There are some surprises in here.
50. Scott Steiner
49. Joel Gertner
48. Jimmy Valiant
47. Zeb Colter
46. New Jack
45. Grand Wizard
44. Brian Pillman
43. JBL
42. Thunderbolt Patterson
41. The Miz
40. Kevin Sullivan
39. William Regal
38. Taz
37. Stephanie McMahon
36. Ernie Ladd
35. Kurt Angle
34. Bray Wyatt
33. Rick Rude
32. Gary Hart
31. Ultimate Warrior
30. Michael PS Hayes
29. Nick Bockwinkle
28. Raven
27. Jesse Ventura
26. Jerry Lawler
25. Ted DiBiase
24. Terry Funk
23. Shawn Michaels
22. Harley Race
21. Edge
20. Captain Lou Albano
19. HHH
18. Randy Savage
17. Jim Cornette
16. CM Punk
15. Arn Anderson
14. Billy Graham
13. Vince McMahon
12. John Cena
11. Jake Roberts
10. Chris Jericho
9. Hulk Hogan
8. Bobby Heenan
7. Mick Foley
6. Paul Heyman
5. Dusty Rhodes
4. Steve Austin
3. Roddy Piper
2. The Rock
1. Ric Flair
50. Scott Steiner
49. Joel Gertner
48. Jimmy Valiant
47. Zeb Colter
46. New Jack
45. Grand Wizard
44. Brian Pillman
43. JBL
42. Thunderbolt Patterson
41. The Miz
40. Kevin Sullivan
39. William Regal
38. Taz
37. Stephanie McMahon
36. Ernie Ladd
35. Kurt Angle
34. Bray Wyatt
33. Rick Rude
32. Gary Hart
31. Ultimate Warrior
30. Michael PS Hayes
29. Nick Bockwinkle
28. Raven
27. Jesse Ventura
26. Jerry Lawler
25. Ted DiBiase
24. Terry Funk
23. Shawn Michaels
22. Harley Race
21. Edge
20. Captain Lou Albano
19. HHH
18. Randy Savage
17. Jim Cornette
16. CM Punk
15. Arn Anderson
14. Billy Graham
13. Vince McMahon
12. John Cena
11. Jake Roberts
10. Chris Jericho
9. Hulk Hogan
8. Bobby Heenan
7. Mick Foley
6. Paul Heyman
5. Dusty Rhodes
4. Steve Austin
3. Roddy Piper
2. The Rock
1. Ric Flair
I don't hate this list. If I'm to nitpick id say get Steph off the list.
ReplyDeleteLol'd at Steph
ReplyDeleteGetting heat doesn't mean you're great on the mic.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty hard to put together a list of the length. I guess that I don't really disagree with it too much. I'd probably put Foley and Jericho a little further away from the top but otherwise whatever.
ReplyDeleteAnd come on, Steph?
New Jack should be a lot higher. He's not the best talker per se, but the passion, or maybe just outright insanity of his promos make up for it. He's still the only person I've ever heard drop the n-bomb ("We're not the niggers you need to be fucking with!") in a promo. HBK, Pilllman (SMARRRRT MARK!) and Cena should be higher, Rock should be a LOT lower, and Miz and JBL shouldn't be here at all.
ReplyDeleteFor the sake of this list, I think it does. But they can't call the list "50 people who got the most heat with their promos", they still have to have some element of kayfabe on the website.
ReplyDeleteDusty is too high, Steph shouldn't be on the list...though she was pretty great this monday.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to nitpick "so-and-so should be higher than whatshisname", but as an overall list, it's a solid one. And I have no problem with Steph on there; sure, she can be irritating as nails on chalkboard, but she is still quite solid on the "wrestling promo" front.
ReplyDeleteJust don't let her outside of the business, or you get gems like her comparing 9/11 to daddy's steroid trial.
I'd go Rock>Heyman>Flair>Austin>Piper>Rhodes personally for the Top 6 but this isn't the worst list in the world.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd put Rock one.
ReplyDeleteAnd I admit to being a bit biased because I grew up as a fan with the Smackdown Six/LEsnar and Heyman was GLORIOUS. Still is. Heenan set a bit of the template, yes, but Heyman was always more annoying because he wasn't often full of shit. You hated Heyman because damnit, Lesnar did destroy everyone just like he predicted.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzz2n9xC8ps
ReplyDeleteThe 9/11 promo. Do remember this was aired TWO DAYS after 9/11.
Heenan, Heyman, and Cornette are the Top 3, and I wouldn't argue any order of them.
ReplyDeleteJBL's way, WAY too low.
ReplyDelete"If not her, who is the "token woman" on the list?"
ReplyDeleteVickie.
No chance. She might crack the Top 100, but not the Top 50.
ReplyDeleteNash definitely should be in the top 10. Hall should be there, but towards the bottom end.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying she should be higher than Steph, I just answered the question. Really, who else would even be considered?
ReplyDeleteAh. That I can fully agree with.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Nash is a glaring miss, and one I should have caught. Maybe pull Taz out?
ReplyDeleteTrish...Micky
ReplyDeleteI might have missed it too if I wasn't watching a legends ep and Flair started bitching how worthless they both were.
ReplyDeleteTrish definitely improved by leaps and bounds, and wasn't out of place with the big boys... but I'd still have Steph above her.
ReplyDeleteMickie... other than the stalker angle, she didn't talk too much, did she?
So I could land #12 on this list if I give essentially the same promo for five years straight about rising above and how some people cheer me and some people boo me and making poop jokes?
ReplyDeleteGood to know.
I'm kinda torn on Cena... he has cut some damned good promos over the years... but he's also put out his share of clunkers and shitshows.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, I bet we'd have popped 80's Hogan if he was doing those "main event promos" 20-25 years later also. "Ooh, more bullshit about prayers and vitamins. Don't you mean STEROIDS, Hulk?"
I can't even think of another woman that regularly cut promos on her own. I mean, you'd have chicks like Lita, Maria Kanellis, maybe Beulah that add their 2 cents to their respective man's promos. Maybe Moolah and Mae Young got a lot of mic time, but that would be like 20 years before I was born.
ReplyDeleteSherri
ReplyDeleteI forget about Trish, probably because Steph and Vickie are usually involved in big programs, whereas Trish is talking about some Diva's match I will never give a shit about. But she was good.
ReplyDeleteI agree. JBL is one of those guys who was a below average wrestler but got over by simply being a good promo guy, much like Jesse Ventura (who should be much higher on this list).
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, JBL is 1/100th the commentator that Ventura was.
She was solid, but nowhere near a top talker. She'd crack the Women's Top 5, though.
ReplyDeleteTaz has no business being there either.
ReplyDeleteLoved JBL.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't talking top 50 necessarily but certainly one of the best women talkers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for making me feel old...Her stuff with Macho was era appropriate and good.
ReplyDeleteTazz as a wrestler didn't belong on the mic. I still love the story of his first real "promo", where Paul E. just suddenly stuck the mic in his face, so he could say "SABU MUST DIE." According to Paul E, Tazz was NOT HAPPY afterward.
ReplyDeleteHe was fine as a Smackdown announcer, and kinda set the stage for JBL/Cole a couple years later (Them on SD, not RAW.)
Agree, I don't get that at all.
ReplyDeleteHaven't seen too much of her work. Her WWF stuff was before my time, and I don't remember her saying much while in WCW.
ReplyDeleteI bet they tossed him on there thinking more about his commentary career instead of his actual promos.
ReplyDeleteShe just became a generic babyface.
ReplyDeleteI very well may be older than you. Most of the people here started watching around the time they were 7 or so, I was 13.
ReplyDeleteI was startled, even as an eight grader. Lillian singing was touching though.
ReplyDeleteCena IS a good talker, he just has shitty material to work with.
ReplyDeleteReally, anyone from whenever the scripted promo era started (early 2000's?) should almost be excluded here. You know God damned well that Flair and Rhodes and Race and Heyman (well, maybe today for Heyman) never got a script. They were told "Go out there and cut a promo".
I always loved this JBL promo as an example of the old "a heel has to believe what he is saying" rule:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WIcAvqssOA
I hardly remember him cutting promos in ECW. Actually, now I do, I was thinking of Sabu that always had Fonzie as his mouthpiece, Taz's (Taz'? I'm not an English major) sounded like Morse code because 90% of it would get bleeped.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of ECW, Shane Douglas should be on this list. His ringwork in ECW sucked, but his promos were fucking fantastic. Shit, he deserves a spot in the top 5 just for that promo when he won the NWA title, even if he retired the next day.