WWE makes a lot of questionable decisions. The scripts they deliver to their wrestlers among their most questionable. WWE writers really think AJ Styles saying “Kami” is actually clever or funny?

Somewhere between Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn, and “WWE Creative”, creativity has been stifled and bad promos have been a consistent result on WWE television. There are examples of good promos and good mic workers on Raw and Smackdown, but talent like Matt Hardy, Kevin Owens, and Bray Wyatt have been slighted from reaching CM Punk pipe bomb potential. CM Punk was one of final few talents you could be excited for each week just when he came out to cut a promo.

The problem with WWE promos congruent with the bad writing is how formulaic they are. Many promos lack intensity, passion, or believability. How many times have you heard a wrestler threaten their opponent and never follow through on their threat? An empty threat is terrible for a character’s standing with their fans.

If Stone Cold Steve Austin promised an ass whoopin’, you better believe an ass whoopin’ was imminent.

Beyond the lack of passion, intensity, empty threats, and lackluster formulaic scriptwriting, Stone Cold exposed these current era weaknesses and more within two and a half minutes by way of pure verbal destruction of a WWE backstage interviewer.

The irony that Stone Cold would make a re-watchable moment during a backstage interview is two-fold. First off, why would WWE not have on their 25th-anniversary show one of the greatest talkers in the business verbally assault Vince McMahon one last time on television rehashing their Attitude Era feud? Secondly, when you do give Austin a microphone, it’s with a backstage interviewer that has no substance or value.

The WWE runs these series of post-show fallout videos where a trash backstage interviewer asks a wrestler a question directly related to that show. The wrestler has a bland or mediocre response and life goes on. There’s no impact, no re-watchability, these fallout videos really don’t have a point.

Cue Stone Cold Steve Austin. *Glass shatters*

On a cheap segment that’s made for YouTube, with a robotic interviewer who we find out is named ‘Mike’, Stone Cold goes on a tirade that makes an easy case for being in the 2018 Promo of the Year conversation. I’d argue this is the greatest promo since The Miz’s final Total Bullshit promo on John Cena during the Wrestlemania 33 build.

Let’s break down why Austin’s promo is pure gold from start to finish. If you haven’t already, watch it again, but really focus on how mindful Austin of his delivery. Vocal inflections, body language, improvisation.

For the first minute, Austin is recounting the events of the night, including delivering Stunners to Vince and Shane. He quickly and efficiently delivers the why, Vince went out to claim he’s the only reason for the WWE’s success, and Austin went out to remind him of his significance. Austin shifts his attention to the spectacle at hand, RAW 25, and how seeing superstars old and new is like a giant family reunion. Austin’s delivery is smooth, clean, efficient, and he said his signature catchphrase, “That’s the bottom line”. Twice.

Austin also had a hilarious pronunciation of Los Angeles.

The interview guy slowly pulls the mic back to his chest, reaches his hand out, and before he can even thank Stone Cold for his time, Austin goes nuclear. This is the gold standard of promo cutting.

Austin rips on the reporter, whom he asks for his name, and then berates on ‘Mike’ for only having one sorry ass question. “Did you not do any more prep than that?” Stone Cold asks.

Mike’s face completely drops as he attempts to sink into his own skin.

“Do you know who you’re talkin to?” Stone Cold questions Mike. Just before Mike can get the word Stone out of his mouth, Austin answers his own question.

Austin than establishes his credibility. He lists his in-ring accomplishments and the fact that he actually drew money (low key Cena burn).

Austin reverts to insulting Mike by calling him a chub and demanding proper interview time and personnel.

Stone Cold finally lets Mike answer a question after asking him, “You’re just a piece of trash in my eyes, do you understand that?”

“Yes,” Mike solemnly responds.

Austin sarcastically tells Mike it’s been wonderful talking to him, before turning to the camera and saying, “That’s BS, I hated talking to this sorry SOB.”

Stone Cold exits with one last, that’s the bottom line, and tells Mike he’ll catch him down the road.

If you look through Austin’s dialogue, you’ll notice that his delivery is purposeful. Austin is selling the frustration that he’s a WWE legend and a no-name interviewer has one weak question for him. He demotes the interviewer’s credibility while establishing his own. Austin takes control of the situation and lays a verbal smackdown that’s both cutting and hilarious.

The best quality of Austin’s promo is its simplicity. It’s just pure shit-talking. You’re trash and I’m great, you have no business talking to me and here’s why.

Jericho’s catchphrases are fun, Broken Matt was great in Impact, CM Punk has the snark and wit, but wrestling clearly misses the weekly shit-talking mastery of Stone Cold Steve Austin. The closest mic talent is Eli Drake who channels more Rock than Austin, but Drake’s definitely an upper echelon wrestling shit-talker.

Let’s be real about this wrestling fans. Shit-talking resonates. It doesn’t even have to be vulgar, though it’s certainly more fun when vulgarity is involved.

Let Austin’s promo be a wake-up call to how far WWE’s promos have fallen. What should’ve been a meaningless backstage interview turned into what could be 2018’s best promo. All thanks to the Texas Rattlesnake.