I think you have JBL far too low. His commentary stint on Smackdown was legendary!

Your list is pretty good, Kevin. I would put Savage higher up, but he's my all time favorite so I could be a little biased. ;)

I read the WWE one and it's a complete joke however. I mean... seriously.

The Rock number 1? Hells YEAH! Thank you Kev for posting these wonderful moments. Great list.

Fun list. Did you need smelling salts after you realized you put the Miz on the list?

Did Freddie Blassie make your top 30, you pencil-necked geek?

Also Kev, who were the others that you wanted to put on the list but didn't make it. Surely they deserve "honorable mention" titles.

RESPONSE FROM KE: (In alphabetical order) Kurt Angle, John Cena, Christian, Edge, William Regal and Triple H

No Classy Freddie Blassey? You penciled neck geek!

WHAT????!! No John Cena??? I thought he would have been number 2 or number 1? And also you omitted Triple H? If anything John Cena needs to be on your list. come on Kevin. And what about Kurt Angle?

What...no Triple H?

FINALLY!!!

Nothing, just NOTHING beats the Rock's promo you've inserted there. Well done Kev this is a much better list than what WWE.com did

Best of the "old school" talkers-
Ric Flair. Worst of the "new school" talkers-Ric Flair. How did the guy go from being the best at embarrassing others, to being the best at embarrassing himself?

You forgot one of the true "kings" of the promo.....

Arn Anderson.....who's immortal 4 Hourseman quote changed the face of wrestling. He could make you interested in him wrestling an ironing board....and did it without screaming or ranting.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I didn't forget Arn -- I just didn't make him eligible. To be on the list you had to be a star in WWE, and, unfortunately, while Arn and Tully Blanchard were a sucessful tag team there, Arn never really had a chance to cut great promos like he did in the NWA/WCW. Otherwise, Arn would have been on the list somewhere.

Hard times!, greatest promo ever.

If the rock isn't number 1 in any list of the best talkers then said list loses instant credibility

Well, your list is much better than WWE's crappy one. I would have placed Ventura, Jericho & Foley higher than you did. To this day, Jesse Ventura remains the only wrestler that can talk well enough to get elected into public office! That has to count for something.

Wow Kev, great list, but I'm not sure you can leave John Cena out of this top 25, certainly I don't think Rick Rude is as good as Cena at promos. And I'm not even really a Cena fan.

No Edge? Come on, I think these days he has the best mic skill along with CM Punk. Plus, He completely owned your number 24 The Miz couple weeks ago.

One manager left off this list who I believe was great at getting heat for his men was The Grand Wizard. Hopefully he was at least in your top 30.

Hogan and Savage? You are surely joking Kevin? Those two are among the worst talkers in wrestling history. I can't even remember any occasion where either cut a memorable promo. CM Punk should be much higher up that list as the best talker currently in the business, but as you say it is all subjective.

How did John Cena not make the top 25 on THIS list? How come he wasn't included Kev?

Good list Kev. There was no way The Rock wasn't gonna be number 1.

Overall, a great list. But there is one glaring omission: Arn Anderson (Martin Lunde).

"Double-A" always brought an amazing level of intensity to his promos and was an integral part of the Four Horsemen getting over like they did.

He never had to create a flashy persona like Flair or Blanchard and was not physically imposing like Luger or Windham. But just through his promos he'd come off as the guy in the Horsemen you didn't want to mess with. He very successfully created a persona through his charisma that he'd be able to outsmart you and tear you apart at the same time.

I still never understood why "The Enforcer" never became a singles world champion. If his injuries hadn't forced his early retirement, I'm sure it would have happened. Anderson is the only guy I would sanction the WWE pulling a "Arquette" for out of sheer respect for everything he contributed to wrestling.

Wow. I think you got most of the peope I would have selected, but the order is tough. Superstar Billy Graham @ 11. I would have thought he would be at least top 6. He was the gold standard for a while.

Also, Larry ZBYSZKO wa a hell of a talker, but I do not remember him being in the WWF/WWE very long. I remember him more from AWA, NWA, etc..

Finally, I thought Ted Dibiase would have been higher as well.

Also, what about Classy Freddie Blassy.

Wow, I almost feel like your list is upside down. It feels like DiBiase, Heenan, Austin, Savage and Jericho are all way too low, and Roberts, Rhodes, Foley, Heyman, and McMahon are all too high. And I guess Jesse Ventura was one of the five eliminations, but he probably should have made the list. Glad you included Punk, though.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Jesse is No. 17.

cornette?! what about jr

I'm not going to criticize the order, which I"m sure everyone that leaves a comment will. Everyone has their favorite and will have a different order than others, and that is fine. I personally agree with you except I would put Dusty ahead of Jake The Snake. But I will say that I feel Arn Anderson had some of the best promos. His intensity, his "no beating around the bush" type approach was simple and brilliant.

Kevin,
Before I read your list, off the top of my head I had The Rock, Shawn Michaels, and Steve Austin being 1, 2, 3. I don't know how you have Michaels all the way down at #14. He peaked on his mic skills during his feud with Hogan leading up to Summer Slam. The way he flicked a switch to heel was done so effortlessly by his diatribes in the ring during that feud.

Though most of best work on the mic was done in ECW, I thought Brian Pillman was great once he took on that psychotic-over the edge character.

RESPONSE FROM KE: It's not often I get criticized for having Michaels too LOW on a list.

What, no Warrior love?

Clearly "crazy" wasn't in the criteria...

No Ultimate Warrior?

I'd be interested to see some of the names that almost made the list.

Oh, and I wanted to guess who your other five candidates were. Let's see: Jesse Ventura, Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, HHH and... hmmm... Ultimate Warrior?

What no Stone Cold Steve Austin?? His catchphrases alone rank him in the top 10 easily and "Thats the bottom line cause SCSA said So

RESPONSE FROM KE: He's No. 12.

Good list, but where´s Edge???

I could talk about so many things on this list from the Miz being included, to Hulk Hogan, Jesse Ventura and BOBBY HEENAN being ranked below Chris Jericho, Vince McMahon, and Shawn Michaels (although I know Michaels being ranked so high is due to him being your favorite), but as you said the list is subjective.

But one thing that for the life of me I absolutely cannot understand is how you could not include ARN ANDERSON! Are you kidding me, Kev?? He's arguably the best promo cutter ever! No one has ever been able to deliever a promo with such believability, seriousness, intensity, and intelligence. His promos were pure genius! When he was in the Four Horsemen, he would talk after Ric Flair and STILL leave you amazed. Now that's saying something!

where cena? i hate his on-screen character and the scripts of his promos are corny as hell. however, you cannot deny that he is a great T.A.L.K.E.R.

most definitely better than teddibiase at least.

i'd push miz and austin up the list a bit too.

You can't argue with that number 1.
Although I reckon people probably will....
Great list Kev, some cracking clips on there.

Jericho is WAYYYYYYYYYY too low!!!!!

And thanks for uploading the vids.
Just lost myself completely in memories while watching them.

Good list. I was surprised not to see Mr. Perfect. I thought he was terrific.

FINALLY!!! The ECK has come BACK to sanity! At least you've created a list we can sensibly sink our teeth into. Cheers!

I can't find a whole lot of fault with your list, other than shuffling things around a bit. I'm happy Jake Roberts is as high as he is. Great talker. I would likely swap Savage and Jericho. Savage tended to rely on stream-of-consciousness babbling, masked by his gravelly voice to cover up lack of substance. Heenan may be a bit low. Zbyszko and Lawler can go. I thought Ventura was overrated as a promo and only did his best work on color with McMahon or Monsoon.

I wonder who would have rounded out your top 30? Kurt Angle during his WWE days? I usually hate the substance of them, but Jeff Jarrett has some of the best delivery in wrestling today. Eddie Guerrero really started to nail the promos during his Latino Heat days (prior to that he was dreadful). He was usually overshadowed by Flair in the Horsemen, but Arn Anderson always cut fantastic promos.

Great list, Kev. How about a list of the worst talkers? I'm thinking the likes of the Ultimate Warrior.

What do you think?

A wonderful list Eck.

I have spent my day at work waiting for my LSAT scored to get emailed to me, and this was an awesome way to pass some time.

I can't really argue with who you have on the list, and the order is just semantics.
I have a soft spot for the unbelievable heat Rick Rude could draw (you Atlantic City sweathog).

I will say that if we were judging solely on the video you posted, Foley, McMahon and Heyman would be the top three in some order. And they were all great examples of blending reality with storyline. Not a coincidence.

So much for any work getting done today. Nostradamus has got nothing on Dusty Rhodes!

Ok sorry to sound like an echo of the previous comments...but seriously....no john cena or triple h in a top 25 list??

If Cena has ANY talent at all, it's on the mic.
A similar case could be made for triple h, especially his killer promos circa 1999-2002.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lppcBF2_Hco

Kev, love the list. WWE's list is pretty weak, but it was a good jumping-off point for others, so I'm glad to see others - including you - run with it. Since this is based off a WWE list, I understand the logic behind Double A not being on it, but its nice to see so many bring his name up. Very strong list overall. In my opinion, I'm not the biggest Dusty fan, so I would have moved Dusty, Hogan, McMahon and Ventura down the list. Outside of Bash at the Beach 96, Hogan just didn't have that many great creative promos. I will say I think Booby Heenan should be considerably higher and HBK, Austin and Jericho should be higher. He may not make the final list, but I may have given at least some consideration to Owen Hart as well (especially the stuff with Bret). Keep up the interesting stuff!

Great list, Kevin. Not the order I'd have them in, but I'd make most of the same picks.

The best of the promos listed, in my opinion, are HBK's, Randy Savage's, and Paul Heyman's. For Piper I would've gone with the one wherein he busts the bottle over his head.

Holy smoke. This must have been the most work-intensive Ring Posts entry, ever.

Jim Cornette and Roddy Piper - two of my all-time favorites!

Kevin, saw your picture in Pro Wrestling Illustrated. It looks like Peter Schmuck was breaking the rules and trying to choke you out!

Kev, how can you put Randy "I speak with marbles in my mouth" Savage on the list and not the Warrior? Who could understand either of them? Putting Savage in the top talkers is like putting David Arquette as one of the best World Champions in wrestling history.

Where is Mr. Perfect, Curt Hennig? He was one of the best talkers in the WWF/E. How do you put Savage in there and not Mr. Perfect?

I guess that's why you are not Perfect.

I'm surprised that so many are crying over Cena's omission from the list. Sure, he gives a great promo, but all of his promos are basically the same, with the same forced intensity that makes one roll their eyes. A little subtlety could work wonders.

Your excuse for not including Arn Anderson makes absolutely NO sense. The criteria was the 25 best talkers “who ever set foot in a WWE ring”, not "who wver cut a promo in the WWE", geez.

Surprised that Cornette did not make the WWE list - or maybe I shouldn't be? I also think Kevin Sullivan during his run on Florida Championship Wrestling should have been considered as he p***ed off fans like no other during that time period. I also believe that Ultimate Warrior should have been considered since without his verbal skills (wacky as they were) should have been considered.
Jake the Snake, in my mind, would be top 5, as would Dusty.

Austin is too low. Jake Roberts is too high (no pun). And where oh where are the "New Age Outlaws"? Otherwise, great clips!

I can't believe Paul E. is so high. I can't believe HBK is so low. Eck, are ya gonna start likin' ECW?! Did HBK ignore your Facebook request?! Oh wait, no Bret. Guess all is right in the world of Ring Posts. Ha ha! But seriously...Jerry Lawler = most overrated wrestling personality ever; never eeeeeever got his appeal. Zzzzzzbyszzzzzzko = rather listen to Michael Cole do Raw than Verne's son-in-law do Nitro. Rather watch paint dry than listen to either. No Road Warriors & Ellering?! 1-6 (except Cornette) is a pick 'em...a case can be made for any of them in any slot.

You should have put up a Hogan interview before his days of being a face. His promo against Tony Atlas is one for the ages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqVHcQANNdE

Eh, I guess I agree with everyone on the list - just not the position.

Don't think Rock was #1 considering I think Austin was a lot better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JluvpCr9XM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TglE8P5V5AA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7hsew9ou4s

No one in his time was more intense than Austin.

Hey Kev. Great list and great videos. As soon as I saw that you put this list together, I knew that Dwayne the Rock was going to be #1. I do think however you ranked Billy Graham too low. The "Superstar" is that one that made talk segments famous. Even looking at the ones ahead of him seem to be only there because you pulled a peak out of their peaks and valleys.

I don't think that McMahon, Heymen, Cornette, Roberts or even Savage rank ahead. The Dream, Nature Boy and Rowdy one surely belong near the top. Just my thoughts, but I would like to file a motion for reconsideration to move Graham to the top 5.

Wow the promo from Cornette had me laughing milk out my nose. Some of the lines about Hogan are just as relevant today.
"[Hogan] you may be a house hold name but so is garbage and that stinks too when it gets old"

No Jeff Hardy, Kevin?!?

How is he not on this list after this gem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1-0RVJAXxI

You also forgot Ernie Roth aka The Grand Wizard of Wrestling. He was as good as Albano with the promos.

Cornette's was classic. I seem to remember another great one was when he went off on Hall and Nash, too. Also, just watched "Monday Night Wars"--saw Austin's 3:16 promo, and what was good is it just seemed like it was completely off-the-cuff, and that's what make a great "stick man" in the industry.

Also--is it a little stupid that WWE used clips from a video game rather than photos of the current guys on this list??

Great list, great videos. Man, that Dusty promo was un-****ing-believable. Riveting! It's easy to misremember the Dream as mostly a comic figure... I forget just how powerfully he could connect with an audience.

The Piper interview was off the hook as well... would make ANYBODY scared to step in the ring with him.

I'd move Austin up & Jake down a little but really there's not much here to argue with... what a goldmine of great clips. Heyman's verbal takedown of Taz... ouch...

Oh, and I have nothing but respect for Foley, but I don't think he belongs on this list. Sorry.

Kev you made a great list here but Why don't you a do a list of greatest talker of all time in any federation I agree with your top 2 but both Austin & Hogan should definetly be in the top 5 because both therir words shaped a whole generation of wrestling viewers and took the sport into a whole new level that is still felt to this day brother because frank from dundalk says so.

I despise Cornette, but that was hilarious.

no rock? The rock is the best talker ever.

Just kidding, it really bugs me how people are commenting arguing that someone is on the list even though they r

I LOVE CORNETTE'S RANTS. Personally, I think of Dibiase as top 10 but your acknowledgement of Cornette at 3 makes me smile and trust your judgment. Great idea and very well done.

After listening to Heyman I can't help wondering if I miss him or the "attitude" because what is out there now isn't even close to being the thing I've enjoyed all these years. Bobby Heenan though will always be my personal favorite on the mike.

Ric Flair is really overrated in my opinion. All he did in his promos was shout on the top of his lungs, when he didn't really needed to. Most of his promos were too childish and he really acted like a clown while cutting those promos.

On the other hand, I find Jericho's promos to be much more intense and you actually feel that he is feeling every word coming out of his mouth.I'm not saying Jericho is the best talker ever, but he should have been in top 5 in any list of great talkers, otherwise the list loses credibility.

LOL @ Cory, thanks for that post.. I was about to make the same observation (minus that hilarious swerve at the beginning).

Thank you Kevin for making it a countdown so I could slowly scroll down and be intrigued by each name (instead of listing them as best talker first).

It would've been interesting to get your thoughts on each individual, but then you'd have 170 comments instead of 70, so with that consideration, I'd say it was a wise choice. ;-)

Where is The Magnificent Muraco? Whenever I see great talker lists, everyone forgets Muraco. He was the best heel promo out there. Piper would be No. 1 on my list and Muraco No. 2
I know his best work was before the great national expansion of pro wrestling, but you also had Superstar Billy Graham ranked.

Great list Eck and Rock at #1 is spot on, but i'm gonna throw one man in there who never gets props Dustin Runnels/Goldust. The man can do intense promos, like in his feud with Razor Ramon and funny ones, just look for the one where he is in the ring with HHH and Flair standing up for Booker T. Flair and Hunter legit begin to laugh when he says and I quote "You can't judge a book by it's c.c.c.c.cc.cornbread damnit cornbread!"

Hey, Kev! I agree with a lot of your choices, but I think you didn't get the best clip for diBiase. Okerland had most of that "interview" and I remember (correctly?) that Teddy did better stuff than this one.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I agree with you on the clip, but I couldn't find anything better on YouTube.

CM Punk is awfully low, don't ya think? He's in my top 10 let alone top 3

RESPONSE FROM KE: This is my top 25 of all time. If you look at the guys ahead of Punk, almost all of them are inactive, so, therefore, Punk is the best right now.