10 Wrestlers Who Improved At Something They Were Terrible At

4. Bob Holly - Promos

Roman Reigns
WWE.com

Bob Holly was a naff promo as Thurman "Sparky" Plugg. "My friends call me Sparky - and you can call me Sparky too!" he infamously said during his pre-debut vignette, despite the fact that, were any unfortunate sh*thead to actually call him "Sparky", he'd have broken their ass in half. In 1995, it was difficult to take "Sparky" seriously as an ass-kicker.

His name was "Sparky".

As with several of his peers in the Attitude Era, the renamed Hardcore Holly, mobilised into improvement by actually being encouraged to improve, grabbed the brass ring. He used it to batter his beleaguered opponents over the head with a gloriously economical promo game. Much like his thudding in-ring arsenal, Holly didn't need much to convey his point.

He once, delightfully, referred to Gangrel as "Dracula" and a "fat b*stard", popping Jerry Lawler on commentary and entering the hearts of young wrestling fans everywhere. Portraying himself as a no-nonsense ass-kicker by poking fun at the nonsense around him, Holly, celebrated as an ornery old-school ar*ehole by those he shared locker rooms with, simply transposed his no-frills essence from behind the curtain.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.