WWE News: Stone Cold Steve Austin Says WWE Needs More Ad-libbed Promos
Everything Stone Cold Steve Austin says is the bottom line, because Stone Cold said so. It’s been that way since Stone Cold debuted his “Austin 3:16” speech at WWE’s King of the Ring 1996. Austin has never been shy to voice his opinion about WWE’s current product, superstars, or Vince McMahon specifically.
Austin spoke to the Brighthouse Sports Network about the promos in WWE and what is the exact problem with the verbiage being used.
“I disagree with (scripting). I think the nature of a promo has to come from your heart and your guts and you have to mean everything that you’re saying,” Stone Cold Explained.
“Now is the perfect time to go back to that formula.
“You learn to sink or swim. And guys and gals will start to learn to swim again. That’s what’s going to make the product feel more organic, more spontaneous and more real.”
Taking a page out of Austin’s playbook wouldn’t be a bad idea with WWE. This way, every superstar and diva would be forced to write their own promos, or even better, speak off the cuff. That is how CM Punk, Bray Wyatt, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley, and Stone Cold became so good at talking on the mic.
Everything was from the heart and real. The entire Punk pipebomb was real and not written on his forearm. Austin’s “3:16” promo was all original and spontaneous. Most of the famous promos in WWE history come from real feelings about the feud, or agenda they’re trying to reach.
Since the WWE has taken a hit in the promo department — with the exception of Wyatt and Dean Ambrose — what better time to do that than now. Everything Stone Cold explained has realistic justification. Tell me the last time a promo, not done by Ambrose, Jericho, or Wyatt, was memorable in any sense of the word.
Even John Cena gives pretty entertaining mic work, because not all of it is scripted. Granted, he may need a boost from his competitor, but Cena does speak from the heart most of the time. That’s why he earns the company money. Not only is he popular to the masses, but he can also talk.
In the last 10 years, nobody has rivaled Punk on a consistent basis on the microphone. It’s a well-known fact that Punk always hated scripts. He would get the “transcript” for a promo to be done that night and ripped it up right in front of the Creative team. Yes, that is what the WWE is paid for, but a select few in the wrestling industry have the ability to talk and make people listen in the process.
For now, WWE will have to make due with what they have. They are finally letting Ambrose be independent on the microphone. Wyatt continues to write his own material and shine above the rest with it. Punk will return eventually to cultivate the masses once again. Also, since Jericho is back, get ready for legendary segments with the Eater of Worlds and the Ayatollah of Rock-N-Rollah.
[Images via Google and WWE.com]
