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Pro-wrestling is a sport where the wrestlers don't just need to have in-ring skills to be able to work out a decent enough match, they also need to have the gift of gab.
There have been multiple cases in the past where the wrestler's inability to talk on the mic cost them their career. Wrestling is a soap opera with never-ending storylines, and without mic skills, a wrestler is doomed from the very beginning.
WWE Superstars like Hulk Hogan had exceptional speaking skills, and that helped him become the greatest superstar in wrestling history without having impressive in-ring skills. Not everyone is Hogan, though, so let's take a look at 10 of the most embarrassing promos of all time in WWE/WCW history.
#10 Kalisto's "good Lucha things"
The masked Lucha Libre superstar was never known for his mic skills in the WWE, but Kalisto went all the way in an interview during the WWE Draft of 2016, and botched a promo BIG TIME!
He went on to misspell Baron Corbin's name and fumbled multiple times on the mic. The icing on the cake was during the very final moments of the interview when he completely forgot his lines and said something along the lines of,
"I'm here... to make... ah... a good Lucha thing!"
Kalisto left the interview area immediately after the promo, knowing that he had messed up. He later returned to the same position to redeem himself. See for yourself.
Kalisto also mentioned something in his promo about "shocking the world". We all know what happened the last time a famous superstar was described saying that.
#9 Bobby Lashley's "I love you"
When Bobby Lashley returned to WWE in 2018, he seemed destined for a mega push. Fans were clamoring for a big-time match pitting Lashley against The Beast, Brock Lesnar.
WWE had other things in mind though. A backstage sit-down interview was held where Lashley talked in detail about his family, especially his sisters.
At the end of the promo, the camera zoomed towards Lashley as he said "I love you" to his sisters, in one of the creepiest visuals of 2018. Thankfully, the babyface run was scrapped immediately and Bobby turned heels, to rid us of the memory of this utterly creepy promo.
In his defense, however, it was a heartfelt message to his family. But the camera zooming in caused all the weirdness.
#8 The Shockmaster's debut
WCW had been building up the arrival of a masked superstar who was going to get a huge push immediately upon gracing the squared circle.
The superstar's debut match was going to be a War Games battle alongside Sting and his team, against Sid Justice and his cohorts. In one of the biggest botches of all time, The Shockmaster debuted on Ric Flair's talk show, "A Flair for the Gold". Unfortunately, he fumbled on his way and fell at the exact moment he was introduced, ON LIVE TV!
He somehow managed to rise up and give a cartoonish promo, which was a voice over by Arn Anderson from the back. The Shockmaster went on to team up with Sting and others at the Fall Brawl PPV, but the embarrassing debut made sure that no matter what he did going forward, he was never going to become a legit star.
Pre-recorded promos might have just saved the gimmick. But then again, there were a lot of things the WCW did which really had no logic to it.
#7 The genesis of Mcgillicutty
Curtis Axel was formerly known as Michael Mcgillicutty in NXT and was not a bad talker on the mic. But even the best superstars have their bad days, and Michael's came on an episode of NXT.
He lost NXT season 2 to Kaval, also known as Low-Ki, and looked visibly upset. When he was given the mic to air his grievances, he botched his promo in a glorious manner.
It seemed that Axel had forgotten his lines completely, and was fumbling a lot during his promo. His failed attempts to look like a badass by speaking in a heavy tone didn't help either. Michael ended his promo by saying something along the lines of,
"It's time for the genesis of Mcgillicutty."
He proceeded to leave the ring after the promo and knew that his promo was a complete disaster. Thankfully, he somehow managed to secure a spot on the main roster before being released by the company.
His promo was anything but 'perfect'.
#6 Undertaker's adventure with The Big Show
The Undertaker is known as one of the better talkers in the business, but there comes a day when things just don't work out the way they were planned.
On an episode of Raw, the Undertaker began a completely incoherent rambling on his road adventure with The Big Show. The Deadman's promo took a nasty turn when he began talking about how the Big Show threatened him with cannibalization in the middle of a desert road.
The promo just didn't seem to go anywhere until Chris Jericho's music hit, and the masses were saved from this atrocity. The Undertaker has been a part of some of the most legendary segments in wrestling history. He has also delivered his fair share of chilling promos that helped cement his persona as the Deadman, but this promo will always be remembered as a black spot on his legacy.
The Undertaker has transcended the eras to be heralded as one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time.
#5 Roman Reigns' bedtime story
The Big Dog feuded with The Big Show in early 2015. On an episode of Monday Night Raw, Reigns interrupted The Big Show and proceeded to the ring, forcing the giant to leave for the ramp. And thus the story began!
Roman Reigns, complete with a big smile, began what is now considered as one of the cringiest promos of all time. He retold the story of Jack and The Beanstalk, replacing the main characters with The Big Show and himself. The crowd listened with confused faces as Roman finished his story with a hint towards beating the Big Show to a pulp.
Although the finish garnered a small pop, the damage was done. This was one of those moments that solidified the fact that Roman wasn't a good talker, and needed serious improvements. The blame also lies with the creative, who came up with the idea of this cringy promo.
Roman's current association with Paul Heyman truly saves the Samoan from being exposed from moments like these.
#4 Sid makes a fool out of himself
On an episode of WCW Monday Nitro, Sid Justice interrupted Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, and it proved to be a huge mistake on his part.
Nash mocked Sid by wearing cheap makeup that resembled him. Sid went on to berate both Hall and Nash on the mic, and in one of the funniest moments in WCW history, fumbled his lines in such a way that he ended up calling himself a fool on Live TV.
Sid famously said the lines "You are only half the man that I am and I have half the brain that you do".
The crowd popped big time as soon as they realized the mistake and the sea of fans couldn't contain their laughter over Sid's hilarious mess up. Nash and Hall had no choice but to play along and point out what Sid had just said.
Later, it was explained that this was a deliberate attempt at making Sid look like a fool, but no one believed this tale as there was no way they would embarrass one of their main event guys in this way.
WCW was a gift that just kept giving.
#3 Hogan forgets his lines
As WrestleMania 19 approached, Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan prepared for a battle that was 20 years in the making. The duo exchanged insults and beatings during the storyline progression on SmackDown, but there was one moment that stood out.
McMahon stood on the ramp, belittling Hogan, who was inside the ring. Hogan proceeded to explain to Vince that his idea of Hogan just being a guy who got a lucky break was a complete hogwash, but the delivery didn't go as planned.
Hogan forgot most of his lines and went on to correct himself by stating, "Let me say it again", and messed up his lines again immediately.
Vince did his absolute best not to go out of character and looked at Hogan with those fiery eyes of his, but the promo was far from being saved at that point.
The saving grace however was their match at WrestleMania. Fans got their money's worth as Hogan and the boss pummleded each other with the former emerging victorious.
#2 Eli Cottonwood's moustache promo
During the second season of NXT, the wrestlers were asked to speak on a random topic. Superstars such as Justin Gabriel held their own during their promos, but Eli Cottonwood, a giant, had no such luck.
He was asked to speak on "A Mustache," the confused superstar began his promo, explaining what a mustache is. He then pointed out the fact that he didn't have one. The problem?
He actually had one.
Eli then proceeded to end his promo by stating that out of all the superstars in the ring, he had the best mustache, seconds after making it clear that he didn't have a mustache! The promo made sure that Eli wouldn't become a main roster staple in the coming future. His fear of speaking on the mic was on full display during this promo, and Eli ended up doing nothing of worth in the coming months, as was expected.
Eli ended by being one of the rookies who was eliminated early on in the sho
#1 Sufferin' Succotash
The top spot is, of course, Roman Reigns!
On an episode of SmackDown, Reigns confronted a heel Seth Rollins and his stooges, Mercury and Noble. Sporting his signature creepy smile, Roman said that Seth is full of "something else."
The crowd didn't seem to get his promo at all, but the worst was yet to come. Roman proceeded to state that Rollins was "a sniveling little suckup sellout full of sufferin' succotash!". Reigns followed it up by looking at the camera and winking as if the cringe wasn't enough at this point.
And thus we got one of the absolute worst promos, not only of Roman's career but in all of wrestling history. Rollins stood there in utter confusion, realizing that Reigns had just actually said that sentence. Roman then beat the heels out of the ring, but there was no way he looked a hero coming out of the ring.
What did I miss? State your choice for the worst promo in wrestling history in the comments!
