There are many different wrestlers on the current WWE roster that are considered exceptional on the mic: Alexa Bliss and Enzo Amore are the first ones who come to mind, for example. They have that way of engrossing the audience and have them hanging on to every last word, no matter how often they repeat themselves or have bad jokes; they know how to work an audience and get them to care, and that seems to help gloss over how their weaknesses in actually wrestling. As I go on to websites like Cageside Seats or Bleacher Report WWE, I'll often find discussions of people saying how WWE 'always' prefer talkers over wrestlers or that they wants these performers to make them care, and those who cut better promos tend to make them care.

I'm no expert on this matter, I don't work for WWE, but I'm here to give my opinion on the matter solely as a fan of the product: There should be more to a wrestler... 'sports entertainer' than just being able to talk. It's absolutely significant to do that - you gotta be able to sell yourself and your opponent and be confident, however, you gotta be as close to the complete package and keep learning whenever you can. I've done musicals and performed in countless concerts in my short lifetime, so I've learned how to express myself without using words.

So what else makes a performer? Ask yourself this: What emotion are you trying to convey? What do you want your audience to feel?

In order to get there, consider the following:

Body language. Maybe you're not meant to say anything at all, but you still have to give off how you're feeling. Do you want to be creepy, intimidating, excited, happy to be there, flamboyant? Two of my absolute favorite Superstars are master of this: Asuka and Shinsuke Nakamura. They don't need to say a single word, but there's murder in Asuka's eyes and royalty in Shinsuke's (and murder). There may be a 'language barrier' (which honestly shouldn't derail you as a possible fan of theirs - Japanese fans in NJPW can handle the anglophones speaking English over there), but you don't need to hear a word from them to know exactly what they're saying. You have to do more than silly faces and slacked shoulders like you don't want to be there.

Wrestling. No, hear me out - I actually have to say that wrestlers should know how to wrestle at a certain level. I'm (more than) a little over seeing people become multi-time champions just because they know how to talk well on a microphone but when they get in between the ropes, they can barely keep up with a ten minute match. I'm looking at you, Goddess and Smacktalker Skywalker. Growing up watching WWE, there was a certain caliber to championship matches; you had to be the elite, the best of the best in order to hold a title, and you certainly did more than just talk your way into a match.

Being a full time athlete. I have to say this again, because a certain Universal Champion can't be expected to show up to work every Monday and every pay-per-view because the money simply isn't good enough for him. (which ties into...)

Passion. The most important thing you can try to convey is passion; why are you here if it were for any other reason? Why do you want to get better and be the best? This is where talent like Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and AJ Styles fall into because they actually give a damn. This doesn't have to be a life long dream but what matters is that you're there and you're trying to make a difference in the product. All of these wrestlers tell a story between the ropes, when it gets to the nitty-gritty and it's time to wrestle. Listen to Sasha talk about wrestling in her interviews, or Becky's babyface promos - the hardest promos to cut, or just watch AJ wrestle. They are storytellers, and that means something to the audience. They connect! Outside of WWE, you have guys like Tetsuya Naito and Kazuchika Okada who do their own storytelling between the ropes (Naito with the Intercontinental Championship was fascinating to say the least).

I allowed some bias into this article (sue me), but the message is still this: You should be more than just someone who knows how to talk, because there's more to a personality than that. I am not devaluing the... value of cutting a promo; I like it when people know how to bring me in with their speech, and I still expect them to be able to do that, but what I'm saying is that it shouldn't be the only thing about you as a performer. You need to be able to make people care, but through more than just your words. Expect more and be more.