It takes a lot more than you think to be a professional wrestler. You have to be in great physical condition. You have to be athletic and charismatic. You have to be a good actor. You also have to be able to learn lines and improvise on the fly. Unfortunately that last part hasn’t been a strength for way too many wrestlers and it has led to some truly hilarious moments. Here are 10 promos and interviews that went terribly wrong.
1. Lex Luger has all sorts of problems
You probably remember Lex Lugar as a wrestling star from your childhood, but as the years caught up with him, he ended up working the indie circuit. Here he is in one of the biggest train wreck promos you’ll ever see, as he forgets the name of the event and then has even worse issues removing his shirt. It’s honestly almost difficult to watch.
2. Scott Steiner attempts to use math in a promo
Scott Steiner gained a reputation of not being the smartest guy in the locker room. That’s what made this promo so confusing, when Steiner decided to incorporate math into his taunts. Try and keep up, but honestly it makes so little sense it’s not worth your brain power.
3. Booker T let’s a word slip out
Booker T has been a familiar face in professional wrestling for years, but one moment he’d surely like to forget took place when he was in WCW as a member of Harlem Heat. He got so caught up in talking trash to Lex Luger and Hulk Hogan that he slipped and called Hogan the n-word. You can see the regret on his face as soon as the words leave his mouth.
4. Michael Buffer calls him Bret “The Hitman” Clarke
WCW often brought in Michael Buffer for big events, which was cool, except for the fact that Buffer apparently knows nothing about professional wrestling. It’s kind of hard to get excited for a match when the prestigious ring announcer refers to him as Bret “The Hitman” Clarke.
5. Randy Orton asks for his line
There’s a good chance that every wrestler has forgotten their lines at some point. As many live spots as they do, it’s inevitable. Most of them just improvise and roll with the punches, but not Randy Orton. Instead, Orton brought everything to a screeching halt, turned to Sheamus, and asked him for his line. It’s so incredibly obvious and feels like some sort of dress rehearsal.
6. Jake “The Snake” Roberts is definitely drunk
If you grew up on pro wrestling, there’s a good chance Jake “The Snake” Roberts was a big part of your childhood. Nowadays Roberts is healthy and seems back to his old self, but that wasn’t always the case. There was a time when Roberts was almost constantly a mess. This interview is a pretty good summary of how things were going for him, as he’s clearly intoxicated and barely making sense. It’s definitely not a highlight reel moment for him.
7. Michael McGillicutty gets lost and can’t find his way back to the script
This is so great. You have to give him credit for not just mumbling “uh, uh, uh” over and over, but this isn’t much better. Just take in this 30 seconds of absolute cringe-inducing magic.
8. Hulk Hogan can’t say words
This is an all-time classic. Hulk Hogan has been around long enough that improvising lines shouldn’t be a problem, but in this instance, he just couldn’t get the words out. It wouldn’t have been that big a deal if he didn’t insist on starting over and attempting the lines over and over again. After a few minutes you just start feeling bad for him.
9. The Sandman started drinking a little too early
If you were a fan of ECW, you remember The Sandman as the guy that came out smoking cigarettes and chugging beers that he’d then smash on his forehead until he was busted open. Well it seems as though on this particular night, Sandman decided not to wait until his intro music to start chugging beers, as he gives one of the most confusing and incoherent promos you’ll ever encounter.
10. Psycho Sid with the gem of all gems
Sid had a reputation of messing up lines and just being not that bright, but one of the best moments was on Monday Nitro when Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were in the ring making fun of Sid. He comes out and defends himself by saying he has half the brains they do. The best part is watching Hall and Nash completely lose it as Sid just keeps yelling louder and louder. It’s simply fantastic.
