WWE Top 25 Talkers

[Jack-Hammer]

On Raw last night, they plugged WWE.com and a list of the top 25 talkers in WWE history and the list reads as follows:

25. Sheamus
24. Rick Rude
23. Santino Marella
22. The Million Dollar Man
21. The Miz
20. Jesse Ventura
19. Triple H
18. Paul Heyman
17. Edge
16. Mr. McMahon
15. Superstar Billy Graham
14. Mick Foley
13. Hulk Hogan
12. CM Punk
11. Randy Savage
10. JBL
9. Bobby Heenan
8. Dusty Rhodes
7. John Cena
6. Jake Roberts
5. Chris Jericho
4. Ric Flair
3. The Rock
2. Roddy Piper
1. Steve Austin

Generally speaking, it looks like a very good list though there are definitely some surprises and some listings that we all won't agree with. For instance, I don't know what in the blue frig Santino Marella is doing on there. And, as much as I'm a fan of Sheamus, he simply hasn't been around long enough to be among the top 25 best talkers in WWE history. Another problem I have is that Shawn Michaels is nowhere on the list. How can HBK not be on this list? I'm a little surprised that Jake Roberts ranked so high. Not that he wasn't damn good, but I expected him to be much further down the line.

So, go on now people. Discuss, debate, scream bloody murderous outrage or whatever be your pleasure

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

It's an odd list to say the least. Santino & Sheamus are no where close to touching this list. Miz is also a little bit of a surprise. Vince is ranked very low which stuns the crap out of me (No Pun Intended). DiBiase should also be higher while Hogan should be lower. Edge might be a tad lower than I expected and being a mark for the guy, I'm a little surprised that there's no Eddie Guerrero. Vickie also isn't there which is a little weird especially if they wanted to have people from this generation on that list. Cena's not a top ten talker and his spot in the top ten should be Vince's. Lastly is Austin. I respect Steve Austin and he does deserve his spot on the list but he's not #1. He never has been and he never was. Personally I would have ranked Heenan as #1.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

So it seems that finally the guys who run WWE.COM website have started taking some dope.Really I hope Vince gets them checked along with the wrestlers

How the holy fuck is HBK not on this list???He easily deserves to be in the top 10.What did he do??Tell suck it to Linda Mcmahon.Seriously.This guy helped create the attitude era to some degree and this is the treatment meted out to him.Now i seriously hope HBK joins TNA just to piss Vince off.


Rock and Austin could change places in my opinion.Guerrero deserves a spot in that list too.That guy was extremely entertaining.Kurt Angle deserves a place somewhere round the bottom of that list too.It isnt like Vince isnt mentioning TNA with Foley and Flair being in that list.

Cena is ranked too high as well.He should change places with Hogan

Sheamus has no business to be on that list.But those are the desserts you get for doing HHH's laundry.

 

[thesubverse]

Since apparently no one is able to figure it out, when they make these lists, not only do they want to acknowledge wrestlers of the past, but they purposely include current talent in order to push the modern roster. By putting Sheamus and Santino on a list like this, they are attempting to up their value in the minds of readers by comparing them to recent and former greats. Honestly, it's not a bad strategy, and shouldn't be that difficult to understand.

 

[Dum Dum Dudley]

Although i may not agree with them being on the list, it is clear why Sheamus and Santino are on the list. With Bragging Rights round the corner, it makes sense to hype up those who are involved in the 7 on 7 match. I'm guessing this is why Punk is ranked so high and Edge has crept onto the list.

The omissions of Guerrero, Michaels and Angle surprise me considering Santino is on the list, but i think Angle's links to TNA have restricted him from making the list.

I could argue for hours about the placing of certain superstars, but this list is just like the WWE Hall of Fame, its self-referential. It chooses to highlight those people that have done WWE favors or aren't in TNA. You can argue that Flair and Foley are in there but those two are the exceptions. Mick Foley really began to gain momentum as a WWE guy, not WCW guy and Ric Flair is in the HOF fame so WWE can 'claim' him over TNA.

I said i wouldn't argue for hours but the one omission that has pissed me off and made my point is Kurt Angle. The guy's character in WWE grew from an arrogant, comedic bitch to an aggressive, dominating competitor and i found his promos throughout his time in WWE throughly entertaining.

The man went out on live PPV and said he was not a fan of black people and that he would love to make Jesus Christ tap out. I think the fact creative allowed him to say something so controversial shows that even WWE knew he was excellent and controlled on the mic.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

By adding Sheamus, Miz and Santino, WWE are simply trying to push their current stars and make fans accept them alongside the greats of this industry.

Now, I would drop Cena, Punk and JBL a little down the list, and I certainly think Hogan, Foley and McMahon should be higher, as Hogan's promos are one of the major reasons that he became the star he did. As for Vince, his Mr McMahon character gave us some of the best mic performances of all time. JBL is awesome on the mic, but spent most of his career as a midcarder with no promo time, so I don't think a couple of years as a main eventer with promo time can be compared alongside some of the true great talkers. Same with CM Punk. I think in time he could be thought of as one of the best promo guys of all time, but has not done enough on the mic in the WWE to be thought of that way yet.

Who's missing? From the era that I have watched wresting, I would say most are covered (Rock, Austin, Vince, Foley etc) but maybe Angle? Kurt is golden on the mic, and always entertaining.

Also HBK, as in DX he was very controversial, always entertaining and was a catalyst in the introduction of the WWE Attitude era starting with his "rude lewd and crude" promo's. He was hilarious on the mic, and well worth a spot on this list. An oversight surely?

Overall, with a few changes, I think they have most of the bases covered to be honest

 

[BestForTheBusinesso9]

Like someone mentioned before in my opinion the main adjustment that needs to be made is at number 1. Stone Cold was amazing on the mic and became possible the biggest star in WWE history. That puts him at number 2 on the list in my opinion. The Rock was clearly the best talker in WWE history. The rest of the list I understand and see why the writers would include questionable current stars. Although, Sheamus is a two-time world champion. I mean no he hasn't been around that long but he has been good on the mic and if he does nothing the rest of his career could be remembered as a pretty strong superstar. Two very interesting ones left off are the Undertaker and Paul Bearer.

 

[jholcomb22]

Where the hell is Mike Adamle?!?!?!?!?

In all seriousness, I love that Santino is on this list. They haven't given him a mic in a while, but when they did, he produced gold. The honk-o-meter, dvd reviews of the condemned are just a couple things that HE made work.

As for the rest of the list, I think they put less value in guys who were hired to talk, Heyman, Heenan, McMahon. I think Bischoff should be somewhere on this list too. No matter the organization, he is one of the best at talking.

I don't know who needs to be removed, besides Sheamus, but where is Good Ol JR? I know he was primarily an announcer, but he was the voice of WWE for 10-15 years and deserves to be on the list.

 

[Judah's Lion]

the problem with this list, simply put, is that it is just too short. this could easily have been a top 30 or even top 50, IMO.

it would have made sense to put JR and Lawler on here. they have been incredible talkers at the announce table and Lawler as a wrestler gave great promos as well.

HBK deserves to be on this list. i doubt that he cares he is not on it, but still, he was one of the best and should be recognized as such.

Kurt Angle had some golden moments on the mic and he should be on here.

Raven is good on the mic, but we didn't see much of his best stuff in WWE. more in WCW, ECW and TNA. but still, he could be on here.

i think even Big Show has some pretty great moments on the stick. definitely better than any other big man. just ask Giant Gonzalez, Andre, Kurrgan, Khali, etc.

Christian should be on here. he's just as good as Edge. Booker T is pretty amazing and super funny at times. Goldust has been classic for years. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall were both dynamic.

all of that said, it's only a list of top 25, so there's only so much you can do. and i totally understand and even agree with the idea of putting on current stars with the former greats. there just wasn't enough room for everybody that deserved a spot here.

other than that, i think Rock should be number 1. no doubt, on the mic, he was better than Austin.

 

[Undertaker1428]

I think Triple H should be higher on this list. Santino being on here, in my opinion, is just ridiculous. Also, no disrespect to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, but I personally think The Rock should be number one. He was able to draw the crowd in better than anyone. Thats just my opinion. OH, and I agree with the majority of you guys who said, "Where's HBK?" He should DEFINITELY be on this list.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I would replace Santino and Sheaums with Jim Ross and Eric Bischoff. Kurt Angle and HBK are good talkers, but that isn't something that they are known for. Santino has his gags, but to be on the same list as Bobby Heenan? I think not. Sheamus is new and has barely scratched the surface on how to cut a promo. I don't even think I would put Rock or Austin in the top five. I think those spots belong to Flair, Piper, Heenan, Rhodes, and Ventura.

 

[Rasha]

Most of my points have already been made; Rock should be #1, Angle and HBK should be HIGH on this list, and J.R. deserves a spot (as do Gorilla Monsoon and Jerry Lawler, IMO). But here's one I feel definitely should've made the cut that hasn't been mentioned:


"Road Dogg" Jesse James

What was this guy if not for his mic work? He carried the New Age Outlaws and made them good enough to hang with Triple H in DX.

 

[Ferbian]

This list seriously needs a bit of rebuilding. It really looks like it has been hit with a serious case of favoritism. You have Steve Austin as the best talker of all time apparently in the WWE, yet I wouldn't say that he could even contest with Ric Flair, Roddy Piper and not even Triple H.

A guy like Austin could work the crowd sure. But he is hardly warranted of being in the top 10 if anything. And this is not even the only case. Santino? Seriously Santino is put above Sheamus and just below Ted DiBiase Sr? There is so much wrong with the placement of people on this list that it's almost worthy of a Dough-Crashin' facepalm.

Now I'm not gonna go around and try to rebuild the list. But this just can't be realistic.

 

[DX98folife]

If Vince aint down with this list I got 4 Words for ya!

OH YOU DIDN'T KNOW?!

Instead of trying to move the list up down etc. I'd rather pick the names that are notabley missing. That said, Why isnt the Road Dogg on there? The man knew how to work a crowd and got everyone on their feet chanting. To not have Shawn Michaels is a travesty as well.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

Anybody feel like starting a thread on people who weren't in WWE, or maybe for very long who ought to be on this list like raven or an interesting but justified one 'the cat' ernest miller.

That said in evaluating the list, no chance stone cold is number one on the list he is in the top 25 but thats it. I would spin my top five as

5) Chris Jericho

4) Mick Foley

3) Bobby heenan

2) Ric Flair

1) The Rock

I cant see anybody who could top the rock. Someone who deserves a very honourable mention on the list is surely macho man. I would place him in the top 15 definately

 

[Sh0wst0pper]

I know mine is only one of MILLIONS but I can see why SOME of these names are on this list although others are purely the political WWE machine trying to put over their newest batch of short-cut, up-and-comers (i.e. Sheamus, I totally agree with you, thesubuniverse!) I've changed up the order so that they are correct in MY opinion. While I understand that this is only my opinion, I'll offer some justification as to WHY those ranked WHERE the are. Hope you like it!

25. Sheamus – If you cut though the THICK Irish accent which makes him unique, he has the arrogance needed to be a good heel……and he makes me laugh with “Fella”. I can just see Wille, the janitor from the Simpsons, lmao!
24. Mick Foley – Never afraid to take the cheap pops, lol!
23. Kane – With the stereotypical heel growl in his every word, he manages to take the cheesiness out of a classic “tormented monster” while staying true to an evil genius.
22. The Miz – Even though he’s like the little prick in jr. high that you’d beat the shit out of if the teacher wasn’t close by, he uses a blend of flaming homosexuality, bulging bug eyes and complete arrogance to draw out every boo in the area.
21. Randy Orton – While also very monotone, he has the closest resemblance to a Stone Cold promo as a PG rating will allow.
20. Wade Barrett – While one of the newest heels in the WWE his promos are among the best. He always projects supreme confidence even if it derives from the protection of a bunch of future jobbers, lol! (His in-ring skills are another story.)
19. Chris Jericho – If you can get past his slow, drawn out monotone voice or his over, over, OVER used catchphrases (“I’m the best in the world at what I do” or “I was the 1st undisputed champion ever” he genuinely makes you love or hate him depending on what he wants out of you.
18. Rowdy Roddy Piper – I always felt like he had a lot of caffeine or was half drunk during his promos but he always came through by being so damn funny, lol!
17. Paul Heyman – I think Heyman used every promo he has ever done as a way to live out the badass he knew he could never be, lol!
16. Mr. McMahon – The boss has seen it all through the years. Hell, he’s created the faces we’ve all cheered and booed for the last 30 years. How could he NOT be among the top workers on the mike?
15. Randy Savage – Savage brought a very ominous tone to his promos whether he was in the middle of an intense rivalry with Jake the Snake Roberts (one of the best ever IMO)or promising victory in the Royal Rumble.
14. Rick Rude – Great heel promos! They were never long and drawn out but he never showed mercy on anyone. The insulted the fans, opponents and anyone else who happened to get in the way.
13. Hulk Hogan – “Ya know something, brother?” Never once can I recall One of Hogan’s promos starting off any other way but somehow he managed to make you forget that b/c his charisma always took over and made them great.
12. CM Punk – I think Punk sat in the back and watched Edge with a notebook and pen in his lap taking notes. His promos have the same shoot feel to them while at the same time being wholly original.
11. Edge – Edge always makes me feel like I’m watching a shoot. When he feuded with Matt Hardy over Lita, I always pictured the producer getting ready to abruptly cut to a commercial or sitting nervously with his finger on the censor button, lol!
10. HBK – The HBK that carried the WWE before Stone Cold arrived could evoke any emotion he wanted to, whenever he wanted to do it. The HBK that returned to the WWE in 2002 proved he had lost NOTHING on the mike (or in the ring for that matter!). He took his persona in a whole new direction and still made you hang on his every word.
9. Bobby Heenan – The best heel manager of all time IMO! Much like the Nature Boy, he made you hate him more with his every word.
8. Dusty Rhodes – This man NEVER would have been confused with Mr. Olympia but his charisma was 2nd to none!
7. John Cena – Love him or hate him he brings passion to the mike. Admittedly, since leaving the rapper gimmick and becoming “Super Cena”, he’s gotten soft and again, IMO the PG rating has limited him. The Dr. of Thuganomics, however broke down EVERYBODY from Brock Lesnar (“This is JAIL, Brock! You just dropped the soap!” ) to Kurt Angle (“The t shirt used to read :YOU SUCK, but they changed it b/c you SWALLOW!&#8221
6. Jake Roberts – Vince McMahon said it himself: He never knew if he was talking to Aurelian Smith, Jr. or Jake the Snake. He lived it. This man was tortured in real life and it came out in his promos perfectly.
5. Rick Flair – The Dirtiest Player in the Game, made you want to smash your tv b/c of the supreme arrogance that spewed out of every single promo. Of course this is before he decided to become a parody of his former self and regularly elbow drop an empty ring canvas, lol!
4. HHH – The Game had it all! Even after basically being censored by the PG rating and toning down DX out of respect to HBK, (IMO), he still managed to keep that sense of
3. The Rock – This man was responsible for more catch phrases than any other WWE/WWF superstar in recent memory. Hell, the WWE started a WHOLE NEW SHOW with the word SmackDown! His mike skills are undeniable.
2. The Undertaker (The American Badass version) – I used to hang on this man’s every word when he would just come out and DECIMATE whoever happened to be on the receiving end of his promos. Everyone from The Two Man Power Trip (HHH/Austin) to Jeff Hardy. It didn’t matter. He never came out flat or sounding like anything other than a total badass.
1. Steve Austin - It came totally natural to Stone Cold after he was allowed to be himself and drop the "Ringmaster" joke of a gimmick. The man was the spark that started the “Attitude Era” (how I miss it but that’s for another forum, lol!). Austin set the tone and all others followed suit. It was like watching a caged bird fly, lol!

 

[Optimist Prime]

Bobby Heenan and Jesse Ventura should certainly be higher on that list...although I'm sure that since they are an older era, they lost some points. I mean they were commentators for cripes sake!! They had to be great talkers!

I'm glad Jake Roberts got ranked so high, he had some amazing segments and interviews. He certainly was one of the best of his time.

I just can't believe that some of these mediocre-to-boring guys are on there but "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase was entirely left off the list (as well as Shawn Michaels).

Scott Hall (as Razor Ramon) was pretty incredible too. Although, I'm still baffled as to how they allowed a coke dealer to be a character in the WWF back in the early 90's when it was mainly geared towards little kids haha.

Curt Hennig was great too.

Man, they left a lot of great talkers off the list and have quite a few questionable (at best) people on there.

 

[shadowman2000]

Where in the hell is Mr. Perfect? His promos were golden back in the day. As for some of the best talkers, how in the hell could they pick Macho Man over Hulk Hogan? There's no doubt that Hulk Hogan could work the crowd, but Macho Man was more charismatic in my point of view. Other notable missing names are Honky Tonk Man, "The King" Jerry Lawler, Kurt Angle.

This list is defenitely flawed if Triple H isn't higher than Hulk Hogan. Triple H should at least be in the top ten. And having Santino in this list just further proves that this list is some kind of hoax.

 

[D-Man]

25. Sheamus
24. Rick Rude
23. Santino Marella
22. The Million Dollar Man
21. The Miz
20. Jesse Ventura
19. Triple H
18. Paul Heyman
17. Edge
16. Mr. McMahon
15. Superstar Billy Graham
14. Mick Foley
13. Hulk Hogan
12. CM Punk
11. Randy Savage
10. JBL
9. Bobby Heenan
8. Dusty Rhodes
7. John Cena
6. Jake Roberts
5. Chris Jericho
4. Ric Flair
3. The Rock
2. Roddy Piper
1. Steve Austin

Eh, this list isn't so bad. But it does have flaws, in my eyes.

First of all, why is the Miz so low on the list? I don't care about the fact that he's a newer wrestler... if you got it then you got it. And Miz has it.

I see no reason why Randy Savage is on this list. Sorry, but although he was a tremendous in-ring talent, he didn't have the gift of the gab to back it up. Most of his promos were rambling on about nothing in that gritty voice of his.

I also feel Mr. McMahon should have been ranked much higher. I honestly feel like he is in the top 10 (possibly top 5) talkers of all time. He's taken the worst written lines in WWE and made them memorable. Who else could've coined the phrases "Genetic Jack-Hammer", "You're Fired", or "Bret Screwed Bret" like Vince. He had a way of making the most simple phrases make so much impact.

Lastly, I cannot believe Arn Anderson or Tully Blanchard did not make this list. It disappoints me very much to have them left off. Besides Ric Flair, Tully and Arn were major mouthpieces before, during, and after the Four Horsemen ran wild in the NWA/WCW. Arn Anderson alone cut most of the Horsemen's promos and was a great mouthpiece in WCW afterwards.

Now that I've gotten my disagreements out of the way, onto the names I agree with on this list.

Jake Roberts - I'm so glad he got the recognition he deserved on this list. Most of you probably weren't watching (or alive) while Jake was cutting promos in his prime. The guy really knew how to draw us all in and had a tremendous thinking process.

Bobby Heenan - Nothing makes me happier than to see him on here. In a sea of "wrestlers", it's nice to see a manager make it onto a list ranking the best "Talkers" in history. I will honestly say that no one, and I mean NO ONE, was able to elevate wrestlers with their words better than Bobby. His stable, the Heenan Family, was filled with superstars that couldn't talk to save their lives. However, all of them made impacts on titles, in storylines, and in pro-wrestling's history because Bobby Heenan's words elevated them to the point of stardom. They owe everything to him and so do we.

Rick Rude - “What I’d like right now is for all of you fat, out-of-shape sweat hogs to keep the noise down while I take my robe off and show the ladies what a real sexy man looks like.” Need I say more?? The guy really knew how to make the crowd hate him. He was also as skilled in the ring as he was on the microphone. It's a shame that so many young posters on this site couldn't appreciate him when he was white hot in the industry.

Sheamus - I'm quite happy he's on this list. I've been singing praises about his mic work for months now. Ever since his stint in ECW, Sheamus has been underestimated on the microphone. Despite the "WHATs" and crowd booing him, he still cut a very good promo here:


And recently, Sheamus cut a promo where he tells us a story about some kind of Celtic legend... I wish I could find a YouTube video on it to post here. It was a tremendous promo that I won't forget anytime soon.

Santino - Although I'm not sure if I agree that he should be on this list, I know why he is. To be able to conduct the unique comedy that Santino offers on a weekly basis, especially in front of the live crowd, is something that you can't learn. Santino is very gifted when it comes to the way he comes across on television. He's hilarious in almost any situation and that is a reflection of his acting and comedic skills. Combine them all and you have a very talented mic worker.

 

[Theo Mays]

The list doesn't bother me too much. I can see why the E put on current guys like Sheamus, Santino, Miz, Punk, Edge, etc... With Bragging Rights and SVR2011 around the corner it makes sense to hype up the current guys in the company. The real problem I have with the list is the fact that Ted Dibiase is that low on the list. The Million Dollar Man is a top 10 guy on the mic and he should be put ahead of a lot of the guys on the list. Glad to see Jake Roberts and Randy Savage make the list. Both were great talkers and definitely deserve their spot as well. Mick Foley would be the only other one I have a gripe with. Foley is one of the best on the mic and I think he ranks right there with Piper, Austin, Rock, Dibiase, etc... I guess being in TNA limited his spot, but he still could have been a bit higher.

 

[Chill]

I think the list is fair enough. Obviously some will argue so and so should have been placed higher than so and so, but generally speaking I think they've included most people who deserve to be acknowledged as among the greatest mic workers of all time. Sheamus seems a bit of a wild card if you ask me, perhaps it's only because I don't think he can compare to the others who have been included but in saying that, they obviously want to make some of the newer talents seem credible on the mic and in that sense I understand why they've done this. Another is CM Punk and JBL being placed above people like the Million Dollar Man and even Vince McMachon himself! Overall though, this is a decent stab at a list of geat talkers.

 

[nbkush]

regardless of any list, The Rock is by far the greatest. Stone Cold has always been my favorite wrestler, but if your gonna talk mic skills you cannot deny the catch-phrases, the charisma, and the delivery of The Rock (he could even sing). he was too good...thats why hes a REAL movie star....none of this direct to dvd shit

 

[tru_overdose]

lol @ this forum dickriding the miz...but hating on santino.

if anything my major issue is the rock being number 3. that guy could cut a promo that just was always entertaining AND funny. i think he was the best on the mic by far.

 

[I_got_bant_for_idiocy]

john cena number 7, hes before rick rude, jesse venture,miz and bobby heenan hahaha whoever made this list at wwe needs to get fired.. and how the fuck is the rock number 3????????? the rock by far should be number 1, Austin good but he wasnt near the rocks level as on the mic but he should be number 2 no dount.

 

[Kidd]

Before reading other's comments, let me make some of my own.

First of all, the Rock has to be #1. No ifs ands or buts. He is the most charismatic personality to ever hold a mic IMO. People were cheering his promos even when he was a heel.

Secondly, how is Mick Foley not in the top 5 let alone the top ten? Everytime he takes the mic, he tells a story and draws everyone in with it. He gets the results he wants out of the crowd. If he's shooting for humor, the crowd will be laughing. If he want to make you angry, you'll be one pissed off MFer.

Also, how are you gonna put Sheamus on the list instead of the Undertaker... or Kane for that matter? Taker and Kane have both cut memorable promos while I can't remember one word of Sheamus' promos.