Time for a change in commentators??

[Serious Mozzarella]

The least of their problems right now is commentators.

Without reading the thread all the way through, I find this statement automatically the most truth I have ever seen here on the WZ forums.

Congratulations, ChaseDavis.

 

[Big Fella]

Obviously the WWE has a ton of things they can improve on before they even start to concern themselves with the announcers, but I think this is an aspect that could be improved

I agree with many of the sentiments shared about King and JR. I think this is an aspect that can be improved and used as an entertaining angle as well. I agree that King needs to turn heel and be edgier, which could start with a fun feud with a popular face wrestler similar to the one he had with Bret Hart in the past.

JR's work has slipped a little bit, but if Lawler turns heel over the course of the next year they could still be an entertaining duo. Lawler's heel turn would put over more heels, and JR has always done a good job at elevating faces and portraying main event matches as huge moments. I think this would improve their effectiveness as announcers, help the show tremendously, and further both of their careers.

I also agree with those that really don't like Michael Cole. The guy is the epitome of average. Announcer duo's generally consist of a straight guy that inevitably support the heels, and the heel announcer. Cole plays the straight guy, but is just so vanilla. He doesn't have the charm that JR and Gorilla Monsoon have. He doesn't come off as a noble man supporting the noble cause, but a cry-baby buzz killer.

That said, JBL is good enough to carry the team.

 

[Agrex]

I beleive it is time for a change in the commentators. The problem is the J.R and King work welll together and would not want to split. I do see J.R as a great, dedicated and interesting anouncer. But King is getting a little annoying with his descriptions of most of the divas. I would like to see them try out J.R and Tazz, move King to Smackdown! and put Cole on ECW. That would freshen up the announcers on all the brands.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

My only problem with a commentator switch up, is that I didn't think Jim Ross wanted to remain working as an announcer anymore? I thought once his deal was up, he was returning to the "front office/behind the scenes" stuff. (I know he's already there, but I mean, simply cutting out the on-air routine)

I think Jerry Lawler in E.C.W., working along side Taz, or Joey Styles would work wonders for that brand. Especially with the hatred Lawler has had for that (original) company. Also, I think Jim Ross & J.B.L. would work great, while returning Micheal Cole & Taz back together.

Although, I'd rather see Coach return to announcing than have to deal with Micheal Cole any longer. The guy has NO emotion for anything, & when he does, hes faking it worse than a woman's orgasm.

Raw: Jim Ross, J.B.L.: A- rating

Smackdown: Micheal Cole, Taz, Coach: C+ rating

E.C.W.: Joey Styles, Jerry Lawler: A+ rating (for the storylines between Lawler & the brand, alone)

 

[rkopaton]

Michael says the same thing over and over "what does the challenger have to do here John to win this match". I know JR is repetitive but his doesn't bother me that much really. LOVE JBL, brilliant commentator and hs a great perception of wrestling

 

[elijah]

I would favor moving Ron Simmons from RAW to the SmackDown announce table to sit alongside Michael Cole and JBL. As you probably figured, Ron wouldn't say much. But he would intervene with a necessary "DAMN!" every so often in a desperate attempt to help Layfield carry Cole for those two hours on Friday evening.

 

[Rusty]

I certainly don't think Cole & Bradshaw should be split up. JBL is the only announcer I can think of who genuinely sounds like he's putting wrestlers over because he wants to. Not because the company tells him too. Although I do suspect those are his orders. Thus proving what a good job he does. I also like how Cole doesn't appear intimidated by his agressive style.

As for Lawler & J.R. I hate them both. Several years ago The King was entertaining. He was frequently amusing. But several years on the jokes are tired and a new partner would be of benefit to him.

As for J.R. he's a walking cliche. He's a caricature of who he used to be. As with Lawler he brings out the same old tired lines week in and week out. I know I'll get flamed for it but that's how I feel. I know he's a legend. But so is Ric Flair and he's also got worse with age, naturally. And there's no excuse for forgetting or getting wrestlers names wrong. It's his job to get it right. If J.R. has alzheimer's then fine. But he hasn't.

I totally agree with you as i think Smackdown currently has the best commentators. Ecw commentary is not bad but not great either. Raw commentary with J.R and King makes the show feel a little bit dull in my opinion. No offence to old people lol but i think Raw should get people that are a little bit younger about aged 30-35 and just see how it gives the show more life and excitement.

 

[carthitup]

First, Michael Cole is awful. There's no way around that. Smackdown's commentary works because of JBL and his aggressive heel personality.

I agree with what people said earlier... as soon as King became a 'face' commentator like JR, it all went to hell. I was watching some old matches the other day, and the commentary worked because each man was pulling for a different wrestler. Now, they never disagree, and that also serves to make the heels look weak. Think about some of the Smackdown heels... Finlay, MVP, Edge... they're a lot more over because JBL spends EVERY match building them up.

How often does Orton get complimentary commentary? If the announcers don't believe in someone, how can the viewer? You need a heel/face duo announcing so the fans have a voice representing them on TV no matter who they support.

Problem is... King and JR wouldn't work well with anyone of the WWE's other announcers, neither would Michael Cole. Styles is good, JBL is great... they might work well together, but then that'd leave us with what? Taz and Cole again? JR and Taz? Lawler and Cole? None of the possibilities really work.

Basically, we're stuck with King and JR until they retire, or until Vince decides to fire Good Ol' JR again (which, if history holds, should happen again soon ).

Of course, the interesting question here is what happens if JBL comes back as a wrestler, which he seems to be in training to do. Have Taz cover two shows? Coach is busy, so there's a lack of people for that spot if he goes back into the ring.

 

[A-Bomb]

I'm pretty sure nobody's mentioned this in this thread, and I'll probably get slaughtered for saying it, but....

I think Vince should do commentary again. He had some great lines (One, two, three and a new champion...NO!) (It's a total debacle!).

Sure, he wasn't the greatest when it comes to technical ability as a commentator, but dammit he was entertaining. I liked Vince a lot better before he was a character.

 

[suavestar]

if jbl goes back to the ring, commentary is going to be crap! styles was good on raw but terrible on ecw. tazz is just crap right now and your right the king needs to be a heel announcer again, like on raw last night you knew the king was going to stand up to santino. right now they should bring back paul heyman, just for the simple fact he can piss off jr like noone else! jr geniunely hated him back in wcw! how great would this team be-Jr, jbl and heyman! the fights they could have would be more intresting than the matches! but maybe i'm wrong.

 

[arrive_raisehell_leave]

i was thinking this very thing to myself just the over day...and it came to me that cena wasn't wrestling and in my opinion is good on the mic...how about a 6-8 month stint at commentating! it would be good also because it would keep cena fresh in everyones minds and not forget there prize asset!

 

[DayDreamer]

I think they can atleast mix and match, JR and JBL would make a great team, Texas and Oklahoma is all I have to say. Lawler I think needs a break, he's been doing this for some time and I think people have grown accustomed to him, a little too accustomed. Cole should probably team up with someone like Dusty for the moment, and then, after 6-7 months Lawler comes back to join Cole, and then we'll the King and Queen of wrestling on the commentary booth.

And for the people saying Cena should do color, that'll be a bad move, because he'll be over exposed.

 

[A-Bomb]

Anyone notice that Lawler can't carry the commentary duties on his own at all? It might have been when Austin was hit by the car way back when, but JR left the booth for a while, and Lawler was helpless. Any other time JR has left the booth, or lost use of his headset for any length of time, Lawler can't keep the commentary going at all. It's kind of funny. Paired with JR though, he works. I don't know if he'd work out with another commentator. He needs Ross to keep him going.

 

[jappyjeremy]

k im not sure if someone already said this or not, i dont like reading, but if JBL and the Kings were together then the other brand would be stuck with the other guys! i think JBL is funny but can be really annoying with him thinking all the drty wrestlers are cool =l

 

[Mrs.Miz]

Ok here's my thoughts on the commentators, I can't stand Michael Cole, I initially was horrified when JBL started commentating on SD, bu after several weeks, I changed my mind very quickly. Someone mentioned in an earlier post that JBL sounds like he really cares about getting talent over, and he just sounds like you want to listen to what he's saying. Jerry Lawler on the other hand, I never care about what he's saying, I don't find his 10 year old jokes amusing anymore, and he's all about the divas, which is just so old. JR, what's really been pissing me off about him lately are these little monikers he's adding to the wrestlers Jeff Hardy "The Rainbow Haired Warrior" or Rey Misterio "WWE's Littlest Big Man" the one I hate the most is "The Glamazon"...it's the stupidist thing i've ever heard..I can't comment on Taz or Joey, because I don't watch ECW, and no Cena commentating..just no..

 

[A-Bomb]

Mrs. Miz, is it really JR that's coming up with those nicknames, or could he just be using them because people in the creative dept. came up with them and the commentators have been instructed to throw the names in sometimes? I do agree, the "Rainbow haired warrior" nickname is a little bit of a stretch.

 

[Mrs.Miz]

Yeah you're absolutely right, I just can't stand those "comments"...the "rainbow haired warrior" is ridiculous, I laughed when Randy Orton called Shawn Michaels a "hothead", now if that comment was made every week, that'd be Great!

 

[Meilichia]

Maybe its just me, but Raw wouldn't be Raw without JR and King commentating, they work so well together, and yeah JR comes up with daft names, and King has been using the same jokes for god knows how long, but despite the on/off relationship with JR, Raw aslong as i have watched it has always had JR and King, and to change it would spoil it completely for me, I hate it when they get stand in commentators, which is normally Cole, who I personally don't mind when he is with JBL, he just doesn't work well with either King Or JR. They shouldn't split up any of the pairs, they are working together for a reason because they all bounce of the other well, and changing the pairings would spoil it completely.

And for JBL... why does everyone rate him so much?? He's not too bad, but he certainly is not the best, he should have never changed his character, I'd probably like him a lot more if he wasn't JBL, the APA Bradshaw as commentary would be entertaining.

 

[UmagaFan2100]

Heck no, I don't think they should change commentators! I like J.R. and the King. But if they do change commentators... don't let Jonathan Coachman do it again...

 

[obmj]

Some of the greatest memories I have of commentators were former wrestlers going to the booth. Rowdy Roddy Piper, Mr. Perfect, Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels. They already have the charisma peice in place, they understand the action, fans respect them because of where they come from.

As the kayfabe wall has been broken down and fans see the "business side" more often, it also creates a respect from the fans for those who have driven the business for so long. So here's an idea...

RAW - Jim Ross and Eric Bichoff. Bring Captain Controversy back to reprise his original on-screen role as commentator. He often helped carry Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay on Nitro, and his "unique perspective" would add something to the show.

ECW - Joey Styles and Paul Heyman. Want ratings? Then allow the two most pro-ECW guys ever to commentate the very show they helped to create. Raw and untouched, pull out the stops and let these two be themselves. Talk about "attitude era."

Smackdown - JBL and Jerry Lawler. With the ECW and Smackdown "agreement" in place, why not make it interesting by having the two most anti-ECW guys (also 2 of the funniest) do commentary together? And I can only imagine the level of sarcasm these two would bring out in each other.

Cole gets to go elsewhere. Tazz may get lost in the shuffle, or he could be a 3-man team with Styles and Heyman. But all in all, I think these combos would be fun.

I want to aggree with you on all that...It would truly be the most exciteing shows every week. If nothing else they could put Joey back on Raw and let him have it out with Jerry...that crap was funny as hell.

 

[Bottom_Line]

Still love The King and Good Ol' JR. The only problem though is that King has dropped his heel routine. He used to always root for the bad guys. Now it seems like him and JR are always pulling for the same guy. The need to go back to the good cop, bad cop routine.

 

[Sparky]

i dont think J.R should be taken off raw look at all the times King has been in a match or somthing where he cant commentate he can almost always carry it by him self. maybe teaming him up with JBL like ppl on here have said would be good the two best commentaters together how cool would that be. styles and michael should be on E.C.W for the simple fact of they are the worst to announcers imo. have tazz and king on smackdown. that way it woul be just like the wwe brands
Raw - JR and JBL A team and brand
Smackdown - Tazz and King B team and brand
E.C.W - styles and cole C team and brand

Thats my opinion sorry if u cant understand it im not good with words...

 

[blackhart07]

I dont think J.R. should be taken of for respect but face it the King sucks, he never has any input on the matches. He was good playing a heel character, but know all he does is mark like crazy when divas come out and i personally would rather see a commentator like joey styles thats gonnea give me some good information instead of a 50 year old guy that says nothing. Hell even JBL is better than king. As much as i hated michael Cole in the beginning he has improved alot, at first he seemed so out of place, now you can tell he really trys to improve. Still Styles is hands down the best commentator in the WWE.

 

[Billy mac]

Maybe its just me, but Raw wouldn't be Raw without JR and King commentatingto me you are absolutely right, RAW would not be raw, without JR saying this is a slobanoka or king getting so excited his voice gets high pitched

I dont think J.R. should be taken of for respect but face it the King sucks, he never has any input on the matches.
it shudnt be only respect that JR stays on it shud be that he is the best commentator around, king ok i respect ur opinion, but the feel of the kings excitement is enough 4 me.

First, Michael Cole is awful. There's no way around that. Smackdown's commentary works because of JBL and his aggressive heel personality.
N now that JBL is cumin back to the ring, omg how is smackdown going to be good now, hopefully they get a top shelf commentator.

Ever since Lawler stopped being the "Jesse Ventura"-heel announcer
dat might be true but mayb its a fact cause king is just a normal comentator now, n JBL wel hes back in the ring.

dey r my 2 cents feel free 2 disagree or agree

thanks

 

[Billy mac]

adding on (sorry 4got 2 edit my post dnt no 2 delete im fairly new)

cole needs 2 get sum fresh material n so dus king but i love how king gets excited

i love how wel king n jr mix 2getha

long live the king n good ol jr
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