10 Best Wrestling Talkers Of 2019 (So Far)
9. Juice Robinson
A defiant, old-school babyface with more heart than sense, Juice Robinson continues to sell the audience on his matches, the gritty, resolute nature of which won't make many end-of-year lists - but feel, nonetheless, like awesome, urgent fights in a performative world.
He talks like he wrestles: in raw tones with his heart on his sleeve. It's simple stuff because it's timeless: Robinson holds up his hands and promises to "throw these suckers all over the place" and talks of seducing the "babes" in the audience like a Von Erich with banter. Before it was torn from his waist, he treated the IWGP United States Title with real, warming reverence. "I'm gonna do my best to keep it," he said simply, ahead of that gruesome war with Jon Moxley, selling his humility and the daunting challenge alike.
He's funny, too - in January, he threatened to punch Brandi Rhodes in the face in a bit so audacious even her husband popped - and that is crucial.
His schtick doesn't descend into cornball territory; instead, he channels the essence of the territories without it ever feeling like too aspirational and rote a tribute.