When Gorilla Monsoon was an announcer, wether or not they were being directed over the headsets, there was a sense that the entire illusion of wrestling was REAL. It was the World WRESTLING Federation, not World Wide ENTERTAINMENT. There were no behind the scene movies or tough enough reality shows or tell all books that took the mystery away from the show. You watched the matches and listened to the announcers just knowing a legitimate contest was taking place.
It was Monsoon's job to do that. He would put such details into the match so that the viewers at home literally FELT Hogan's leg drop, or Savage's off the top rope elbow, you were caught up in the emotions of wrestlers and the stroylines. He made you FEEL the same hatred Piper had for pretty much anyone standing across the ring, or the shock, confusion, dismay, and betrayal when a wrestler turned on a friend. It was his job to not only grab and hold your attention for the show but to get you to believe in it.
Today's product is completly different from all of that. Video promo's, sound effects and replays have replaced all that. Today, all the announcer has to do is tell you to watch the replay. One could use the analogy that Monsoon's style was like reading a good book, where as JR's style is like watching a decent movie about it. Today there is nothing left to the imagination. The technology of today takes all the imagination out of it, and the style of calling the matches shows. Monsoon made you understand what it is you were seeing, JR just shows you over and over on the replay. JR tells you its an armbar, Monsoon told you what hurts when the armbar is applied. JR tells you a its a sleeper hold, Monsoon told you what it did in detail to make it work. Monsoon told you once what JR and video replay has to tell you over and over and over.... Monsoon had to sell you the entire package in a limited ammount of time. There were no replay's of what happened during the commercial break or last week or in the back moments ago.
Lets also not forget that the attention span of todays fans is way shorter than it was back then. Longer matches allowed for more details of the action taking place. Today matches don't last as near as long. back then, Monsoon and partner's details of the action kept you watching the whole show. Today JR and partner use fluff and gimmicks to try to get you to turn them on. Monsoon and partner called only the action, JR and partner talk about everything from the weather at the areana to what they had for dinner during a match so as to keep you interested.
There is much more I could go on about but this is long enough.