Opinion

Mishal’s Top 5: Wrestling’s Greatest Talkers

Mishal takes a look at a favorite topic of many: Wrestling’s Top 5 Greatest Talkers! Who made the list…and who was snubbed?

Published

5 years ago

July 28, 2020

Mishal Shuhaiber

Mishal takes a look at a favorite topic of many: Wrestling’s Top 5 Greatest Talkers! Who made the list…and who was snubbed?

We often forget that more than just being an in-ring sport, professional wrestling, as with any form of entertainment, is equally about showmanship & engaging with the live audience in front of you.

As good as a wrestler as someone can be, it often amounts to very little if their skills on a microphone can’t hold the audience’s attention enough. Engaging with an audience through promos (whether scripted or unscripted) is essential to developing character, as well as a connection with an audience that is deeper than just the moves you can perform in a ring. Microphone skills add a tonne of charisma or charm to a character, and in the process makes the entire persona of that specific character far more well-rounded.

In the past, we’ve had our fair share of wrestlers who lack the skills on a microphone & exchange that for what they can achieve in the ring, most recently the likes of Ricochet, Braun Strowman, Nia Jax, Jeff Hardy, Bobby Lashley to name a few are talents who consistently disappoint when handed a microphone and rely on other aspects of their character to make up for the blunder. These talents aren’t alone either, as lack of ability in terms of promos isn’t something new to the business, but something we pay much more attention to nowadays with how wrestling is organized.

Companies like WWE are known to rely far more on scripted promos with their talent, as well as moulding them under a certain ‘style’ to place them into the boundaries of how they want their talents to generally address an audience. Other brands such as AEW or NJPW, however, have brought attention to just how effective an unscripted promo can be when you allow talent to fully embrace their characters without shackles, giving you a better feel for who they are & generally crafting content that gels a lot better with a live audience. Guys like Cody, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley & Brodie Lee are proof of just how restricted their specific talents were when under the WWE banner & how effective creative freedom can be to a talent trying to redefine themselves.

None of this is necessarily a nudge on WWE though, because even with guidelines, there are some workers who have excelled, and continue to excel within that kind of environment. Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, The Miz, Edge, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre & MVP have been turning in some of the best work of their careers as of late, displaying just how good talent can be working within the ‘WWE style’ as long as you embrace what you’re given to work with.

Where this has brought me to as of late, especially with watching a tonne of content over the last two weeks or so, is just who the standard-bearers are, at least in my mind. The best to cut a promo is sometimes remembered simply for that, their ability to talk at times almost completely overshadows their abilities in the ring due to some of their best moments being behind a microphone, as we’ll see.

So without further ado, let’s dive into wrestlings 5 greatest talkers of all time!

A ‘few’ Honourable Mentions for Greatest Talker Of All Time

‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage – An endless stream of catchphrases, an accent that lives throughout history & charisma that anyone, a fan of professional wrestling or not would consider iconic, there isn’t a promo this man touched that didn’t result in cheers.

Paul Heyman – Beyond being the mouth for Brock Lesnar, Heyman in his own right is one of the few I can think of who’s never cut a bad promo. His work under the ECW brand in the 90s, as a commentator for WWE in the early 2000s or whenever he’s intimidating a plethora of opponents before facing ”His client”, few in today’s wrestling scene can hold an audience the way Heyman does and has for over two decades.

Edge – In terms of intensity, it’s hard to find more intense than the ‘Rated R Superstar’. His work over the last six months or so has been amongst the best of his career, but seeing him opposite the likes of John Cena, Matt Hardy & The Undertaker in the past is proof of how methodical the man is on a microphone. There’s an intense, animal-like quality he brings to his promos that is almost unmatchable today that places him levels above most talent.

Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan – Wrestling’s greatest manager, one of wrestling’s greatest heels & one of the most unlikeable bad guys I can think of. Heenan is responsible for some of the company’s most iconic moments of the early 90s, as well as being by the side of some of the industries standard-bearing talents (most notably Andre The Giant himself). Heenan & his mouth are a reminder of just how impactful a manager can be when utilized in the right manner.

‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin – Has there ever been a wrestler that’s said so little yet garnered a reaction louder than 95% of wrestlers to have ever existed just based on a few catchphrases alone? Austin never had the most varied promo work, but his style was the personification of taking a simple, tried & tested formula, injecting it with an incredible amount of personality & bringing an audience into the palm of his hands with every word he uttered. Many others certainly have a more complex promo style behind their characters, Austin was straight to the point & never lost any audience member for a moment.

And The Top 5 Wrestling’s Greatest Talkers are…

5. CM Punk

”You can’t leave a mark on the champ’s face. Come Royal Rumble, understand, when you step in the ring with me, your arms are just too short to box with God.”

I’d imagine this is some kind of ‘hot take’ depending on where you stand. Many fans will have a number of others names in place of CM Punk, but for myself, he’s arguably the best of my generation as far as cutting a promo goes. Whether its pre-written material, an unplanned ‘pipebomb’ during a faithful evening in Las Vegas or simply engaging with the crowd, few over the last number of years talk the way CM Punk did every night he was handed a microphone.

Punk’s ‘Straightedge Saviour’ persona was ideal to getting him this high on the list, before that he was somewhat of an oddity. From mid-2009 this all changed, as the man found his voice, his groove & catapulted himself into the main event position he’d been chasing for almost half a decade at that point. Everything following the infamous evening in 2011 resulted in genuine gold coming out of the man’s mouth, positioning himself as the voice of a volatile & frustrated fanbase, calling all the shots on what we had an issue with & (in kayfabe) exposing the business for the circus it truly was. His style was a bizarre blend between Steve Austin, Roddy Piper & Paul Heyman, seemingly taking aspects of their work but rather than mimicking it, infusing it with his blend of pissed off honesty, reflecting the real-life frustrations he had, and still has with the product to this very day based on interviews.

His work alongside the likes of John Cena, Triple H, The Rock, Jeff Hardy, Paul Heyman & Chris Jericho is still amongst the finest of the last decade, setting an incredibly high bar for anyone to follow with the plethora of excellence he left behind.

While it was all a gimmick at the end of the day denying the legitimacy of Punk’s promos is insane in retrospect, since a lot of what he said holds ground in 2020, particularly with the state of the current product as we know it. Punk was a professional wrestling martyr, one who spoke years ahead of so many others, and paved the way for more risky, edgier promos in the wrestling world that we see far more often these days, particularly outside of WWE. More than just that, Punk always felt like the voice fans could listen to without sounding like the robot so many others do when they’re given time to express themselves, and that in my eyes is where he stands out in the crop of talent we see today.

4. ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper

”Just when you think you know the answers, I change the questions.”

In my mind, the key to a great villain in professional wrestling is your ability on the microphone. Brutal in-ring action & dirty tactics are fine and dandy, but the ability to insult, degrade & test the audience is what brings out the best in a bad guy. Nobody in the history of the business tested their audiences better than ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper did. Piper was despicable, vile, loud, obnoxious, annoying, relentless, but so good at what he was doing that you just had to love him for the talent he oozed every time he opened his mouth.

Piper understood just what made an audience tick, especially in his era. He never held back on pushing the boundaries set in front of him, despite what you may think of his actions. Every promo Piper cut took it up a notch, which only got worse when ‘Pipers Pit’ became a staple of the WWE in the mid-80s. As a host, Piper was handed free reign to insult & abuse any set of talents that were sent his way, but nothing he ever did felt cheap, it was all timed & measured with precision, unlike so much of today’s heel work on the mic.

Even in his later days following retirement, Piper was just as formidable with words as any newcomer. But rather than playing the heel, Piper used his talents to enhance a variety of names, from John Cena to Roman Reigns, he made everyone & everything look like a million bucks across him in the ring. Sometimes his talents were wasted for the sake of simple filler, but for the most part, those in charge understood the magic this man created in the ring just with words alone.

3. Ric Flair

“To be the man, you gotta beat the man.”

Everyone deep down, whether they want to admit it or not, wishes they possessed the charisma, charm & energy that is carried by ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair. Flair is a once in a lifetime character, which isn’t easy to achieve in any medium of entertainment. He’s one that will never be replicated regardless of all the attempts we’ve seen over the last number of decades. From The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, Jay Lethal (which is arguably the best imitation in all of wrestling) or even ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor who tries to pretend what he does is original even though one man was 30 years ahead of his time. There, thankfully, will never be another.

But beyond being one of the best workers to strap up a pair of boots, Flair’s mouth was his real weapon. He was the king of trash talk, the king of hype & the unofficial President of wrestling catchphrases. His ‘woo’ chant lives on to this very day, heard in nearly every match, on every show without fail, showing just how transcendent the mans talents were despite the gap between generations. On top of that, Flair has cut an array of promos that set the bar on how to carry yourself as ‘larger than life’ when the industry was carried by personalities bigger than themselves. You may think Flair’s style was brash, cocky, self-indulgent, but that’s how well he played his character, you never doubted the man as anything but what he looked like on-screen.

Every single time Flair uttered a word, you knew he had to listen. Flair, much like the fans, knew he was better than everyone around him, but the sacrifices he made for the business only showed with age, as he’s one of the few examples of a superstar whos promos didn’t just get better as the years went by, he was able to do the one thing that wrestling thrives on, evolve. His trash talk was never stuck in the 1970s or 1980s, it laid the groundwork for how to bash an opponent in the 21st century.

Flair’s contribution to wrestling goes so much further than simply a few incredible promos, but they’ve changed the very nature of the business as we know it. At the very least, we know that his talents aren’t the last we’ll see, because another Flair is quickly establishing herself as a solid follow-up to a legacy that makes it difficult for anyone to find words to go up against.

2. Dusty Rhodes

“I have wined and dined with kings and queens and I’ve slept in alleys and dined on pork and beans.”

Honestly, I could just spend the next few hours quoting ‘The American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes. Beyond being an incredible in-ring performer or professional wrestler, Dusty Rhodes was one of the most inspiring human beings I’ve ever come across. The heart & soul he possessed for the industry is the kind of thing each of us should dream of holding for the thing we’re most passionate about, and this showed every single time he stepped out through the curtain, but in particular when he spoke to those in the crowd. He ate, breathed & slept professional wrestling, which is why he’s one of the most pivotal names in the industry today.

Dusty’s abilities on the microphone were so good because he essentially was what most people want, a relatable figure, a man of the people & someone who has been through the same struggles as them. Dusty had been through all of it, from the working-class family, going through ‘hard times’ (as his iconic promo suggested) & always facing off against the odds of those in a higher position than himself. He was by no means a small competitor, but Dusty was the definitive underdog in the 1980s, rallying every audience behind him to reactions few in this day & age can receive just because of how perfect the timing of his character was. The character of Dusty Rhodes was a reflection of the struggles the American working class have long been under, but unlike so many other attempts, the genuine nature of him as a person helped with every word he uttered, you were a part of his journey just as much as he was & the power of that sensation is unmatchable as a fan or casual viewer.

His endless array of incredible promos should be discussed on their own rather than forced in here, but everyone should take some time to study the work the man accomplished at his apex. It’s a body of work that so many can learn from, remaining the standard-bearer for how to cut a babyface promo, even today.

1. The Rock

”I know the answer to that. 2+2? Thomas Jefferson, Sucka!”

I’ll be honest, I tried my best, my very hardest, not to put The Rock at the top of this list. Not because I don’t love The Rock, because I certainly do, but because this choice just felt too easy, too standard. At the top of everyone’s list is always The Rock when it comes to professional wrestling, in any discussion about the industry. He’s one of the most important professional wrestlers to have ever existed, an era-defining superstar who changed the very nature of entertainment. More than that, he’s a pop culture phenomenon who everyone, everyone, has heard of unless you live under a rock.

But as hard as I tried to justify another superstar holding this spot, The Rock is just ridiculously good. Some would say too good at what he can achieve on the microphone. Once he broke out of the abysmal shell of a character that was ‘Rocky Maivia’, you just knew something special was emerging, the kind of special this business only gets once. The Rock’s new-found charisma, attitude, witness & insane confidence in front of the camera with a microphone in his hand made him an icon long before the internet came around to clip every word he said & lump it onto social media. The Rock was a trendsetter, heck, he invented a word that is now recognized around the world in every dictionary, trying to be more iconic than that is quite the task.

Even though I’ll admit some of his more recent material hasn’t come across with the same style or nuance he possessed in the late 1990s to early 2000s, nobody cuts a promo like ‘The Great One’, and nobody ever will. More than being a master of words & language, The Rock knew how to connect with an audience like very few others, the bond he has with wrestling fans is unique & almost exclusive to only himself, having them on the edge of their seats at all times, hinging on every word he has to say regardless of how absurd it may be. The number of catchphrases he’s coined, the superstars he’s humiliated through just a few breathes of air & the arenas he’s sent into a frenzy just through his signature catchphrases, there will never be another who can engage an audience like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

I understand this choice may not be anything particularly new, or different to what so many other analysts & fans say in regards to this discussion, but when someone is as good as The Rock, it’s only fair that we acknowledge it rather than deny his brilliance.

What do you think of the list? Anyone left out? Head on over to our Facebook Group to discuss!

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Related Topics:Bobby Heenan CM Punk Dusty Rhodes edge Featured Featured Big NWA Paul Heyman Promo Randy Savage Ric Flair Roddy Piper Steve Austin The Rock Top 5 WWF

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: WrestleMania 41 Las Vegas

Time for The Chairshot personalities to put their money where their mouths are! WreslteMania 41 predictions from the “expert” staff at TheChairshot.com and Chairshot Radio Network.

Published

6 days ago

April 18, 2025

PC Tunney

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Chairshot Staff Picks. And what better setting than WrestleMania for this article to return! This 41st edition has one of the most stacked rosters in WWE history. So, without further ado, let us get to the predictions and prognostications…

AJ – The New Day
Andrew – The New Day – No one seems to hold tag titles long anymore.
Dave – The New Day – They have earned it.
DJ – The New Day – Feel tha Powah!
DPP – War Raiders – Big E distraction.
Jason – The New Day – We are not getting E in a working capacity though everyone wants it.
Patrick – The New Day – WWE doesn’t care about this match, so why should I?
Rey – The New Day – Its a New Day, bruh.
Rob – The New Day – New Day rocks and wins!
Greg – The New Day – New. Day wins. New. Day wins!

Tunney’s Take: War Machine – Yes, WAR MACHINE. I have personally had the pleasure of throwing back a few cold ones with these guys on more than one occasion. Not only being tag champs in WWE but defending the titles at Mania and against The New Day is really cool for me as a long-time fan. Would it be fun to see The New Day have another title run.. YES. I think it’s smarter to give the War Raiders a big Mania W.

Chairshot Pick: THE NEW DAY 9-2

AJ – Jade Cargill
Andrew – Jade Cargill – She needs to stay a dominant force.
Dave – Jade Cargill – Gotta gear her up for the long term.
DJ – No contest – Naomi puts another beat down on Jade.
DPP – Jade Cargill – Nervous for how this match will go.
Jason – Naomi – Way more runway with Naomi as a bad guy. Keep it going!
Patrick – Jade Cargill – Jade gets her revenge.
Rey – Jade Cargill – Best non-title feud going. Naomi should win but Jade sneaks by.
Rob – Naomi – Naomi gets help to win.
Greg – Jade Cargill – They ain’t beating Jade here.

Tunney’s Take: Jade Cargill – I imagine WWE sees Jade’s ceiling much higher than Naomi’s. What better way to keep Jade climbing the ladder towards a World Title than to pick up a decisive victory in Vegas!

Chairshot Pick: Jade Cargill 8-2-1

AJ – Jacob Fatu – “AJ does a pretty good LA Knight impersonation” – PC Tunney
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – I’m biased, Jacob for President.
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Getting gold back in the Bloodline is smart.
DJ – Jacob Fatu
DPP – Jacob Fatu
Jason – Jacob Fatu – Thanks for coming pal, YEAH!
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – C’mon cuz! All gas no brakes with it. Yadadamean??
Rob – LA Knight – Solo costs Jacob.
Greg – LA Knight – Solo screws Jacob.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – It has been quite the journey for the Samoan Werewolf. I feel like that journey and the positive turn around it has taken deserves to be rewarded. Let’s see what Jacob can do on his own. Plus, LA Knight is ready to challenge for a World Title.

Chairshot Pick: Jacob Fatu 9-2

AJ – Tiffany Straton
Andrew – Tiffany Straton – I hate Charlotte Flair, no objectivity here.
Dave – Charlotte Flair – Tiffy might be the future, but she kinda failed the litmus test.
DJ – Charlotte Flair – The Queen crowns the freshman.
DPP – Tiffany Stratton
Jason – Charlotte Flair – Tiff wasn’t ready for this spot. Charnos is inevitable.
Patrick – Charlotte Flair – Lol Charlotte wins.
Rey – Charlotte Flair – Tiffany SHOULD win but, if Charlotte can squash, she will.
Rob – Charlotte Flair – Charlotte gets number 15.
Greg – Tiffany Stratton – Lol Charlotte wins. (Actually she doesn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Charlotte Flair – Charlotte needs the title for the first time in her career. Tiffy has had a nice run but now needs to take that all important step of not losing momentum after losing the title. Despite the drama and lackluster build here, I see a really good match coming this weekend from these two.

Chairshot Pick: Charlotte Flair 7-4

AJ – El Grande Americano
Andrew – El Grande Americano – I’d like to see Gable gain some momentum. Rey is Teflon.
Dave – El Grand Americano – He needs a marque win much more than Rey.
DJ – Rey Mysterio
DPP – El Grande Americano – Grande wins with the switcheroo to prove he is not Gable.
Jason – Rey Mysterio – Unmask Grande at the end. It is fun but has a shelf life.
Patrick – El Grande Americano – TOTALLY NOT CHAD GABLE
Rey – Rey Mysterio – Someone’s mask is coming off and it ain’t Rey.
Rob – El Grande Americano
Greg – Rey Mysterio – Hall of Famer wins but doesn’t take the mask.

Tunney’s Take: Rey Mysterio – Go listen to DWI 471. DP, Greg and I lay out exactly what this match should be, FUN! Multiple Americanos!!!

Chairshot Pick: El Grande Americano 6-5

AJ – Jey Uso
Andrew – Jey Uso – Kinda booked themselves into a corner here.
Dave – Jey Uso – It just makes sense.
DJ – Jey Uso – Jey YEETS all over The Ring Genreal.
DPP – Jey Uso – Jey wins after normal Gunther beating.
Jason – Jey Uso – Land the plane man. YEET
Patrick – Jey Uso – Jey has earned this one.
Rey – Jey Uso – YEEEEEEEEEEEET!
Rob – Jey Uso – YEET
Greg – Jey Uso – If Jey loses we riot. We don’t cause he wins.

Tunney’s Take: Jey Uso – ‘Til sweat drop down my balls, ‘Til all these bitches crawl, ‘Til all… YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET YEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chairshot Pick: Jey Uso 11-0

AJ – Roman Reigns
Andrew – Seth Rollins – I can see Rollins being the last piece of Team Rock.
Dave – Roman Reigns – I can’t see Roman losing two years in a row.
DJ – Seth Rollins – Paul Heyman is a Seth Freakin Rollins guy.
DPP – Seth Rollins – The Rock helps Rollins.
Jason – Roman Reigns – Seth’s favor is a red herring. Make-A-Wish Brooks got his main, now look at the lights.
Patrick – Seth Rollins – Seth Rollins… Paul Heyman guy.
Rey – Seth Rollins – I smeeeeellllllll a new soul to sell.
Rob – Roman Reigns – Paul Heyman helps Roman win.
Greg – Seth Rollins – Brock Lesnar returns to help Seth win.

Tunney’s Take: CM Punk – I really have no idea here. I picked Punk because nobody else did. This is going to be professional wrestling cinema at its finest. The story is thick and neatly woven. All the participants are legends and so are the potential party crashers. Will The Rock stick his nose in here? Will Brock Lesnar return to play a factor? Obviously, Paul Heyman has a Plan A… but what is it? All these questions and more will be answered Saturday as night 1 will definitely go out with a bang!

Chairshot Pick: Seth Rollins 6-4-1

AJ – Iyo Sky
Andrew – Iyo Sky – Rhea vs Bianca doesn’t need a belt to be compelling.
Dave – Rhea Ripley – Going with Rhea barely, hoping Iyo wins.
DJ – Iyo Sky – Unfinished business.
DPP – Iyo Sky – Rhea and Bianca are too consumed with each other.
Jason – Iyo Sky – More layers to Rhea/Bianca. Iyo rules.
Patrick – Iyo Sky – Iyo stole the build and gets the win.
Rey – Iyo Sky – Smart money is on the underdog champ.
Rob – Iyo Sky – Iyo survives.
Greg – Bianca Belair – Naomi helps Bianca win and turn heel.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – Rhea is the best women’s wrestler in the world. Give her the biggest win on the grandest stage of them all!!! Bianca needs to go full heel. Iyo has been amazing in this build.

Chairshot Pick: Iyo Sky 8-2-1

AJ – Dominik Mysterio
Andrew – Finn Balor – I can see a Judgement Day meltdown incoming.
Dave – Bron Breakker – Bron is about to become a MegaStar.
DJ – Bron Breakker – Judgement Day implodes.
DPP – Dominik Mysterio – Finn take the pin.
Jason – Penta – I literally do not care because the winner is us, the fans.
Patrick – Bron Breakker – The WWE doesn’t care about this matchup, so why should I?
Rey – Dominik Mysterio – Only match without a clear winner. I choose chaos.
Rob – Bron Breakker – Finn and Dom cancel each other out.
Greg – Dominik Mysterio – Dom steals the pin from Bron, on Finn.

Tunney’s Take: Bron Breakker – The case can be made for any of these four to walk away with the most prestigious non-World title in pro wrestling history. The short of it is though that the Main Event picture isn’t really readily accessible for Breakker right now. Let this IC reign go through the summer, to SummerSlam.

Chairshot Pick: Bron Breakker 5-4-1-1

AJ – Damian Priest – “AJ does a pretty good Drew impersonation” – PC Tunney
Andrew – Drew McIntyre – Priest has not been interesting in this face incarnation.
Dave – Drew McIntyre – Time for Drew to get that win back.
DJ – Fuck finish – To be continued at Backlash.
DPP – Drew McIntyre – Physical matchup!
Jason – Drew McIntyre – Either one is fine here.
Patrick – Drew McIntyre – With two eyes, Drew turns the tide.
Rey – Drew McIntyre – Low key match of the weekend.
Rob – Damien Priest
Greg – Damien Priest – Priest wins, Drew tweets about it half hour later.

Tunney’s Take: Drew McIntyre – With the addition of the Street fight rules, these two behemoths have a really good chance to have one of the best matches of the entire weekend (winks at Rey Ca$h-A-Mania)! I do wonder what is next for both of these talents moving forward. Priest has staled since leaving the Judgement Day and Drew seems stuck in the same cycle for a while now. Very interested to see what the summer holds for this pair.

Chairshot Pick: Drew McIntyre 7-3-1

WHO WILL BE RANDY’S OPPONENT?!?

AJ – Nick Aldis – Orton wins
Andrew – Orton and Aldis vs Solo and Tama – Orton and Aldis win
Dave – Someone is getting an RKO!
DJ – A segment w/ the Wyatt s6cks.
DPP – Rusev – Aldis introduces Rusev who defeats Orton.
Jason – Nick Aldis – You got one more in ya, bubba. Aldis wins!
Patrick – Nick Aldis
Rey – Solo then Rusev – Solo in a squash and Rusev MATCHKA(wins)
Rob – Nick Aldis – Aldis proves himself, Orton wins.
Greg – Nick Aldis – Orton beats Aldis, they shake after.

Tunney’s Take: I would really love to see a singles match between Orton and Aldis. More likely this is some type of involvement with Solo and Tama. Rusev as a surprise challenger would be cool but, I feel that would be better left for RAW. An impromptu Goldberg retirement match would be crazy and fun, yet highly unlikely and illogical. Whatever happens, best believe exactly what Dave Ungar said, “Someone is getting an RKO!”.

AJ – Logan Paul
Andrew – AJ Styles – Logan doesn’t need the rub and should stay upper mid card.
Dave – Logan Paul – It’s the smart move and would be a statement win for Paul.
DJ – Logan Paul – Kross gets involved somewhere.
DPP – AJ Styles – AJ wins a great high-flying match.
Jason – AJ Styles – Just enjoy it or get a beer, nerds.
Patrick – Logan Paul – Logan Paul will main-event Mania sooner than later…
Rey – Logan Paul – Pass the torch, my wily vet.
Rob – Logan Paul – Kross helps Paul win.
Greg – AJ Styles – Styles wins after Paul’s cheating backfires.

Tunney’s Take: Logan Paul – Logan seems to really have dedicated himself to becoming great in this business. Anyone with that type of goal must have a World title on their mind. Beating AJ at Mania will be a great springboard for Logan into the Main Event sooner than later (winks at Patrick O’Dowd).

Chairshot Pick: Logan Paul 7-4

AJ – Liv & Raquel
Andrew – Liv & Raquel – Not really a fan of Lyra, she needs more work.
Dave – Liv & Raquel – This Bayley and Lyra team makes no damn sense.
DJ – Liv & Raquel – Bayley crashes out.
DPP – Liv & Raquel – Bayley continues a potential heel turn tease.
Jason – Bayley & Lyra – Finish the story!
Patrick – Bayley & Lyra – The WWE doesn’t care about this matchup, so why should I?
Rey – Liv and Raquel – Bayley want a title but it ain’t the ones in this match.
Rob – Liv & Raquel – Champs retain.
Greg – Liv & Raquel – Liv and Raquel retain thanks to Carlito and maybe JD.

Tunney’s Take: Liv & Raquel – Liv and Raquel need to be kept as the cornerstone of the women’s tag division for a lengthier period of time. Building tag teams in this division is difficult enough, let alone without a North Star.

Chairshot Pick: Liv & Raquel 9-2

AJ – Cody Rhodes
Andrew – Cody Rhodes – They are mentioning it so much, I don’t think 17 happens.
Dave – Joh Cena – Record falls and we head to summer with a built-in storyline.
DJ – John Cena – Some kind of Final Boss involvement.
DPP – John Cena – Cena wins and retires on RAW.
Jason – John Cena – Story’s over, “Captain” BIG MATCH JOHN.
Patrick – John Cena – A record breaking night for Cena.
Rey – John Cena – They’d be really stupid to turn John just to lose. (Post-Mania: Rock, Cena, T Scott, Seth & Drew, TEAM Corporate)
Rob – Cody Rhodes – Cody surprises us with the W.
Greg – Cody Rhodes – Cody wins to piss off Rock and set the table for Cena to turn back face. Crowd is behind Cena all the way through.

Tunney’s Take: Cody Rhodes – They had me until the threat of retirement. Been there. Done that. Didn’t fall in love with it back then. I love John Cena. I love this final run. John will get his 17th just not here. I expect nothing less than an absolute GEM of a match here to close WrestleMania 41. This has all been, is, and will continue to be about Cody Rhodes. WM40 defeats Roman Reigns. WM41 defeats John Cena. WM42 defeats The Rock (The Final Boss).

Chairshot Pick: John Cena 6-5

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We wait all year for this so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

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DeMarco: Top 5 Non-Title WrestleMania Matches In WWE History

Not all WrestleMania classics had titles on the line. Dive into the top 5 non-title matches that stole the show & defined legacies. #WrestleMania #WWEHistory

Published

1 week ago

April 16, 2025

Greg DeMarco

Shawn Michaels Kurt Angle WrestleMania 21

Not all WrestleMania classics had titles on the line. Dive into the top 5 non-title matches that stole the show and defined legacies.

WrestleMania is the Showcase Of The Immortals, but it’s not always the championship matches that steal the show—or define careers. In fact, some of the most iconic, business-defining, and emotionally resonant contests at the Grandest Stage of Them All didn’t feature a title at all. These matches succeeded because of character work, in-ring execution, and the kind of storytelling that sells tickets and moves merch.

Here are the five best non-title matches in WrestleMania history—at least, according to me!

5. The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan – WrestleMania X8 (2002)

This was never going to be a five-star technical clinic—but it was always going to be the moment. “Icon vs. Icon” was a tagline, sure, but it was also the reality: the biggest star of the ‘80s vs. the biggest star of the Attitude Era. And Toronto turned it into magic. Hogan walked in a heel but walked out immortal (again), with the SkyDome shaking on every punch, every look, every gesture.

What made this work was its self-awareness. Rock and Hogan read the crowd and flipped roles mid-match—Rock became the arrogant aggressor while Hogan Hulked Up to thunderous applause. It’s not often a non-title match headlines a card emotionally the way this one did, but it dominated every headline and highlight reel.

4. Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart – WrestleMania X (1994)

Sibling rivalries don’t usually lead to technical masterpieces, but then again, this wasn’t your average family drama. Owen and Bret opened WrestleMania X with a wrestling clinic that stood tall over a night packed with title changes. Owen needed to prove he was more than Bret’s little brother, and he did it by out-wrestling the best wrestler in the company. Clean. One-two-three.

It wasn’t just a great match—it was perfect storytelling. Owen’s victory, contrasted with Bret’s later world title win, set the tone for an entire year of brother-vs-brother tension. Bret became champion, but Owen had the moral victory—and all the bragging rights. This is proof that opening matches can steal the show.

3. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 25 (2009)

If WrestleMania moments could be trademarked, this match would be the reason why. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels wasn’t about championships—it was about legacy. Michaels wanted to be the man who ended The Streak. The build was steeped in biblical imagery: light vs. dark, heaven vs. hell. And the match? Pure perfection. Each man brought everything they had—near-falls, psychology, reversals that had 70,000+ people gasping in unison.

It was 30 minutes of generational storytelling that transcended pro wrestling. And here’s the kicker—it wasn’t even the main event. Yet it dwarfed everything that followed. Meltzer gave it 4.75 stars, fans gave it their hearts, and WWE gave it a sequel the next year. A match so good it forced the company to run it back—because lightning actually struck.

Now, if THIS MATCH is #3, what could possible be #2 and #1…

2. Bret Hart vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin – WrestleMania 13 (1997)

This wasn’t just a match—it was the turning point of an era. The Submission Match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin was as violent as it was poetic, with Ken Shamrock enforcing the rules and the Chicago crowd growing more frenzied by the second. The brilliance? The shift. Bret Hart, the traditionalist hero, grew darker and more self-righteous by the second, while the disrespectful anti-hero Austin refused to quit, even when drowning in his own blood. There was no title on the line, but the stakes felt bigger than gold.

The infamous double turn changed the business. Austin’s defiance turned him into the voice of a new generation of fans—blue collar, anti-authority, Attitude Era. Meanwhile, Bret would go on to lead the heel Hart Foundation. WWE didn’t need a championship to create a moment that catapulted Austin into superstardom and ignited the company’s hottest era. This match is business-first booking at its absolute best.

1. Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 21 (2005)

Dream matches often disappoint. This one didn’t. At WrestleMania 21, Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle went hold-for-hold and spot-for-spot with Mr. WrestleMania himself, and together they delivered a masterclass in in-ring psychology. Every sequence had stakes, every near-fall had meaning. It was a stylistic war: Michaels’ heart vs. Angle’s intensity.

Angle forcing Michaels to tap was a statement—it told fans that pure wrestling, not just spectacle, could still main-event caliber storytelling without any need for a title. Michaels sold the ankle lock like death, and Angle’s post-match collapse sold the moment as a hard-fought war. This is the kind of match that keeps purists up at night, smiling, and leaves the storytelling fans like myself as happy as can be!

10 Honorable Mentions (Not Honorable, Just For The Heck Of It)

Edge vs. Mick Foley – WrestleMania 22 (2006)
A hardcore war that solidified Edge as a top-tier main eventer. That flaming table spear is still played in every Edge highlight reel.
AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon – WrestleMania 33 (2017)
Everyone expected smoke and mirrors—what they got was a surprisingly technical, high-energy opener that kicked off the show right.
The Undertaker vs. Triple H – WrestleMania 28 (2012)
“End of an Era” wasn’t just a tagline. The Hell in a Cell match, with HBK as referee, was a brutal epilogue to a generation’s legacy.
Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho – WrestleMania XIX (2003)
A student-teacher battle of wills. Jericho’s low blow post-match was the perfect heel punctuation to a career-defining contest.
Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins – WrestleMania 31 (2015)
The greatest RKO of all time. That curb stomp reversal belongs in a museum.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show – WrestleMania XXIV (2008)
More sports-entertainment than wrestling, but a crossover moment that made mainstream headlines and paid off with a great finish.
Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis – WrestleMania III (1987)
A retirement match with big heat, a hot crowd, and Piper walking off into the sunset (for a minute).
The Firefly Funhouse Match – John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt – WrestleMania 36 (2020)
Cinematic weirdness at its best. A meta masterstroke that broke Cena down in layers.
Bad Bunny & Damian Priest vs. The Miz & John Morrison – WrestleMania 37 (2021)
Bad Bunny stunned everyone. He didn’t just belong—he elevated the show.
Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio – WrestleMania 39 (2023)
Father vs. son in a grudge match that played perfectly off real-life drama and Hall of Fame weekend emotions.

Some of these matches shaped legacies. Others shifted eras. But all of them proved that the most memorable moments at WrestleMania don’t need a title—they just need truth in the storytelling and fire in the execution.