10 Wrestling Promo Lines That Were WAY Too Personal
Sammy Guevara is better at drawing heat than a shell suit.
Promo is short for promotion, and it really feels at times that wrestling - the fans, the talent, and those in charge - doesn't seem to grasp that.
How many times have you read something to the effect of "wrestler X smoked wrestler Y in that promo battle"?
That is sometimes the point, but not always. The core idea is to sell the public on a match - not invite the audience to think one of the wrestlers is an absolute geek. Of course, this involves trash talk - wrestlers are meant to convince the audience that they loathe one another in many cases - but there's a balance that must be struck. It's tricky, because it can feel contrived. "I hate you so much that I'll break your f*cking legs, but sweet hammerlock bro" is the basic gist. The opponent must be put over, because defeating them must mean something.
Some barely deal in the insult. The threat is far cooler anyhow, but both have merit: the lines "I just want to crush his trachea" and "He's a human f*cking udon noodle" were both directed at Zack Sabre, Jr. by Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley, respectively.
If you're going the insult route, it's best to paint a vivid picture - of something that makes you want to see what's in the frame...
10. Sammy Guevara Says The Cheapest Thing
Sammy Guevara on his recent vlog claimed that he is "exhausted" by the drama at which he is often the centre. The irony was lost on him, perhaps because he's usually one to take a blunt force approach.
Sammy is fond of the word "sh*t". He said "You haven't done sh*t here" to virtually all of his opponents throughout his first TNT title run, which, again, is somewhat ironic given his middling form in 2022 and new/old role as Chris Jericho's irritant of a protege. He also used the word "f*ck" as in "f*ck off" during a recent Twitter spat with Andrade el Idolo.
He went back to an old favourite when trying to build his All Out match with Edie Kingston, which was subsequently scrapped. In a Rampage promo that never made air, he referred to Eddie as a "fat piece of sh*t," which wasn't cleared and incensed Kingston to such an extent that he tried to punch Guevara backstage. He was quietly suspended for his conduct.
Eddie reasoned that Guevara belittled the gravity of the match, and beyond that, even in a cosmetic industry like wrestling, body-shaming is so tired. Jericho built his series around Eddie being great, but with a patronising undertone. This mobilised the crowd into getting behind the babyface and playing their part in his "winning the big one". Jericho's storytelling put Kingston over and helped strengthen his bond with the audience.
Guevara, an incredible talent - which goes under-mentioned these days - has something to learn from the old master yet.