Keep one, Fire one, Hire one.

[Magic Mark]

Let's pretend that you are in high power of WWE and you decide that you've had enough of the puppet show that is the WWE RAW Commentary team. So you have to fire someone, keep on, and then hire someone to replace the fired dude. Fairly simple, right? Okay, let's see what you got.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Fire - Michael Cole
This is simple enough. Cole has never been popular as an announcer. He had a tough act to follow in being the main announcer on Raw after JR, so he was never going to be able to fill that void, but he just sucks and has never improved. His idiotic "Vintage" is something I could live without.

Keep - JBL
JBL brings great insight to the announcing team as a former WWE Champion. We need a former heel wrestler to side with the heels, plus JBL brings more to the current announcing team than Cole and Lawler combined.

Hire - Matt Striker
Upon firing Michael Cole in this scenario, I would contact Matt Striker and offer him the announcing team spot. I always enjoyed his announcing and was sad to see him go. With Matthews' recent release, bringing back Striker would be the next best option. He's better than promoting Riley would be.

I would also consider promoting Regal to the Raw announcing team to replace Lawler. The threadstarter only gave the option to remove one current announcer though and I'd rather get rid of Cole.

 

[TheICChampion]

Can I fire all 3? Cole and JBL, all they do is bicker throughout the matches and King just screams and makes lame jokes (though some of them are KIND OF funny). Ok, maybe not FIRE all of them, but definitely remove them from commentary. I'd fire Michael Cole and keep JBL and King as agents or helping at NXT or the developmental centre. I would easily replace all 3 of them if I could with Renee Young (I'm kinda biased because she's from Toronto but I think she could do really well), William Regal and The Miz. I know Miz is in the middle of a title run right now but I definitely think he'd do really well at commentary. We already know Regal works well as a commentator, judging by his work at NXT. I don't know, it's just my opinion.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

It's tough because while at times their commentary isn't always the greatest, I do like all 3 as personalities. Also, since this is Keep, Fire, Hire…does that mean one of them just goes away? If so, I think JBL should be the one to go away.

Fire-Lawler. It's not that he isn't good at his role, but for my personal tastes he doesn't add much to the overall product, and is mainly there to provide little anecdotes, which sometimes work, but often times don't.

Keep-Cole. I know he can be annoying (especially when he's being feed stupid lines by Vince), but the guy is a seasoned pro, and he can play a wide range. He's been funny, called color, been serious, been heel. It's not his fault the position he's been put in. If you heard him on NXT season 3, or some of the leaked tapes that have come out, you would know he can be absolutely hilarious if they actually let him be himself.

Hire-? This is the hardest one for me, as I could make an argument for a few people. Part of me wants to see JR back, but if I'm being honest in his last few appearances, he seemed a little out of his groove, and with his age and health it probably wouldn't be the smartest hire in the world. Matt Striker seems another good possibility, to play the straight man to Cole's personality, but sometimes Striker was so knowledgeable that he came across as dry. Still he did do a good job when called to task. Actually, here's a left field answer (not that it's even possible): CM PUNK: For those few weeks that he was on commentary a couple of years back, he was absolute gold, great timing, funny, and also a recent enough worker that he can really speak from expertise and provide a perspective the others couldn't so, my hire vote goes to Punk, but I'd be happy with either of the other two.

 

[Bernkastel]

I'd keep Michael Cole. I have no problem with the man, and I thought he was really good 10 years ago. It's only been in recent years that his quality has dropped, but I don't think that I can really fault him for that since the creative team is likely telling him to act a certain way. Despite that I feel he still does a good job.

I'd cut JBL. I liked him years ago, but I think he's lost his flare. I've been critical of the commentary team for a while and JBL seems to be a bad fit with Cole recently. I don't know if the creative team has told them to act the way they do, but their lack of chemistry often distracts form the matches. It's as if Cole and JBL feud with each other [verbally] instead of just calling the match. And it takes away from the enjoyment IMO.

I'd bring back Booker T. Love him or hate him the man was animated. And that is what I want to hear from my commentators. I don't want to hear them bickering with each other or talking about some nonsense that doesn't have to do with the match. I want them to say what I think as I watch. That's what Jim Ross did. That's what King still tries to do. That's what IMO Booker T did as well. He was a bit corny, but it worked. I found him to be a better fit with Cole than JBL.

* If Lesnar didn't need to be babysitted I'd stick Heyman on commentary in a heartbeat before anyone else. I'd also consider Vicky Guerrero.

 

[millrythe20]

keep:jbl because i find him very entertaining.
fire:jerry lawler because i feel that he contributes nothing and he's just sort of there.
hire: cm punk because he is a entertaining and funny guy and i honestly think he would agree to do this.

 

[ComeOnVince]

Fire - King. Man's a legend at the commentary table, but not the same without JR. Put him in a legends role. Maybe occasional PPVs.

Keep - JBL, but light a fire under him. I think he knows his stuff, but he sounds bored, like a bad acting job to cover up the fact that he's mailing it in.

Hire - Steve Austin. Yeah, I know it wouldn't happen. But that would be fun.

 

[Pedigree1]

Fire: Jerry Lawler,he has lost his heart and passion for the business years ago.. Its very painful to watch,and feel like he is just stuck in Limbo.. He sounds flat,and shows zero Emotion in his responses!

Keep: JBL,Great insight of a former WWE champion the longest reigning champion in smackdown history.. A Wrestling God. His way of defending the heels,and he just doesn't take crap i like that.. Hell JBL,could do the announce team all by himself..

Hire: Regal,William Regal is doing a great job on NXT,and is super confident in his announcing job. Brings insight,something fresh and really him and JBL could run Raw by themselves..

Cole is someone who should be transferred to backstage Interviews.. His Whole Vintage thing he does is just annoying.. He will never be JR,or even come close.. Great Post OP

 

[NotoriousMEAT]

Keep - Michael Cole
He gets a lot of hate, but most that hate comes from things he has to say or do. When it comes to doing basic play by play he does just fine.

Fire - Jerry Lawler
Just from commentary. Give him his legends contract, let him be an ambassador and make random TV appearances.

Hire - Mick Foley
I thought Foley was awesome during his short time at the table. He loves to promote and hype the young talent. He recently posted on Facebook that he wishes he could have gotten over Vince yelling in his ear and stuck things out on the SmackDown brand alongside Jim Ross. I imagine he and Cole would have a good give and take and could promote the WWE Network just as well as call a WrestleMania main event.

 

[Tyrant25]

Keep - Michael Cole. Cole does come off as annoying at times, but he's improved recently at calling the match and only the match, and plays his part very well. He's also sort of unbiased, which makes for a good contrast as Lawler is always on the side of the faces and JBL on the side of the heels. If he can do what he's supposed to do, than I see no problem with keeping him around.

Fire - JBL. It's not that I hate him, he's just REALLY annoying.

Hire - Jim Cornette. I'm a very big Cornette fan and he's one of the best talkers in the business. I think him bantering on the side of the heels would be nothing short of incredible. He's very loud, obnoxious but overall can talk better than everyone on the current commentary table.

EDIT: Also, I'd like to see Alex Riley taking Michael Cole's spot when he retires. Riley is amazing.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Fire - Jerry Lawler, it's time to go back to Memphis buddy... you've had a great run but it's clear the passion isn't there any more and frankly you're stopping the right guy from having the role now. I'm not "hiring" Regal as he already works for WWE but he moves into your spot... he's being promoted. Jerry doesn't work without JR I am afraid.

Keep - Cole, in the absence of anyone better he is now our guy. He got a lot of respect for how he handled the Lawler heart incident and it humanised him again after he almost literally became a Muppet during his feud with Jerry.
As a "The Man" once said..."Like it, don't like it, learn to live with it Wooo". That's Cole right now.

Hire - There are a few guys WWE can hire to the announce team who would have very good shots at it. Some are internal so not "hires" like Christian, Matt Bloom and Alex Riley. I like the idea of Steve Austin and I think he is pretty much at the point where it might be entertained. If he's allowed "off the chain" a bit then it could be a ratings winner for sure. They need to get a classic colour guy as JBL, Cole and Jerry doesn't work for me... I would remove JBL but not fire him... I actually want to see him manage Slater under the Clem gimmick. So if you're gonna hire someone it's between 2 people, one has already been rumored.

Jim Cornette: Time to get some "blood and thunder" back into that booth, you're not getting Heyman back in there so if you're not gonna risk Austin then Cornette is your next best option. He's a guy who can offer insight and a historical perspective and be a great heel character in there... JBL tries but it doesn't work. The risk is that he might go too far but that's when Jim is at his best, I would LOVE to see this, but they're more likely to go with...

Jonathan Coachman: There's been talk of him returning part time for a while now, so if I balls to the wall had to make one hire... it's him. He's now far more experienced as an ESPN sports anchor if you want to replace Cole with him, he can do the straight PBP commentary BUT The Coach was also a fantastic character and very underrated back in the day. He was able to get heat and commentate the heel side extremely well. How that would work with juggling ESPN etc is uncertain, but if he and Regal on the same 3 person team would be a great double act, just as they were in the past. WWE's version of Ron Burgandy? perhaps not THAT humorous, but Coach "quit" to go to ESPN, him returning having done so could have some great possibilities.

 

[BuriedByCena]

Fire: Jerry lawyer. He is too old, has lost his touch, stutters, rarely talks anyway. He is not allowed to crack any good jokes like he used to so what is the point.

Keep: Cole/JBL. I know they get hate, but I don't hate them. I think they are all right. All I want is Vince to let Cole call the matches a bit more instead of repeating too much story. They need to balance it out. Let JBL continue to be the heel and let him crack jokes or just bash Cole. I find it funny sometimes.

Hire: A complete unknown NEW guy or Renee Young. She does a pretty good job on NXT and I am impressed she actually follows the product and knows what she is talking about.

 

[Degree In Huganomics]

Fire: King, without a doubt. As harsh as it sounds, I was kind of relieved when he had to step off commentary for a bit (although I obviously wished him well health-wise), I was just kinda hoping he wouldn't come back. He's been awful for a long time now.

Keep: JBL/Cole. But, by God, please stop feeding Cole the crap he continually spouts every week. Allow him to be himself, call the match and stop plugging the app/network eighteen times a show, detracting from matches by talking about other stories etc etc. Cole was good as a PBP guy back in the day and he was awesome as a heel before it got silly with the king. Him fawning over The Miz used to be one of my favourite aspects of RAW. He also called out the face commentators on their hypocrisy which made for a much better dynamic and was good at executing sarcasm.

Hire: Renee Young. To give us a completely fresh dynamic. I enjoy her work on NXT and it's honestly about time there was a woman commentator in WWE. Besides, what could put over a heel more than an attractive woman fawning over them, how hot they are, how cool and smooth they are etc. I doubt there is anything more annoying to guys, and that would be sure to get the heels more heat with the guys.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

I was actually thinking something about this the other day.

If I had to fire one, it would be Michael Cole. Don't get me wrong, he's improved exponentially over the last couple of years, but he's still not spending enough time getting the product over, which is his job.

Keep: I like JBL, and Lawler is responsive to the play-by-play - hiring a better PBP would IMO bring out the best in Lawler.

Hire: not strictly speaking a hire, as he already world for WWE, and this is what I was thinking the other day, but how awesome would Joey Styles be on play-by-play with the current roster, heck, even the future roster with the likes of Zayn, KENTA, Devitt, Steen and more. There definitely a shift back - albeit a slight one AT THE MOMENT - towards individuality, Joey Styles would be tremendous at getting the 'new generation' over

 

[Spidey Revivey]

Not quite sure I understand the firing/keeping aspect of this thread. Since there are three commentators, does one just become a backstage interviewer or something? If that is the case then Michael Cole for sure. He hasn't done much on the team but he's nowhere near as bad as Lawler has gotten.

Fire: Lawler. Because the jokes have become worse than corny and you can just tell he doesn't bring the enthusiasm he used to have.

Keep: JBL. He gets annoying, sure. But he's still actually trying to be a heel commentator and sometimes hits the nail on the head with how the audience feels about the action in the ring. JBL paired with someone other than Cole or Lawler would still be interesting. Lawler and Cole both have been in that seat much longer than JBL has.

Hire: Renee Young. She's golden. Having a female commentator would be a refreshing change and she has shown she can talk coherently and with energy.

 

[Shadow409]

Fire: Cole. He is just terrible, in every aspect

Keep: King. He has lost his edge a little, but that's due to the current product more than anything I think.

Hire: Taz. I've always enjoyed his work.

Honorable Mention: William Regal he's fantastic. JR the greatest announcer of all time. He's just been screwed enough by WWE

 

[S'All Goodman]

Regrettably i'd keep Michael Cole. I enjoyed his commentary with Tazz back in the day, but his form seems to have dropped considerably. I usually don't mind him if he isn't getting caught up in conversation with JBL, but when something shocking happens, he doesn't make me believe it's a big deal when it actually should be. and i wish he could learn the moves a bit better and tell a bit more of a story.

Fire: I don't really mind JBL, but for me, the patnership with Michael Cole just doesn't work and he really doesn't seem interested in being a commentator, but more getting a free front row seat every week whilst talking with his mates.

Hire: I'm going to have to say Renee Young. She has came a long way in such a short space of time. she may not be as knowledgeable as Regal but she would add something we haven't seen before. and if Michael Cole steps up, i could really see this working. and when Lawler finally retires, throw Regal in there.

 

[Cereal Killer]

Keep One: Michael Cole. Pretty much the voice of the WWE since the early 2000s if I'm correct and has a very iconic voice. When you hear him, you know what you're watching. At times he can be funny, he can tell the story of a match well and can make a moment feel special like the ending of The Streak. He can make characters like Bray Wyatt seem as these evil monsters and can comprehend everything that is happening in the WWE. What's not to like about him?

Fire one: Jerry Lawler. To me, it seems like Lawler has still got a job because of how long he's been in the industry and because he's a WWE Hall Of Famer. He's a face commentator with a lot of experience so the casual fans will go with whatever he says, but I still don't think that's a reason to keep him. He doesn't really say much compared to Cole and JBL and whatever he's used for, the other two can do. They too can make the jokes, talk about the Network or give an insight to the match as a face or a heel. What does Jerry Lawler bring to the table? You can make the argument that JBL should remain as the heel commentator and it should be Cole that's fired, but whatever Lawler does, Cole can do it better. He puts a lot of more emotion into it and Lawler doesn't make me believe that he wants to be there.

Hire one: This is a tough one. I haven't watched WWE properly to say but I think I'm going to go with William Regal, someone that can bring something new to the commentary team. You see, Cole talks about the WWE App and what not as well as the storylines and tells the viewers what's going down. JBL supports the heels to make the discussion more interesting, but neither really talk about the wrestling itself that much. William Regal was a pretty good technical wrestler. He knew what he was doing and could execute a lot of moves perfectly. Why not Regal? While the WWE matches are about story and emotion, some fans still appreciate the technical side of things so I think it would be a good idea to have someone that reaches out to them.

 

[boywithatoy]

Let's pretend that you are in high power of WWE and you decide that you've had enough of the puppet show that is the WWE RAW Commentary team. So you have to fire someone, keep on, and then hire someone to replace the fired dude. Fairly simple, right? Okay, let's see what you got.

Your maths doesn't work buddy! Technically you have to keep 2 or fire 2.

For example, if you fire cole, keep jbl and hire regal - what happens to lawler? Either you keep him (which means you keep 2 people) or you fire him (meaning you fire 2 people). It's mathematically impossible to answer this question!

 

[Da Solo]

Keep Cole in what is mostly a default decision. King without JR isn't the same mischievous color commentator he once was. Plus his jokes are just old. The last comedic thing he did on the booth was the washrag discourse he had with Titus, and I was laughing because of Titus, not King. JBL too has lost his novelty. He's now more of a southern Tazz: just insult Cole and big up guys you used to wrestle and call it commentating. He's not interesting to me at all.

That being said, Fire King because JBL has the recency advantage. Both can go, to be honest, but I've been putting up with King longer, so naturally I'm more annoyed with how he has fallen from greatness. JBL isn't terrible, as he will once or twice say something funny. Plus, he seems more credible to go to for the experience talks since he's been a full time wrestler as recently as 5 years ago (I think).

Hire Booker T, PLEASE! He was different, hilarious and actually cared about the matches. Literally, he put his emotion into every match, and sometimes that really does affect a viewer's level of interest. And let's be honest: no one has ever made you laugh as hard as Booker did:

Cole: "Why are you defending HHH? You were part of the walkout!"
King Bookah: "Like I say, Cole, I didn't walk out! I actually... I had to use the bathroom. I thought the show was over, the cameras looked off and I just had to go use the bathroom."

I had to literally pause the DVR for that and wear the laughter off. Watching Cole's face having to come up with something to respond to him with is just priceless

 

[WBL]

I'd fire Bradshaw because that heel schtick of his, almost to the level of Fox News screaming head, has become painfully annoying and teeth-wrenching in my opinion. I'd keep Lawler, simply for the star power and the wit. I'd hire Joey Styles, because... come on. He's Joey Styles.

 

[GeminiGarlord]

Keep: Lawler, he's still the less annoying of the three.
Fire: Cole, he's not bad when calling the match, but WWE doesn't want match called, and he is totally awful at not calling the match
Hire: Renee Young (well not really a hire, just moving her from nxt), she is really good on NXT, quite pleasant to listen to and never annoying.

 

[beckyh]

Keep Cole. Fire Lawler. Hire Edge.

Cole can do a good job. Lawler has run his course. It's sad but he is not as relatable as he used to be and it shows. CM Punk would be a good hire but that is an impossible choice. Edge was always a good talker.