one counterpoint about Hogan. I agree that "Hulk" Hogan doesn't have the greatest mic skills (and they're even worse now in TNA), but "Hollywood" Hogan was solid. I think once he got away from some of the cliches of Hulkamania and got the freelance a little more on the mic he was pretty good. He definitely knew how to work the crowd, and that's ultimately the greatest sign of "skills" on the mic.

And as for Macho, I totally disagree with you. His speech was heavily stylized, but he never really incoherent and always entertained. He was also enjoyable during his commentary days. He might have been lame by today's standards, but for his time he was very good.

 

[King Blitzkonic]

Good call on Goldberg. Can't believe I didn't think of him in my own post. I also agree with you about Benoit and Sid; slightly underrated.

I wanted to make one counterpoint about Hogan. I agree that "Hulk" Hogan doesn't have the greatest mic skills (and they're even worse now in TNA), but "Hollywood" Hogan was solid. I think once he got away from some of the cliches of Hulkamania and got the freelance a little more on the mic he was pretty good. He definitely knew how to work the crowd, and that's ultimately the greatest sign of "skills" on the mic.

And as for Macho, I totally disagree with you. His speech was heavily stylized, but he never really incoherent and always entertained. He was also enjoyable during his commentary days. He might have been lame by today's standards, but for his time he was very good.

Well mind you I put Hulk Hogan and Hollywood Hulk Hogan under two different personas. Agreed on Hollywood. And Macho... well I never did like his work so I may be a little biased LOL

Now to address RVD: He's no Chris Jericho on the mic but he talks circles around most of the guys I mentioned. His mic work just brings to mind a slightly stoned jock...Oh wait, he probably is, oops.

 

[info62]

Even though I like him... I was JUST watching an episode of Smackdown from 2006 and Lashley cut a promo... yikes. It was not very good. Batista is absolutely horrible. Worse than Lashley. Even after he made his heel turn I think he was TOTALLY overrated by people, he still sucked on the mic. And I'm gonna disagree with the Scott Steiner mention... I love hearing him on the mic, always makes me laugh

I am also not a fan of Jeff Hardy, John Morrison, Ted Dibiase JR, and I really don't see why everybody likes Miz who always fucks up his lines (though I wouldn't say any of these guys are the worst)

 

[lionheart8]

yep i have to agree the most talented wrestlers "meaning wrestling ability" were also the worst on the mic save for Ric Flair "watch his sixty minute man speech" Stone Cold Steve Austin "watch anything he's done or mainly the speech where he coined the phrase austin 3:16 at the 1996 king of the ring which i wholeheartedly believe the rise of austin began along with the attitude era."

 

[Tenta]

My God, we've gotten this far in this thread, and aside from some pretty distinct signs of failure, I've only heard one person say the obvious answer: Scott Steiner. Look, as one time, Scott was actually a great worker. Unfortunately, he was saddled with his somewhat less talented brother as his partner during all of the years he was a reliable worker. Still, one thing that has always been a trademark of Steiner's was that he was so damn difficult to understand on the microphone. My lord, try and distinguish what this guy is saying in this promo

[YOUTUBE]0ccog02xSIo[/YOUTUBE]​

right. Point made. There's no way it can't be a Sternographer's worst nightmare, Scott Steiner. Sure there have been shitty wrestlers on the mic, but no one nearly as horrendous as Scott Steiner

 

[Zigglerfan227]

Out of all he wrestlers I have heard on the mic I believe Utimate Warrior was one of the worst. He was like some kind of 8 year old or something instead of a cool tough guy like Stone Cold. His voice and actions just didn't match his look.