Nothing says intensity quite like staring down a camera.
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00:00 These moments don't have to fill an entire segment, and the simple yet effective down-the-lens glare could only take up a few seconds in the overall promo.
00:08 Yet they all more than left a lasting impression on the wrestling community as a whole, and your humble presenter right here.
00:14 I'm Gareth from WarCulture Wrestling, and here are the 10 best down-the-lens promo in WWE history.
00:20 Number 10, Edge challenges Randy Orton to a Last Man Standing match.
00:24 After being concerto'd to smithereens by old rival Randy Orton, Edge was nowhere to be seen on Raw for weeks following on from his epic 2020 return.
00:32 He eventually resurfaced on the 9th of March edition of the show and tried to launch an attack on the Viper,
00:37 after Orton had RKO'd Edge's wife Beth Phoenix on the prior week's episode.
00:41 Yeah, that's gonna piss a dude off.
00:42 However, this was far from over.
00:44 In an empty performance center on the following week's Raw, Edge opted to issue a challenge.
00:49 He didn't have a crowd to engage with or a Viper to provoke in the ring, so Edge instead sent his words straight down the barrel.
00:55 Edge signed off the focus speech by saying that "This story is not a tragedy, man.
00:59 It's a redemptive story, and at WrestleMania, you won't stand back up."
01:03 In what would soon become a mainstay of the crowdless WWE era, Edge proved that you didn't need a rampant crowd reinforcing your words to deliver a powerful message.
01:11 Just a boatload of grits and some t-shirts with the word on it.
01:14 Number 9, you see this? This is blood.
01:17 Flair was always gonna make it onto a list of outstanding down-the-lens promos, dreadful recent allegations and comments or not,
01:23 because he practically perfected them throughout the course of his in-ring career.
01:26 Often conjuring up ridiculous amounts of passion and sending that energy directly into the camera,
01:31 Flair knew exactly how to get fans interested in what he was selling.
01:34 One of his finest down-the-lens moments came during a promo directed at Sting, Dusty Rhodes, and Lex Luger during his WCW days.
01:42 Gradually becoming more passionate and unstable as the words began to flow from his mouth,
01:46 the Nature Boy asked Dusty Rhodes to tell Luger what it was like to lay in that hospital,
01:51 and have a surgeon take that needle and put it through your head as he pulls the stitches.
01:55 Taking the whole thing up another level, Flair began to pound his own skull and made himself legitimately bleed.
02:00 Flair then referenced how he'd paid the price in the past as the blood trickled down his face,
02:04 and if Luger didn't smarten up, it would be his turn to bleed. Rather him than me.
02:08 Number 8, the Miz blows up on Talking Smack.
02:11 Admittedly, this promo isn't completely fired down the lens.
02:14 Most of the actual venom was spat at SmackDown Live general manager Daniel Bryan.
02:18 Clearly pissed off at being labeled as a "soft worker", Miz set about explaining why he performed the way he did on Talking Smack.
02:24 He referenced being able to wrestle day in, day out thanks to his under-fire style.
02:28 Dialing things up a notch, Miz then laid into Bryan for promising to return to the ring to reclaim the IC title, and then failing to deliver.
02:35 Miz even caught Bryan off guard by telling him to go and wrestle in bingo halls with his indie friends,
02:40 after the former WWE Champion exclaimed that he'd wrestle if WWE let him.
02:44 Bryan stormed off the set, but the Miz wasn't finished.
02:47 Miz's eyes were clearly welling up from the passion surging through his veins,
02:50 as he decreed that the blue brand was his show, and that he was sick of being criticized by the masses.
02:55 After this moment, few would ever question his commitment to the cause ever again.
02:58 And I wonder what happened to that Bryan guy, too.
03:00 Number 7, Daniel Bryan takes aim at consumerism.
03:03 Two and a half years after being screamed out of the Talking Smack studio,
03:06 recently crowned WWE Champion Daniel Bryan was now the one ranting down the camera.
03:10 Fancy that.
03:11 Taking aim at consumerism, the new Daniel Bryan Attack concession stands for ruining people's health,
03:16 and noted that the WWE Universe were filling a void with this fast food because their lives were so empty and vacuous.
03:23 Bryan then brilliantly compared AJ Styles to a hot dog, which he'd just snatched out of a poor fan's mouth.
03:28 As Brenner fan chomped down on this processed treat, they were left feeling empty and moved on to something else.
03:33 Tell us how you really feel.
03:35 He would continue to tear apart needless consumption, all while staring a hole down the lens of the poor trailing camera.
03:41 This fiery delivery marked the beginning of a brave new chapter in Bryan's story,
03:45 and arguably his finest within the WWE landscape.
03:48 Number 6, Randy Savage is the cream of the crop.
03:51 You're always guaranteed a spirited and often undecipherable must-see interview
03:55 whenever Macho Man Randy Savage strolled onto a WWF set.
03:58 And his brilliant "cream of the crop" promo was another stellar example of this.
04:02 Former Intercontinental Champion Savage burst into frame beside mean Gene Oakland,
04:07 and didn't waste time with the niceties.
04:09 "Nothing means nothing," he roared,
04:10 before noting that he was justifiably in a position he'd rather not be in, but the cream rise to the top.
04:16 Macho Man then produced what looked like a disposable milk cup,
04:19 before dropping it and calling out President Jack Tunney for supposedly costing him his title at WrestleMania III,
04:25 all while continually producing and disposing of his odd little cups.
04:29 This particular moment of brilliance came when Savage attempted to balance one of the cups on his noggin,
04:33 only to fail and then use that failure as inspiration,
04:36 following up with "On balance, off balance, it doesn't matter, I'm better than you are, yeah!"
04:41 Between Savage's trademark high-octane presentation and the unpredictable content of his speech,
04:46 this down-the-length stream of consciousness quickly became one of the most beloved promos in wrestling history.
04:51 Number 5, with a tear in my eye,
04:53 his earlier, bloodier entry was certainly something special.
04:56 Long since and now understandably blacklisted, Ric Flair's straight-to-camera speech,
05:00 after winning the vacant WWF title for the very first time at the 1992 Royal Rumble, was something else entirely.
05:07 A top-note, Rumble-winning Flair had been escorted backstage to be officially presented his new WWF title by President Jack Tunney,
05:14 and what followed was one of the most memorable off-the-cuff promos in wrestling history.
05:18 With a tear in his eye, Flair told the whole world that this was the greatest moment in his life,
05:22 and we bloody well believed him.
05:24 Whether it was a thoroughly soiled legacy or not, Flair couldn't hide the joy in his face in this moment.
05:29 After finally winning the prestigious belt and his refusal to break away from the camera staring him in the face,
05:34 scorched this iconic moment into many a fan's mind for years to come.
05:38 Number 4, Jake "The Snake" Roberts' Muck of Avarice promo.
05:41 Another trip down memory lane brings us to the game-changing Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
05:45 In one of his greatest moments of unsettling focus,
05:48 The Snake spoke with Mean Gene Oakland just before his match with Ted DiBiase at WrestleMania VI.
05:53 Roberts looked straight down the barrel and reminded DiBiase that everything the Million Dollar Man stood for was on the line,
05:58 including his prestigious Million Dollar Belt.
06:01 Producing a sickening chuckle, Roberts stated that DiBiase could have it back if he got through Damien and me.
06:07 Shifting from Snake toying with his food to driven advocate of those less fortunate than DiBiase,
06:11 The Snake lambasted his rival for making fun of and humbling those who could use his money for essentials.
06:16 Roberts then went on to promise that this time you'll be the one that's humbled,
06:20 this time you'll be the one that's humiliated, and this time you'll be the one that grovels for the money.
06:24 All while searing a hole through the ever-present lens in front of him.
06:27 Roberts found it appropriate that the money DiBiase would be groveling for was his own,
06:31 and enjoyed the fact he was set to become a victim of his own greed, wallowing in the Muck of Avarice.
06:36 We as fans just found the whole thing rather compelling/disturbing,
06:39 and couldn't wait to see Roberts get his hands on his Million Dollar Man.
06:42 Number 3, Eddie Guerrero threatens Rey Mysterio.
06:45 After Eddie Guerrero viciously turned on his best friend/tag partner Rey Mysterio on the 5th of May 2005 episode of Smack Her Down,
06:52 Latino Heat had a lot of explaining to do.
06:54 Immediately exuding a new brooding attitude,
06:57 the former WWE Champion wandered down to the ring without a lowrider in sight.
07:01 A dead behind the eyes Guerrero explained to the crowd why he did what he did.
07:05 Guerrero confessed that Mysterio wanted a fight, so he gave him a fight,
07:08 before admitting that he didn't want to attack his friend and that Mysterio made him do it.
07:12 Again, this promo wasn't entirely fired down the lens,
07:15 as Guerrero expertly alternated between blasting his anger at his former ally's mask,
07:19 and hitting back at the WWE fans in attendance who had been stealing his bashion.
07:23 Yet the masterful performer saved their best for last,
07:26 as he finally turned his attention to the camera in the ring.
07:29 Guerrero completed his transformation into sickening heel with the words,
07:33 "Think of your family, Aalyah and Dominik, your son and your daughter. Don't make me hurt them, Rey."
07:38 All while ominously staring deep into the soul of Mysterio and the uncomfortable fans watching at home.
07:44 Number 2. The Rock addresses his Armageddon opponents.
07:46 It's probably about time to take a look at one of the funniest down the lens promos we've ever been treated to.
07:51 It's all been quite dark up to now, hasn't it?
07:53 In this moment, The Rock was mere days away from a titanic Armageddon six-man Hell in a Cell match
07:58 for the WF title in December 2000.
08:00 Cutting his interviewer off mid-speech,
08:02 The Great One took a moment to connect with the New Jersey Raw crowd,
08:05 and then proceeded to lay into his five rivals one by one.
08:08 Instead of performing to Kevin Kelly, however, Rock turned his attention to the camera.
08:12 Iconic digs such as, "I'm gonna drink a big glass of milk,"
08:15 "Eat some chocolate chip cookies and then maybe I'll take three Viagra,"
08:18 when impersonating Kurt Angle were made all the more hilarious
08:21 by The Rock's refusal to break away from the lens in his face.
08:24 Rock showcased his stellar comedic range,
08:26 and unparalleled improvisational skills with each and every side-splitting, surprisingly accurate parody.
08:31 However, the cream of the crop, as Macho Man would put it,
08:34 was the People's Champion's spot-on imitation of arch-nemesis Stone Cold Steve Austin,
08:39 complete with trademark camouflage cap and a cheeky Backstreet Boys reference.
08:42 #1. Dusty Rhodes' "Hard Times" promo
08:45 It couldn't be anyone else, could it?
08:46 Cutting one of the greatest promos of any era way back in 1985,
08:50 Dusty Rhodes had a message for World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair,
08:53 and he was intent on sending it directly into the camera, staring him in the face.
08:57 Beginning this iconic speech by stating that Flair had no respect and no honor,
09:01 Rhodes then confessed that Flair put hard times on the Challenger's family.
09:05 Those two words proved to be the catalyst for this once-in-a-lifetime piece of down-the-lens passion.
09:10 Rhodes set about uniting a nation/planet by highlighting what hard times actually were.
09:15 Textile and auto workers struggling to make ends meet,
09:17 people who'd been in a job for 30 years only to be replaced by a computer and sent on their way,
09:22 these were all "hard times," according to Rhodes,
09:24 and the passionate fans in front of him clearly agreed.
09:27 Right here, Rhodes became the voice of the everyman
09:29 and established himself as the ultimate babyface by thoroughly connecting with each and every fan all over the world,
09:34 all going through their own rough patches.
09:36 In Rhodes, they had a glimmer of hope, though,
09:38 and he promised to deliver them the world's heavyweight title.
09:41 Yet he'd already delivered the most riveting straight-to-camera address in all of pro wrestling history.
09:45 He'd more than done his part.
09:47 And that's our list.
09:48 Know of any other of the best down-the-lens promos in WWE history that we've missed?
09:52 Let us know all about them in the comments section right down below,
09:54 and do not forget to like, share, and click on that subscribe button while you're at it.
09:57 Also, make sure to head on over to WhatCulture.com if you like this kind of thing,
10:00 and click on some more amazing articles just like the one this video you're watching right now that I wrote is based on.
10:06 I've been Gareth from WhatCulture Wrestling.
10:08 Thank you, as always, for clicking on this video today, and I'm sure I'll see you very, very soon.
10:12 Bye-bye.