Best Of 2010s: Promo Of The Decade
IMG Credit: WWE
So here’s the thing: ten years is a long time and there are a lot of nominees in every category. Therefore, for the sake of time, I’m going to limit these to five entries each, though I’ll be including some honorable mentions as leaving a lot of them out would be unfair. Those will receive some brief mentions, but the main list will only be five each. Let’s start with one that might surprise you.
Let’s talk about this. I know wrestling is supposed to be about the stuff in between the bells but how much of that matters if you don’t have a reason to care about these people? The best way to make that be the case is to have the wrestlers talk about things, and that can be the case in some very big moments. I know you might know what is going to be on top of this list, but there are some options to look through first.
Honorable Mention
1. Roman Reigns – It’s My Yard Now – Raw, April 4, 2017
Just listen to the crowd. They do not stop.
2. Mark Henry Fakes Retirement – Raw, June 17, 2013
They got me with this one and Henry even wore the suit again at his Hall of Fame induction.
3. John Cena vs. Roman Reigns – Raw, August 28, 2017
Cena obliterated Reigns here, with one great line after another (“I can do this better part time than you can do it full time.” “It’s called a promo. You’re going to need to learn to do one if you want to do this.”) and Reigns just had NOTHING to say back. This would be higher if it hadn’t cut Reigns’ legs off, though he wound up being fine.
4. AJ Lee/Ronda Rousey Destroy Nikki Bella – Raw, November 24, 2014/October 15, 2018
“Talent isn’t sexually transmitted.”
“The only door you ever knocked down was the door to John Cena’s bedroom.”
Those are two of the best insults I’ve ever heard and they were straight shots to Nikki Bella’s chin.
CM Punk’s Pipebomb – Raw, June 27, 2011
Yeah this isn’t my #1. I know it’s going to be at the top of a lot of lists but there are others that I liked better over the last ten years, or at least ones that I thought were better at what they did. That being said, this is the famous one that made CM Punk for the rest of his career and turned him into THE guy that everyone wanted to see for the rest of time. I mean…can you blame them?
If there is one thing that inside fans love more than anything else, it is thinking they are seeing something from behind the scenes. That was exactly what they were going for here and it worked better than anyone could have expected. Couple that with an incredible match at Money in the Bank as John Cena had a new archrival and this was a complete masterpiece. Just stop calling every other angry promo a pipebomb though. It’s not quite the same thing.
John Cena Responds To The Rock – Raw, February 21, 2011
So back on February 14, 2011, the Rock returned in one of the biggest surprises ever and cut a 20+ minute promo, ripping on just about everything going on in the modern wrestling world but mainly focusing on John Cena, who Rock didn’t seem to like. I don’t think anyone knew where everything was going to go from there, but there was something that had to be done first.
The following week, Cena responded to the Rock in the old school Dr. of Thuganomics style, rapping one insult after another to Rock. For my money, this was a far better promo than Rock’s, as Cena was funnier and did more than say Cena looked like he was wearing Fruity Pebbles. The last line (“You tell these people that you love them. I’m here every week to show it.”) was as perfect of a summary as you could get and it was game on. What mattered here was Cena showed he could hang with Rock on the mic, which was the ultimate praise for anyone in wrestling.
Daniel Bryan’s Retirement Speech – Raw, February 8, 2016
The statement that you will hear about a lot of successful characters is that they are themselves with the volume turned way up. Daniel Bryan was no different, as he made the fans care about him in a way that almost no one has ever done. That made it even harder when he had to step away from the ring due to a bunch of injuries. Things wound up being better, but it was as emotional of a speech as you’re going to get.
Bryan stood in the ring and talked about being grateful to the fans for everything that they had given him over the years and how much he loved being in the ring. It was Brian Danielson talking to the fans and you could feel everything he was feeling. He was off to be a family man for the first time ever and that took away something he loved so much. The emotion was there and everyone felt for him, making it one of the best wrestling speeches of all time.
And now I’m going to cheat and go with a tie for #1 with the listing going chronologically.
John Cena’s Promo On The Rock – Raw, February 20, 2012
Wrestling promos are a weird art form. Most of the time they are monologues with a wrestler having to make you want to see their match coming up in days, weeks or even months. That’s not easy to do as they have to paint a picture with nothing more than words. Some people are masters and Cena was on full display this time around.
With less than six weeks to go before the biggest match of the generation, Cena got in the ring and talked right to the camera about how he did not like the Rock, did not respect him and wanted to fight for everyone who wanted to be a professional wrestler. This was a different in philosophy of life and Cena laid out every the two sides of everything. His line of “I’m here, I’ll always be here, you’re going to have to kill me to beat me” told you everything you needed to know about their match and you believed every word Cena said. I love this one and still watch it from time to time because it actually gives me chills.
And so does this one.
The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan – Talking Smack, August 23, 2016
There are very few wrestlers as controversial as the Miz, as some people love him while others say he is everything wrong with wrestling. I’m in the former camp and this was his masterpiece. During the Smackdown wrap up show, retired General Manager Daniel Bryan told Miz, his longtime rival, that Miz wrestled like a coward and was the stereotypical WWE wrestler.
That was too much for Miz, who cut the promo of his life, venting out every frustration he had on all of the fans who said that he didn’t belong in WWE and calling out Bryan for saying he would be back in the ring and then retiring. Bryan tried to say he wasn’t allowed to come back so Miz told him to quit, which caused Bryan to walk off the set. Miz, with tears in his eyes, wasn’t done and kept going, talking about how he made the Intercontinental Title the most important title on Smackdown because this was his show and he was never leaving. If you don’t see something in this, I don’t know what to tell you.
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That’s certainly a good number one spot. However, I still go back and rewatch the “this is my yard now” promo from roman. My God what a reaction.
I was in the crowd for that one. It might have been the most intensity reaction I’ve ever seen on TV.
My pick would go to the Ultimate Warrior’s cryptic and prophetic promo the night before he passed. Just eerie and still sends chills today when I hear it.
That’s a good one too.