As you all know by now, I'm an avid movie fan, but out of all the genres which one do I prefer? Westerns! Yes, gun-slingers, sheriffs, outlaws, 'Injuns' and large tumbleweeds. Westerns involve gun battles and marvelous landscapes, but there's more to it than that, westerns can be a study of the era (post civil war-pre 1920s), a study of the people and figures who lived in the environment and a study of the west itself and how it effects the latter. In this list I'll be listing my top 10 favourite westerns (note: I did not include 'No Country For Old Men' because of the time period it's set in, not because of the quality), so saddle your horse, load your Colt and enjoy.
10. The Assasination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Dir: Andrew Dominik
A modern masterpiece exploring the final months of the life of outlaw Jesse James, how he came to be killed and the effect this had on the killer (Robert Ford, Duh!). Although slow in pacing for some, this is a grand film which richfully explores the psyches of both James and Ford, the bleak Missouri landscape adds to the attitude of the characters and the setting (post civil war south). Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck give great performances as we explore the end of a western icon and the self destruction of an unlucky man.
9. True Grit (2010/2011, depending where you're from)
Dir: Joel and Ethan Coen
The most recent film on the list, a rare case of a remake being better than the original. The brothers Coen explore vengence and the presence of religion in the time. Jeff Bridges if close to perfect as Rooster Cogburn, a selfish drunkard who is touched by 14 year old Mattie Ross (Hallie Steinfeld who gives the best child performance I've seen in years). The film is dark and bleak with death lurking in the air (literally at one point), but also Coen-esque wry humour is mixed in the dialogue, making this a great western.
8. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Dir: John Ford
The first of many Duke Wayne films, as he plays an honest gunman with Jimmy Stewarts rightious lawyer and Lee Marvin's pernicious outlaw. This is a typical Ford western, touching unity/comical minor characters mixed with violence and serious dilemas. This explores the effectivness of law and order over violence and the aftermath and consequences of said violence. Everything about this film leaves you with a smile and is one of the more pessimistic Ford films, yes good wins, but at what cost?
7. The Wild Bunch (1969)
Dir: Sam Peckinpah
probably one of the most violent westerns in cinematic history (even by todays standards), typical Peckinpah. With great gun battles and a great ensemble cast, an inoventive western is produced (although influence can be taken from the Leone films), the story of a gang of outlaws on the run from bounty hunters, whilst having to steal guns for a Mexican general is gripping and savage and still packs a punch.
6. Unforgiven (1992)
Dir: Clint Eastwood
Clint directs and stars in his last great western. The story of an aged outlaw, now set straight, having to hunt two criminals in order to collect a bounty to feed his family is gritty and epic. As the film goes on we see Eastwood slowly return to his wicked ways, losing his morality. With strong moral dilemas and the superb cast of Eastwood, Freeman and Hackman, 'Unforgiven' is a touchingly gritty film, worthy of the Oscar it recieved.
5. Rio Bravo (1959)
Dir: Howard Hawks
With Hawks at the helm, this is one of the most wry, exciting westerns you'll ever see. John Wayne as the tough nose sheriff, Dean Martin as a recovering alchoholic, Walter Brenan as the crazy cripple and Ricky Nelson as the kid with gun skills all come together perfectly. The creativly fun shootouts are mixed with the creativly fun dialogue and psycological tension of the heroes being 'Bottled in' by the enemies. One of the funnest films to watch involving Dean Martin being hog tied.
4. The Searchers (1956)
Dir: John Ford
The best Ford/Wayne film of all and that's saying something. The landscape of monument valley is played to great effect as the savage environment of our heroes voyage. Wayne gives his best performance as the Commanche hating, prejudice, yet brave and tough Ethan Edwards. Edwards' relentless obsession with rescuing his kidnapped niece (dead or alive) makes the film. Ford adds the touching family unity element, mixing it with murder and prejudice to make an American classic.
3. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)
Dir: Sergio Leone
The landscape is epic and grand, the characters are complex and dark, there are shootouts a plenty, yes this is a Sergio Leone film. With precise and poigant direction, even the opening scene at the train station would be great on it's own. Charles Bronson's harmonica playing outlaw going against Henry Ford's gun for hire going against Jason Robards' Gang leader, with a widowed ex-whore in the middle of it all makes for must see cinema. The great score and atmosphere define this film as a definitive spagetti western.
2. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
Dir: George Roy Hill
This film has lots of things going for it. The chemistry between Paul Newman and Robert Redford makes them a great movie double team, the philosophy of the changing of the west and the futility of middle age, the humorous dialogue, the rich cinematography, the epic gun battle at the ending, Kathrine Ross. This is a film that cannot fail and never will with repeat viewings.
1. The Good The Bad And The Ugly (1966)
Dir: Sergio Leone
As I said in a blog from a month ago, this is my favourite western of all time, I won't go into too much detail as I suggest you read my review of the film by going through my previous blogs. In short, the setting is great, the dialogue is great, the characters are great, the gun battles are great... This is just a great film.
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Man and SuperCena
For every era of wrestling there's always a top guy in WWE, for the raging 80s it was Hulk Hogan, for the New Generation era of the early to mid-90s it was Bret Hart, for the attitude era it was Steve Austin and the Rock. Now in this new era (presumably the PG era) one man stands as supreme superstar of WWE, John Felix Anthony Cena.
Cena is the definition of superstar, multiple time world champ with numerous movie and t.v appearences, being on the majority of WWE advertisments and products. He is seen as the most recognisable wrestler in WWE right now (who still competes, baring Rock and Austin), yet his reaction from actual wrestling fans is mixed, some (mostly small children and horny women) meet him with loud, adoring cheers, whilst others (mostly men over the age of 13) meet him with loud boos and abusive chants. So why is opinion on Cena so divided and what's my thoughts on him all together? In this blog I'll try to unravel the enigma that is John Felix Anthony Cena (I just like writing that).
So why does he appeal so much to young wrestling fans today? If you look at all the aformentioned top stars of WWE and the time they were top in you'll see why. Hogan was top in Reagan era America, when communism was still a threat and Americans needed an Aryan muscleman to look up to, to stand for the red, White and blue. Austin was top in the late 90s, when grunge and generation X was prominant, teens had an anti-authoritian feel and Austin obviously encapsulated that whenever he stomped a mudhole in Mr Mchmahon. Now look at this era, this is the era of Justin Beiber and RnB, Cena's catchy rap theme yet clean as a whistle attitude definatly appeals to small children. Also, any small child who still thinks wrestling is real, would think Cena is god after the amazing feats of strength and pain threshold (more on that later). In short, a mixture of modern tastes and superhuman booking makes Cena cool to the little Jimmys (thanks R-Truth).
Now, there are many reasons why Cena has gained so much hostility from the majority of adult males, one being his selling or lack there of. Sure during his beatdowns Cena will react and groan like most wrestlers, but when it comes to his big comeback, he gives off shoulder blocks like a fresh man, this takes away some of the believability of his performance, his blatantly non-connecting punches are another thing that riles up the masses. Also some of his promos come off as too childish and annoying and that he's trying too hard to be funny and comming off as flat. And let's face it, fans from the attitude era have always had a hostility for clean-cut, kid friendly wrestlers, remember Rocky Maivia? And even someone as talented and hard working as Rey Mysterio gets grief for being too kid friendly.
So, my thoughts on Cena? Whilst his in ring technique isn't exactly the sharpest, he's been able to have decent matches with JBL/Big Show to Shawn Michaels/Chris Jericho and while he's not the best, he's certainly not as bad as Hogan or Ultimate Warrior. His promos? People forget that when he was a mid-carder as the doctor of thuganomics, he got good responses from the crowd due to the very un-PG raps he did, if you're gonna blame someone, blame the writers for giving such patronising, unfunny material. In conclusion, Cena is a very hardworking wrestler who has the hardest schedual, is respected by the likes of Ric Flair and Bret Hart and doesn't abuse his position in the company (like say a kliq member would) so in my opinion...he's ok, although I'll still boo him at live events.
Cena is the definition of superstar, multiple time world champ with numerous movie and t.v appearences, being on the majority of WWE advertisments and products. He is seen as the most recognisable wrestler in WWE right now (who still competes, baring Rock and Austin), yet his reaction from actual wrestling fans is mixed, some (mostly small children and horny women) meet him with loud, adoring cheers, whilst others (mostly men over the age of 13) meet him with loud boos and abusive chants. So why is opinion on Cena so divided and what's my thoughts on him all together? In this blog I'll try to unravel the enigma that is John Felix Anthony Cena (I just like writing that).
So why does he appeal so much to young wrestling fans today? If you look at all the aformentioned top stars of WWE and the time they were top in you'll see why. Hogan was top in Reagan era America, when communism was still a threat and Americans needed an Aryan muscleman to look up to, to stand for the red, White and blue. Austin was top in the late 90s, when grunge and generation X was prominant, teens had an anti-authoritian feel and Austin obviously encapsulated that whenever he stomped a mudhole in Mr Mchmahon. Now look at this era, this is the era of Justin Beiber and RnB, Cena's catchy rap theme yet clean as a whistle attitude definatly appeals to small children. Also, any small child who still thinks wrestling is real, would think Cena is god after the amazing feats of strength and pain threshold (more on that later). In short, a mixture of modern tastes and superhuman booking makes Cena cool to the little Jimmys (thanks R-Truth).
Now, there are many reasons why Cena has gained so much hostility from the majority of adult males, one being his selling or lack there of. Sure during his beatdowns Cena will react and groan like most wrestlers, but when it comes to his big comeback, he gives off shoulder blocks like a fresh man, this takes away some of the believability of his performance, his blatantly non-connecting punches are another thing that riles up the masses. Also some of his promos come off as too childish and annoying and that he's trying too hard to be funny and comming off as flat. And let's face it, fans from the attitude era have always had a hostility for clean-cut, kid friendly wrestlers, remember Rocky Maivia? And even someone as talented and hard working as Rey Mysterio gets grief for being too kid friendly.
So, my thoughts on Cena? Whilst his in ring technique isn't exactly the sharpest, he's been able to have decent matches with JBL/Big Show to Shawn Michaels/Chris Jericho and while he's not the best, he's certainly not as bad as Hogan or Ultimate Warrior. His promos? People forget that when he was a mid-carder as the doctor of thuganomics, he got good responses from the crowd due to the very un-PG raps he did, if you're gonna blame someone, blame the writers for giving such patronising, unfunny material. In conclusion, Cena is a very hardworking wrestler who has the hardest schedual, is respected by the likes of Ric Flair and Bret Hart and doesn't abuse his position in the company (like say a kliq member would) so in my opinion...he's ok, although I'll still boo him at live events.
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Standing Up On Top Of The World
This week I've decided to deter from the usual subjects such as Films and T.V, instead I'll be looking at probably the most popular comedian in Britain, a man who's tours lately, have sold more tickets than any other comedian, sold more DVDs, performed in the largest venues and has had his one-liners repeated by numerous school children and bar crawlers across the UK, Mister Lee Evans.
Now, as many people will tell you, Lee Evans is a funny, funny man, his comedic style ranges from observational satire of modern life, mixed with surealist one-liners. There are so many classic lines, that I could spend a whole day writing them, but for now I'll leave you with just one; "AA reckonended, so what? A mechanic has gone in and gone 'yeah that's all right'" Of course his joke base consists of more than just short one-liners, he can go into long monologues about relationships, holidays or car troubles, each with Evans' deprication of the absurd, thus allowing him to connect with the audience as these are absurdities we can relate to.
There is a certain crux of Evans' style that makes him distinct from other comics, his frantic energy. It stems from a visible nervousness (Evans sweats like a water hose and stains his suit every performance) that adds to his performance, making his lines stick due to the energy they're said with. But this energy only helps to eccentuate Evans' true gem, physicallity. Evans' on stage performances are energetic and vast (adding to his constant sweat), whether it's doing over the top deep vien frombosis exercises to trademark sketches he'd do at the begining of early shows, such as how to be a comic and the Lee Evans trio. Evans' physical comedy is the corner stone of his many great shows.
Evans is someone who has lead a typical comedians career, starting from small clubs in England and America, but his style and wit made him a stand out at the Edinburgh festival, winning the top award at the festival, going on to perform many live shows, gaining respect and reputation, having a rather unsuccessful acting career, then performing high rated shows with sold out crowds and being seen as Britains top comedian, needless to say, Lee Evans has made it big, and no other comedian deserves it more.
Now, as many people will tell you, Lee Evans is a funny, funny man, his comedic style ranges from observational satire of modern life, mixed with surealist one-liners. There are so many classic lines, that I could spend a whole day writing them, but for now I'll leave you with just one; "AA reckonended, so what? A mechanic has gone in and gone 'yeah that's all right'" Of course his joke base consists of more than just short one-liners, he can go into long monologues about relationships, holidays or car troubles, each with Evans' deprication of the absurd, thus allowing him to connect with the audience as these are absurdities we can relate to.
There is a certain crux of Evans' style that makes him distinct from other comics, his frantic energy. It stems from a visible nervousness (Evans sweats like a water hose and stains his suit every performance) that adds to his performance, making his lines stick due to the energy they're said with. But this energy only helps to eccentuate Evans' true gem, physicallity. Evans' on stage performances are energetic and vast (adding to his constant sweat), whether it's doing over the top deep vien frombosis exercises to trademark sketches he'd do at the begining of early shows, such as how to be a comic and the Lee Evans trio. Evans' physical comedy is the corner stone of his many great shows.
Evans is someone who has lead a typical comedians career, starting from small clubs in England and America, but his style and wit made him a stand out at the Edinburgh festival, winning the top award at the festival, going on to perform many live shows, gaining respect and reputation, having a rather unsuccessful acting career, then performing high rated shows with sold out crowds and being seen as Britains top comedian, needless to say, Lee Evans has made it big, and no other comedian deserves it more.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
10 Men Talking
There are numerous aspects that make a great wrestler, ability (try telling Hulk Hogan), gimmick, presence, image and the subject of this here blog, promo skills. A promo helps a wrestler (or superstar!) sell themselves, their fued and any upcoming matches they have. Right here I'll be listing the top 10 wrestlers who I think had the best promo skills, along with my favourite promos of theirs (disclaimer: this is just my personal opinion and not to be taken seriously), I'll also be tweeting these promos on my Twitter account @MRPITT for those who want to see them, so enjoy.
10. Dusty Rhodes
Dusty is a wrestler with a distinctive promo style that is entertaining and captivating, his southern drole mixed with rhymes made viewers listen especialy to what he had to say. Rhymes like 'Funky like a monkey' and 'I've dined with kings and queens and fed on pork and beans' added an element of fun to his monologues which is what wrestling should be, fun.
Favourite promo: A promo he took in 1986 after losing the world title to Ric Flair, this is hard to find on YouTube since it's just titled 'Dusty Rhodes promo' so it's best to view on my Twitter.
9. Chris Jericho
No matter what phase of his career he's in, whiney cruiserweight, cocky rock star or suit wearing misanthrope, his promos are always great. He's perfect at selling himself as a performer yet also conveying the heel cowardness within. Early cruiserweight promos were shrill and obnoxious with sense of self deprication, rock star promos were wild and humourous with witty pot shots taken at opponents and misanthrope promos were cold, calculated and pedantic with fancy words said, conveying a man disgusted by those around him.
Favourite promo: hard to choose with Jericho, it would either have to be his 2007 return or his promo the week after he turned on Shawn Michaels, although I've had difficulty finding the latter on YouTube.
8. Jim Cornette
probably the manager with the best promo skills in wrestling history. The perfect heel manager, shrill, whiney voice, promos spoken so fast you'd think he'd have the cardio vascular conditioning of an Olympian and the ability to put over the wrestlers he managed. During his fast paced verbiages, he'd explain how his Midnight Express were the best team in wrestling and not bad looking either (perhaps that's why he had so much heat in the south). He'd also get in a bit of a character development for himself, being conveyed as a pompous mama's boy who's as tough as a ham sandwich.
Favourite promo: when he announced the new version of the Midnight express, both selling his men and putting in some development for himself.
7. Terry Funk
Preferable here are his heel promos and for good reason. He'd convey himself as a dispicable psycopath who enjoyed giving out pain, but the coup-de-grace was the way he insulted his opponents (and sometimes audience), using hateful phrases that conveyed his perniciousness and how much he hated his opponents. Anyone who uses phrases such as 'yellow dog' or 'jackass' to describe their opponent must be one evil mother!
Favourite promo: describing to Jim Ross his 'Beautiful dream' an example of Funk's disrespect to opponents beyond comprehension.
6. Roddy Piper
A mixture of high energy (not Owen Hart and Koko B Ware) and smarmyness made Roddy Piper a force to be reckoned with in the 1980s. And what do you do with someone who's a great talker but can't wrestle? (due to injury) give them a talk show. Yes, on Pipers pit he'd use his skills to insult his mostly face guests and put himself over as a heel. His promos were insulting, smarmy, cocky and made audiences want to see him hurt, what a great heel promo should be.
Favourite promo: Strangely enough, I didn't choose a Pipers pit promo or a heel promo, for me my favourite Roddy Piper promo is the one he did in Alcatraz leading up to his WCW fued with Hollywood Hogan, such passion, intensity and anger in showcased making this promo great, shame the same can't be said for the match they had.
5. Jake Roberts
Roberts had a particular promo style, with his smooth southern voice, he'd speak in a cool, calm way but talk about hurting other men and being methodical about it, making his promos chilling and dark. His promo style made people listen close and conveyed his cold, snake like character, the subject of his promos would be captivating, be it DDT standing for the end, or making Ted Dibiase beg for his money and his safety, Roberts made you take interest in his fued and his character.
Favourite promo: His post match interview at Tuesday in Texas after slapping Miss Elizabeth, probably the most disturbing promo ever.
4. Mick Foley
In the league of Terry Funk and Jake Roberts, someone who conveyed the nature of their character in their promos, in this case being a deranged lunatic who'll put their body on the line to win a match and gladly dish out suffering. My preference however is to his ECW anti-hardcore promos, in which he'd talk about how harcore wrestling has ruined his life and how it means nothing, being both a heel against what the ECW fans stand for and also putting across some valid points that I'm sure Jim Cornette would agree with.
Favourite promo: No promo that I've seen has had more emotion or phinece than the 'Cane Dewey' promo, probably the bestcof that era.
3. Randy Savage
With a deep, booming voice and eccentric personality, Macho Man Randy Savage was someone who could instantly grab your interest. His wildman character gave his promos an edge, whether it was quoting Sonny and Cher or talking about the bubbling and boiling of the couldren of madness. He'd also talk about how great he was compared to those fueding with him, selling himself, his opponents and the fued, exactly what a promo should be. With an eccentricity that exceeded others and some imaginative verbiages, Randy Savage was one of the great promo men of the 80s.
Favourite promo: 'Talkin about history' promo, classic Macho Man.
2. The Rock
'The most electrifying man in sports entertainment' and that's no joke, with promos that mixed humour with badassness with purpose, The Rock proved to be the best promo man of the 21st century. His showman way of speaking and memorable catchphrases made audiences involved and excited whenever he entered an arena, with the funniest one-liners since Lee Evans, you knew you were going to enjoy his promos and he could be entertaining, no matter the bad storyline or boring performer, truely the sign of a great wrestler.
Favourite promo: You might disagree with me, but I think that his response to John Cena's rap, via satellite was his best, no Rock promo has had more passion, memorable lines or electricity than that one.
1. Ric Flair
Yes, my favourite all time wrestler is also my favourite all time promo man, and for good reason. I've covered a bit of Flair's promo skills in a previous blog so excuse me if I repeat myself. This was a man who exuded brovado and confidence, a heel who was so cocky but could back it up, who lorded it over the audience how he was the best in the world and the way he said it made us believe it. The subject of his promos was another case putting himself and opponents over, but also putting the world championship, the promotion and wrestling as a whole over, something that's important in these times. The energy an confidence Flair conveyed excited the WTBS studio audiences into a frenzy, this was a man who had the crowd in the palm of his hand, this was Ric Flair.
Favourite promo: 'You're looking at the man' pure arogence, pure showmanship, pure Flair.
10. Dusty Rhodes
Dusty is a wrestler with a distinctive promo style that is entertaining and captivating, his southern drole mixed with rhymes made viewers listen especialy to what he had to say. Rhymes like 'Funky like a monkey' and 'I've dined with kings and queens and fed on pork and beans' added an element of fun to his monologues which is what wrestling should be, fun.
Favourite promo: A promo he took in 1986 after losing the world title to Ric Flair, this is hard to find on YouTube since it's just titled 'Dusty Rhodes promo' so it's best to view on my Twitter.
9. Chris Jericho
No matter what phase of his career he's in, whiney cruiserweight, cocky rock star or suit wearing misanthrope, his promos are always great. He's perfect at selling himself as a performer yet also conveying the heel cowardness within. Early cruiserweight promos were shrill and obnoxious with sense of self deprication, rock star promos were wild and humourous with witty pot shots taken at opponents and misanthrope promos were cold, calculated and pedantic with fancy words said, conveying a man disgusted by those around him.
Favourite promo: hard to choose with Jericho, it would either have to be his 2007 return or his promo the week after he turned on Shawn Michaels, although I've had difficulty finding the latter on YouTube.
8. Jim Cornette
probably the manager with the best promo skills in wrestling history. The perfect heel manager, shrill, whiney voice, promos spoken so fast you'd think he'd have the cardio vascular conditioning of an Olympian and the ability to put over the wrestlers he managed. During his fast paced verbiages, he'd explain how his Midnight Express were the best team in wrestling and not bad looking either (perhaps that's why he had so much heat in the south). He'd also get in a bit of a character development for himself, being conveyed as a pompous mama's boy who's as tough as a ham sandwich.
Favourite promo: when he announced the new version of the Midnight express, both selling his men and putting in some development for himself.
7. Terry Funk
Preferable here are his heel promos and for good reason. He'd convey himself as a dispicable psycopath who enjoyed giving out pain, but the coup-de-grace was the way he insulted his opponents (and sometimes audience), using hateful phrases that conveyed his perniciousness and how much he hated his opponents. Anyone who uses phrases such as 'yellow dog' or 'jackass' to describe their opponent must be one evil mother!
Favourite promo: describing to Jim Ross his 'Beautiful dream' an example of Funk's disrespect to opponents beyond comprehension.
6. Roddy Piper
A mixture of high energy (not Owen Hart and Koko B Ware) and smarmyness made Roddy Piper a force to be reckoned with in the 1980s. And what do you do with someone who's a great talker but can't wrestle? (due to injury) give them a talk show. Yes, on Pipers pit he'd use his skills to insult his mostly face guests and put himself over as a heel. His promos were insulting, smarmy, cocky and made audiences want to see him hurt, what a great heel promo should be.
Favourite promo: Strangely enough, I didn't choose a Pipers pit promo or a heel promo, for me my favourite Roddy Piper promo is the one he did in Alcatraz leading up to his WCW fued with Hollywood Hogan, such passion, intensity and anger in showcased making this promo great, shame the same can't be said for the match they had.
5. Jake Roberts
Roberts had a particular promo style, with his smooth southern voice, he'd speak in a cool, calm way but talk about hurting other men and being methodical about it, making his promos chilling and dark. His promo style made people listen close and conveyed his cold, snake like character, the subject of his promos would be captivating, be it DDT standing for the end, or making Ted Dibiase beg for his money and his safety, Roberts made you take interest in his fued and his character.
Favourite promo: His post match interview at Tuesday in Texas after slapping Miss Elizabeth, probably the most disturbing promo ever.
4. Mick Foley
In the league of Terry Funk and Jake Roberts, someone who conveyed the nature of their character in their promos, in this case being a deranged lunatic who'll put their body on the line to win a match and gladly dish out suffering. My preference however is to his ECW anti-hardcore promos, in which he'd talk about how harcore wrestling has ruined his life and how it means nothing, being both a heel against what the ECW fans stand for and also putting across some valid points that I'm sure Jim Cornette would agree with.
Favourite promo: No promo that I've seen has had more emotion or phinece than the 'Cane Dewey' promo, probably the bestcof that era.
3. Randy Savage
With a deep, booming voice and eccentric personality, Macho Man Randy Savage was someone who could instantly grab your interest. His wildman character gave his promos an edge, whether it was quoting Sonny and Cher or talking about the bubbling and boiling of the couldren of madness. He'd also talk about how great he was compared to those fueding with him, selling himself, his opponents and the fued, exactly what a promo should be. With an eccentricity that exceeded others and some imaginative verbiages, Randy Savage was one of the great promo men of the 80s.
Favourite promo: 'Talkin about history' promo, classic Macho Man.
2. The Rock
'The most electrifying man in sports entertainment' and that's no joke, with promos that mixed humour with badassness with purpose, The Rock proved to be the best promo man of the 21st century. His showman way of speaking and memorable catchphrases made audiences involved and excited whenever he entered an arena, with the funniest one-liners since Lee Evans, you knew you were going to enjoy his promos and he could be entertaining, no matter the bad storyline or boring performer, truely the sign of a great wrestler.
Favourite promo: You might disagree with me, but I think that his response to John Cena's rap, via satellite was his best, no Rock promo has had more passion, memorable lines or electricity than that one.
1. Ric Flair
Yes, my favourite all time wrestler is also my favourite all time promo man, and for good reason. I've covered a bit of Flair's promo skills in a previous blog so excuse me if I repeat myself. This was a man who exuded brovado and confidence, a heel who was so cocky but could back it up, who lorded it over the audience how he was the best in the world and the way he said it made us believe it. The subject of his promos was another case putting himself and opponents over, but also putting the world championship, the promotion and wrestling as a whole over, something that's important in these times. The energy an confidence Flair conveyed excited the WTBS studio audiences into a frenzy, this was a man who had the crowd in the palm of his hand, this was Ric Flair.
Favourite promo: 'You're looking at the man' pure arogence, pure showmanship, pure Flair.
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