What makes professional wrestling a most unique form of entertainment is the combination of athleticism and theatrics. A good professional wrestler is not just supposed to wrestle but also entertain the audience and add to the intrigue of storylines by using his verbal skills.
The ability to cut a promo is not necessary to be successful in WWE but it is highly useful. Those wrestlers who can let it rip on the mic along with performing well in matches are highly valued. Over the years, entertaining promos have been as important to WWE's popularity as the matches. Keeping that in mind, let's rank the five best WWE stars who have proven to be the best when talking trash.
Triple H
If one talks about the theatrical (not a pejorative term) aspect of WWE, Triple H is the best. His intensity and the ability to seem completely believable while cutting a promo make him highly successful. Hunter has been involved in feuds with every major wrestler of WWE and his brilliant acting has brought those rivalries alive in a very vivid manner. The only problem is that while he is able to seem completely invested in every storyline, he doesn't have any special catchphrases that enthral the crowd. Also, he usually seems too intense to add humour in his interjections. But if you want an engaging promo, Triple H is the man.
Chris Jericho
When Chris Jericho first debuted on Raw, he was regarded as one of the best performers on mic. His promos were humorous and managed to evoke a great response with the crowd. One act is really memorable wherein he and The Rock got into a verbal confrontation with both wrestlers using each other's famous catchphrase. Over the years, Y2J became a crowd favourite thanks to clever use of language and funny insults of his opponents. The Ayatollah of Rock'n'Rollah was certainly a consummate entertainer.
Kurt Angle
It's amazing that a man like Kurt Angle, originally an Olympic athlete who won a gold medal, became so good at all things WWE. Be it wrestling or acting and, of course, handling the mic. Not only could he seem deadly serious in the promos but also side-splittingly funny. Some of the most humorous acts in WWE history involve Kurt Angle. What stands out is his imitation of John Cena's 'Doctor of Thugonomics' look. He is usually not mentioned among the best on-mic performers but certainly deserves to.
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold is among the most iconic figures in WWE history and a big reason why the company was able to reach unprecedented heights of popularity. His rude and insulting diatribes towards other wrestlers made him a top-ranked performer and endeared the 'Rattle Snake' to the masses. Austin had the crowd eating out of his hand while he had the mike and could fire them up like nobody else. It was originally in ECW that Stone Cold started using his words to great effect while mocking the rival WCW brand. Once the attitude era commenced on WWE, his popularity knew no bounds.
The Rock
Undoubtedly, unambiguously, the best on-mic performer in the history of WWE, if not professional wrestling altogether, is The Rock. Initially, the company had great difficulty getting him over with the crowd. But once he turned heel and was allowed to let himself go on the microphone, Rock's verbal skills were unmatched. The promos he cut during the late 1990's and early 2000's were show-stoppers and the crowds seemed to be spellbound. His catchphrases have become so popular that even non-WWE followers know them. Even today, when The Great One holds the mic and starts rolling off these famous lines, the crowd responds as vigorously as before. No other star has managed to get the audience as 'electrified' as The Rock.
