The match quality in WWE has risen each and every year, but what separates the best wrestlers from the rest of the roster is their ability to cut an engaging promo. Here were the ten best promos of 2017.
There’s no doubt that the WWE’s biggest legends like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and John Cena can cut promos that draw in the entire audience. The best superstars in the history of WWE are the people who can reach a widespread audience, and they do this by being entertaining on the microphone.
Although fans bemoan the decrease in the quality of promos in the modern era, these ten promos show that quality mic work was still alive and well in 2017. Sure, WWE and professional wrestling as a whole is more centered on in-ring work rate and athletic moves than ever before, but that’s what makes a high-quality promo all the more important.
So let’s take a look at the top ten promos of 2017. Some of these were powerful babyface promos, while others were jarring heel promos. Heels tend to have an advantage when it comes to cutting promos in the modern WWE, since the company seems to have an issue with booking strong babyfaces. But the likes of Roman Reigns and John Cena rated highly on this list of ten, so the strong-willed babyface isn’t quite dead yet.
10. Sami Zayn Justifies His Actions
Sami Zayn shocked the WWE Universe at Hell in a Cell when he helped his best-friend-turned-rival, Kevin Owens. He pulled Owens out of harm’s way, causing Shane McMahon to leap onto the table. Zayn then placed Owens on top of Shane so that KO would score the victory.
On the following episode of SmackDown Live, Zayn proved just how good he is as a talker by pulling off the heel turn perfectly. He came out smiling and bouncing around like nothing was wrong, except there was more of a tactless, arrogant vibe to that same bouncing, whereas it used to seem jovial, innocent, and carefree. You couldn’t help but hate the guy, because he seriously injured Shane, helped a known miscreant in Owens, and treated it like it wasn’t a big deal.
Zayn told the WWE Universe that Owens was right all along. Prior to Hell in a Cell, he told Owens that even though he hasn’t accomplished as much as KO in WWE, he can still sleep at night knowing he’s doing it the right way. The following Tuesday after Hell in a Cell, he admitted that Owens was right, and both Zayn and Owens proceeded to get into an excellent verbal back-and-forth with Daniel Bryan.
This promo proved that Zayn was “for real” as a heel, and he managed to garner legit heat despite being a fan favorite as a babyface.
9. Kevin Owens Insults Shane McMahon
After Kevin Owens lost a match to AJ Styles at SummerSlam for the United States Championship, he blamed Shane McMahon, who was a special guest referee, for the loss. On the Sept. 5 episode of SmackDown Live, he started a bitter rivalry with Shane by escalating the tensions that had existed ever since Owens moved from Raw to SmackDown during the “Superstar Shakeup” to a whole new level.
Owens started off by interrupting James Ellsworth and Carmella, proclaiming that he would be the special guest referee for Carmella’s upcoming match against Natalya. Shane McMahon then emerged and berated Owens for his actions and his inability to accept defeat.
After the two traded minor insults, Owens then kicked things up a notch by stating that Shane always needs to be the center of attention. He mentioned how Shane brings out his kids during his entrance, to which Shane sternly told Owens to never mention his kids again.
Naturally, Owens did exactly that. He said that Shane jumped out of a helicopter to get his father’s attention, just like he jumped off of the Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania 32, and he said that his entire family, especially his kids, would have been better off if Shane died. And this started a brawl and the ensuing rivalry.
Owens’s intensity was on display in this promo, and there isn’t a better superstar in the WWE at being a scumbag than Owens. It’s easy to appreciate his work, but it’s just as easy to despise him, thanks to moments like this.
8. Becky Lynch Is Disgusted
Becky Lynch has so many amazing babyface promos, and her promo after the first women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, in which James Ellsworth grabbed the briefcase on Carmella’s behalf, is another great one. But this promo on Jan. 17, following Alexa Bliss’s successful title defense in a steel cage match due to interference from a returning Mickie James, was the pick of the litter.
Mike Rome asked Lynch if she was “disappointed” by the loss and by James’s actions, to which Becky replied that she wasn’t simply “disappointed”. She was “disgusted”.
Lynch tore into Bliss, calling the “Harley Quinn wannabe” a disgrace, stating that she was dragging down the value of the championship by always cheating to win.
The Lass Kicker was pissed off and exasperated, explaining that she and Bliss were supposed to be making history in a steel cage match as the main event on SmackDown Live. All of Becky’s frustrations with Bliss, who always took shortcuts to win, came out in this backstage promo, and it’s incredible just how much intensity Becky brings to the table in backstage promos. These are the segments that are scripted the least and allow a superstar to show the most emotion, and she always knocks them out of the park.
“That championship is supposed to mean something! When I had it, it meant something! It meant something!”
Simply one of the most underrated quotes of 2017, and the way she would repeat certain words, grab her face, trail her voice off…man, this was a special promo.
7. John Cena Gets Back At The Miz
The Miz cut some brilliant promos on John Cena, including the “Total Bellas BS” videos, and he had a really good one on both Cena and Reigns at Raw. But earlier in the year, Cena came back at The Miz after the A-Lister eviscerated him on the mic. Cena somehow topped The Miz’s best shot, reminding everyone why he’s always been on top in the WWE.
Cena made sure both Miz and Maryse knew how ridiculous their claims were. Maryse stated that Nikki Bella tried to keep her out of Total Divas and WWE, but Cena pointed out how ridiculous that claim was. Because if Nikki Bella really did try to keep her away from WWE, why would Maryse be standing in the ring? “Here’s the truth and it’s gonna sting a little bit: They didn’t ask you back because they didn’t want you back. Because when you were here, you didn’t do jack.”
But he saved the best for Miz, reminding the A-Lister that he’s also taken a leave from WWE for Hollywood. “The only moves you’re in are crappy bootlegs of movies I’ve already made.”
He also made fun of Miz and Maryse for not having kids, joking, “What, are you firing blanks there sport?” Cena even dropped a few non-PG words, providing the fire that the build to this match needed.
“You’re not the ‘IT’ couple. You’re the s- ** couple.”
Normally, this would be the most savage diss promo of the year, but Cena took the top spot on this list with a different takedown.
6. Carmella Cries On Talking Smack
Carmella became the first ever women’s Money in the Bank briefcase winner, but she did so because James Ellsworth grabbed the briefcase. It was a disgraceful decision from the WWE, but they forced her to give back the briefcase on the following episode of SmackDown Live. The Princess of Staten Island showed her star power by cutting a great promo, but her promo on the episode of Talking Smack afterwards was even better.
With an ice pack on her shoulder, Carmella cried at having her briefcase taken from her and pleaded with Daniel Bryan. She tried to justify Ellsworth’s interference by stating that she also worked hard during the match, just like the other women there.
Her looks of shock sold everything perfectly, and this segment showed me that Carmella has the potential to be one of the best women on the roster. Fans will criticize her work in the ring, but she’s been easily one of the best women promo-wise on the roster. She kills every segment, and while most of her work with Ellsworth was of the comedic variety, this promo on Talking Smack showed a serious layer to her character. And she produced one of the most gripping and nuanced segments of the year.
Did I mention how much I miss Talking Smack?
5. Seth Rollins Tells Dean Ambrose To Hit Him
The Shield reunion when Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose made their trademark entrance through the crowd again was an awesome moment, but nothing tops the build that led to Ambrose and Rollins reuniting months before that.
The two couldn’t seem to trust each other and put the past behind them. Rollins betrayed the Shield by hitting Ambrose and Reigns with a chair from behind, and Ambrose could never forgive him for it. He eventually would, but this impassioned plea from Rollins kicks off the top five of our list of the best promos of 2017.
Rollins asked Ambrose if he will stand by his side when he fights the Miztourage, and Ambrose responded, “I’m sorry, but did you say brother? Brother, I ain’t your brother. My brothers were in the Shield! My brothers fought with me in the trenches! I trusted my brothers! My brothers had my back! My brothers stood for something! You…I don’t know you.”
Ambrose brought up Rollins’s betrayal of the Shield, and The Kingslayer lost it, “And that was over three years ago, alright? And you know what, I’m sorry! And I never said that before, so I’ll say it again. I’m sorry. You think I forgot about that? I live with that every single day of my life!”
After that, Rollins brought up their history together and their excellent feud, including Ambrose cashing in on Rollins at Money in the Bank. He asks Ambrose what it will take for The Lunatic Fringe to move on from all the bad blood and to reunite as brothers.
Because Ambrose wouldn’t believe his words were genuine, Rollins begged Ambrose to hit him with the chair to make amends. “Do it damn it! Hit me as many times as you need to, to get this out of your system!”
Awesome. Just awesome. These two bring out the best in each other and this might have been their best promo they cut together.
4. Kevin Owens Turns On Chris Jericho
Many fans view the “Festival of Friendship” as the single greatest segment in WWE in 2017, and it isn’t easy to argue with that. Jericho and Owens were inseparable for months, and they basically ran Monday Night Raw together. Without them, I can’t even imagine how awful the show would be, because their charisma and chemistry together saved the show on many occasions. The main event was a revolving door of matches involving Jericho, Owens, Rollins, and Roman Reigns, yet they still managed to entertain the audience on the strength of their improv work and charm.
So when the break-up did happen, we all felt like we were stabbed in our hearts. At the “Festival of Friendship”, which was as outlandish as anything Jericho has pulled in recent memory, Y2J showered his best friend with lavish gifts.
Owens then said that he got Jericho something, and Jericho was excited to see that KO brought him a new list. Jericho said that his list was getting old, and he appreciated the gesture from Owens.
However, he soon saw an ominous detail. “Hey, how come my name’s on it?”
The way he said it just crushed me, and you could feel the air being let out of the room. We all knew Owens would turn on Jericho in this segment, because it was classic pro wrestling. And yet, we still couldn’t help but feel awful for Jericho, who was destroyed by a menacing Owens. He was hit with a powerbomb on the apron, smashed through the TV screen, and left for dead by Owens, who became the ultimate heel after this betrayal of Jericho.
3. Samoa Joe Puts Paul Heyman In The Coquina Clutch
The actual match at Great Balls of Fire between Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar was merely mediocre, simply because the finish came out of nowhere and it took just one F5 for The Beast Incarnate to vanquish Joe. But the build prior to the Pay Per View was A+, and it showed the WWE Universe that Samoa Joe is just as incredible on the microphone as he is in the ring.
Paul Heyman only rarely takes bumps these days, but he was placed in the devastating “Coquina Clutch” by Joe. That was a huge vote of confidence in Joe, and it cemented the fact that Joe will be a major player in the WWE main event scene for years to come.
But what set this moment apart from the rest was how chilling Joe made it. The microphone outside of the main one picked up what Joe was saying. He coldly approached Heyman and calmly said, “Something very bad is going to happen to you,” explaining exactly what he planned on doing to “The Advocate” as a message to Lesnar.
Joe then did it, trapping Heyman in the Coquina Clutch, causing the former ECW leader to pass out. The level of panic in Heyman’s face was only surpassed by Joe’s calculating, menacing desire for destruction.
Prior to placing Heyman in the submission move, Joe cut a great promo about how he is incapable of fearing Lesnar because he’s envious of Lesnar. He explained that he waned what Lesnar has and that he wanted to take it all away from The Beast.
Everything about this segment felt real, and it was the type of bad-ass move that we don’t get nearly enough in the WWE.
2. Roman Reigns Says It’s His Yard Now
Roman Reigns “retired” the Undertaker in the main event of WrestleMania 33, and the fans opened the show by chanting ‘Taker’s name in appreciation for everything the legend has done. They then started dueling “Roman Sucks” chants, and who else’s music would hit at the Raw after WrestleMania in front of a “smark”-filled crowd than Reigns’s?
Reigns came out and soaked in the boos for what seemed like an eternity. The reception he got was ridiculous, and he received “You suck!”, “Roman sucks!”, “Go away!”, and profanity-laced chants from a raucous WWE Universe.
And you know what Reigns did? He said just one line, which somehow sent the crowd into another level of pure hatred. The Big Dog said, “This is my yard now,” dropped the mic, and simply walked away from the ring.
He milked every bit of reaction from the crowd perfectly, and even though he got booed, he showed the presence and the “palm of my hand” working of the crowd that every top star in WWE needs to have. It was an incredible moment (as somebody who has no “dog” in the online fights over Roman’s status in the company), and it’s honestly one of my favorite spoken moments in wrestling of the last five years.
1. John Cena Cuts Roman Reigns Down A Size
The WWE has protected Roman Reigns heavily over the last few years, because they fully intend of making him the face of the company. This torch was seemingly passed from John Cena to Reigns at the No Mercy pay per view, in which Reigns kicked out of all of Cena’s best shots to score a marquee victory.
But the build to this sensational match was far more meaningful, and Cena shined big-time. Now, Reigns had some great promos in their back-and-forths, and he proved that he has the skill on the mic to hang with Cena. However, Cena proved once again that nobody can top him on the stick, because he will take your best shot, top it, and shove it all back in your face. You better step up or step aside? Cena lives that mantra on the screen.
In this promo, Cena broke the fourth wall, making fun of Reigns for not being able to cut a promo and for seemingly forgetting his lines. “Go ahead find it, I’ll wait. It’s called a promo, kid. If you want to be the Big Dog, you’re going to have to learn how to do it. See you fourth wall!”
Next: Ranking The Top 10 Female Superstars Of 2017
Cena verbally undressed Reigns in an almost unprecedented fashion, and he dispelled a lot of myths the fans have about his own character during this segment. He also seemed to legitimately anger Reigns, which pushed The Big Dog to dig down deep to find some new material. That brought the best out of Reigns, and it made this segment truly magical.