Mic work is a bit of a lost art which largely contributes to professional wrestlers not being able to get over as easily as they once did, but they are doing their best to leverage the various platforms on the Internet as well as television in order to get themselves over and make more money for themselves and for their company which is all that can be asked.
Promo work/character development is one aspect of professional wrestling that has suffered as the business has evolved over the last 30 – 40 years. It is a little bit counterintuitive because with the emergence of podcasts (WWE superstars such as The New Day and Alexa Bliss have their own podcast exclusive to them), YouTube as well as social media platforms in addition to the WWE Network. One might be inclined to think that the business should be in better shape than ever with all of these options for wrestlers to be able to promote themselves.
Unfortunately, professional wrestlers across the world have suffered largely due to Vince McMahon promoting professional wrestling to be presented just like a TV show since purchasing WWF from his father in 1984, emphasizing the entertainment aspect and setting the bar for other companies within that niche. As a result, many wrestlers are simply not given the adequate amount of time in front of viewers to make themselves into stars and get to the point where they control their own destiny in the business.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, WWE use to have an entire day devoted solely to cutting promos and in the process superstars developed their character for a more authentic presentation. This would make the company as well as the performer more money in the long run because, if a performer has the ability to sell a match based on the story, then the audience is instantly more hooked because they have an aspect of the performance to emotionally become invested in. The end result is that more viewers are likely to buy what is being presented in front of their faces and that benefits everyone. It comes down to the story.
People like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and Hulk Hogan back in the day were given an entire day out of each week from 9 AM to 6 PM to do nothing but work on their promos, so everyone in the mix became excellent at it. If they were given that much time to work on it, they could not help but get better. There are people in the business today who are excellent on the microphone, but it’s not everyone like it used to be.
A true testament to how great the someone is in this department is when they can significantly elevate the status of a match or feud that is not very good or well put together. Unless you are someone like Roman Reigns, Drew McIntyre or Kenny Omega, there is not quite enough TV time for people to be able to shine; that’s why they need to continue to leverage any and all platforms on the Internet to further their characters, and, in the process make more money for themselves and for the company they work for.