Stone Cold Steve Austin Says This Wrestler Had The Best Mic Skills Of The Attitude Era
During WWE's Attitude Era, the microphone became a power tool for wrestling's elite to sharpen their personas while puncturing their rivals' reputations. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin used an appearance on YouTube's "First We Feast" to praise Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for being able to establish his stardom via the mic.
"You cannot overlook The Rock," Austin said when asked which Attitude Era star was the most talented on the mic. "When he first arrived on the scene, he was this good-looking, third-generation babyface and people just didn't take to him. They'd say, 'Die Rocky Die! Die Rocky Die!'" Austin recalled that Johnson began to click with audiences when he joined the Nation of Domination and "ascended to the top of that organization."
The Rock made use of multiple catchphrases to get himself over during his time in WWE; perhaps his most famous line was "If you smell what The Rock is cooking" — which eventually was incorporated into his entrance theme — though "Know your role and shut your mouth" is definitely up there. According to Austin, The Rock's mic skills proved invaluable in helping to win fans.
Austin says The Rock commanded the audience's respect
"He started wearing the silk shirts and he started referring to himself in third person and working that eyebrow," "Stone Cold" Steve Austin said. "And he electrified and captivated crowds with his catchphrases, his cadence and his delivery, and his message and calling everybody 'jabroni.'"
While Austin credited himself as being "an outstanding promo in my own right," he said Johnson "commanded the audience's respect, attention and elicited the response that he was looking for from them."
On the flip side, Austin noted how Jake "The Snake" Roberts" also secured the audience's attention simply by walking wordlessly into an arena while carrying a snake over his shoulder.
"Once Jake got in the ring, he commanded your respect," Austin said. "He had this presence about him, and he's one of the most economic, efficient workers out there, where he didn't do a whole lot, but everything he did meant something, and he was always working for that DDT."