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2000 R.S.P-W Awards

Best Interviewee

Awards
Best Interviewee                        

Award Description:

To be given to the person who gives the best interview in the biz. This could 
be a wrestler or a manager. 

Previous Winners:

  1990: Ric Flair 
  1991: Ric Flair 
  1992: Ric Flair 
  1993: Ric Flair 
  1994: Ric Flair 
  1995: Shawn Michaels
  1996: Stone Cold Steve Austin
  1997: Stone Cold Steve Austin
  1998: Mankind (Dude Love / Cactus Jack / Mick Foley)
  1999: Mankind

**2000**: The Rock

544 first place votes
535 second place votes
523 third place votes

129 58 53  925   Rock
 85 67 61  748   Edge & Christian
 77 71 43  684   Mick Foley (Cactus Jack / Mankind)
 54 94 64  680   Kurt Angle
 61 72 65  651   Triple H
 49 61 68  564   Chris Jericho
 32 43 32  353   Ric Flair
  7 13 21  116   Steve Austin
  5  4 13   63   Scott Steiner
  3  2 16   53   Corino
  3  2 14   49   Steve Corino
  2  4  4   30   Tazz
  5  1  0   28   Gene Okerlund
  0  4  8   28   Lance Storm
  3  2  2   25   William Regal
  3  2  2   25   Atsushi Onita
  0  3  8   25   Chris Benoit
  3  3  0   24   Michael Cole
  3  0  4   23   Curry Man
  2  3  2   23   Kevin Nash
  3  0  2   19   Jonathan Coachman
  2  0  4   18   Pamela Paulshock
  1  1  5   18   New Jack
  1  3  1   16   Cima
  0  2  5   16   Jeff Jarrett
  0  2  5   16   Eddie Guerrero
  2  0  2   14   Vince McMahon
  1  0  3   11   Cat
  0  3  0    9   Lilian Garcia
  0  1  3    9   Booker T.
  1  0  1    7   Kintaro Kanemura
  1  0  1    7   Franchise
  0  1  2    7   Steven Richards (Right to Censor)
  0  1  2    7   Kevin Kelly
  1  0  0    5   Villano III
  1  0  0    5   Steve Rizzono
  1  0  0    5   Sasuke The Great
  1  0  0    5   Raven
  1  0  0    5   Meng
  1  0  0    5   Jerry Lawler
  1  0  0    5   Jacqueline
  1  0  0    5   Hayabusa
  0  1  1    5   Ricky Fuji
  0  1  1    5   Mike Sanders
  0  1  1    5   Danny Doring & Roadkill
  0  0  2    4   Undertaker
  0  0  2    4   Survival Tobita
  0  1  0    3   Sinister Minister
  0  1  0    3   Mike Tenay
  0  1  0    3   Mike Awesome
  0  1  0    3   Joey Styles
  0  1  0    3   Diamond Dallas Page
  0  1  0    3   Arn Anderson
  0  1  0    3   Al Snow
  0  0  1    2   Yoshihiro Tajiri
  0  0  1    2   Shane McMahon
  0  0  1    2   Roddy Piper
  0  0  1    2   Kane
  0  0  1    2   Jim Ross
  0  0  1    2   Hardcore Holly
  0  0  1    2   Elix Skipper
  0  0  1    2   Buff Bagwell
  0  0  1    2   Bret Hart

REJECTED

  1  2  4        "Tie" votes
  0  2  0        Duplicated votes
  0  0  1        Chris Hyatte

(Everybody who voted for an interviewER needs glasses and/or a dictionary
 - CRZ)

HIRO: This was a close call between Rock and Jericho. Even though some of
their acts are getting stale (reusing catchphrases too often), no one else
gave out better interviews than these too with the exception of Mick
Foley. Among the many improved interviewees this year includes Kurt Angle
and surprisingly Chris Benoit who gets better and better as the year
progresses.

MICHAEL BANKER: Again, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, and HHH were all very close.  
It was very difficult to figure out who should be rated ahead of whom.  
In fact, if you asked me again in two seconds, my answers would probably
change.

DEVON: No one was as entertaining on the mic as Edge, Christian and Kurt
Angle.  I marked like crazy for their 5-second poses.

CHRISTOPHER GRIFFIN: Whilst I LOATHE the Rock as a babyface, I admit that
he still does killer interviews- that's all he has left...

DAN LONEY: Amazed that the Rock has never won this award.

SCOTT W.: The Rock is the best interview.  If he shit in the ring, it
would be so over.  The guy talks great and is funny.  I never get tired of
him and his routine isn't played out like some say.  If this guy was on
your roster, would you let him talk?  I thought so...  Jericho is a good
interview and New Jack. Holy shit.  When New Jack talks, I listen..  The
guy can cut a promo.

DONNIE VOMIT: Nobody had more original, funny and crowd inciting comments
than Edge, Christian, Kurt Angle and William Regal.  It proves that you
can get crowds to react without completely relying on repetitive
catchphrases.

MARCUS SPARKS: Flair's still The Man on the stick.  Foley's funny and good
at improvising when necessary.  Jericho's hilarious when he's got a good
target to poke fun at.

JOHN C.: Before this year The Rock was a good talker who had a lot of
potential on the microphone. This year, he stepped up to the plate and
delivered solid promos on almost every show that remained fresh rather
than relying solely on his catchphrases like he did during Russo's WWF
tenure. From his debut at Survivor Series '99, Kurt Angle has impressed me
with his microphone work week after week. He needs to work on his serious
side a bit more but that'll improve as he becomes a more experienced
performer. Triple H, although improved over last year, comes in third
mainly because he tends to talk too much when he is out there while The
Rock and Angle get to the point a lot more succinctly with some humour
mixed in. Edge, Christian and Mick Foley just miss out on this category.

JOSEPH MICELI: By far Kurt Angle's interviews crack me up.

MARKUS: And to think, they didn't let Edge talk at first! Hah. These guys
are the funniest thing in years. They SO rule!

JAMES HOWARD: "We call this one...
'IfyouhaddahitthatfieldgoalyouwouldhavebeenthechampionsfinallywouldhavewononeinsteadoflosingfourinarowbutyouDIDN'TsoTOOBAAAAD'...
for FIVE! SECONDS! OWN-LAY!"

GEORGE JOHNSON: I laughed for days after Angle came out with that scooter.

JOE GAGNE: Edge and Christian are such naturals on the mic, it?s amazing
they weren?t given the chance to show their skills sooner.  Mick Foley?s
commissioner role allowed him to have great interactions with nearly every
WWF star.  Scott Steiner, strangely enough, made my best and worst list of
interviews, since his interviews are so mangled and bizarre they actually
end up being entertaining.

CHRISTOPHER SHEA: Jericho, despite the occasional amusing promo, hasn't
really found a good note as a face; the Rock, on the other hand, has
finally moved past his "Catchphrase Mad Libs" phase and regularly delivers
amusing work. But E &C, though, (insert your own "reek" line here).

TROY OLSON: I ranked Steiner 3rd as both the best and worst interviewee.  
I guess his interviews are like a train wreck, because I just have to
watch.

NATHAN LONEY: Edge and Christian TOTALLY reek of AWESOMENESS!  Yeah,
nobody else will send that in as a comment. :)  They rock the mic and rock
the party that TOTALLY rocks the body!  Kurt Angle is frickin' great on
the stick.  See Steve.  See Steve make Steph cry.  See Steve threatening
Rikishi.  Steve is great on the microphone, even after all these years.

BILL LEHECKA: Until recently, Triple H could cut a amazing promo without
using one catchphrase.  Now that he uses the "I am the Game," and "I'm
that DAMN good," he still can put together an awesome promo.

NATE PATRIN: Rock would be higher if he'd just drop his addiction to
catchphrases and his somewhat unsettling references to animal genitalia.
(Chris Benoit giving a wolverine a rimjob is not a pleasant mental image.
THANKS, Dwayne.)

BLAZEJ SZPAKOWICZ: Mick Foley's still the man. Cheap pops rule. When he's
not playing Mr. Lovable Goof Commish, he's as amazing on the mic as he's
ever been... And when he *is* playing it, he's still pretty damn good!
Kurt Angle's just great. It's true, it's true. And to think that just
before he debuted people were bemoaning his *lack* of charisma! Chris
Jericho rounds out the trio. Rock, Triple H and E&C are the runners up,
and any of them could easily have won in any other year.

LAWRENCE BENEDETTO: HHH gets angrier than anybody else on the stick.

TANVIR RAQUIB: Steiner is a loose cannon on the mic - dig that. Cactus
Jack cut some great promos down the stretch - dig that. Edge and Christian
actually speak nowadays.

RAVI MISRA:  Whether it be the cheap pops he gets as WWF commissioner, or
the intensity he brought to the stick w/Catctus Jack, Mick Foley can work
a crowd.  It's a shame you can't put two people at the top, because The
Rock is still at the top of his game in the mic department.  Kurt Angle,
is also learning, but he is damn good.  It's true, it's true.

JEFF "FRO" WAHLMAN: No one has the charisma that that Rock does.  Cactus
Jack had UNREAL mic work during his feud with HHH at the beginning of the
year and Foley would easily be #1 if he was still wrestling.  Scott
Steiner was about the only thing interesting in WCW last year.

PHIL PRZYBYLO: Edge and Christian get the top spot.  Ever since the heel
turn, they haven't cracked or even sounded a little vulnerable.  
Constantly funny.  They also did the high school bully shtick well against
the Hardy's.  Rock takes second for obvious reasons.  Foley takes third
for emotional range in his interviews.

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Best Interviewee
Best Angle
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