Pro Wrestling's 15 Greatest Catchphrases of All Time

Different wrestlers use different things to make themselves stand out from the rest. Sometimes it is a strange outfit, other times it is crazy hair and tattoos and sometimes they will even dress up in the clothes of the opposite gender.

One thing that almost every successful wrestler has in common is a catchphrase. These catchphrases sometimes act as mantras while other times they are simply used to hype the crowd.

Guys like Hulk Hogan and The Rock are famous for having several catchphrases that they use on a regular basis.

These phrases can be a whole sentence, and sometimes they can be one simple word, and sometimes they aren't even real words. I am looking at you, Ric Flair.

So what I have decided to do is list the 15 greatest wrestling catchphrases. This list in in no particular order because saying which one of The Rock's catchphrases is the best is kind of hard to do.

I would like to remind you that these are my opinions and I do not expect everyone to agree with me, so please feel free to leave what you think are some great catchphrases I didn't mention in the comments section below.

Hulkamania Is Running Wild, Brother

Arguably the most recognizable face in pro wrestling is Hulk Hogan, naturally he would have one of the most recognizable catchphrases of all time.

Hogan was WWE and WCW's top guy for most of the 80s and 90s. He was seen as the ultimate good guy. He embodied everything WWE wanted its fans to cheer for.

His moniker of Hulk Hogan eventually spawned the buzz words Hulkamania and Hulkamaniacs to describe the Hogan revolution and his loyal followers.

His catchphrase eventually became "Hulkamania is running wild, Brother" and soon after it began to appear on shirts, lunchboxes and posters for the red and yellow hero.

WOOOOOO!

Every once in a while, a wrestler is so influential on the business that one simple move that is used by just about every wrestler gets associated with that person.

Without fail, whenever someone performs a knife-edged chop on their opponents, you will hear a loud "Woooooo" come from the crowd. That is because they are paying respect to Ric Flair.

The man with the flashy robes and blonde hair has been around for decades and has had one of the most storied careers in all of wrestling.

His trademark "Woooooo" was somewhat of a war cry. It was his way of being cocky and showing his opponents that no matter how good they thought they were, they still had to go through the Nature Boy.

I can even say that on occasion I have heard non-wrestling fans use the "Woooooo" and then do the Ric Flair strut—that's how well known he is.

This may not seem like a catchphrase to some people, but it is still the most well-known crowd reaction in all of wrestling.

If You Smell What the Rock Is Cookin'

A man who was so impactful in the business that WWE feels bringing him back will draw in more viewers.

The Rock's time in WWE may not have been as long as some of the other legends on this list, but he made a bigger impact that most who have stepped through the ropes.

He has many different catchphrases which are all equally entertaining, but one seems to stand out from the rest. "If you smell what The Rock is cooking" is one phrase that always gets the crowds on their feet.

Just hearing Dwayne Johnson's voice at the beginning of his theme music is enough to get an entire arena screaming their heads off.

I can even remember Barrack Obama using a variation of this during his presidential election—that's how big this phrase has become.

Rest in Peace

These words are usually used to say goodbye to a loved one who has passed on. It is written on more graves than probably any other phrase around the world.

In the world of WWE, however, they mean something a little different. These three simple yet powerful words are associated with the most prolific figure in wrestling.

The Undertaker is someone who was given a gimmick that was meant to be temporary and took it to a level which has never been matched by another wrestler.

For any wrestling fan, The Undertaker represents the world of fantasy. A world where a seemingly dead man roams the ring searching for souls to take with him.

His gimmick has changed over the years, but these three words have always been linked to the dead man.

Suck It!

Two words, two syllables and six letters make up one of the most recognizable catchphrases of all time.

When DX first got together on screen, they were doing everything they could to break the rules. They were using foul language, making suggestive gestures and propositioning the female employees of the company.

Two words they spouted one night would go on to become one of the most profitable phrases in WWE history. The words "Suck It" were the ultimate slap in the face to authority figures.

Oddly enough, now Triple H is the guy in the suit who is being told off by young brash superstars named CM Punk and The Miz.

The words "Suck It" have been used in an insulting fashion for quite some time, but when DX began using them as their catchphrase, they took on a whole new life of their own.

And That's the Bottom Line 'Cause Stone Cold Said So!

Stone Cold Steve Austin had quite a journey to get to where he is today. His first real exposure to fame was as a member of The Hollywood Blondes along with Brian Pillman.

The two tagged together in WCW before being split up to become singles wrestlers. Once Austin made his way to WWE, he was given the gimmick of The Ringmaster.

This was a terrible gimmick and eventually Austin decided to just go by Steve Austin before coming up with the Stone Cold name. An interesting fact: In an interview, Austin said it was his wife who inspired the nickname by saying "Drink your tea before it gets stone cold."

The speech where he first used the now famous "Austin 3:16" line may stand out, but his phrase of "Cause Stone Cold said so" became just as big.

The leader of Tough Enough has certainly had quite a ride in his lifetime, and he seems to have no intentions of stopping anytime soon.

Know Your Role and Shut Your Mouth!

Another one of Rocky's most famous lines is one he has said many times in his life. Part of The Rock's persona is that he is an in-your-face personality who will not take anything you have to say seriously.

To say something like this to someone is very insulting, which is exactly why The Rock would say it to just about everyone.

One thing he is famous for other than wrestling is his ability to run down just about anyone with insults that are both funny and original.

This phrase became his way of shutting someone up who he did not want talking to him. Usually this was Jonathan Coachman, who was the recipient of this tongue-lashing, but sometimes it was people like Stephanie and Vince McMahon too.

What a Rush!

By far my favorite tag team of all time is the Legion of Doom. Also known as The Road Warriors, Hawk and Animal were one of the most dominant forces in all of wrestling.

They helped to revolutionize the tag team division in just about every company that ran shows in the US during the 80s and 90s.

Their signature catchphrase was not something they would say to necessarily insult anyone, but rather to to psych themselves and their fans up for the match at hand.

When their music hit and you heard Hawk's voice screaming those words, you knew you were in for a treat because LOD was about to run all over someone.

I miss Hawk and Animal and someday I hope WWE does a really great DVD set chronicling their entire career with interviews and backstage footage to accompany their matches.

R.I.P. Michael James Hegstrand aka Road Warrior Hawk.

OOOH YEAH!

Another wrestler who we lost not long ago who made a huge impact on the business is Macho Man Randy Savage.

The one-time Slim Jim spokesman had one of the most successful careers in wrestling. He was one of the few people able to break through during the reign of Hulkamania.

He became so popular that eventually WWF teamed him up with Hogan to capitalize on the two men's popularity.

His gravelly voice, outrageous ring attire and beautiful valet/wife Elizabeth helped him to stand out from the pack, but it was his signature "OOOH YEAH!" that made him memorable.

He even became so popular that Slim Jim used him and his catchphrase for years.

Everybody's Got a Price

The Million Dollar man, Ted DiBiase, is one of those wrestlers who many were surprised never won the WWF world title during his career.

He was a very talented wrestler in the ring and an amazing worker on the mic. His gimmick of a rich guy who would pay people to do humiliating things for money made him one of the most hated heels in all of wrestling.

Along with IRS, he held the tag team titles, but it was his Million Dollar Championship that made him infamous. He was one of the few people to ever introduce their own non-sanctioned titles in WWE history.

The words he used all the time also rang throughout his entrance theme. His motto of "Everyone's got a price" was the ultimate sign of ego and vanity, which is what can make a good heel into a great heel.

DiBiase's legacy in the WWE will probably not be remembered in the same way as a guy like Steve Austin, but he was no less talented an athlete and no less memorable of a character.

You're Fired!

One of the worst things that can happen to a person is to be fired from their job, but to have it done the way Vince McMahon does it is far worse.

Vince likes to make a spectacle out of firing someone if it is for storyline purposes or they are simply leaving for a short time.

Vince McMahon became the super heel Mr. McMahon character after the Montreal screwjob incident, so he figured he may as well embrace it.

He started becoming more maniacal over time, and soon he began firing people in embarrassing, public ways. One of his favorite things to do is have someone kiss his ass, which is a sign of his huge ego.

When Trump tried to trademark the phrase, the person he had to go through was Vince McMahon because he had already been using it for years on television. Now the two share the phrase, but Vince's is far more threatening.

When he goes deep down in his gut to get that disturbing voice, you know you are about to hear a signature Vince McMahon tirade, and chances are good someone will lose their job.

Viva La Raza

Eddie Guerrero is one of the wrestlers who left us far too soon. His legacy will stand up as someone who always put his best effort into his matches and had one of the most engaging personalities of all time.

Latino Heat had many different little phrases throughout his time in WWE, but "Viva La Raza" is the one he used most often and is associated with him the most.

The phrase roughly translates to "Long live the people." It is a phrase typically used by people of Mexican descent.

Eddie used it to mean his family, fans and friends. His impact on wrestling was huge as he was one of the people no one ever thought would be a world champion, until he beat Brock Lesnar for the belt.

Hearing Eddie scream the words "Viva La Raza" is something I still miss to this day.

I'm AWESOME!

When I first realized that The Miz was using the words "I'm awesome" as his catchphrase, I was really disappointed because it seemed like a very lazy move.

Now I understand the logic behind it. Having a guy like The Miz constantly telling you how awesome he is will surely get under anyone's skin. His level of annoyance is so high that simply uttering these words will make some people cringe.

This is what made him one of WWE's top heels. Being a heel is more than picking on the little guy and insulting the city you are wrestling in. It is about getting the fans to truly despise you.

Guys like Ric Flair made being a heel into an art form, one which is studied by current superstars. The Miz seems to have received his masters degree in being annoying.

The more The Miz annoyed me with this catchphrase, the more I realized I liked him. He is a loudmouth, cocky and downright obnoxious individual who fought past the "reality star" title to become WWE champion.

I have a huge amount of respect for The Miz because I watched his season of the Real World and I remember him always talk about wanting to be a wrestler. To see someone take that kind of journey throughout the years was amazing.

To see him go from a cocky young guy on the Real World, to a competitor on the RW/RR challenges, to a prospect on Tough Enough and finally to a world champion in WWE is something no one else has had.

So I guess I have to agree. Yes, The Miz, you are Awesome.

DAMN

I had to include this one simply out of my love for Ron Simmons. The former Acolyte and Nation of Domination leader was the first black world champion in WCW.

His career had its ups and downs, including a brief run as the ridiculous Farooq Asaad and the co-owner of the APA with Bradshaw.

I love when WWE brings him in because even though he only says one word on most occasions, it is usually delivered with great humor. Seeing him and The Rock reunite briefly recently was great too.

Woo Woo Woo You Know It

I couldn't resist putting this on the list. The way Zack Ryder has shot to fame in the WWE is so unconventional that he deserves special attention.

I cannot think of a greater example of a guy who turned lemons into lemonade. He got himself over all on his own with no screen time and a video camera. No one else in WWE can say that.

His humor and enthusiasm for wrestling came through on his YouTube show and made him a cult hero of the WWE universe.

Now arenas are littered with Zack Ryder shirts, headbands and signs bearing the phrase "Woo Woo Woo You Know It."

At one point, it was said there were so many Zack Ryder signs at shows that WWE was taking them from fans.

This may not be one of the best catchphrases, but I had to put it on the list to pay respect to one of the biggest underdogs of all time.

Long Island Iced Z is bound for great things in the WWE, you know it.