WWE is known for putting on some of the best wrestling matches of all-time and there can be article upon article about some the greatest matches in wrestling history, but before the wrestlers battle it out inside the squared-circle, they trash-talk each other, week after week, in promos and interview segments. Throughout the years there have many memorable segments, some good, some bad, but what makes a good promo stand out is having a good catchphrase to get the audience involved and give the wrestler a trademark. These are some of the best catchphrases in WWE History.
Hulk Hogan: You knew it was doom for any opponent when Hulk Hogan stared intensely into the camera and raved “Whatcha gunna do brother, when Hulk Hogan, and all his Hulk-a-Maniacs run wild on you?!” This would usually follow with a pose or stare down and when the match came along, Hogan usually would come out on top. He was WWE’s biggest superstar in history and his promos and charisma were one of the main reasons why.
Undertaker: The lights go dark, fear is stricken into the opponent, and in a deep slow voice the words “Rest in Peace” are echoed throughout the arena. Simple and effective, the Undertaker did not have to do any talking to get his point across, but those three words sure added a lot to it. A stare down would be intimidating enough for a promo, but give him the microphone and his words are even scarier. In some cases he actually did make his opponents rest in peace, like Kamala and Yokozuna among others, in the infamous casket match.
Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Texas Rattlesnake, Stone Cold Steve Austin, never held back when he was on the microphone. He always said what he wanted and to whoever he wanted, and you knew he was done talking and ready to let the beer bash begin when he uttered the words “And that’s the bottom line ’cause Stone Cold said so!” He used that phrase regularly but the one phrase that got him on the map, was when he won the King of the Ring against Jake “The Snake” Roberts in which he said “Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass!” From that point on, Stone Cold started becoming a household name and Austin 3:16 was plastered on t-shirts everywhere.
John Cena: When John Cena debuted he was nothing more than a local wrestler from upstate Massachusetts that got an upsetting victory over Kurt Angle. A few weeks later he was quickly transformed into a rapping heel gimmick that would spew raps and lyrics putting out other wrestlers. He made funny rhymes for all of his opponents, but the one catchphrase that caught on was when he would wave his hand over his face and say “You Can’t See Me!” Though the rap gimmick has faded, Cena still uses the catchphrase that is plastered on t-shirts, wristbands, and even boxers.
Mr. McMahon: Long before Donald Trump was doing it on his reality show “The Apprentice”, Vince McMahon, chairman of the WWE, would utter two words that could send chills through your spine, “YOU’RE FIRED”. Wrestlers who got on McMahon’s bad side would often hear the phrase screamed, and Vince has done it plenty of times. It’s simple, effective, and one of Vince’s most powerful tools in the ring.
DX: Degeneration X took the WWE by storm during their attitude era, and the antics of Shawn Michaels and HHH will always be remembered. Whether it was messing with Commissioner Sergeant Slaughter or any of the wrestlers, if you were against DX, they would do anything they could to piss you off. Much like Vince had two simple words, DX did too, shouting to anybody and everybody, and sure to be mimicked in elementary school halls to “Suck It!” Add a crotch-chop hand movement to the phrase, and that’s the dirtiest one on this list.
“Macho Man” Randy Savage: Macho Man Randy Savage spoke in a scratchy dragged out voice that would sound familiar to any wrestling fan, or Slim Jim fan for that matter. And when he was not dropping elbows on opponents Macho Man would be on the microphone saying “Ohhhh Yea, Dig it!” and delivering a classic promo that can rival any from the 80s and early nineties. It is too bad he is on bad terms with the WWE because he belongs in the Hall of Fame.
The Rock: During the Rock’s time in the WWE, he had many unforgettable matches like at Wrestlemania 18 with Hulk Hogan, his long-time feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, and HHH, but as many great matches the Rock has, he has the one-liners to go with it. The Rock may have had more catchphrases than any other WWE superstars but his top two were “Finally the Rock has come back to *fill in city here*” and “If you smelllllllllll what the Rock is….cookin’.” Add in a single raised eyebrow and you have two of the most popular catchphrases in WWE history.
There are many other popular catchphrases out there in the wrestling and some up and coming ones that will soon be cemented in WWE history and pop culture history, but for now these are some of the best, and if you ever hear them in the street, now you’ll know where they came from, dig it!
