Triple H and Daniel BryanYou might have all the time under the sun to build up a match. However, all these segments and angles would take a back seat on the actual night of the match. Most of the fans will forget or ignore how the superstars reached to that point and it affects the match pretty badly.So how does WWE overcome this problem? As you would have guessed from the article title already, the answer is pre-match promos. If pulled off right, pre-match promos cane get the fans fired up in no time. It would serve as a great appetizer for the main dish that is yet to come and over the years, WWE has made good use of this trick.This list is going to take a look at those pre-match promos that worked wonders.
#10 CM Punk wants to be the one in 20-1
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CM Punk was handpicked by WWE to challenge Undertaker at WrestleMania 29.
CM Punk wanted to be the one in 20 and 1 and though the story was basic, it took a dark turn after the death of Undertaker’s long term manager Paul Bearer. Punk started incorporating the real-life death into the storyline and although it sounded cheap to do the same, the feud attracted a lot of heat.
Amidst all the controversy and chaos, WWE also hung on to the original motive of Punk. In the end, they came up with a spine chilling promo before the match, after which, Undertaker and CM Punk went on to back this up by producing the match of the night.
#9 The dictator, the silenced and the sycophant
The 2011 edition of Money in the Bank pay-per-view was headlined by CM Punk and John Cena and one of the best feuds of the last decade.
Over the course of the buildup, Punk managed to build himself up as the cult leader of the masses who was silenced by a dictator like Vince McMahon and a Sycophant like John Cena. For the pre-match promo, WWE came up with a creative technique in which they projected Punk as he should have been.
It was one of the best pre-match promos from WWE’s side that year and Punk’s cult status made it look even better. The storyline showed everything that a typical wrestling fan felt like and this helped WWE to connect with the audience easily.
#8 Triple threat promo for WrestleMania 20
The Triple Threat match between Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit at WrestleMania 20 was an instant classic.
All three men managed to show the brilliance of professional wrestling with an excellent match and if there was anything better than the actual bout, it was the pre-match promo. The bout between Triple H and Shawn Michaels was ten years in the making and Chris Benoit was going to fulfill his destiny.
WWE successfully packed all the emotions and drama between these three superstars into the video package and it did heat up the oven before the actual match. Unfortunately, this match and the promo don’t technically exist in WWE anymore.
#7 Daniel Bryan breaking the glass ceiling
WrestleMania 30 was a pay-per-view that changed the face of WWE. The major story heading into the show was that off Daniel Bryan and his struggle against the Authority.
Triple H constantly tagged Bryan as a B+ player and Bryan was out to prove Hunter wrong. This resulted in Bryan being forced to pull off double duty at WrestleMania but since he was the most over superstar at that time, Bryan did not have much problem as well.
The video package that aired at WrestleMania for the feud was simply fabulous and it managed to cover every emotion that the fans went through during the course of the storyline, which gave rise to the ultimate underdog.
#6 Brothers in arms
Undertaker and Kane have had some memorable matches in their career, but their bout at WrestleMania 14 stands out from the rest.
Kane was back to get the payback he deserved and Undertaker had no other choice but to accept. WWE had a full-fledged family storyline to bank on and they didn’t waste it. The pre-match promo was an absolute classic.
The brothers would later face off at WrestleMania XX as well, but the pre-match promo during that time was no match for the one that WWE came up with during WrestleMania 14. Seeing this video once again might make you feel why Kane was the best rival of The Undertaker.
#5 Legend killer
‘The Legend Killer’ gimmick of Randy Orton was simply awesome. It was arguably the best spell of his career and Orton came across as a vicious youngster who legitimately wanted to end the career of legends.
He locked horns with many legendary names in the business but when Orton confronted Mick Foley, it ended up being a memorable feud. Orton and Foley were booked to have a match at Backlash and before that, Orton went on to disrespect Foley in every way possible.
All this disrespect and Foley’s reaction ended up being some great content for the pre-match promo, that impressed the fans.
#4 One last time
Steve Austin and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson had one of the most iconic rivalries in WWE history. These two had three WrestleMania matches together and the third one proved to be extra special.
Both men were top baby faces of the company and the match gathered a lot of attention due to the same. WWE built up a lot of friction between the two before the match and since both Rock and Austin knew how to handle the microphone the storyline didn’t see any lack of creativity.
All these promos and segments added to the big picture and in the end, WWE had a lot of quality stuff for making the pre-match promo and they came up with a great one as well.
#3 The invasion
The invasion storyline has its haters and its lovers. Some say that the storyline was solid while others say that the angle failed to live up to the potential.
No matter how it was, the Invasion storyline had a great blow off match at the 2001 Survivor Series. Team Alliance and Team WWF battled for the control over the company and since it had a lot of top superstars in the mix, WWE had all the ammunition to make a great pre-match promo.
They did just that and though the fans are split on the storyline, the match and the pre-match promo made all the fans happy.
#2 Best friends make for great enemies
The friendship of Shawn Michaels and Triple H is something that the wrestling business always celebrates. So when Shawn Michaels made his return after a long absence, WWE decided to pit the two up against each other.
The pre-match promo of the match told the entire story of Shawn Michaels and Triple H. It started off with their good old days with DX and then it also focused on the difference between the old Michaels and the new Michaels.
It had a lot of emotions and fans really felt that Shawn was the underdog here. It was what WWE wanted and this once again showed the power of pre-match promos.
#1 Career vs. streak
Undertaker and Shawn Michaels blew the roof off at WrestleMania 25 with their classic match. The match was so good that WWE went on to have a rematch a year later but this time around, the stakes were higher.
Michaels was requesting for a rematch with Taker throughout the year, but Taker simply refused it. ‘The Heart Break Kid’ then cost Taker his World Heavyweight Championship at Elimination Chamber which in turn forced Taker to accept the challenge.
The catch, however, was that Taker had his own conditions. Taker wanted Shawn to put his career on the line in a career vs. streak match. It was the biggest match of the year and WWE hyped the match further with an excellent pre-match promo.
