Favorite Wrestling Commentator

[IrishCanadian25]

Tarp, this isn't a thread about his blog. It's about his commentating. And when he does commentary on RAW he doesn't reference past matches or history like he does in his blog. I realize that is because he may not be allowed to, but I don't care.

I am very well aware that he posseses the knowledge and has seen the matches. But he leaves it out of his commentary, which is why i do not consider him a top commentator.

But hey, thanks anyway.

 

[BooCocky]

well imo i am goin with Joey Styles back in the ECW original days. he was so enthusiastic and he can have so much fun doing it. what he did then is what announcing was all about. he did it most of the time by himself which means he was able to carry the show w/o a right hand man. Styles is basically a genius, but his work is limited due to the script he has. someone said earlier he hated when he used to scream i thought that was entertaining and it was actually made to believe it was real and he was able to believe what was going on at the time unlike JBL trying to believe that The Great Khali can actually wrestle. I believe Michael Cole is also great and i believe JBL is vastly overrated because basically week in and week out it is the same crap and his stuff about Hornswoggle is getting boring. So i will go with Joey Styles because i am to young to remember the work of like Bobby "the brain" Heenan and Jesse "the body" Ventura.

 

[abyss1234]

my favorite commentator is jerry the king lawler bc he always does his job the way it is supposed to be and he sort make funny things as he commentates

 

[Big Fella]

I completely agree with shockmaster.

It is not fair to compare JBL to Gorilla Monsoon, as Gorilla's job was to call the action while JBL is there for color.

My favorite play by play guy ever is Gorilla Monsoon. He helped get over the magnitude of events without over-stating it. Simply putting it, "It is quite a happening here tonight." He was straight forward, yet eloquent.

My second favorite PBP guy is Jim Ross. His style is a little more "in your face" but he does a good job of promoting the event more than himself. He calls the action and gets the workers over.

My third favorite would be Gordon Sollie. Classic.

As far as color guys go, Bobby Heenan is number 1. The best manager/commentator ever. The guy was the epitome of a heel, truly great at what he did.

Jesse Ventura would be number 2 IMO. Classic stuff.

 

[dan_the_man1983]

Jesse the Body Ventura.

I love watching the old school early WWE PPV's because his commentary was good and funny too.

Anyone ever notice that if a face tag team was double teaming then he would complain about the referee not having control but if a heel tag team did the same then it was fine with him.

He would be straight to the point too, Like if Duggan or the Bushwhackers wrestled then he would say you aint gonna see many wrestling holds in this because these guys don't know how to wrestle.

 

[TheShiznetNo2]

After watching some wwe films from 98-03 I have to say good ole' JR. IMO, he made you cheer for certain wrestlers. I got goosebumps w/ him telling Jeff Hardy to "get up the ladder and live your dream kid" during his match w/ taker. Or the famous "STONE COLD! STONE COLD! STONE COLD!" Their is really no commentator that matches him IMO.

 

[drmagic326]

For Some Reason, i'd pick Gorilla Monsoon. Or Joey Styles
Gorilla Monsoon: i thought he was entertaining to listen to and was a great commentator along with Bobby Eaton.
Joey Styles: Commentated ECW for years alone and not a lot in wwe can do that by thereself and also got his own catchphrase.

 

[BigTony4284]

IMO. The best commentators are Tenay and Jim Ross. Both have a vast knowledge of the business, and were unparalleled in their primes. Maybe JR doesn' t have the enthusiasm and freedom to call it like he sees it anymore, but back in the Attitude days there was no one better to listen too. The same can be said for Tenay.
Although, I don't see how anyone can say JBL is a good commentator. Sure he has his funny moments, but him and Cole say the same thing every match. "Hey JBL how did that feel when that happened to you?"
"Let me tell you Michael, it feels like blah blah blah"
At least Jerry Lawler knows his job is to be comic relief for matches, and not to try and analyze everything.
Also, Styles back in the heyday of ECW. Unmatched enthusiasm and devotion.

 

[Mexican Geek]

well, my 3 favorites, no specific order:

Jim Ross, Joey Styles and JBL.

Jim Ross is one of the Reasons i have my ass glued to the couch every Monday night, his passion for the business is easily transmitted into words, even though he put Cena way to over sometimes j/k. He could be the past, the classic style.

Joey styles is a symbol of ECW, man, I can watch Joey with a lot more hair in the old videos, lol! funny character, maybe cause his size and the glasses, i dont know...but when the time to comment comes, he is one hell of a commentator, he make Taz looks good at the table, and thats an accomplishment. I love Styles commentating RVD matches (see: ONS 2006)

JBL: maybe because im new at this in comparison to the vast majority, but hey, its my humble opinion... i think JBL is the best color commentator out of the actual 3 (King , Taz and him)
because of his wrestling background and his mic skills, Smackdown has on their hands a very versatile element. Gotta love JBL insulting Cole, like the time he said him he should be drafted to OVW, hahaha, still cracks me up!

 

[PerfectPlex]

My favorite all time has to be Bill Mercer from the old WCCW days. I've only heard one Solie match and loved it but I can't go on one.
Jim Ross pre-WWF/E was excellent. He's really good now but is limited by WWE's style. Mike Tenay is excellent.
Jerry Lawler, Don West, and Tazz have to be the worst I've heard.
Cole and JBL are good and getting better.
Styles in the old ECW was very good but not great for my taste. Now I think its sad the way he's used. Schiavone was very good, as was Vince back in the old WWWF days. He got worse as time went on.
Monsoon and Ventura or Heenan were great for WWE but I prefer a more pure match calling style.

I just can't stand the way WWE makes their guys call matches. There's action going on in the ring (albeit usually bad action) but they usually arent even talking about it. It's usually what happened last week or before the match or something about Vince. Lawler just makes ridiculous sophomoric comments ALL THE TIME. A little thrown in is ok but my goodness. And Tazz with that terrible voice for announcing. I usually like what he has to say when WWE isn't making him bend over and preach all the stupid "Extreme" stuff, but his delivery is awful.
It's sad but WWE sometimes forgets that the way a match is called can elevate it from good or ok to really good or great. (on TV at least).

 

[wwe1581]

My favorite has always been the pair of Bobby Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon they could always entertain me even on squash matches but Gorilla was very smart and knew what he was talking about unlike my least favorite

Worst Commentator:Michael Cole & David Crockett tied they both are terrible Cole always gets his facts wrong and harps on things constantly like at One Night Stand when Edge escaped the cage and retained his title all Cole would say is that he was the ultimate opportunist when Edge had won the match fair and square he just pisses me off and David Crockett was so terrible you would just have to watch matches that he commentated or see an interview he conducted cuz he sucked the worst in history but Cole is gaining on him

 

[I'm GaGa]

my favorite commentor is jim ross because he can make some matches more entretaining than they really are.And he also has great knowegde of wrestling
and whatever he says you can feel the passion that he has for wrestling.He can also make some matches that are horribles into entretainig matches.

 

[PocketJokers]

I have to say, like most people that Jim Ross is clearly the best their is, ever was, and ever will be, he is just the John Madden of wrestling, and his voice has been plastered all over WWE moments, whether it's from mankind v the undertaker to the rock vs hogan, JR has commentated for all most everything. He is the commentator. But, as a group, I really just love JBL/Cole, they have a brilliant clashing of styles, voices, and opinions that just can't be seen on ECW or RAW, it just seems fake unless its Cole and JBL. They are the best pair of commentators ever. Cole being the more face, and JBL the heel, but, unlike JR and King, and Tazz and Styles, JBL is a true heel, and cole, from his days interviewing The Rock, is a true face. JR and King are both faces, so are tazz and styles.

JBL and Cole is the best pair of commentators to date.

 

[Wall_of_Jericho]

I am currently loving JBL's work on Smackdown and also I like Tazz, both entertaining. More so than Lawler who's old jokes are just so boring to listen to. However I can not really see past Bobby Heenan. By far the funniest and most entertaining commentator in wrestling history. He was such a breath of fresh air in the commentary booth, for years before WWE rolled with Jesse Ventura who was just the big, badass, tough talking colour commentator but Heenan was just so damn funny. I still believe (as a lot do) that Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are the best commentary duo in wrestling history.

 

[Flairfan]

Oh definately John Bradshaw Layfield. I mean to have to put up with an annoying insect like Michael Cole week in and week out, I give JBL kudos in the toleration department. To me, JBL is what makes the Smackdown commentary worth listening to. Unbiased, and to the point.

 

[Kliq]

I believe it would take me awhile to hear J.R. not with the King, but my dream commentating team would be JBL and Jim Ross. JBL's attitude would be a perfect balance with J.R.'s, and I personally just enjoy his wit. Jim Ross just has that voice when something big happens, you can feel it yourself.

But apart from teams, my favorite individual of all time, and it was a very hard choice, Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan, most notably in WCW. He might not have called the shots with the best of them, but he was damn sure entertaining with his various remarks.

 

[ADAMH]

JBL man what a funny guy

(at royal rumble 07 chirs masters gets elminated)
jbl-goodbye organtugan!

Heres my fave jim ross quote
"maybe daddy dudley should practise safe sex"

GOD HOW I LAUGHED

 

[megaman]

my favourite commentators are

jbl - man he is so funny when he is making fun of michael cole, he definetly is one of the best heel commentators ever, he is the best wrestler turned commentator


paul heyman - heyman always speaks the truth and i appreciate that, i dont know why jim ross hates him, the man is a legend, kind of


jim ross - i always loved it when jim ross would always go into hyper mode when stone cold got one over his opponents and always shout 'stone cold, stone cold, stone cold', man i miss those times so much

 

[KyleCobra]

Well it seems everyone has already been mentioned..

Jim Ross: in my mind, the voice of professional wrestling. If look at the most memorable moments since Raw's conception, "oh muh gaw" could be heard throughout at least half of them. The man has the ability to convey honest excitement through a television.

JBL: the only real heel commentator right now. The man has the power to make you honestly hate and loathe him. Noto mention he is hilarious.

Bobby Heenan: What can you even really say. Genius.

As far as wrestlers go..there are a few that come to mind, even if it was just for a match or two...

The Rock: he was always spot on in the booth. When Austin or Foley would be wrestling and he would be mocking them at the same time. Or when he would be in the middle of a match and would go put the headphones on and say how he was laying the smackdown on his opponent...priceless. I belive Mankind even did this once while facing the rock, during the time when he copied the rock wiht everything..only to have the rock hit him with the bell while Mankind was saying "mankind is lookin pretty good out there".

Mr.Perfect: Amazing. JBL reminds me alot of him as far as this goes.

 

[samus500]

best- Bobby Heenan, as he can work with basically anyone, and his commentary was very hillarious: "Its like comparing Ice Cream to Horse Manure" LMAO.

worst- Steve "Mongo" McMichael, enuff said

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

best - Clearly Tony Schiavone is my favorite of all-time. He could make even the crappiest match seem entertaining by his enthusiasm. It's a shame that he's not in the business anymore. Vince needs that man.

 

[zeus3007]

The Old School guys were much better than any newer commentators. In no particular order:

Jesse "The Body" Ventura: The first heel commentator, and man was he funny. Initiated wrestling fans to an announcer with a personality

Gordon Solie: Was, and always will be recognized as the godfather of wrestling commentators.

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan: Who else could make such controversial insults seem funny rather than disturbing or offensive.

The only announcer that I currently like a lot is JBL...he should never get in the ring again, he is a much better commentator.

 

[zeus3007]

Why not list off our "worst" list as well. This one is in order:

1) Mark Madden: Useless, he spent a few years calling Nitro, and he had to be the most unfunny funnymen ever.

2) Steve McMichael: Might have been better if he didn't speak like he had a mouth full of marbles.

3) Vince McMahon: While he, unlike the other 2 losers, did understand the business, he was the play by play guy, and well, he only knows the names of the finishers. Almost anything he called as "what a manouever". He was too pro face, and would argue his counterparts (usually Jesse Ventura) without giving any evidence for anything. He used the Joey Styles "Oh My God!", but had little passion when he said it.

 

[bbt]

Have to say that Lance Russell of the Memphis/Nashville territory was solid and for that reason probably my all time favorite...............still enjoy watching the old matches each week on Bill Dundee's wrestling show on Charter Cable in Tennessee

For the WWE/F I always enjoyed Heenan

 

[Heartthrob81]

For the sake of ECW...Joey Styles needs Joel Gertner back at his side...granted...SpikeTV couldn't air half the stuff he did in his opening monologue, but the fact that it took 5 minutes for him to fully introduce himself....was classic. But seriously though...favorite commentator? Bobby Heenan, no questions asked. The stuff he did with Gorilla Monsoon in the old WWF was classic. I miss his one-liners that seemed to come out of nowhere and have me spewing what I was drinking all over the living room!