#11 Sheamus
The first-ever Irish-born WWE Champion impressed many when he won that coveted title in his rookie year, but what's even more remarkable about Sheamus is the confidence he has displayed behind the microphone so early in his career. Where many Superstars have spent years stuttering on the stick in hopes of finding their voice, The Celtic Warrior immediately grabbed the mic with confidence and ran down opponents in his unmistakable Dublin brogue. And while fans may jeer at the pointed threats Sheamus has directed at rivals like John Cena and Randy Orton, they can't help but smile when he addresses them as "fella."
#10 Santino Marella
Not since George W. Bush was in office has a man made such a mockery of the English language to such hilarious results. The master of the malapropism, Santino Marella's losing battle with basic vocabulary has inspired such classic Santino-isms as "Cold Stone Steve Austin" and "Knobberslockers." But the braggadocios Superstar is at his best when his Italian ire is up. Displaying the same red-faced frustration as a third grader in timeout, Marella kicks, pouts and complains until he gets his way - or gets a beating. No wonder he's considered one of the funniest guys in WWE history.
#09 The Miz
The Miz has come a long way since his nervous, sweaty days as host of the 2006 Diva Search in his first year with WWE. Always arrogant, the Money in the Bank winner didn't truly figure out how to express his attitude on the microphone until he stepped in front of the camera with former tag team partner John Morrison to create the WWE.com original series, "The Dirt Sheet." Here, the former United States Champion relished the opportunity to run down every Superstar on the WWE roster. Soon, The Miz was delivering these insults directly to the WWE Universe and hasn't shut up since.
#08 Triple H
When The King of Kings is focused on an opponent, few Superstars can match the grizzled, snarling intensity of his tirades, a harsh reality legends like The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin can attest to. But as a member of DX, Triple H was the world's toughest class clown. Using pranks and name-calling to humiliate rivals like The Nation of Domination and The Legacy, The Game's games could be almost as painful as the beatings he dished out in the ring. This ability to unnerve an opponent with intimidation and degradation led to Triple H being christened The Cerebral Assassin.
#07 Edge
When Edge first arrived in WWE in 1998, he was a mysterious, stoic character who never spoke a word. How times have changed. First finding his voice as a sarcastic, kazoo-tooting slacker alongside his longtime tag team partner, Christian, the former WWE Champion truly captured his persona when he became The Rated-R Superstar. Toeing the line of sanity, Edge has never had a problem being completely honest on the mic, calling out rivals and turning on allies in his never-ending pursuit to reign atop WWE. The Ultimate Opportunist's madness often gets the better of him, but Edge is always worth listening to.
#06 Mr McMahon
It's been said that actions speak louder than words. Try telling that to someone who's been on the receiving end of a verbal beat down from Mr. McMahon. Brash, confident and commanding, The Chairman would rather embarrass a rival than make another million bucks. And no one - not even Donald Trump - has gotten more of a thrill out of shouting the words "You're fired" than Mr. McMahon. From his rivalry with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to his memorable war of words with Bret Hart, The Chairman has gotten himself into physical battles he can't win, but few can best Mr. McMahon when it comes to verbal slams.
#05 CM Punk :)
Possessing the same powers of influence as some of history's most vile figures, CM Punk has the dangerous ability to manipulate with little more than a few words. These Svengali-like charms have allowed the sermonizing Superstar to brainwash young competitors into joining his woefully misguided Straight Edge Society. But those who have refused to follow the misanthrope have become the target of his endless insults, including Jeff Hardy ("Charismatic enabler" ), Big Show ("Criminally obese") and Triple H ("Two words: Katie Vick"). Punk's claims of being "better than you" may be erroneous, but few are superior on the microphone.
#04 John Cena
In his earliest interviews, John Cena was all swagger. A young hip-hop head with the uncanny ability to sling a rhyme, the former WWE Champion became wildly popular due to his hilarious freestyles. But as the "Legendary" star matured, so did his confidence behind the microphone and his cocky wordplay soon gave way to intense, passionate speeches. Stern and direct, Cena has the ability to inspire an audience like a military general. But like any great talker, he can also crack a joke at the most unexpected moment. Effortlessly mixing style and substance, Cena has earned his spot amongst the greatest talkers of all time.
#03 Chris Jericho
Early in his career, Chris Jericho garnered attention for his hilarious interviews that referenced everything from "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" to Cheap Trick. But the nefarious Superstar delivered his best promos when he traded his rock T-shirts and adolescent humor for expensive suits and a deadly serious delivery. Fine-tuning his vocabulary and addressing the "petulant tapeworms" in the WWE Universe in a calm, measured fashion, Jericho became obsessed with humiliating rivals and convincing everyone that he is "the best in the world at what he does." Delusions of grandeur? Perhaps, but there's no denying his abilities.
#02 The Rock
No Superstar in WWE history was better at insulting their rivals than The Rock. Smart, engaging and funny, The People's Champ could take a Superstar as intimidating as Kane and cut him down to size in the course of a bitingly hilarious monologue that would have the WWE Universe folded over in laughter. The former WWE Champion was such a charismatic presence, he became one of Hollywood's leading actors, starring in major films like "The Scorpion King." And in 2007, "smackdown," one of The Rock's most-used words, was added to the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. How's that for cultural impact?
#01 Stone Cold Steve Austin
In the eyes of many, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin went from being a talented competitor who never quite hit it big to one of the most popular Superstar in WWE history in the course of a single interview. It was June 23, 1996 when the former WWE Champion grabbed the microphone after dispatching Jake Roberts to win the King of the Ring and uttered the term, "Austin 3:16." The speech helped kick off a whole new era in WWE and cemented the WWE Hall of Famer's reputation as a man worth listening to. No Superstar has ever been as captivating on a microphone - and that's the bottom line.
The first-ever Irish-born WWE Champion impressed many when he won that coveted title in his rookie year, but what's even more remarkable about Sheamus is the confidence he has displayed behind the microphone so early in his career. Where many Superstars have spent years stuttering on the stick in hopes of finding their voice, The Celtic Warrior immediately grabbed the mic with confidence and ran down opponents in his unmistakable Dublin brogue. And while fans may jeer at the pointed threats Sheamus has directed at rivals like John Cena and Randy Orton, they can't help but smile when he addresses them as "fella."
#10 Santino Marella
Not since George W. Bush was in office has a man made such a mockery of the English language to such hilarious results. The master of the malapropism, Santino Marella's losing battle with basic vocabulary has inspired such classic Santino-isms as "Cold Stone Steve Austin" and "Knobberslockers." But the braggadocios Superstar is at his best when his Italian ire is up. Displaying the same red-faced frustration as a third grader in timeout, Marella kicks, pouts and complains until he gets his way - or gets a beating. No wonder he's considered one of the funniest guys in WWE history.
#09 The Miz
The Miz has come a long way since his nervous, sweaty days as host of the 2006 Diva Search in his first year with WWE. Always arrogant, the Money in the Bank winner didn't truly figure out how to express his attitude on the microphone until he stepped in front of the camera with former tag team partner John Morrison to create the WWE.com original series, "The Dirt Sheet." Here, the former United States Champion relished the opportunity to run down every Superstar on the WWE roster. Soon, The Miz was delivering these insults directly to the WWE Universe and hasn't shut up since.
#08 Triple H
When The King of Kings is focused on an opponent, few Superstars can match the grizzled, snarling intensity of his tirades, a harsh reality legends like The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin can attest to. But as a member of DX, Triple H was the world's toughest class clown. Using pranks and name-calling to humiliate rivals like The Nation of Domination and The Legacy, The Game's games could be almost as painful as the beatings he dished out in the ring. This ability to unnerve an opponent with intimidation and degradation led to Triple H being christened The Cerebral Assassin.
#07 Edge
When Edge first arrived in WWE in 1998, he was a mysterious, stoic character who never spoke a word. How times have changed. First finding his voice as a sarcastic, kazoo-tooting slacker alongside his longtime tag team partner, Christian, the former WWE Champion truly captured his persona when he became The Rated-R Superstar. Toeing the line of sanity, Edge has never had a problem being completely honest on the mic, calling out rivals and turning on allies in his never-ending pursuit to reign atop WWE. The Ultimate Opportunist's madness often gets the better of him, but Edge is always worth listening to.
#06 Mr McMahon
It's been said that actions speak louder than words. Try telling that to someone who's been on the receiving end of a verbal beat down from Mr. McMahon. Brash, confident and commanding, The Chairman would rather embarrass a rival than make another million bucks. And no one - not even Donald Trump - has gotten more of a thrill out of shouting the words "You're fired" than Mr. McMahon. From his rivalry with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to his memorable war of words with Bret Hart, The Chairman has gotten himself into physical battles he can't win, but few can best Mr. McMahon when it comes to verbal slams.
#05 CM Punk :)
Possessing the same powers of influence as some of history's most vile figures, CM Punk has the dangerous ability to manipulate with little more than a few words. These Svengali-like charms have allowed the sermonizing Superstar to brainwash young competitors into joining his woefully misguided Straight Edge Society. But those who have refused to follow the misanthrope have become the target of his endless insults, including Jeff Hardy ("Charismatic enabler" ), Big Show ("Criminally obese") and Triple H ("Two words: Katie Vick"). Punk's claims of being "better than you" may be erroneous, but few are superior on the microphone.
#04 John Cena
In his earliest interviews, John Cena was all swagger. A young hip-hop head with the uncanny ability to sling a rhyme, the former WWE Champion became wildly popular due to his hilarious freestyles. But as the "Legendary" star matured, so did his confidence behind the microphone and his cocky wordplay soon gave way to intense, passionate speeches. Stern and direct, Cena has the ability to inspire an audience like a military general. But like any great talker, he can also crack a joke at the most unexpected moment. Effortlessly mixing style and substance, Cena has earned his spot amongst the greatest talkers of all time.
#03 Chris Jericho
Early in his career, Chris Jericho garnered attention for his hilarious interviews that referenced everything from "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome" to Cheap Trick. But the nefarious Superstar delivered his best promos when he traded his rock T-shirts and adolescent humor for expensive suits and a deadly serious delivery. Fine-tuning his vocabulary and addressing the "petulant tapeworms" in the WWE Universe in a calm, measured fashion, Jericho became obsessed with humiliating rivals and convincing everyone that he is "the best in the world at what he does." Delusions of grandeur? Perhaps, but there's no denying his abilities.
#02 The Rock
No Superstar in WWE history was better at insulting their rivals than The Rock. Smart, engaging and funny, The People's Champ could take a Superstar as intimidating as Kane and cut him down to size in the course of a bitingly hilarious monologue that would have the WWE Universe folded over in laughter. The former WWE Champion was such a charismatic presence, he became one of Hollywood's leading actors, starring in major films like "The Scorpion King." And in 2007, "smackdown," one of The Rock's most-used words, was added to the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. How's that for cultural impact?
#01 Stone Cold Steve Austin
In the eyes of many, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin went from being a talented competitor who never quite hit it big to one of the most popular Superstar in WWE history in the course of a single interview. It was June 23, 1996 when the former WWE Champion grabbed the microphone after dispatching Jake Roberts to win the King of the Ring and uttered the term, "Austin 3:16." The speech helped kick off a whole new era in WWE and cemented the WWE Hall of Famer's reputation as a man worth listening to. No Superstar has ever been as captivating on a microphone - and that's the bottom line.