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WWE is a company that's always been heavy on the ability for a wrestler to deliver a good speech, whether to the audience or to an opponent. The freestyle and authentic character expressions of the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras have unfortunately given way to a heavily scripted environment where only a select few personalities can be said to be true masters of the art. We'll take a look at the best five of them right now.
These individuals can get away with a lot when they talk to an audience. They have an almost unique ability to take a script that is usually very poorly written and light it on fire. Granted, two of these people are NXT stars, where things are freer, but leaving those two people off this list would be criminal.
#5 Paul Heyman
A few years ago, Paul Heyman would have ranked first on this list, but his content has gotten repetitive of late (usually it's a variation of superlatives about Brock Lesnar being the Beast and the Conqueror). He's also not around long enough to make as much of an impact as he can. He appears and then disappears, much like his controversial client.
Nevertheless, while Paul Heyman's content is repetitive, his delivery is arguably the best in the company. His voice carries with it the authentic belief in his own client's abilities and an aura that protects Lesnar's own, carrying it to the audience and making it believable even after years of repetitive matches on the Beast's part. His promos are a narrative, taking the audience along with the story.
Paul Heyman is an essential part of Brock Lesnar's act and it's little wonder why WWE didn't go through with their breakup angle in July. The Beast would be lost without him.
#4 Velveteen Dream
Velveteen Dream is a unique character in the company, with a unique ability to showboat and get under the skins of his opponents. His promos and antics were a key ingredient that made the Aleister Black feud one of the best of last year. His taunts to Ricochet made the answers of the high-flying superstar all the sweeter. His promo wars with EC3 and now, Tommaso Ciampa, have been the most entertaining segments of the weeks that they took place in.
Velveteen Dream lives up to his name when he talks about "the experience." Nowhere is it possible for his promos to be confused with somebody else. While most people have a variation on a theme about them being the best wrestler, Velveteen Dream's promos come from deep within his own psyche and cut deep into his opponents' own psyches. He makes everything feel important and it's little wonder he hasn't missed a TakeOver since last year.
#3 The Miz
The Miz, believe it or not, used to be a bad talker. His early years in the company were shaky. None of that is evident today. The Miz is a master at not only controlling crowds but also in riling up his opponents and indeed, filling time, which is why the company is so keen on starting SmackDown with Miz TV.
The Miz's promos aren't repetitive either. Sometimes he can stir the pot. Sometimes he can cut deep into his opponent's psyches, such as when he told Daniel Bryan that he couldn't beat him because he couldn't abandon his moral compass and thus, abandon his supporters. Sometimes he can even make a promotion for his reality TV show entertaining enough.
The Miz is arguably the most complete performer in WWE, which is why he's so heavily featured. He always has something to do, which is more than can be said for a lot of people.
#2 Tommaso Ciampa
Tommaso Ciampa has had arguably one of the best years any WWE superstar has ever had. He came back from a major injury to have multiple match of the year candidates, win the NXT Championship, and cut some of the most memorable promos in the company. He's stormed onto the scene in a way that few others have.
When the audience allows him to speak, he does so with finesse and conviction. He's arguably the most excellent troll in the company, tearing his opponent's psyches down with whatever tool he needs, ranging from scalpel to wrecking ball. He's even managed to get the better of both Aleister Black and Velveteen Dream, two of the mentally strongest characters in WWE.
He's also proven beyond doubt that he doesn't need Johnny Gargano to contrast off of to be brilliant. He should be one of the top heels on the main roster whenever he's called up.
#1 Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is in the unfortunate position where he can never win a big match. Despite this, he still carries with him an authentic intensity that no one can doubt, and it's because of his superb skills with the microphone. 2018 has proven beyond doubt that Samoa Joe is the best talker in WWE.
He can make anything interesting. Anyone else would have bombed cutting a promo about a storybook. Samoa Joe made it one of the best segments of the year. Night Night, AJ was brilliant. His invasion of AJ Styles' home was a tribute of sorts to the Attitude Era and Samoa Joe was the only one good enough to make it enthralling since, after all, not much really happened in the segment.
Samoa Joe's control of his voice, delivery, and content are all masterful, and it's a true shame that he didn't win the WWE Championship in that feud.
