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Having solid microphone skills is one of the primary requirements in the wrestling business. Even if you have a good physique and excellent in-ring skills, without promo-skills, it is going to be a struggle. There have been a lot of such instances of the same as well. And if you thought that you could be a great microphone worker with just good speaking skills, think again.
Knowing how to answer questions in the interviews and evoking emotions among the fans through your work on the mic are two extremely different things. Not every superstar with good talking skill can go on to become excellent mic-workers. This list takes a look at such superstars, who are fairly engaging in interviews and media appearances but fell short of being great microphone workers.
Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash is infamous for his habit of tearing quads. But Nash always has belonged to the category of bad microphone workers. Not having the ability to pull off a captivating promo was always a big problem for Nash. He could have reached bigger heights if it wasn’t for this. Despite not having mic skills, Nash did know how to speak.
If you just look into some of the interviews that he had over the years, his skills are there to be seen. But unfortunately for him, these did not translate into what he wanted and Nash ended up being a bad promo man in wrestling.
Goldberg
Goldberg was less talk and more action. Throughout his spell in WCW, Goldberg was built up as a monster. He cared about destruction rather than building up a storyline with promos. One of the reasons for this is Goldberg’s shortcomings in the microphone area. It would be hard to find a great promo of Goldberg on the internet because there aren’t any.
On the other hand, Goldberg’s interviews have been nothing short of compelling. Whenever he gets talking outside the ring, Goldberg is gold. Some of his interviews might sound a bit weird, but they are entertaining anyways. Just like all the others in the list, Goldberg was limited when it was needed the most.
Sean Waltman
The Kliq buddy of Kevin Nash is up next. The current era of Fans might not have a fond memory of Sean. But Sean did make some solid contributions to the business. Stand out promos, however, does not belong to those contributions.
First of all, Waltman did not have many major feuds in the company. And secondly, the ones he had, didn’t have solid promos. Outside the squared circle, it was a different story. There are a lot of shoot videos where Waltman rips his fellow wrestlers. He is known to be a great communicator backstage as well. He is still making rounds in the business and it would be great to see him pull off a solid promo before retirement.
Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy might sound like a surprising entry into the list. But he deserves to be here. Hardy’s heroics with the microphone outside the ring are no secret. But Hardy is yet to prove his worth the microphone. The best promo that Hardy produced was the one during his Edge feud. It was filled with emotions but then again, the storyline was based on real life situations. So it was basically a shoot rather than a planned promo.
Almost all the other microphone work that Matt did during his career was well below average. Despite his microphone work, Matt Hardy is a legend in the business for everything he did during his prime.
Scott Steiner
Before Scott Steiner became the botch king for modern era fans, he was a highly rated wrestler. Scott along with his brother Rick had some memorable years. All those glorious years, however, did not make Scott Steiner into a great microphone worker. He is known to botch big time when delivering promos.
He was entertaining on the mic but for all the wrong reasons. But when it came to speaking about the people he did not like, Steiner was an expert. The most recent incident that he had with Hulk Hogan is a prime example. Steiner took a lot of shots at Hogan. And if he had used all these skills for his wrestling career, he would have had a different reputation.
John Morrison
John Morrison had the looks and the wrestling skills to be a main event star. WWE knew this as well and gave him a solid push. He started off with WWE Tough Enough, and then had a run with MNM before going solo. Morrison had some memorable moments with Miz in the Dirt Sheet. But once that ended; Morrison’s weaknesses were there to be seen.
He struggled to stay around the top with his average microphone skills and eventually fell out of relevance. He seems to have brushed up his skills at Lucha Underground. But then again, it is nowhere near the range that it should be.
Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit is now remembered among the WWE fans for all the wrong reasons. The guy was one of the best in-ring technicians of his time and was part of some excellent matches. The tragedy that happened to him and his family completely overshadowed this. Although Benoit was a great in ring worker, his microphone skills weren’t solid.
Most of his promos looked plastic but in interviews, Benoit was a different man. He could talk in those interviews but when it came to actual wrestling promos, Benoit took a backseat. And before he could change it, Benoit’s life came to an abrupt end.
Jeff Hardy
Just like his brother Matt, Jeff also struggled when it came to pulling off a promo. What got him over was his unique in-ring style and gimmick. Hardy’s gimmick stood out from the rest and the way in which he moved around the ring, attracted everyone. The feuds he had with great talkers however exposed him.
Hardy did manage to deliver solid promos occasionally, but he was never consistent in them. And just like all the superstars in the list, Hardy excelled in YouTube shoots. There are some prime examples of this. Too bad for Hardy, he fell short in the department that would have taken him to the top.
Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is the latest addition to the list. The Samoan Superman is heavily backed by the WWE personnel. Also, he has almost all the ammunition required for making it big in the business. The keyword in the last sentence is ‘almost’.
Reigns have been receiving a lot of criticism for the way he handles the microphone. Most of the promos that he pulled off bombed in front of the fans and he is miles away from being a good promo guy. Despite such a shortcoming, Reigns is a good talker outside the ring. He is solid when it comes to interviews and should find a way to replicate this on the microphone.
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a legend in the wrestling business, period. Bret will always be known as one of the best technicians in wrestling history. However, Bret was not the brightest person when it came to microphone skills. Not having a great foothold in the promo area was a big drawback for the Hitman but it did not affect his career much.
Even though Bret did not have a good time inside the ring with the microphone, he gave a lot of excellent interviews. The shots he had at Vince McMahon and Triple H are still popular on YouTube. It shows that not all good talkers could go on to be excellent microphone workers in the ring.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
