Charisma is a critical factor in making or breaking a wrestler. Someone can have all the ring skills required for stardom, but it won't matter if they can't connect with the audience. Meanwhile, scores of stars may not have been good workers, but their fantastic charisma led them to the top. Some have that touch from the very beginning, while others need time to bring their natural charisma out, but having that is what makes true stars.
Sadly, some just don't have it. No matter how hard they try or how much they're pushed, some wrestling personalities don't have the charisma needed for their roles. It's not just wrestlers, as announcers or even on-air authority figures, people who should be carrying a storyline, lack that presence which is crucial in a performer. While there are many options, these are ten major WWE on-air characters who have almost no charisma and how it can hurt their drives in the company.
10 Tamina
Amid the various women of WWE, Tamina stands out with her size. Sadly, she also stands out for how flat she can be on the mic and is one of the least captivating women to see on TV. She's not awful in the ring but can't deliver a good promo to save her life and her teaming with Nia Jax was a terrible attempt at a "power team."
Yet Tamina isn't merely "impassive" but seems incapable of showing much emotion in the ring or on the mic. Her latest push has been chasing the 24/7 title and remarkable she's still working while far more charismatic ladies in WWE have been cut.
9 Giant Gonzalez
A lot of big men in wrestling have lacked charisma. So perhaps it makes sense one of the tallest in WWE history also had the lowest charisma level. While an impressive sight standing nearly eight feet tall, Giant Gonzalez was also terrible in the ring and often barely mobile.
It wasn't helped by how the best he could do was glower at guys in an unconvincing manner, with fans hating his push. Even the Great Khali showed more spark than Gonzalez did, as the man is arguably the worst "big man" in WWE history.
8 Bob Backlund
In terms of wrestling ability, Bob Backlund was one of the best WWE champions ever. Yet it's hard to imagine how he lasted six years as champion as one of the blandest personas around. Even in a time when wrestlers weren't as over-the-top, Backlund could be flat in promos and not intense in the ring.
There was a good reason opponents mocked him as "Howdy Doody" after the puppet character. His '90s run had a bit more spark with his "crazy old man" persona but he went right back to being bland later. Backlund is a nice guy in person, but it's with good reason that he only worked as champion in a different time.
7 Eva Marie
As much as she and the creative team tried, Eva Marie never came off that impressive in NXT and that's without her non-stop botches in the ring and on the mic.
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WWE tried to push her as an exotic force, but it never worked because as soon as she wrestled or talked, any appeal was washed away. Her recent return was a bit better, but that ended quickly as Eva never seemed committed to making herself look as impressive as she could in WWE.
6 Jinder Mahal
It's still astounding to realize Jinder Mahal got more time as WWE Champion than scores of more deserving figures. At times, he can seem intense, but his persona is more the "change the channel" type than "watch this monster heel work."
That WWE elevated him from jobber to champion in no time flat, which never made sense, and letting him keep the belt for six months made even less sense. They still push him somewhat, giving him some other titles and programs, but Jinder has never been captivating enough to justify WWE's supposed faith in him.
5 Mike Adamle
It's so easy to mock Mike Adamle over the years, yet it's also obvious why. From the start, the guy was a terrible announcer, constantly botching names and moves and his attempts to sound more exciting just exposed how awful he was.
For some reason, that got him a job as RAW General Manager in a low point for the show. The poor guy never had a chance with fans, not helped by his subpar promos and led to his being dismissed. He remains a go-to answer for "worst announcer/GM ever" and one of the odder hires by WWE.
4 Natalya
This is not a knock on Natalya's ring skills, as the woman has proven herself as a fantastic worker. But she's also never exactly been that sparkly in her personality on TV. She actually comes off better on Total Divas or interviews but on-screen in WWE, Natalya can have flat promos and not be that captivating on her own.
She has her moments like paying a tribute to her late father and deserves respect for her wrestling ability, yet Natalya comes off worse in charisma when surrounded by so many talents in the women's division.
3 Jack Tunney
For years, WWE fans accepted Jack Tunney as the "President" of the company, making big decisions on title changes or other moves. He was a former promoter who had a decent presence and his deep booming voice lent well to the job.
Too bad he was also incredibly boring to listen to and barely changed his tone when speaking. It was a running joke how boring Tunney could be, and his "authority" was often undermined by on-screen events. He was a good part of the Golden Era of WWE, but Tunney was never what one would call a charismatic guy.
2 Linda McMahon
Watch Linda McMahon on some DVD/Network documentaries, and she's lively, funny, charming and downright entertaining to watch. But, for some reason, none of that came up when she was put into actual on-air programs. With a flat voice and flatter acting, Linda was the dullest of the McMahons, even when put into stuff against Vince.
When she was in a storyline "coma", the joke was, "how can you tell the difference?" It was baffling how that natural charisma was completely muted whenever Linda showed up on TV. Her real persona is great, yet Linda on screen was just terrible.
1 Johnny Ace
In his prime, John Laurinaitis was actually a pretty good wrestler but more of a technician type. He was in the background for years in WWE in management before becoming an on-air character, including RAW General Manager. He even main-evented a PPV against John Cena.
The problem with making him a tough on-air character is that Laurainatis never came off as a sinister figure but just boring so much of the time. That gravely voice didn't help as fans loathed the entire program. Johnny was no "ace" when it came to capturing interest with charisma.