10 Best WWE Talkers Since 2010
3. Stephanie McMahon
Like an earlier talker, the number three entrant comes with a bit of a drawback.
Yes, Stephanie McMahon is incredible on the microphone and she knows how to work even the most defiant and hostile crowds to her liking, but as the WWE's Chief Brand Officer (and not a full-time competitor), she's often unable to transfer her heat into something more valuable.
Think of some of the all-time great talkers. When Flair put Dusty on hard times, they settled it in the ring. Piper and Hogan had a War To Settle The Score...in the ring.
The Rock and Austin both wanted to be the absolute best; they settled it in the ring. The common denominator is that the payoff to all these great promos took place inside the squared circle.
Since her emergence as an A+ talker, Stephanie has wrestled one match (vs. Brie Bella at SummerSlam '14). Her lack of in-ring activity really limits the long-term positive impact that her mic skills have on the business.
It doesn't take much to verbally bury a superstar, but to build an athlete into a legitimate superstar just by using the mic? That takes skill and it's a skill that Stephanie has, but doesn't make the most out of.