10 Best Wrestling Threats Of All Time

Fear And Loathing.

Suzuki Bastard Copy
NJPW

Rarely has funny equalled money in WWE, but The Rock's constant threats to turn items sideways to stick up his opponents' a*seholes drew dollars and laughs alike during the company's turn-of-the-century creative and commercial peak.

It set in motion an unfortunate turn of events in the years that followed in which all babyfaces had to be inferior versions of the 'Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment' whilst all heels had to cower under the not-that-brilliant banter of the pretenders to his throne.

WWE's 2008 move to PG removed the swearing and anal insertion, but couldn't be blamed for a profound lack of ingenuity infecting the way wrestlers spoke to one another to build matches. Like a Marvel movie or a modern horror plot, Sports Entertainment had seemingly ran out of peril in an unnecessary quest for endless glib snark.

Fortunately, there has been a return to form for finding ways to make the fake fights feel real in recent years. Some wrestlers are sharp themselves, whilst some simply have the ability to deliver the cutting barbs fed to them.

In the case of one record-breaking titleholder, it was the former 'People's Champion' that brought out the best of both in him...

10. Punk Punches Up

Suzuki Bastard Copy
WWE.com

CM Punk didn't invent the phrase and wasn't even the first wrestler to introduce it into a promo, but "Your arms are too short to box with God" was perhaps the finest ever use of it in an entertainment medium.

The biblical prose had been dropped in to a TNA storyline by Samoa Joe shortly before Punk's 2013 deployment (and years after rapper Nas had lifted the line for 2001's 'You're Da Man') but the fighting words were necessarily exceptional as the 'Voice Of The Voiceless' pitted his verbal dexterity against one of the best to ever hold a microphone.

In The Rock, CM Punk was forced to look up to and stare down a man bigger than him in both size and status, in and out of wrestling. 'The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment' was a Vince McMahon pet project-done-good, but his Hollywood smile rattled the cage of the embittered Champion that still found himself clawing for respect 400 days into a legendary WWE Title reign.

He earned that at least, before he lost his beloved prize. The line was a knockout blow on the night, even if 'The Great One' rebounded when they came to blows proper at the pay-per-view. Few have ever entered Rock's rarified air in a promo battle - Punk punched his way in and fought his way to victory.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett