How important is the announcer?

[Steamboat Ricky]

I've been thinking about this for awhile now. I was watching TNA the other night, and I couldn't help but notice how much more interested I was in what was going on based on the announcing of Mike Tenay and also the ring announcer. Not to mention, I've really noticed how excruciatingly painful it is to watch Smackdown because Michael Cole is so terrible. I am left wanting to watch more TNA and less Smackdown.

What are your thoughts? How important are the announcers?

 

[I Suckle Off My Mother]

I can't stand Don West!!!! i would pick Michael Cole over that stupid fat bastard Don west anyday. but yea the announcers are very important. the best one's are JBL, Jim Ross ,Joey Styles and Mike Tenay. and if there is ever announcers from a show that are just terrible i wouldn't care how much the wrestling is good either i wont watch it or i would just put the tv on MUTE....

 

[cobain]

I think it takes a good announce team really.

I like the combo of JBL and Michael Cole. I agree that Michael Cole alone is terrible.

If the announcing is really bad I just mute it. I really didn't like when Jim Ross wasn't in teh wwe. Ithink it took away from the show. SO I agree that the announcers are very important.

 

[justinsayne]

Announce teams are very important to the shows, could imagine if we had to listen to Coach, and Todd Grisham call matches again, I don't think I could watch, I definetly wouldn't be able to listen, JR, Heyman, JBL, Tenay, Styles, Tazz, those guys are all great, I also think that Dreamer could be a good announcer if he wanted too, but If WWE ever gives Booker a job as an announcer I will never watch that show again, I remember when he would do guest commentary, during his US title feud with Benoit a few years back, it was horriable, i had to change the channal a couple of times cause I couldn't stand to listen to him anymore

 

[Memory Horizon]

It depends on who is doing the announcing. For instance, King and JR make a fantastic team, JR especially really draws you into the match more - I have been to a couple of RAW shows and wished that I could hear what the announce guys were saying.

...Then there is the other half of the story. Everyone knows it. Michael Cole, Grisham, West, etc. They are terrible. Cole especially, I had been watching Smackdown! before I lost my channel... But listening to him offended my ears to the point I had to turn it down. Classic Michael Cole, accent every possible word..."BUckling the knees of his OPPonent, DRIving him into the MAt." SO god damned annoying.

So, yes, the announcers are very important if they're good. However, I'd prefer to not have an announcer at all if they sound anything like Cole.

 

[Eternal Dragon]

I think the annoucers are so important. They're one of the things that I remember from a match. I know whenever I watch a Japanese female wrestling match, or even if I watch an Indy's match with no commentating, I don't enjoy it as much as I would if there was a commentator (or at least one that I could understand, since I don't know any Japanese). This is the way I see it. What we see in the ring, that's the story, the plot, and the announcers are the narrators. You can still read the book, i.e watch the match, without the narrator, or without the announcers, but it isn't the same, and is a lot of cases (at least wrestling wise) it's worse. Think about it, in one of the most classic moments in wrestling history- the Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan stare down at WM 3, you always hear that voice say "The irresistible force meeting the immovable object." It's like the extra spice that makes the match better.

Flames Out
Dragon

 

[Agrex]

The commentators are very important. When someone hits a crazy move you have the commentators adding that extra effect to it. They give that good play by play when you can't see. Sometimes they get a bit annoying like Don West and Michael Cole, but usually I enjoy them.

 

[I'm GaGa]

the announcers are very important because they can make some matches more interesting than they really are and they can make somethin memorable
and i feel that when i watch wrestling without commentary isnt the same and sometimes i become bored.

 

[mr. krinkle]

i agree they are important, and Jim Ross is THE man...but, i have seen matches in ROH that by the final stretch, have caught so much fire, that the commentators just shut up and get out of the way, because words just cant do the action justice

 

[leifmozley1982]

Jim Ross is a legend, but he needs a better partner than King. I think when Shawn Michaels retires he would make a great partner for Jim Ross. Someone fresh. It has got a bit old, J.R. and King. Dont know if its just me, but thats how i feel.

 

[MR.SCOTT]

the anouncers job is to lead us through the story of the match, the play by play man tells us whats going on etc, then the colour commentator tells us the heals pov if worled perfectly, it is something interesting and helps the feud work so much better and helps to peak the viewers interest if its crap and i mean michael cole crap then it does norting, the worst i heard was at a tna show where mike and don where selling products while the match was going on i was soo bored that i wanted to slit my rists to find something interesting to do.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

The announcers are important because they help draw you into the match. If someone doesn't have the right charisma and they simply say things like "Triple H with a clothesline. Now Carlito is getting up. Now..." it's boring, but when you listen to JR really get into things, it helps suck you into the moment. I think everyone can agree that when Mick Foley took that fall off the Hell in a Cell cage and JR said "Good God almighty! He is broken in half!" it made it even cooler.

Personally, I can't stand some of the announcers on the WWE right now, but I don't watch TNA at all so I can't compare. JR, King, and Cole are the only ones I like. JBL would be good, too, if he wasn't just constantly saying negative things to Cole instead of calling the match. When he actually does call the match, he's ok, but more often than I'd like, its just a comment like "You're an idiot", which serves no purpose and just feels like filler to me. Then again, with the talent on Smackdown now, they don't have much to call haha. How many times are they going to say "Khali walks like the Frankenstein monster only to...CHOP someone!!"

The worst, by far, though, are Tazz and Styles. My GOD that show is appalling. Low number of true talent, dim set, bland promos, and on top of that, your announcers are a guy who acts like he has ADHD and everything is about to give him a heart attack (Styles) and a guy who can't read his own sheets in front of him without stuttering like he has a learning disability (Tazz). All I hear from the ECW announcers are things like "OH MY GOD!! HE JUST DID A BODY SLAM!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD!!" from Styles and "T-T-Tommy Dreamer....Big Daddy V!.....Mor-Morrison...John Morrison!...." from Tazz.

I'm really hoping that they switch things up a bit, without changing JR/King. I'm not sure how some former wrestlers would do as commentators, like Flair, but they'd have to be better than Tazz and Styles. Sometimes, though, we see that former wrestlers can't cut it, like when Savage would do guest commentary.

 

[MR.SCOTT]

Personally, I can't stand some of the announcers on the WWE right now, but I don't watch TNA at all so I can't compare. JR, King, and Cole are the only ones I like. JBL would be good, too, if he wasn't just constantly saying negative things to Cole instead of calling the match. When he actually does call the match, he's ok, but more often than I'd like, its just a comment like "You're an idiot", which serves no purpose and just feels like filler to me. Then again, with the talent on Smackdown now, they don't have much to call haha. How many times are they going to say "Khali walks like the Frankenstein monster only to...CHOP someone!!"

Ok No Fate007 just to point out the reason why JBL is mean to cole is that Cole sucks and JBL is their to make things interesting, he is the heal commentator whilst Cole is the guy who roots for the faces, its sort of 80's style commentary, its effective as i always laugh at JBL's comments and makes me actually want to listen to them.

The worst, by far, though, are Tazz and Styles. My GOD that show is appalling. Low number of true talent, dim set, bland promos, and on top of that, your announcers are a guy who acts like he has ADHD and everything is about to give him a heart attack (Styles) and a guy who can't read his own sheets in front of him without stuttering like he has a learning disability (Tazz). All I hear from the ECW announcers are things like "OH MY GOD!! HE JUST DID A BODY SLAM!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD!!" from Styles and "T-T-Tommy Dreamer....Big Daddy V!.....Mor-Morrison...John Morrison!...." from Tazz.

In the words of Booker T, he didnt just say that tell me he didnt just say that?, Styles is the one man announcing legend of ECW and Tazz is one of the best heel commentators in the sport apart from JBL, you cant say that they are the worst seriously, Styles is probably the man who should be taking over from JR as the best play by play anouncer in the business whe JR finally leaves.

I'm really hoping that they switch things up a bit, without changing JR/King. I'm not sure how some former wrestlers would do as commentators, like Flair, but they'd have to be better than Tazz and Styles. Sometimes, though, we see that former wrestlers can't cut it, like when Savage would do guest commentary.

I would rather work with what the wwe already has, i would move JBL to raw to mix things with jr, move styles to smackdown with the king and have cole and tazz on ECW, that way no one will care how crappy cole is as long as they can watch real talent like punk,morrison,burke and others like them in the ring.

 

[PocketJokers]

The announcers are a crucial key to every single match, they add depth to the match, and give you something to listen to when a match gets to a slump for a while. Whether it's JR and his epicness as announcer, or the awesome chemistry that JBL and Cole have, without announcers it just isn't as exciting. I find myself even more excited in the match when someone like JR screams at the top of his lungs when a finisher is unleashed, or when a wrestler wins the rumble, or when a move or illegal act changes the tide of the match. The announcers just give the matches an edge, they give it a personality and depth that the wrestlers alone could not simply add, it is needed from somewhere else, from the announcers.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Ok No Fate007 just to point out the reason why JBL is mean to cole is that Cole sucks and JBL is their to make things interesting, he is the heal commentator whilst Cole is the guy who roots for the faces, its sort of 80's style commentary, its effective as i always laugh at JBL's comments and makes me actually want to listen to them.

In the words of Booker T, he didnt just say that tell me he didnt just say that?, Styles is the one man announcing legend of ECW and Tazz is one of the best heel commentators in the sport apart from JBL, you cant say that they are the worst seriously, Styles is probably the man who should be taking over from JR as the best play by play anouncer in the business whe JR finally leaves.

I would rather work with what the wwe already has, i would move JBL to raw to mix things with jr, move styles to smackdown with the king and have cole and tazz on ECW, that way no one will care how crappy cole is as long as they can watch real talent like punk,morrison,burke and others like them in the ring.

Opinions can always differ. That's why I said what I said. I personally don't like the 80s style commentary with the heel commentator always supporting every bad guy. To me, it isn't funny, because it sounds just like it is - two guys reading previously written lines to each other. To say that the reason JBL says those lines is "because Cole sucks" is an opinion just as my opinion is that Styles comes off like a kid that would be impressed by a chunk of shiny metal. As for Styles being a legend from the old ECW...I never liked the old ECW either, lol, and I found it just sloppy and crude (not in an offensive way, I mean in a style and presentation sense). Punk, Morrison, and Burke, like you mentioned, have talent, but I find it rough watching ECW because I don't like Tazz being so mundane (like how on this episode tonight, he couldn't get Thorn's name straight and called him Burke like 3 times in a row before correcting himself each time) and Styles saying "WOAH" to everything short of a right hand...but, I do think that they would be better if they had some more interesting talent, because how can you really come across as anything less than an idiot if you're going on and on about "impressive" the Miz is, lol.

 

[MMurray220]

On a different note, I went to an independent wrestling show this past weekend in New England, and the ring announcer himself took away a TON from the matches. He was the type of announcer that liked to hear himself talk, talked way too formally during ring introductions, and actually insulted the wrestlers. He'd also get on the mic and try to tell the referee that the heels were cheating. Made me realize that the ring announcer is underappreciated - it took a self serving one to realize that.

 

[BMPUNK]

JR is #1 forever,Why is jerry lawlwer so happy now i remeber 10 years ago when he hated all the faces,and was a total p.o.s. it just doesnt work when both announcers agree.Look at TNA west and tenay never argue both like faces/hate heels and basically say the same things.Don west is the worst of all time bar none,well except for tony shavione hes bullshit saying damn near everynight "this is the biggest match in wrestling history" i'm so glad he is gone.Michael Cole sucks a big one,and jbl always says the same stuff welcome to the ballgame,or whatever. Jessy ventura and mcmahon were great together...Ecw needs a negative announcer i lOVE joey styles,but he and tazz agree too much,and imo the announcers should never agree,and argue a lot. roh announcers we're very annoying the few times i heard them.
i like to listen to the japanese commentators cuz they talk so god damn fast it just sounds funny.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

The announcer is critical to the success of a wrestling show.

As I watched Survivor Series last night, I had the rare chance to listen to all 3 announce teams, at one time even at the same time. The dynamic is noticable. I remember wanting to drill a hole in my head everytime Michael Cole spoke, just because of his goofy way of metrosexualizing professional wrestling without the humor. He actually called finishing moves in a high pitched, excited little girl tone using what I can only describe as passive announcer voice.

You know the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, where you tune in to see how bad the #1 seed beats the #16 seed. That is the JBL / Michael Cole pairing. JBL is money on the microphone. When Undertaker crushed Batista in the throat with that chair during HIAC, Cole said "That hurt his throat, making it hard to breathe." Well, no shit. JBL took it another step, commentating on how Batista's mouth was open as he gasped for air, making him vulnerable to being knocked out by a punch or kick to the chin all the while putting Taker over as the best striker in the WWE.

Michael Cole is to the WWE what spammers are to the Wrestlezone boards.

 

[rkopaton]

I think it's really annoying when Cole says "what does the champion have to do to win this match" every single match. Also he says "when was the last time you saw Kane get man handled like this". You feel like shouting out LAST WEEK JACKASS. I know why they do it but it sound so stupid

 

[Hdog684]

You know the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, where you tune in to see how bad the #1 seed beats the #16 seed. That is the JBL / Michael Cole pairing. JBL is money on the microphone. When Undertaker crushed Batista in the throat with that chair during HIAC, Cole said "That hurt his throat, making it hard to breathe." Well, no shit. JBL took it another step, commentating on how Batista's mouth was open as he gasped for air, making him vulnerable to being knocked out by a punch or kick to the chin all the while putting Taker over as the best striker in the WWE.

That was the same match in which Cole asked JBL what Batista's strategy was, and JBL responded by explaining how the key for Batista is to withstand the initial attack because Taker is traditionally a very quick starter, and then when asked what Taker's strategy would be, he said he had to stretch out the match, the longer the match goes the more it favors the Undertaker. So JBL's analysis is that Taker's a quick starter who excels in longer matches.

But my personal favorite was this past week when Cole said "You gotta love the Major Brothers" and JBL ripped into him for 10 minutes about how he can't tell him who to love...and then five minutes later JBL says "You gotta love Jamie Noble." Unfortunately Cole didn't jump on him for it.

JBL is the #1 seed and the #16 seed all by himself. Sometimes he makes you think he's the best color commentator in the business, and then immediately afterwards he'll say something that makes you want to throw your shoe at the TV in hopes that it'll break so you don't have to listen to him ever again.

Cole is the women's team in the small conference that goes 2-28.

 

[FoleyIsGod]

I would say very important. Guys like Jim Ross in his prime could build any match up and make it sound better that it actually was. Look at the Hell in A Cell back in 1998, he pulled that off so well I actually felt like crying when he said Foley is dead.

Some of the stuff that is on TWC here in the UK sucks as the commentator just doesnt have the fire and passion that JR can come forth with.

 

[NYSandman]

Announcers, I firmly believe, can make or break a show. I really don't care how good the wrestling itself is, if you have idiots on the announce team, it will hurt the show.

I've always been a HUGE supporter of good promos and good announcers. In some ways, I think they are MORE important in pro wrestling than the actual wrestling itself, at least nowadays. Younger people, especially, get bored easily, and you need someone there to keep people interested.

JR and King are still the best in the business, IMHO. You have to add humor and sarcasm to make the show come alive.

Bobby Heenan and Gorilla were the best old school announcers, though. LOL the Brain!

 

[Jack bruce]

this probably wont happen but I say bring coach back to commentating with styles on whatever brand. i mean i keep looking back and thinking to myself what made 2005 such a hit with me it totally blew 04 out of the water. (ok not blew but improved alot better on the raw brand) and i see it was coach and styles they put fresh air back on raw to hear such younger more our generation commentators i loved every minute of late 2005-early 2006 I mean remember edge vs. flair I still cant stop watching that match to this day they were perfect together, Personally I would love to see them together again.

 

[BBC3]

you had me confused with announcer since that is lillian garcia, but the commentators are so important, id get so bored watching a match without JR, king lawler, and i love to hear JBL, its a new side to commentatoring because hes a heel on commentating but he supports people like undertaker anyway so its realistic in a way still.

 

[JoeyImage]

My two cents.... first of all, announcers introduce the match. Commentators make the calls. I think you're asking how important are the commentators. Some people here have said it depends on who is doing the commentating, or, they'd rather see X and X. That doesn't answer the question. It does not matter who is doing it, he 's asking how important are they, in general. Not how important is specific person A, or B. They are extremely important. If they're not there, who will give you the history of the match you're watching on TV or video? Who will do any plugs needed? Who will put over the babyface and get some added heat for the heel? No one. The commentators are 100% important.