WWE Top 25 Talkers

[hatehabsforever]

Look, I'm sure the list was not intended to be perfect, and it does have some obvious flaws. But I guess it is doing what it was likely intended to do, and that is, generate some discussion.

I don't know how you can have such a list of top 25 talkers, and not have Shawn Michaels or Kurt Angle on there. I think an argument can even be made for Christian, Kane, or certainly the Undertaker. Granted the Undertaker does not talk a lot, and in his early days he hardly spoke at all, but when he does deliver a promo, it's chilling, it's done with passion and conviction, and I'd argue he belongs on a list of this nature more so than a guy like Santino Marella or Sheamus.

I'm sure Santino and Sheamus are only on this list as part of the hype of the upcoming Bragging Rights PPV, but even still, you cannot include them for this reason and have other such obvious omissions. And people have been saying that Angle was only excluded because of his TNA affiliation, but that's not correct as Flair, Foley, and Hogan are on there. I think Angle has to be on a list like this.

 

[Rasha]

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.

While the gimmick was based on the Tony Montana character in Scarface, he never actually discussed drug-dealing or any other illegal activity. It was basically just the accent and the attitude.

I actually think the wrestling of the 90s had a broader target audience than it does today. Sure, they had some juvenile elements. But you also had Flair's "I slept with Elzabeth" angle, Hogan/Savage fighting over Elizabeth (Miss Elizabeth caused a lot of problems, apparently), Gulf War references, Papashango making people "bleed", and Sunny (back when a girl like Sunny was still PG-13).

 

[Kaneanite]

My top 10 would have to be:

1. Rock
2. Vince
3. Jericho
4. Austin
5. Ric Flair
6. Jake Roberts
7. CM Punk
8. Edge
9. JBL
10. Dusty Rhodes

I think Cena is brilliant on the mic and I'd love to see him in non-PG, but nonetheless I don't find him top 10. I also think it's easier for heels to be better speakers. Not diminishing their great work, but it's easy to get people to hate you. Hard to get them to like you... especially if you aren't a good looking guy or high-flier. Rock is hands down #1 for me. Simply hilarious. CM Punk may not be this high now, but by the time his career is done there's no doubt he'll be top 10. Vince is too good to keep that low.

 

[DxArmy]

Why in the world is Santino on the list and not HBK? What did Shawn Michaels ever do to the WWE? Oh all he did was just, i dont know.... Revolutionize it! Thr man cud tlk forevr he wnted to bck in the attitude era and when the top 25 big mouths comes out they thnk him by putting god damned Santino on it instead of HBK

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Decent list. I'm glad Steve Austin is #1. I always thought he did a better job with serious issues (on the mic) than Rocky did. But The Rock should be #2. I agree Piper is top ten, maybe even top 5, but he's not better than The Rock.

Sheamus and Santino? This has to be a joke. I know Bragging Rights is right around the corner, but this is pretty low, even for Vince. Santino is a talented guy on the mic, but he hasn't done nearly enough in his short career to be on this list. Same with Sheamus, and I think he's less talented than Santino (on the mic).

Guys like Rick Rude, Mr. McMahon and Ted DiBiase should have been top ten, replacing Cena, JBL and even Dusty Rhodes. This list, as a whole, got it right. I'm just not sure about the positioning.

 

[skeet mg]

For me, #1 has to be The Rock! Nobody could pull off a promo like The Great One. Some people ask what the difference is between The Rock and John Cena, in that they're both "Superman". I honestly don't see any major similarities other than them each being faces of the company. The Rock had the promo ability that John Cena simply doesn't have. Plus, The Rock is actually funny!

Other than that, I think this list is pretty accurate, and maybe JBL could be a little bit higher, I mean he was a commentator, which brings me to wonder why the hell JR isn't on this list. He should replace Sheamus, i mean seriously, WTF?!?! HBK should also be on the list.

And hey, what about Simon Dean? He was pretty damn good at convincing people to buy his Simon System haha.

 

[Brahma Bull]

I think the rock and stone cold should change spots. The rock got over because of his promos. he is considered the best talker by most fans. but i do understand why they put austin as number 1. he still appears for them so they want to make him the biggest. and the fact that he was only number 1 for one of his promos is almost ok since that promo did help propell the additude era.

i understand also why they put current stars. they should really have put vickie though. i have never heard anyone besides members of the mcmahon family get as much heat as her. and if you measured heat gotten on average, she would probably be the highest ever. i would also have put y2j higher on the list.

john cena was way too high since all his promos are the same, but the wwe wants to please all the little kids so they gave him a spot.

 

[Kidd]

My top 10:

10. The Miz - As someone else here said : When you got it, you got it and The Miz has it.

9. Edge - Very Diverse. He can cut very funny promos one night and then cut some very intense promos the next.

8. Kennedy/Anderson - Very charismatic no matter if he's a heel or a face.

7. Flair - Just a classic. I like his heel promos better than any he ever cut as a face.

6. HHH - Very under-rated IMO. He could turn from face to heel and vice versa in the middle of a promo. When he starts out, he'll have you loving him and then have you hating his guts by the time he's finished.

5. Austin - He never had to change his persona to come across as a face or a heel.

4. Vince McMahon - What I always like about his promos is that he never strayed from his character whether he was doing a face or heel promo, he was always Mr. McMahon

3. Mick Foley - The story teller. He can tell you a story about Christmas as a child and tie it to whatever storyline he's involved in.

2. Jericho - A close second to The Rock in charisma department.

1. The Rock - Best of all time for all obvious reasons mentioned

 

[The Brain]

I’m not going to scrutinize the entire list right now, but one glaring omission is Arn Anderson. He was a great talker. He was very articulate and very good at getting his point across. Arn always made it seem so real. The only reason I could accept him not being on the list is if it was strictly WWE. Arn spent about a year there, but did his best mic work in the NWA/WCW. However, Dusty Rhodes is on the list so I think Arn should be there too.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

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).

The Million Dollar Man is on the list. He came in at #22 though I do think he should've been placed higher as he was the best heel of the late 80s in my opinion. I'm not thrilled that Shawn Michaels wasn't on the list, I think that's a real screw up.

 

[Uncle Chester]

HBK was never that great on the mic people. His timing especially in the last couple of years has been poor and his habit of sounding 'cheezy' have taken a lot away from HBK deserved ranking. Also The Rock shouldn't be second, became too repetitive and relied on his catchphrases to get reactions. Austin relied more in the substance which is why I think he deserves his ranking of No.1.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Decent list. I'm glad Steve Austin is #1. I always thought he did a better job with serious issues (on the mic) than Rocky did. B

hmm you actually have a nice point there.i feel the same way about austin and rock too.austin did a better job with serious interviews while rock was better on funny ones.austin's my favorite too so i guess im glad for his no 1 spot as well

i just think that when you think of the rock the first thing that comes to your mind are his promos.thats not the case with austin.when he comes to my mind i do think of either his match with bret hart or the beer bath to the mcmahons or making mcmaahon pee or his feud with hhh and that match at no way out.i think in a way you can say austin was a bit more versatile compared to rocky

 

[Dagger Dias]

I basically agree with the list, other than two things. First of all.... Why is VINCE on the list? That is clear evidence that he made the list because he doesn't belong on there at all. Also.... why is Shawn Michaels not on it!? He should have not only been on the list, but should have been at the very least in the top ten. You can't have a list of the best "talkers" without HBK! I'm surprised that Sheamus made the list, but don't necessarily disagree with him being there. Taker would have been another good candidate, if he talked more. He's great in the rare times that he does talk. Pretty cool list, one of the better articles I've found lately.

 

[Ferbian]

HBK was never that great on the mic people. His timing especially in the last couple of years has been poor and his habit of sounding 'cheezy' have taken a lot away from HBK deserved ranking.

What rock have you been living under? Shawn Michaels has been one of the greatest talkers of the past 2 decades or so. Especially back in the 90's when he was a part of D-Generation X. This guy could work the crowd like very few others could ever dream about. Have you seen his "lost my smile" promo and how he practically had the crowd crying their eyeballs out?

Even when he weren't truly cutting a promo, but simply doing interviews he have been able to perform nicely.

[YOUTUBE]HH4hE36RMW8[/YOUTUBE]

Shawn Michaels is indeed more than worthy on this list, he is more than worthy of being in the top 5 of all-time talkers in this business. delivery, timing and just general perfection of his promos is what makes it warranted.

Oh and to top it off, who could possibly forget this promo.

[YOUTUBE]7AFji2r3GVI[/YOUTUBE]

How can this guy POSSIBLY not be on the list? Seriously?

 

[info62]

I didn't read through all the posts so if I repeat what somebody else said, I apologize.

At first when I looked at the list I didn't see Foley's name and my jaw dropped. But now that I realize he is actually on there, I'm not too upset with this list. I do have a few problems though. Miz does not deserve to be on this list honestly, I just don't think he is good at all. He is way too forced, relies on cheap heat, and screws up his lines.

Also, this is just my personal opinion, but JBL should be higher on the list. I would honestly put him above Cena. Sheamus being on here is just WTF. I think even Randy fucking Orton has better mic skills than Sheamus (at least he did as The Legend Killer). And I've never been a fan of Jericho on the mic so I don't agree with him being so high but that's just my personal preference I guess.

I know the list is going to include some modern-day wrestlers to make them seem like they are even half as good as past wrestlers in the company, but seriously, they couldn't think of anybody better than Sheamus? Half the roster is better than him.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

Triple H is lower than Vince, Edge, JBL, and Billy Graham? Ok then.... They are all good talkers, but to put them higher than that of Triple H is a little head scratching to me.

As far as Sheamus and The Miz being on there? I agree, both are very good talkers, and both will play a large part in the WWE for years to come, and I wouldn't doubt if they were ranked even higher in 10 years time.

 

[RJJ]

hmmm....it seems that the WWE is trying to hard to put austin over rock in every category. No disrespect, but rock is by far the best talker in WWE history, no one can take this away from him. I don't believe all that crap, i believe my eyes, rock owned austin in the mic more than once. HBK and vince mcmahon are too low IMO. Shamus? Santino? WTF?! I would put Angle and road dogg over them, anyday.

 

[Optimist Prime]

hmmm....it seems that the WWE is trying to hard to put austin over rock in every category. No disrespect, but rock is by far the best talker in WWE history, no one can take this away from him. I don't believe all that crap, i believe my eyes, rock owned austin in the mic more than once. HBK and vince mcmahon are too low IMO. Shamus? Santino? WTF?! I would put Angle and road dogg over them, anyday.

In all fairness, The Rock and Steve Austin were both great at "talking"...and you could probably flip flop the two of them depending only on personal preference of how they talked.

Austin literally just played himself as a character on screen...which made it that much more believable and successful, while The Rock had more of a theatrical "act" he potrayed instead.

At that point where you start ranking 1 and 2, it's all about personal preference. They were both equally as successful and entertaining in their own way.

 

[Heartbreak_Kid_707]

Alot of good points were brought up by posters on here...I agree, it should be Rock and Austin 1 and 2...Rock #1.

And no HBK?..really? and no Road Dogg?? two DX members who led the AE and HBK the WWE in general. I hate how backstage politics play such a role in things like these...

I dont think Sheamus, Santino, OR JBL should be on this list...nowhere..


Mainley, why the bloody hell is The Miz, at #21?? Possibley the greatest (next to the rock) on the mic in YEARS and YEARS is rated along side Santino..really? really?

It goes to show that its very clear, the people in charge of WWE.com have smoked some of RVD's stash....

geesh.....

 

[RJJ]

In all fairness, The Rock and Steve Austin were both great at "talking"...and you could probably flip flop the two of them depending only on personal preference of how they talked.

Austin literally just played himself as a character on screen...which made it that much more believable and successful, while The Rock had more of a theatrical "act" he potrayed instead.

At that point where you start ranking 1 and 2, it's all about personal preference. They were both equally as successful and entertaining in their own way.

Just to let you know austin is #2 in my all-time favourite list, so it's not that i dislike austin, matter of fact i believe that austin is the bigger star of the two(Rock), and there is no doubt that he was amazing on the mic WHAT?!, but rock was on another level. When it comes to mic skills, rock was simply on another planet comparing to any other superstar, past or present.

I've seen rock and austin go against each other on the mic, and it seems that rock always come at the top. No matter how good you are you can't own rock on the mic. Y2J is the only guy that can make it interesting against rock in a mic competetion.

 

[Heartbreak_Kid_707]

I agree with RJJ, The rock is on another planet on Mic skills...Id have to stick rock 1, Austin 2, miz 3, and Y2J 4, HBK 5....those 5 are head and shoulders above anyone past or present in wwe.

I mean Y2J made his WWE debut in a mic showdown of epic porportions aginst the rock.