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

337 first place votes
326 second place votes
318 third place votes

104  94  44  890   Mankind
119  39  45  802   Rock
 60 104  67  746   Chris Jericho
 25  30  42  299   Ric Flair
  3  18  22  113   Steve Austin
  2   5  21   67   Hardcore Holly
  4   7  11   63   Steve Corino
  3   2   2   25   Bret Hart
  1   2   5   21   Triple H
  1   3   3   20   Taz
  1   1   5   18   Shane Douglas
  2   0   3   16   Ivory
  0   1   6   15   Raven
  0   2   4   14   Cat
  2   0   1   12   Curt Hennig
  1   1   2   12   Arn Anderson
  2   0   0   10   Michael Cole
  1   1   1   10   Undertaker
  0   1   3    9   Al Snow
  0   1   2    7   Vince McMahon
  0   1   2    7   Steve Regal
  0   1   2    7   Road Dogg
  0   1   2    7   Buh Buh Ray Dudley
  0   0   3    6   Scott Hall
  1   0   0    5   Vader
  1   0   0    5   Joel Gertner
  1   0   0    5   Joe E. Legend
  1   0   0    5   Gene Okerlund
  1   0   0    5   Disco Inferno
  1   0   0    5   Atsushi Onita
  0   1   1    5   Pierroth Jr.
  0   1   1    5   Chyna
  0   0   2    4   Scott Steiner
  0   1   0    3   Sting
  0   1   0    3   Sid Vicious
  0   1   0    3   Rob Van Dam
  0   1   0    3   Mankind(NO)
  0   1   0    3   Kevin Nash
  0   1   0    3   Kane
  0   1   0    3   Johnny Ace
  0   1   0    3   Joey Styles
  0   1   0    3   Jim Cornette
  0   1   0    3   Eddie Guerrero
  0   0   1    2   Val Venis
  0   0   1    2   Triad
  0   0   1    2   Stevie Ray
  0   0   1    2   Shane McMahon
  0   0   1    2   Roadkill
  0   0   1    2   Pete "Gas"
  0   0   1    2   Outsiders
  0   0   1    2   Mike Burton (Bart Gunn)
  0   0   1    2   Michelle Starr
  0   0   1    2   Kevin Kelly
  0   0   1    2   Kanyon
  0   0   1    2   Jeff Jarrett
  0   0   1    2   Hulk Hogan
  0   0   1    2   Fit Finlay
  0   0   1    2   Cyrus
  0   0   1    2   Chavo Guerrero Jr.

EDC: Ric Flair is always somewhere in the top 3 in the interview
catergory. Same for Mankind. I think Shane Douglas surprised a few people
that said he couldn't interview.

K. CANZANELLA:  Mic Foley is still the king of the microphone. Pierroth
Jr. cuts *great* rudo promos, with a very mean voice, intensity that has
his veins popping out, and the occasional awesome "Hahahaha" laugh. Steve
Corino cut some great heel promos this year, especially related to Tommy
Dreamer and the hardcore style of wrestling.

SVEN MASCARENHAS: Can anyone top a Foley interview? There's some people
who're close (Steven Regal's facial expressions are priceless, and Bob
"Big Shot" Holly's sheer incredulousness was funny as all hell), but Foley
is above all others when it comes to both entertainment and hyping the
match. If you haven't read his book, do so. If you have, buy another copy
and screw the New York times over that much more. After all, who'd you
rather read: a book by Mick Foley or another estrogen laden Oprah
selection?

DON BECKER: Mick Foley is still the king... though why Cactus Jack was
nominated is beyond me.  The Cat, as much as you want to see him get his
ass whupped, is gold behind the mike.  Same with Ivory, whose mic skills
are vastly underrated.  In both cases, they communicate perfectly well
that they are heels, and you should boo them like nobody's business.

SHAWN MULLIN: Mankind is still the best on the stick.  He can get any
angle over, and always plays his part to perfection.  Jericho never ceases
to entertain, and the Rock, while he may be repetative, has the crowd in
the palm of his hand.

MAX CHITTISTER: I can't believe I just voted for Bob Holly in the Best
Interviewee category. I feel so dirty...

JBELL55146: Foley always is coming up with something original to say. Yes,
I know Rocky says the same thing every week....but I ALWAYS mark out for
it every time.  And Y2J's interview when he debuted is one of the best
interviews ever.

CAN00K: Is there ever a Mankind/Jericho/Flair promo that isn't
entertaining? Foley in "This is your life" still cracked me up.  
Jericho's interview in his debut was certainly one of, if not THE greatest
markout moment of the year.  And of course, Flair is Flair.

PAUL SHOCK:  Foley, Jericho, Rock.  How can anybody argue with this?

BLOB: Chris Jericho's mic work was unmatched by any superstar this year.
Flair's interviews are still great and Foley's comments were a bright part
of WWF's broadcast.

GEORGE CARTER:  Rock delivers the goods every single week. Ric Flair still
has more love for the sport than anyone else, and Jericho had another good
year.

JOHN C.:Foley is better on the mic than he is in the ring and that's
saying a lot cause he's pretty damn talented inside a ring too. Flair's
promos as the commissioner were fantastic and really were the highlight to
a lot of low times for WCW this past year. Jericho gets the third spot
over Austin, Rocky and McMahon because his speeches upon debuting in the
WWF were classic. I don't think I'll ever forget the way I marked out
during his speech on August 9, 1999 in Chicago when he made his Raw debut
and for the first time said "Welcome to Raw is Jericho." I'm a
Jerichoholic, what did you expect me to say?

SEAN FLYNN: Is there anyone else who could come close to these guys
anymore?

KEVIN WONG: the Rock, Chris Jericho and Austin. All 3 can work the mic,
and the audience, any way they want to.  I put Jericho second because of
that great promo he cut in Toronto last March on Nitro - I don't think a
crowd has ever turned on a wrestler faster than with that speech.

B. SZPAKOWICZ: "Welcome to RAW... is... Jericho!" Y2J's debut promo was
easily my favourite of the year, and a few of his others are in the top
ten. So he gets the top spot. Foley is Foley. Rock's fifty trillion
catchphrases can be very annoying, but he *does* put them together damn
well, and can be incredibly funny, so he gets third.

JEREMY SORIA: Mankind still has the ability to get the crowd on his side.
The Rock and Chris Jericho have been giving some great promos on the mike
over the past year. Their exchanges back in August on Raw literally stole
Jesse Ventura's thunder.

JUSTIN JONES: In order to be the Man, you've got to beat the Man....and
nobody will ever do that in the interview department.

HEATM:  Chris Jericho drops to #3 because he wasn't on TV for several
months this year.  His mic work in his first WWF appearance was good
enough for me.  Mankind is #1 on my list.  I loved Steve Corino as the
mouthpiece for Tajiri and he's a fantastic heel interview.  My honourable
mention goes to Ivory, who didn't have much material to work with, but
still managed to be one of the best mic workers in the WWF.

MDB: I tend to like Flair on the mic just a bit more than Mick, but Mick
had the more consistent material this year. (The promos Flair cut on Eric
and Hogan late98/early99 were some of the best this decade.) Third goes to
Y2J who will very likely be the champ of 2000.