5 WWE Superstars that will be remembered more for mic work than in-ring skills

Some of the best in the business
Some of the best in the business

Let me state the obvious by saying that not every WWE Superstar has the same skill set. Some performers may be incredible technicians while not being the greatest at high-flying maneuvers. Some may be terrific all-round wrestlers inside the ring but may not have the command over audiences when handed a mic.

At the same time, we've had several personalities in WWE who've not set the stage of fire with their matches but evoked massive reactions from fans just with their promos. Some Superstars have even achieved greatness in both domains, but their mic work was so good, that it overshadowed their magic inside the ring.

For umpteen reasons, the annals of WWE history are filled with individuals who shall be remembered more for their mic work than in-ring skills. Let's have a look at some of them.


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#5 Scott Steiner

Big Poppa Pump
Big Poppa Pump

Known best for his work in the 90s along with elder brother Rick as part of The Steiner Bros, Scott Steiner's inclusion in the list is mainly because of how much he regressed as a performer over the years while his maniacal promos on WWE TV continued to be hilarious.

WWE isn't the only promotion where Freakzilla left his mark but much like his wrestling career, his best mic work came at other promotions such as WCW and TNA/Impact Wrestling. If you've watched wrestling for a long time, you probably recall him taking shots at Ric Flair as well as the Steiner Math promo.

His entrance music with the police siren and the "Holla if you hear me" is rather iconic among fans. However, his final run in WWE was anything but that. He had one of the worst matches in WWE PPV history against Triple H at Royal Rumble 2003 but managed to stay pretty entertaining in the build-up to that which had several contests such as arm wrestling and pushups among other things.

Even his great debate with Chris Nowinski about the Iraq War – which wasn't a great segment in hindsight, to be honest – saw Steiner evoke raucous applause from the fans in attendance as he spoke in favor of the US's involvement.

#4 The Miz

The host of
The host of "the most must-see talk show in WWE history"

The Miz is one of the veterans of the current WWE roster. Having made his main roster debut in 2006, The A-Lister has won a grand total of 19 titles during his run with the company, so obviously his wrestling skills are right up there. However, his promo game is so good, that his in-ring ability isn't the first thing you think about when talking about The Miz.

There's a reason why he has his own talk show on WWE named Miz TV. The Awesome One is one of the best hype men in the company who knows how to sell a story. In the build-up to his Falls Count Anywhere Match against Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 35, The Miz delivered one of the most heartfelt promos ever where he spoke about his work ethic and earning the respect of his father.

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Then there's the iconic bashing he delivered to Daniel Bryan for calling him a coward on Talking Smack. That promo felt so real, that the jury is still out whether it was scripted or not.

#3 Dusty Rhodes

Dusty Rhodes was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007
Dusty Rhodes was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007

The late Dusty Rhodes must be credited for breaking the mold in professional wrestling and WWE. At a time where the industry was dominated by men with bodybuilder physiques, The American Dream rose to stardom as a rather chubby Superstar. What he lacked in shape, he made up for it with his heartfelt promos.

Rhodes had two stints with WWE with the first one coming in the 1970s when the company was then known as WWWF. Arguably though, his best work both inside the ring and on the mic came during his rivalry with Ric Flair and The Four Horsemen.

Obviously, no discussion about Dusty Rhodes can be complete without mentioning the 'Hard Times' promo that he cut in 1985 while he was in the midst of a title feud with Flair in NWA.

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There's barely anyone in the history of pro wrestling who can match the intensity of Rhodes' mic work. The WWE Hall of Famer even taught the art of cutting promos at WWE Performance Center.

#2 Stone Cold Steve Austin

Can you hear this image?
Can you hear this image?

You know that a WWE Superstar is going to be remembered for their promos when it was indeed a promo that rose them to superstardom. Stone Cold Steve Austin wasn't having the greatest of times in the company but a change in persona followed by winning the King of the Ring transformed his WWE career.

Austin beat Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the final of the KOTR tournament in 1996 and during his acceptance speech, he decided to take a jibe at the religious nature of the latter's character at the time. A bit of wordplay resulted in a spin-off of the Bible verse John 3:16 and thus, Austin 3:16 was born.

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Stone Cold went on to have several world title runs post that and multiple feuds with other megastars, such as The Rock. While that rivalry most certainly had a huge role in shaping WWE's Attitude Era, promos had a huge role in elevating, rather carving Stone Cold's career. And that's the bottom line because Stone Cold said so!

#1 The Rock

It doesn't matter what your name is!
It doesn't matter what your name is!

The Rock is easily one of the greatest wrestlers in WWE history, but if I had to choose between only watching The Great One's matches or only listening to his promos, I'll pick the latter because of simply how entertaining they were.

The Rock's WWE career is filled with iconic one-liners. I'm pretty sure that just like me, you've also enacted your own version of "it doesn't matter what your name is" or "if you can smell what The Rock is cooking" at least once in your lifetime.

The Brahma Bull was not nearly as active as a competitor during his second run in WWE in the 2010s, but it was mic work that allowed him to charm audiences worldwide. It was his promo on RAW back in 2011 on his return to live WWE TV that also sowed the seeds for his eventual feud with John Cena.

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His backstage interview in the build-up to the six-men Hell in a Cell match for the then-WWF title at Armageddon is one of the most hilarious things you'll ever see in WWE programming.

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Edited by Alan John
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