The ESSENTIALS: Video Promos

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  There have been many great video packages in WWE history, but only so few truly defined what the match was all about.  Only few told the story and built immense hype for the upcoming match at the same time.  These packages I have chosen stand high above the rest.



See which of your favorites made the cut after the jump



Number 10:: Wrestlemania XXVII: Triple H vs. The Undertaker

"There can only be one...last...outlaw."





This promo was for the first big match of the year 2011, it had to be epic and tell a hell of a story if we were going to buy Triple H against the streak.  Whoever has been doing them this past year has just been doing an amazing job and this video encompasses the massive buildup of the real main event of Mania' in 2011.  You really felt as if Triple H would do anything to win this match, and that it was going to be a true fight to the death.



Number 9:: Royal Rumble 2000: Triple H vs. Cactus Jack

"For a man who wrestles in nails and barbed wire, this'll be a day in Central Park."





This was one of my top ten all time favorite matches and this promo was the perfect setup for it.  The brilliance of this one, is in the story.  Mick Foley was clowning around as Mankind at the time and it seemed as if his sadistic days were long behind him.  Taking notice of this, The Game began to bully Foley and got so ahead of himself that he even accepted a challenge from Mick at the Royal rumble.  What he did not expect, was the return of the sick & twisted cactus jack.




Number 8:: Summerslam 2003: Randy Orton vs. Goldberg vs. Triple H vs. Kevin Nash vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

"A solid steel, designed to punish, the human body."




This promo was for the second ever Elimination Chamber match and it did an excellent job of intertwining so many different feuds at once.  You knew that with all the bad blood in this match, that you were going to see hell break loose by the time this package was over.




Number 7:: No Way Out 2006: Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker

"Once that bell rings, I don't have a soul either."




This match is quite possibly my favorite match ever, and a lot of it has to do with this promo.  You could feel the intense level of pure competition between these two legends and their chemistry was just off the charts.  This package must have been easy to make, because the story here tells itself.




Number 6:: Wrestlemania XXVIII: Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels

"When it was time, they had to take that dog out back, and FINISH it."




This will go down as one of the more emotional packages ever created.  The story was simple, yet devastatingly effective.  The greatest wrestler to ever live, would have to put his career on the line against a man who idolized him, and would eventually become his successor.




Number 5:: Wrestlemania XIX: Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar

"I won an Olympic gold medal with a broken freakin' neck!"




This promo unlike every other on this list, did not rely as much on the story.  This one felt as if you were seeing two legit bad ass athletes in their prime.  This felt more like boxing then pro wrestling, the legitimacy of both men created an intense level of competition that no one will ever top.




Number 4:: Wrestlemania XXV: Triple H vs. Randy Orton

"I.E.D? No, no, no, no, no.  I knew exactly, what I was doing."




This is easily the most personal promo on the list.  This match was a bit of a letdown, but who could forget the unbelievable events leading up to it.  Randy Orton was a sick bastard at the time, and the biggest heel in the WWE.  This package sums up his brilliant 2009 run on top of building a hype that was in the end, too much to live up to.




Number 3:: Money In The Bank 2011: CM Punk vs. John Cena

"Do I have everybody's attention now?"




The best promo of the year, and it's fitting that it coincides with the best match of the year.  This promo sums up all of CM Punk's scathing rants leading up to his epic clash with John Cena at MITB.  Every part of this promo was just perfect, as you really feel the anger and passion coming out of Punk's pores and Cena's slight arrogance at thinking he would be able to hold Punk back.




Number 2:: Wrestlemania XXVI: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker


Promo 1: Shawn Michaels story:

"Y'know something Undertaker....I can beat you!'






Promo 2: The Undertaker story

"Face me at Wrestlemania Undertaker and have your revenge."





Prior to the actual match, they used another song for the promo and I was very disappointed.  These one's were so good, I couldn't understand why they would not just blend the two.  Still, airing in two consecutive weeks, these packages summed the match up for me completely.



And which promo was the greatest ever made?



Number 1:: Wrestlemania XVII: The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin

"I will give you every drop of sweat, every drop of blood, every ounce of energy that I have."



This promo was the first time I got chills watching a pre-match video.  I don't think I will ever see another package as perfect as this one was.  It had so much intensity and so much drama, and you really had no idea who was going to win this one.  In short, the promo is FUCKING AWESOME!  I remember actually going and buying that horrible Limp Bizkit CD, just so I could listen to this song over and over.  Every quote from this video is historic, every scene amazing, it has become the silent measuring stick for all promos to this very day.