10 Wrestling Promos WWE Regret

6. Long-Winded Triple H Reign Of Terror Promo X

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WWE

Login to the WWE Network.

Click on the RAW section near the top.

Filter to 2004.

Move your finger around and land the f*cker anywhere.

It doesn't matter.

For the purposes of this article, let's click on October 4, 2004. Naturally, the first chapter on the stream is titled 'Evolution addresses the crowd'. Even when it's not Evolution, somebody always first addresses the crowd. 'Chris Jericho addresses the crowd'. 'Guest General Manager Maven addresses the crowd' (f*cking hell). You know what very rarely addresses the crowd on the professional wrestling show called Monday Night RAW?

A wrestling match.

Bear in mind they'd been doing this version of that segment for about two years, and Ric Flair referred to Triple H as "the greatest of all-time" for the 104th Monday in a row. The customary sea of "You see..."s followed, as did the odd "Let me get this straight," and about eight "You people"s, in a game of bingo more depressing than the Gateshead Mecca in which Triple H took three minutes to repeat the exact same point: Taboo Tuesday was a mistake of a concept because "You people" couldn't be trusted to make the correct decision. "You people" didn't know what was best for business, something he'd continue to prattle on about in front of far fewer people a full decade later.

Fans saw this, and saw this, and saw this again, and left in enormous number. The ratings used to smash through the 5.5 barrier on average at the rise and peak of the Attitude Era.

Triple H's Reign of Terror saw the number dwindle to under 4.0, and interestingly, only ever climbed near that ever again in 2006, once John Cana and Batista were firmly established as the new tippy-top guys.

All of these promos were awful, but the worst...?

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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!