15 Greatest Promos In Modern Wrestling History
10. Ricky Starks Threatens To Become The Man
A great promo is when you start to think it's a good idea to pull a title switch.
The promo Ricky Starks cut on the Winter Is Coming '22 go-home Dynamite was so strong that some believed it might a good idea to take the title off MJF in his first defence - even though the next year of AEW programming had been built around him.
A great promo is meant to inspire recency bias. You're meant to buy what is being sold, even if that thing isn't a great business idea, or if that thing all but destroys months' worth of planning. You're not meant to think about a promotion's bottom line; you're meant to think about what you want out of the entire thing as a fan. Starks made you want to see him win the big one with a fired-up impulse thought.
Starks, with incredible sass, fire and conviction happily accepted that he worked his way up in the lowly NWA. It was as much a badge of honour to him as sleeping in his car. Casting himself as the hard-working hero grinding through hard times, like a true babyface, he operated in several modes - but wasn't unfocused.
He wasn't too earnest nor cheesy; with his "You smell like paint thinner and ass" line, he brought the entertainment value. With his rising cadence, he brought the crowd to their feet without alienating them with too much insider verbiage; he added just enough to make it feel real. The balance was superb, but the tone was key. He made you want to see him do it, and just as importantly, he made you believe that he believed he could do it.
MJF was tremendous here too, it should be noted; he deliberately used weaker, more desperate material, knowing that his role was to stand back and feel the burn of Ricky's babyface fire.