Verbal Tic/Professional Wrestling

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Examples of Verbal Tic in Professional Wrestling include:

  • Virtually anybody who cuts a promo during an interview will say "let me tell you something" or "I'll tell you what" several times during the segment.
  • Ric Flair is almost incapable of finishing a sentence without adding at least one "Wooo!". The more passionate he gets, the more they show up.
  • Stone Cold Steve Austin (WHAT?) used to do this by adding "What?" (WHAT?) between every word he spoke (WHAT?) to cut off any response, (WHAT?) a habit that started during his memorable 2001 heel run (WHAT?) (when it was supposed to be rude and annoying). (WHAT?) Like most things during that run, the crowd absolutely loved it and used it (WHAT?) long after Stone Cold stopped. (WHAT?)
  • Let me tell you something, brother, that Hulk Hogan sure uses "brother" a lot, brother!
  • The Ultimate Warrior punctuated his sentences with a sort of nasal, feral grunt, which got immortalized in his short-lived comic book as, "SKRONK!"
  • Macho Man Randy Savage: "OOOOOHHHHHH YYYYEEEEEAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!" He also frequently used "YEAH!" and "DIG IT!" as punctuation.
  • Hacksaw Jim Duggan: "Hooo!", "Tough Guy!", and "U-S-A!"
  • Scott Steiner's "HUH?!"
  • Sheamus has a tendency to end every other sentence with "fella," fella.
  • Triple H went through a period of adding an "uh" sound to every third word he spoke.
  • Jim Ross would often say things three times! three times! three times, bah gawd!
  • Lay Cool does this occasionally, saying phrases like "Flawless!" and "Real talk!" always in unison, and always after a short pause.
  • Really? No mention of The Miz? Really? Really? Really?
  • Whenever Chris Jericho locks in a submission he screams "ASK HIM!" Presumably he's telling the ref to ask if his opponent submits, but he's even said it when holding someone outside a match.
  • Theodore Long says holla, playa. Believe that.
  • Daniel Bryan. YES! YES! YES!
  • Well, you know, it's like, not even exclusive to wrestlers, you know? Dave Meltzer os The Wrestling Observer Newsletter always says "you know" and "well, it's like" during radio shows.