Somewhere along the way, professional wrestling changed. It is in its purest form, it is the dramatization of 2 or more men/women in a fight with the object being to pin your opponents shoulders to the mat for 3 seconds. Of course, we all know the events are scripted and in actual fact the competitors are in there to make this “fight” look as exciting as possible and actually take care of one another while doing so. The prevention of injury is a very serious part of a grappling bout. This writer would not say it is too far a stretch of the imagination to say that the introduction of interviews or 'promos' would be responsible for a heightened interest in what happens between the ropes.

Wrestling fans around the world would agree that at one point or another, they have been mesmerized by the words of a few certain pro wrestling performers. Indeed, even in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson's own autobiography he makes note of how transfixed he was upon the dialogue put forth by Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. Talking is simply a very important aspect of the wrestling industry. This business is entertainment after all and there are few better ways to hook an audience than by having a 300-pound tanned man hype up his next World Title match for the next big event at Madison Square Garden. Of course you know I'm talking about Hulk Hogan, surely one of the best pure promo men in the business. That may in itself be a controversial statement as Hogan was known to talk sheer nonsense on more than one occasion! Not exactly on the same level as “The Ultimate Warrior” but it wasn't exactly profound stuff the “Hulkster” was spewing out on a regular basis. However, what we must understand is the point of any interview in this business (or indeed any promotional tool at all) is to encourage the build-up of excitement towards a given event, be that event a match, Pay-Per-View etc. There were few people who could hold the audience in the palm of their hands the way Terry Bollea did throughout the 80's and 90's. He really was the man in that respect.

Speaking of THE man, Ric Flair was none too shabby himself at getting his point across. The charismatic, bleach blonde “Nature Boy” was king of the castle in NWA/WCW-land and rightly so. His impassioned promo technique still gives many, including myself (who wasn't even around to see most of the first time out!), goosebumps and gets the adrenaline flowing through the veins. Looking back to some of these diatribes he put forward, it's not difficult to see why fans would flock to arenas in their droves to see him defend or challenge for the NWA World Heavyweight Title. Wrestling fans loved to hate Flair throughout his career and eventually he made that step into legend as somebody who had almost surpassed playing a babyface of a heel. This ultimate respect for Ric came because he was so damned good at enthralling the people who believe in pro wrestling, and I put into that category those who know it's not 'real'.

It really is challenging to not understate how important the ability to talk is to those looking to become a major player in the professional wrestling business. It can make or break a career. Being able to 'talk the talk' can be the difference between headlining Wrestlemania (surely the paramount goal for every active in-ring person involved in ANY wrestling company) or spending your life putting others over in dark matches. There have been many performers who have made it mainly because the charismatic skills they have are of a very high standard.

A good example of this would be Jake Roberts. I include in the term 'charismatic skills' the ability to draw the live audience into a match and make them hang on not only your every word, but also your every move. “The Snake” was simply outstanding in this particular field. Many people have since been put on record as saying Jake Roberts was one of the best psychologists to ever grace the 'squared circle'. Bobby Heenan has said it, Jim Ross has mentioned it. The list goes on and on. One thing these people always have in common is the mentioning of Roberts lack of a physically intimidating body, the lack of that 'look' which can also be a major factor in bruising your way to the top of the tree. Mr. Roberts just didn't have that. What he did have however was far more important in the fans eyes, he could make them actually care about what was happening inside of that ring he was in. Just watch some of the man's matches down through the years and even the reaction to him at WWF 1997 Royal Rumble PPV when he was further out of shape and also out of his prime. The reactions he commanded were unbelievable and it is not hard to see why he was such a staple of the World Wrestling Federation for so many years. Perhaps he didn't have the tanned body with muscles bursting out all over the place, but he did have an aura which put asses in seats and kept fans glued to their TV sets. His straight-talking but mysterious promos had everyone wanting to keep watching just to see what would happen next.

Great talking ability in pro wrestling isn't just restricted to those who step foot in the ring to perform, there are also those sitting around ringside calling the action who have the 'gift of the gab'. Gorilla Monsoon, Jim Ross, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, the aforementioned Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Jerry “The King” Lawler. Again, this list goes on and on and on. All of the above can be directly credited for adding a lot to some of the greatest moments in the history of this great sport (thanks Tony, sorry you didn't make the list..).

Recently, I sat down to watch some mid-to-late 90's WWF Pay-Per-Views which featured Lawler and Ross on announcing duties. The banter between the pair was engrossing and did nothing but perfectly complement the action going on elsewhere. Having always been more of a fan of heel 'King' and less of a mark for his 'puppy cheering, fan loving WWE Hall of Famer' character we see more of nowadays, it was refreshing how these 2 men played off one another. They even held my interest in such matches as Too Much (Brian Christopher and Scott Taylor) vs. Al Snow & Head at WWF King of the Ring 1998. That they helped me sit through a semi-talented mid-card tag team facing off against a man playing a lunatic and a mannequin head says it all. A fantastic case in point to bring to the forefront here would be the WWF Heavyweight Championship bout between “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock at Wrestlemania 17. The match action was brilliant in its own right but just listen to Jim Ross on commentary and tell me he does not help draw you into what is being visualised for you on-screen, the man has got it when it comes to putting the product over and getting you to invest emotion into what you see happening.

I hope you've enjoyed this little trip through my brain this week and have had fun remembering some of the greatest talkers ever seen in this business. Next week, I'll take an even further dip into this pond of promos and even look at some more modern references. I think it's very clear to see just how colourful words can be in painting a picture for the viewer, really keep my fingers, toes and other things crossed that all of you fine folks share my enthusiasm for the importance of the chat in the pro wrestling business.

If you'd like to email me any of your thoughts, please feel very very free. I enjoy hearing from all of you, even if your opinions and thoughts don't exactly match my own! jamiekennedy@live.com ! TAKE IT HOME!