The ability to work the crowd and manipulate a microphone can make an average wrestler great and a great wrestler legendary. The following people I've picked I feel are the very best at telling their story, setting the mood and manipulating a crowd. There were lots to consider but I tried to pick from what I thought was a diverse set of abilities. I hope this inspires some kind of debate or discussion amongst some of you.

5. The Rock

 The Rock, before he turned into a one-liner t-shirt selling machine, was/is one of the best to work behind a microphone. The evolution of his character from heel to to ultra heel. He took his weaknesses as a gimmick and made it a strength. He became so hated at one point that it was cool to like him.
Whether you are a fan of his in ring work or not, The Rock would walk into the ring and he never even had to say a word before the crowd was in a frenzy.
His ability to control thousands of people with just a few words was incredible. He always kept the heel arrogance but with enough humor to were it didn't come across a phony.
It cam to a point to where he could make or break anyone's career with a simple poignant promo. He was/is one of the best ever behind the mic.

4. "Hot Rod" Roddy Piper    Roddy Piper was a guy who I feel made a living more on his promos than he did with his wrestling skill. He would be able to build up a match to such levels to where you thought him and his opponent were literally going to kill eachother. That's what made him one of the best. He came across as crazy enough to do anything, but he kept his promos realistic enough to where it would tap dance that line between reality and scripted fantasy.  He made you believe that he was crazy. Not haha crazy but uh-oh crazy. This was during a time when people just weren't used to that. He made it captivating and believable. Piper continued doing The Piper's Pit while he was being phased from an in ring role and it was a place that you wanted to be as a wrestler. He could build up a match between two stuffed animals and make you believe it would be an absolute bloodbath.  3. Jake "The Snake" Roberts    Jake Roberts was another man whose ability to cut a promo superseded his in ring ability. He was different in the fact that he didn't have the catch phrases and he wasn't the loudest most uncontrolled person to interview. He was very terrifyingly cold and calculated. He was the type of guy who would scare you without ever raising his voice. Jake Roberts could draw you into his character whether you liked him or not. He was never really a pure heel or face throughout his career even though they tried to push him in a direction. He was without a doubt one of the best promos guys making you believe that he was capable of crossing the line from wrestling into a dangerous territory and that he wouldn't even care if he did. In what universe does this man become a beloved superstar? Mick Foley took his hard work and disregard for his body and coupled it with is ability to bend reality with his promos to become a wrestling legend. What was special with Mick is how diverse he was. When he was Mankind he would screech, pull his hair, and deliver some of the most chilling promos you ever heard. Mick then took that energy and transformed it into something special. After people read his book and began to learn about Mick, he took that fact and made you fall in love with him. He was an underdog you cheered for because you understood where hes been. One of the most unnerving men behind the microphone ever in the wrestling industry, bottom line. 1. Ric Flair Fucking Ric Flair. He is the best promo guy ever. I'm sorry if you have a different opinion because, sadly, you are wrong. Flair had two modes. Arrogant Flair and Bat Shit Crazy Flair and he was the best at both of them. When Flair's character was confident. He would strut to the ring with slow confidence and make you hate him. He would talk about his expensive suits, his limos, his planes, his watches, he would even take out a wad of money from his pocket just because he could. When we wrestled southern territories, it was that type of arrogance that made him loathed by fans. When Flair's character was bested or embarrassed. You got a whole new character from him. He went nuts. I would almost love to see him lose because I knew what type of shit show would be ready for the day after. He would convince everyone that he lost his mind. He would throw clothes all over the ring, and perform his famous (and my most loved) elbow drop his suit jacket maneuver.  He would rave on and on and turn red as a stop sign to a point where you became concerned for his health. He would take the tone of the interview to a point where you never knew if "this was finally the day Flair snapped" he was just that damn good at what he did.