5 Greatest One-Word Catchphrases in WWE History

One of the qualities needed to be a successful WWE superstar is to be good on the microphone. It is needed to interact with the audience and get a reaction whether good or bad. Some of the greatest superstars in WWE history were great talkers including Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, and Ric Flair.

These legends had their very own catchphrases that have stood the test of time. Whenever they return to WWE television, the fans still know the exact words to their catchphrases, which brings a lot of nostalgia.

Although most catchphrases are long and catchy, there are some that are just short which are even harder to get over. If a superstar manages to get a single word over, then it really shows how good he or she really is.

Without further ado, here are the five greatest one-word catchphrases in WWE history along with some worthy honourable mentions.

Honourable Mentions: Ten, Really?, It!, and Who?

Tye Dillinger used the “Ten” chants to catapult himself down from NXT to the main roster. Although the WWE had failed to capitalize on its popularity, it is still around. On the other hand, The Miz made “Really?” popular and into a meme though it's not as mainstream as the ones on this list.

Chris Jericho, one of the greatest talkers ever has tons of catchphrases that he manages to get over every time throughout his long career. Jericho is so good that the simple word “It” became popular in 2016 along with his “stupid idiot” and “you just made the list” catchphrases.

And how fans can forget New Day’s catchy “Who?” chants? The most successful tag team of the decade, The New Day are also gold on the microphone that they can sound like owls but the crowd still love them.

#5 Delete!

A recent catchphrase used by Matt Hardy, “Delete!” was first heard when Matt Hardy became broken in 2016 while he was in Impact Wrestling. Matt adopted a new, weird, crazy, and funny persona with an accent that unexpectedly got over. It led to a new character called “Broken Matt Hardy” as well as its own “Broken Universe.”

When The Hardys returned to the WWE in 2017, “Delete” immediately caught fire but the WWE failed to capitalize on it. A lawsuit by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Impact Wrestling’s owners, prevented the WWE from using the “Broken” characters and its universe. This catchphrase could have been higher on the list if Matt was given permission to use it once they returned.

Nevertheless, “Delete” got over the crowd using the “Woken Matt Hardy” character that was given a nice push. He ended up in a feud with Bray Wyatt that went viral while also winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34, and the Raw Tag Team Titles with Wyatt.

#4 Damn!

Ron Simmons is recognized as the first ever African American world champion in professional wrestling history. He won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in 1992 after defeating Big Van Vader. He went on to hold the championship for 150 days before losing it back to Vader.

Simmons never replicated his WCW success in WWE although he helped paved the way for The Rock to be a megastar as part of the Nation of Domination. Once he was put aside to the mid-card, Simmons adopted the name Farooq and formed APA with Bradshaw.

With the APA, Farooq started using his “Damn” catchphrase during backstage segments. He knows how to use on the perfect time while also having the ability to play the crowd. You know “Damn” is coming but you’ll say it with him and laugh afterwards. Simmons continued using “Damn” in various segments since his retirement and it was even the last word on his WWE Hall of Fame induction speech.

#3 What?

Towards the end of the Attitude Era in 2001, Stone Cold Steve Austin debuted the “What?” chant that is still being used today. Austin used it to get the crowd rowdy since he was a heel at that time. He also used it to taunt his opponents during segments, most notably his nemesis Mr McMahon.

Although it was fun back then, the “What?” chants have been overused by the current generation of fans. Some fans even used it to hijack shows while superstars are doing their own promos to progress their own stories. The chant has become annoying and it is the reason why “What?” is only third on this list.

In 2015, Austin revealed on his podcast that he had so many fans with the “What?” chants and he was even happier with how much merchandise it sold. He also noted that the “What?” chants being used to this day has a positive meaning.

“When I first did that ‘What,’ I had no idea that it would last as long as it did. It’s been over 10 years since I graced a 20×20 squared circle for the WWE, so the fact that it’s still around is a testament to the staying power of it,” Austin said.

#2 YES!

Daniel Bryan is a good wrestler and he turned into one of the best mic workers in the past decade. He was able to make one of the simplest words in the English language into one of the greatest one-word catchphrases in history, the “YES!” chant.

Bryan used it to catapult himself to the main event scene after years of being in the mid-card. The “YES Movement” started in 2013 and it peaked in 2014 when Bryan won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 30.

The “YES!” chant is the most popular catchphrase of the last ten years and it has the same staying power as Stone Cold Steve Austin’s “What?” chants. It has not reached the annoying level of the “What?” chants but crossed over to other sports.

Teams like the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco Giants, New York Islanders and Michigan State Spartans have used it on their games and rallies. Bryan retired and returned but his “YES!” chants stayed and here to last for a long time.

#1 Wooo!

Ric Flair is one of the greatest wrestlers ever and his work on the microphone is just second to The Rock’s and on-par with Chris Jericho and Paul Heyman. Flair has a lot of catchphrases during his career like “To be the Man, you gotta beat the Man” and “The Stylin', profilin', limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin' n' dealin' son of a gun” but the one that stood out the most is “Wooo!”.

The catchphrase was simple and borrowed by Flair from the song “Great Balls of Fire.” Flair even made it bigger than the song itself with “Wooo!” crossing over the sports and entertainment industries way before the “What?” and “YES!” chants.

Fans still chant “Wooo!” for every knife-edged chop in any wrestling match in the world. It has also been used by many athletes, sports teams, celebrities, rappers, and in pop culture in general over the past 30 years. The “Wooo!” chant being this popular makes it the greatest one-word catchphrase of all-time.

Edited by Anirban Banerjee