WWE News: Edge weighs in on the pros and cons of scripted promos in WWE

What's the story?

When a pro wrestler speaks from the heart, it often feels more genuine and thus more easy for fans to connect with.

Since WWE has relied heavily on scripted promos for many years, WWE Hall of Famer Edge recently mentioned both pros and cons regarding wrestlers having to follow the words given to them by writers on his E&C Pod of Awesomeness.

In case you didn't know...

Edge was one of the better mic workers as both a face and a heel when he was active in WWE. He retired in 2011 due to recurring issues with his neck.

He has appeared at various points on WWE programming, returning once during a feud between John Cena and Seth Rollins. Most recently, he appeared on SmackDown late last year to confront Becky Lynch about her renegade ways.

The heart of the matter

WWE does give some stars (like The Miz, Kevin Owens and Elias to name a few) a little more leeway with their promos. Allowing them to speak their own words makes the delivery more believable rather than tossing 'Sufferin' Succotash' or 'Tater Tots' out at an opponent.

Some stars need to follow the script if they aren't the best with speaking on the mic. Even though a lot of people see scripted promos as a bad thing, Edge revealed that he can see some good things that have come from them.

“It’s interesting, you hear how scripted everything is and da-da-da-da-da and how stifling it can be, and I think there’s probably an argument for both sides. I think there’s an argument because you’re a publicly traded company; it’s FOX; it’s USA [Network]; it’s all of these things, so I get that side of it.”

Since WWE is a publicly traded company, using scripted promos leaves for no surprises from Superstars in promos. It allows the Creative team to know exactly what to expect when wrestlers address the WWE Universe on the microphone.

With the positives, however, come some negatives with the same idea. 'The Rated R Superstar' feels that had everyone been forced to follow the 'by the numbers' promos, we might not have had some of the most memorable promos in WWE history.

“But I also get the aspect if things were so heavily scripted, you don’t get the Macho Man [Randy Savage] ‘cream of the crop’ promo, I don’t think. You wouldn’t get ‘Austin 3:16’, I don’t think.” Edge added, “I get both sides, I guess is what I’m saying.”

What's next?

While things are unlikely to change regarding scripted promos in WWE, slowly allowing more wrestlers a little more leeway with what they say might help keep Superstars a little happier. If they are never allowed to say something from the heart but instead something that seems fake, then they and the fans alike probably won't buy the words being said.