10 Best Down The Lens Promos In WWE History
Nothing says intensity quite like staring down a camera.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00 These moments don't have to fill an entire segment, and the simple yet effective down
00:04 the lens glare could only take up a few seconds in the overall promo.
00:08 Yet they all more than left a lasting impression on the wrestling community as a whole, and
00:12 your humble presenter right here.
00:14 I'm Gareth from WarCulture Wrestling and here are the 10 Best Down the Lens Promo in
00:18 WWE History.
00:20 #10.
00:21 Edge challenges Randy Orton to a Last Man Standing match
00:23 After being concerto'd to smithereens by old rival Randy Orton, Edge was nowhere to
00:28 be seen on Raw for weeks following on from his epic 2020 return.
00:32 He eventually resurfaced on the 9th of March edition of the show and tried to launch an
00:36 attack on the Viper, after Orton had RKO'd Edge's wife Beth Phoenix on the prior week's
00:40 episode.
00:41 Yeah, that's gonna piss a dude off.
00:42 However, this was far from over.
00:44 In an empty performance center on the following week's Raw, Edge opted to issue a challenge.
00:48 He didn't have a crowd to engage with or a Viper to provoke in the ring, so Edge instead
00:52 sent his words straight down the barrel.
00:54 Edge signed off the focus speech by saying that "This story is not a tragedy, man.
00:59 It's a redemptive story and at WrestleMania, you won't stand back up."
01:02 In what would soon become a mainstay of the crowdless WWE era, Edge proved that you didn't
01:06 need a rampant crowd reinforcing your words to deliver a powerful message.
01:10 Just a boatload of grits and some t-shirts with the word on it.
01:14 #9.
01:15 You see this?
01:16 This is blood.
01:17 Ric Flair was always gonna make it onto a list of outstanding Down the Lens promos,
01:20 dreadful recent allegations and comments or not.
01:23 But he practically perfected them throughout the course of his in-ring career.
01:26 Often conjuring up ridiculous amounts of passion and sending that energy directly into the
01:31 camera, Flair knew exactly how to get fans interested in what he was selling.
01:34 One of his finest Down the Lens moments came during a promo directed at Sting, Dusty Rhodes,
01:39 and Lex Luger during his WCW days.
01:41 Gradually becoming more passionate and unstable as the words began to flow from his mouth,
01:46 the Nature Boy asked Dusty Rhodes to tell Luger what it was like to lay in that hospital
01:50 and have a surgeon take that needle and put it through your head as he pulls the stitches.
01:55 Taking the whole thing up another level, Flair began to pound his own skull and made himself
01:59 legitimately bleed.
02:00 Flair then referenced how he'd paid the price in the past as the blood trickled down
02:03 his face, and if Luger didn't smarten up, it would be his turn to bleed.
02:07 Rather him than me.
02:08 #8.
02:09 The Miz blows up on Talking Smack Admittedly, this promo isn't completely
02:12 fired Down the Lens.
02:14 Most of the actual venom was spat at Smackdown Live general manager Daniel Bryan.
02:18 Clearly pissed off at being labelled as a "soft worker", Miz set about explaining
02:21 why he performed the way he did on Talking Smack.
02:24 He referenced being able to wrestle day in, day out thanks to his underfire style.
02:28 Dialing things up a notch, Miz then laid into Bryan for promising to return to the ring
02:32 to reclaim the IC title, and then failing to deliver.
02:35 Miz even caught Bryan off guard by telling him to go and wrestle in bingo halls with
02:38 his indie friends.
02:40 After the former WWE Champion exclaimed that he'd wrestle if WWE let him, Bryan stormed
02:44 off the set, but the Miz wasn't finished.
02:46 Miz's eyes were clearly welling up from the passion surging through his veins, as
02:50 he decreed that the blue brand was his show, and that he was sick of being criticised by
02:54 the masses.
02:55 After this moment, few would ever question his commitment to the cause ever again.
02:58 And I wonder what happened to that Bryan guy too.
03:00 #7.
03:01 Daniel Bryan takes aim at consumerism Two and a half years after being screamed out
03:04 of the Talking Smack studio, recently crowned WWE Champion Daniel Bryan was now the one
03:09 ranting down the camera.
03:10 Fancy that.
03:11 Taking aim at consumerism, the new Daniel Bryan attack concession stands for ruining
03:15 people's health.
03:16 Bryan noted that the WWE Universe were filling a void with this fast food because their lives
03:20 were so empty and vacuous.
03:22 Bryan then brilliantly compared AJ Styles to a hot dog, which he'd just snatched out
03:27 of a poor fan's mouth.
03:28 As Brenner fan chomped down on this processed treat, they were left feeling empty and moved
03:32 on to something else.
03:33 Tell us how you really feel.
03:34 He would continue to tear apart needless consumption, all while staring a hole down the lens of
03:39 the poor trailing camera.
03:41 This fiery delivery marked the beginning of a brave new chapter in Bryan's story, and
03:45 arguably his finest within the WWE landscape.
03:47 6.
03:48 Randy Savage is the cream of the crop You're always guaranteed a spirited and often
03:52 undecipherable must-see interview whenever Macho Man Randy Savage strolled onto a WWF
03:57 set, and his brilliant "cream of the crop" promo was another stellar example of this.
04:02 Former Intercontinental Champion Savage burst into frame beside mean Gene Oakland and didn't
04:07 waste time with the niceties.
04:08 "Nothing means nothing," he roared, before noting that he was justifiably in a position
04:12 he'd rather not be in, but the cream rise to the top.
04:16 Macho Man then produced what looked like a disposable milk cup, before dropping it and
04:20 calling out President Jack Tunney for supposedly costing him his title at WrestleMania 3, all
04:24 while continually producing and disposing of his odd little cups.
04:28 One particular moment of brilliance came when Savage attempted to balance one of the cups
04:32 on his noggin, only to fail and then use that failure as inspiration, following up with
04:36 "On balance, off balance, it doesn't matter, I'm better than you are, yeah!"
04:40 Between Savage's trademark high-octane presentation and the unpredictable content of his speech,
04:45 this down-the-lens stream of consciousness quickly became one of the most beloved promos
04:49 in wrestling history.
04:50 5.
04:51 "With a tear in my eye" His earlier, bloodier entry was certainly something
04:54 special, but the long-since and now understandably blacklisted Ric Flair's straight-to-camera
04:59 speech after winning the vacant WWF title for the very first time at the 1992 Royal
05:04 Rumble was something else entirely.
05:06 A top-note, Rumble-winning Flair had been escorted backstage to be officially presented
05:10 his new WWF title by President Jack Tunney, and what followed was one of the most memorable
05:15 off-the-cuff promos in wrestling history.
05:17 With "A tear in his eye," Flair told the whole world that this was the greatest moment
05:21 in his life, and we bloody well believed him.
05:23 Since thoroughly soiled legacy or not, Flair couldn't hide the joy in his face in this
05:27 moment.
05:28 After finally winning the prestigious belt and his refusal to break away from the camera
05:32 staring him in the face, Scorch this iconic moment into many a fan's mind for years
05:36 to come.
05:37 4.
05:38 Jake "The Snake" Roberts' Muck of Avarice promo
05:40 Another trip down memory lane brings us to the game-changing Jake "The Snake" Roberts.
05:44 In one of his greatest moments of unsettling focus, The Snake spoke with Mean Gene Oakland
05:49 just before his match with Ted DiBiase at WrestleMania VI.
05:52 Roberts looked straight down the barrel and reminded DiBiase that everything the Million
05:55 Dollar Man stood for was on the line, including his prestigious Million Dollar Belt.
06:00 Producing a sickening chuckle, Roberts stated that DiBiase could have it back if he got
06:04 through Damien and me.
06:06 Shifting from snake-toying with his food to driven advocate of those less fortunate than
06:10 DiBiase, The Snake lambasted his rival for making fun of and humbling those who could
06:14 use his money for essentials.
06:16 Roberts then went on to promise that this time, you'll be the one that's humbled,
06:19 this time you'll be the one that's humiliated, and this time you'll be the one that grovels
06:23 for the money.
06:24 All while searing a hole through the ever-present lens in front of him, Roberts found it appropriate
06:28 that the money DiBiase would be groveling for was his own, and enjoyed the fact he was
06:31 set to become a victim of his own greed, wallowing in the muck of avarice.
06:36 We as fans just found the whole thing rather compelling/disturbing, and couldn't wait
06:39 to see Roberts get his hands on his Million Dollar Man.
06:42 3.
06:43 Eddie Guerrero threatens Rey Mysterio After Eddie Guerrero viciously turned on his
06:46 best friend/tag partner Rey Mysterio on the 5th May 2005 episode of Smack Her Down, Latino
06:52 Heat had a lot of explaining to do.
06:54 Immediately exuding a new brooding attitude, the former WWE Champion wandered down to the
06:59 ring without a lowrider in sight.
07:01 A dead behind the eyes Guerrero explained to the crowd why he did what he did.
07:05 Guerrero confessed that Mysterio wanted a fight, so he gave him a fight, before admitting
07:09 that he didn't want to attack his friend and that Mysterio made him do it.
07:12 Again, this promo wasn't entirely fired down the lens, as Guerrero expertly alternated
07:16 between blasting his anger at his former ally's mask, and hitting back at the WWE fans in
07:21 attendance who had been stealing his bashin'.
07:23 Yet the masterful performer saved the best for last, as he finally turned his attention
07:28 to the camera in the ring.
07:29 Guerrero completed his transformation into sickening heel with the words "Think of
07:33 your family, Aalyah and Dominik, your son and your daughter.
07:36 Don't make me hurt them, Rey", all while ominously staring deep into the soul of Mysterio
07:41 and the uncomfortable fans watching at home.
07:43 2.
07:44 The Rock Addresses His Armageddon Opponents It's probably about time to take a look
07:48 at one of the funniest down the lens promos we've ever been treated to.
07:51 It's all been quite dark up to now, hasn't it?
07:52 In this moment, The Rock was mere days away from a titanic Armageddon six-man Hell in
07:57 a Cell match for the WF title in December 2000.
08:00 Cutting his interviewer off mid-speech, The Great One took a moment to connect with the
08:03 New Jersey Raw crowd, and then proceeded to lay into his five rivals one by one.
08:08 Instead of performing to Kevin Kelly, however, Rock turned his attention to the camera.
08:12 Iconic digs such as "I'm gonna drink a big glass of milk", "Eat some chocolate chip
08:16 cookies and then maybe I'll take three Viagra", when impersonating Kurt Angle were made all
08:20 the more hilarious by The Rock's refusal to break away from the lens in his face.
08:24 Rock showcased his stellar comedic range and unparalleled improvisational skills with each
08:28 and every side-splitting, surprisingly accurate parody.
08:31 However, the cream of the crop, as Macho Man would put it, was the People's Champion's
08:35 spot-on imitation of arch-nemesis Stone Cold Steve Austin, complete with trademark camouflage
08:40 cap and a cheeky Backstreet Boys reference.
08:42 1.
08:43 Dusty Rhodes' Hard Times Promo It couldn't be anyone else, could it?
08:46 Cutting one of the greatest promos of any era way back in 1985, Dusty Rhodes had a message
08:51 for World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair, and he was intent on sending it directly into
08:55 the camera staring him in the face.
08:57 Beginning this iconic speech by stating that Flair had no respect and no honor, Rhodes
09:02 then confessed that Flair put hard times on the Challenger's family.
09:05 Those two words proved to be the catalyst for this once-in-a-lifetime piece of down-the-lens
09:09 passion.
09:10 Rhodes set about uniting a nation/planet by highlighting what hard times actually were.
09:15 Textile and auto workers struggling to make ends meet?
09:17 People who've been in a job for 30 years, only to be replaced by a computer and sent
09:21 on their way?
09:22 These were all "hard times," according to Rhodes, and the passionate fans in front
09:25 of him clearly agreed.
09:27 Right here, Rhodes became the voice of the everyman, and established himself as the ultimate
09:30 babyface by thoroughly connecting with each and every fan all over the world, all going
09:35 through their own rough patches.
09:36 In Rhodes, they had a glimmer of hope, though, and he promised to deliver them the world's
09:40 heavyweight title.
09:41 Yet he'd already delivered the most riveting straight-to-camera address in all of pro wrestling
09:44 history.
09:45 He'd more than done his part.
09:46 And that's our list, nor have any other of the best down-the-lens promos in WWE history
09:51 that we've missed.
09:52 Let us know all about them in the comments section right down below, and do not forget
09:54 to like, share and click on that subscribe button while you're at it.
09:57 Also, make sure to head on over to WhatCulture.com if you like this kind of thing, and click
10:00 on some more amazing articles just like the one you're watching right now that I wrote
10:05 is based on.
10:06 I've been Gareth from WhatCulture Wrestling, thank you as always for clicking on this video
10:09 today, and I'm sure I'll see you very, very soon.
10:11 Bye!