Announcing Dreamteam #1: Play-by-Play Commentator

[JerryvonKramer]

This is the first in a series of threads in which we're going to strive to find the forum's all-time favourite announce team. I'm gonna break it down as follows, with 7-day polls for each category:

Play-by-play Commentator
Color Commentator
Backstage Interviewer
Ring Announcer

After these four polls have been conducted (which should be in about 1 month's time), we should have our definitive announcing dream-team.

So first up we've got the play-by-play commentator. Arguably the most important role in wrestling. This guy not only has to call the matches, but also contributes massively to telling the story of each angle, getting wrestlers over and building hype for upcoming events. Ideally, it's someone who knows their wrestling, and has a voice that compels you to listen to it.

Who's your choice for all-time best play-by-play commentator and why? (I will offer my own thoughts in a while)

 

[samus500]

I would have to say for all time greatest play-by-play commentator would have to be Gordon Solie. For me at that time, he was the last breath of "traditional commentary" when pro wrestling was getting more and more outlandish every day, and has come up with many sayings that commentators use today, like the "crimson mask" saying. This man had the most intelligent commentary ive ever heard from a commentator, and maybe ever in the history of wrestling.

 

[DJ]

I have gotta go with good old Jim Ross. The man always calls the action extremely well and always puts his heart and soul into every match from the squashes to the mid card tag matches to the main event to the wrestlemanias, he puts the same hard effort into each and every one. Also Ross knows when to shut his damn mouth and let the moment speak for itself(ala Mick Foley Cell Bump).

Also if ever you were to do a angle, Ross would never have any objections. He's taken low blows, hes kissed ass AND gotten tombstoned among other things. Ross can also inform the viewers about past meetings and knowledge of the superstar better than any announcer. Vote Ross!

 

[Pimpin]

I'm gonna go with good ol' J.R. on this one. He calls the action extremely well, always puts everything into every match whether it be a squash match, mid card tag matches, etc. He also knows when to shut up which I believe all play by play men should know how to do that. Ross also would never have a problem if you wanna do a storyline that involves him. He can also inform the viewers about past meetings he has had & has a better knowledge of the superstars than any other announcer.

 

[JerryvonKramer]

For me, there's only 3 people in this race: Gordon Solie, Gorilla Monsoon and Jim Ross -- and I don't mean the gimmicked "JR" character of recent years in which he's become a parody of himself, a mean the younger Jim Ross from NWA/WCW and the earlier part of his WWF career (as seen in WM9).

I love both Solie's and Ross's knowledge of the technical moves and the history of wrestling. I used to love it when Ross would fill in a bit of detail about a certain wrestler's college background or whatever -- just made the sport seem so real.

However, Gorilla Monsoon is just like a big comfy armchair of a commentator for me. When I think of wrestlemania I think of him commentating. Even though he didn't give the same technical detail as a Solie or Ross, there's just something about phrases like "right in the kisser!", "jammed packed to the rafters", and "he was playing possum!" that I really love.

Ooooh, this is a hard call. I'm going to think about it some more. I hope Ross doesn't win by a landslide because this one deserves to be close.

 

[seven3too]

monsoon has to be. coined phrases like when being attacked from behind "pearl harbored" and called bret hart "the excellence of excecution" he was a genius and way ahead of his time..in the 80's he sounded like a 90's announer and he always put heenan in his place...plus he had cool shades. but have you ever imagined the funniest announce team..imagine heenan jesse ventura and jr on raw...then for smackdown we could have vince mcmahon jerry lawler and gorilla monsoon i'd tune in just for the commentary

 

[Henry Hill]

i would a great team would be jim ross and Tony Schiavone

TWO BABY FACE PBP GUYS? i always loved the idea of a face and a heel at the announce table. Think of the brilliance of the banter monsoon had with bobby heenan or jesse ventura for that matter. you cant just have two guys both calling the same thing agreeing with each other, and trying to get off their style of commentary at the same time. if you're going to go without a color guy then you only need one guy, and in my opinion theres only one guy that can do a whole show by himself without a color man and that is joey styles.

 

[Jordan adams]

joey styles is the best because he know every wrestling hold and when he doesent he makes up name. plus the catch phrase OH MY GOD!, CATFIGHT! him jim ross would be cool together

 

[Starchild]

I like this topic. A good announce team is almost important as a good match. Wrestling, and just sports in general really, are much less entertaining an announcer or at least one who's any good.

There are several good guys in this list. Solie is an old-school announcer from mostly the 70s and 80s that alot of people might not even be familiar with. I read in an article when he went in the hall last year that he actually made famous some terms that we now here JR utter regularly in "his face is a crimson mask" and "pier-6 brawl" among others. He was really the first "voice of wrestling" and is still considered one of the greatest.

Gorilla Monsoon is most known for his time with WWE including calling the first several Wrestlemanias. He was part of two of the best announcing teams in history with Jesse Ventura and later Bobby Hennan. I thought with Heenan especially was great because they were hilarious much like JR/King tend to be. Monsoon is the first play-by-play man that I remember and definitely played a role in getting me interested when I was little. JR has stated that Monsoon was a huge influence on him in his early announcing days.

Vince McMahon was actually a good one I thought. Before his "Mr. McMahon persona, he called WWE matches for years. He and King's pairing was another legendary one. I remember first getting introduced to ECW around this time when McMahon was on commentary and Heyman and some ECW guys would come on Raw. I also find it funny listening to his material and how he changed his voice when calling matches.

Tony Schiavone was the voice of WCW for most of it's run. He was pretty good too and had another good team with Heenan and Bischoff and later Zbysko and Tenay. I always thought he did a good job at playing up how NWO was separate from WCW and it truly was a war.

Joey Styles is a pretty good one I think, but there's a reason he never worked on Raw. He was perfect for the ECW atmosphere and no one could have done it better. He had some cheesy calls, but made them work and he made those OMG ECW moments feel much more believable and amazing.

But for my money, none can compare to good ole' JR, Jim Ross. He has been the lead announcer in WWE since the mid 90s, though he did have some work in WWE beforehand and even WCW in the early days. JR is really the one I grew up with along with King, and I think they are in the top 2 or 3 best announcing teams ever with some of the aforementioned ones. JR really puts emotion into a match and can make even a boring match entertaining. He has been a part of so many classic Attitude and Post-Attitude Era moments. I love his style and those amusing phrases he often uses. For my money, nothing makes a wrestling match quite like hearing JR's voice calling it...it's going to be very upsetting when he finally "hangs up the hat".

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

My dream announcing team would be:

Gorilla Monsoon
Bobby Heenan
Mean Gene Okerlund
Lillian Garcia

I would pick Gorilla because of the package deal with Heenan. Absolutely no other duo in WWE history was more entertaining behind the mic than Monsoon and Heenan, and I don't think any wrestling fan familiar with their work is going to dispute that.

On a side note, Monsoon, where as maybe a notch below Ross ... was still a great play by play man. He knew the moves. He was able to get stars over. He was humorous with Heenan, but serious when he needed to be.

 

[One Punch Doug Crashin]

you really can't say who the "Best" play-by-play man/team what have you. they all have their own unique styles that got the wrestlers over. Gordon Solie and JR are/were masters of storytelling that got you hooked into the match they were calling. Joey styles was best at calling the maneuvers because he studied. if I really had to choose I would have to say Gordon Solie and Jim Ross because they got you hooked. Joey would be good at the "professor" role Tenay was in the old WCW.


Now the best Color-Commentating team would have to be Bobby Henan and Jerry the King Lawler. they'd play off each others jokes and would entertain the viewing audience.

 

[Father:_Polley]

joey styles is the best because he know every wrestling hold and when he doesent he makes up name. plus the catch phrase OH MY GOD!, CATFIGHT! him jim ross would be cool together

Ummmm... Him and JR were a disaster. Both guys are similar, but JR's better at the job.

To me, you need a solid play by play guy balanced with a heel colour commentator to give a bit more back and forth, otherwise its just dry and only calling holds.

JR is one of the best, I think it's a tough call between him and Monsoon for the play by play

 

[Phoenix]

I'd go with JR, purely because his voice fills the match, his arguments with the likes of King & Heyman works like butter on bread. He gets into it and allows time for the match to feel like something to watch. Some of the best matches feel even more greater just because of how JR tells it.

Lillian Garcia

You can't be serious and put LILLIAN GARCIA over HOWARD FINKEL?!?!?! He's the best ring announcer ever! No voice and delivery like his. He was still in his prime when Lilian was after The Rock's Strudel!

 

[JerryvonKramer]

Don't worry there'll be separate polls to discuss color analysts, ring announcers and backstage interviewers after this one has run it's natural course.

 

[Phoenix]

Oh it wasn't that, someone named her already! lol

 

[GameOver]

JR for Play by Play Commentary, Monsoon was awesome too but JR is better imo
Jessie Ventura for Heel Commentary
Bobby Heenan for the Colour Commentary/Comedy act
Mean Gene Okerlund for Interviewer
Lilian Garcia/Howard Finkel for Ring Announcers

Monsoon teamed with either Ventura or Heenan were hands down the best 2 Duo commentary teams

 

[GameOver]

gotta say though that Joey Styles was highly underrated. i thought he did a great job til Vince decided he sucked as announcer and pulled him from TV i mean for a guy to call PPV's all by himself and still do backastage interviews for yrs in the old ECW thats saying something..