Which are the moments you wish JR was behind the mic?

[The Yes Guy]

JR is undoubtedly the greatest color commentator of all times.

I still remember him going, "Good God almighty! Good God almighty! That killed him! As God as my witness, he is broken in half!" during Taker vs Mick Foley.

Or, his commenting during the Taker vs HBK at Wrestlemania 25.

It was him that made those moments that much more special.

So which were the moments throughout wrestling history, where JR behind the mic would have made them even more special.?

Mine would be Dolph Ziggler's Cash in the night after Wrestlemania 29. And the crowd was the most brilliant crowd in recent times. Cole was OK, but JR would have made it something else.

 

[Stone Cold Tea]

Brock Lesnars first return. JR would have nailed it instead we get and OH MY! from Michael Cole. Some people may say less was better for that return but we didn't even get less we got shit. It's Brock fucking Lesnar for god sake JR would have been on hype duty that night.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

EVERYTHING!

From rewatching the classic 1998 Raw Is War episodes on the WWE Network and then going on to watch this year's Elimination Chamber PPV the same day, it just emphasised how damn good Jim Ross (and Jerry Lawler) were in their primes back in the day. The difference in quality is astonishing.

Imagine how JR would have put over Sting's WWE debut after all these years, the DX vs nWo face-off at WrestleMania, Rollins cashing in the MITB at the end of the Lesnar v Reigns title match? The moment would easily have sounded 10x more important and special.

 

[John Cena's Sweatbands]

I have two, they were both during his hiatus in 1998/1999.

The night Mankind won the WWF Title on Raw, and the I Quit match at the 1999 Royal Rumble.

Michael Cole did an ok job announcing these moments, but imagine how much more powerful and emotional it would have been with JR referring to Mick Foley as the WWF Champion, or pleading with Mankind to quit to avoid getting hit in the head with the chair again.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Lawler's heart attack. I want to see if his real world shock and cries for help would mirror his fake wrestling world.

Otherwise, I like JR more than Cole so it may have been nice for many moments. But it is commentary, and I can mostly tune it out.

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

I think JR deserves some credit for the success of Stone Cold Steve Austin. The glass would shatter and the crowd would pop and JR would be screaming "Stone Cold! Stone Cold! Stone Cold! Business is about to pickup. One moment off the top of my head is when Austin got "ran over" at Survivor Series 99. Of course JR hypes it by screaming "That car just ran over Austin!".
I think JR could have done a good job calling. Daniel Bryan's road to Wrestle mania culminating with his title win. He always did a good job putting over Triple H as the ultimate heel and even can up with the nick name the cerebral assassin. He also would of have done a better job putting Daniel Bryan over as the ultimate underdog and I think The Wrestle mania 30 win could've been more special than it was with JR calling the action.

 

[Messiah]

Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan and Gordon Solie... All guys who were better than JR, i bet you any money he would agree as well.. People need to quit overrating JR just because of some of the calls he's made in his career.. He was good, but not the best ever, that's asinine to even say that.

 

[Prince Vee]

I would put up my top 10 here. Most of them would be in the last couple of years because we got a lot of great moments in the last couple of years!

10) Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose would jump off the hell in the cell cage! I just think that as a classic moment. It makes me remember the time when Mic Foley was thrown off that same cage 10 years back.

9) When Edge announces his retirement. A sad moment that none of us would've expected, Jim Ross should've been there in the commentary.

8) When Brock Lesnar returned to WWE after his brief time in the UFC. That was one of the nark moments in the WWE history when the crowd had gone nuts!

7) When Daniel Bryan occupied the Raw with his Yes movement! Wouldn't it have been great to hear Jim Ross chanting Yes Yes Yes?

6) The Shield Debuts!! It doesn't need to be explained a lot about this moment!

5) Seth Rollins Curb Stomped Dean Ambrose through the Cinder blocks. That moment when Seth proved the world that the greatest heel of the Reality Era!

4) Seth Rollins turned against the Shield. I wanted Jim Ross to be there all along with those Shield moments!

3) John Cena got suplexed his way out of the Championship sight by Brock Lesnar. This was an unexpected one sided domination over the 15 time world champ.

2) Sting debuts at the Survivor Series! I absolutely can be sure I'm not the only one who wished JR was at that point.

1) Undertaker streak broken! We had seen JR was there throughout most of that streak moments, it would've been a great honour if he would've been there when it was broken.

Cheers!!

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I can't believe I forgot to mention Brock Lesnar ending Undertaker's WrestleMania streal!! That was one of the most shocking moments in all my time as a WWE fan and although the commentary was good, JR's voice would have made it even more memorable.

Also, another poster mentioned Mankind winning the WWE title for the first time...I think that was one of Michael Cole's finest performances as an announcer and he did an EXCELLENT job on this occasion but just imagine the emotion JR would have brought to that special moment....amazing.

 

[wrestler36]

Lesnar vs Undertaker on paper would have been great for JR, but honestly, the match wasn't all that good since UT was already hurt going in and the early concussion.

JR would have sold the hell out of Cena getting whooped by Lesnar at last year's Summerslam. Rollins turning on the Shield would have been another good one. Or Triple H turning on Daniel Bryan at Summer slam

 

[noTORRIEus]

Easily 3 moments that JR would've made even more memorable...

1) Brock breaking the streak. JR's shock at that happening as well as putting over Brock as a bad arse and Heyman as the evil genius would have been amazing

2) Bryan defeating HHH, then Batista and Orton to win the strap. Praising the determination and heart of the ultimate underdog to finally achieve his boyhood dream, no one can verbally paint a picture as well as JR could and I believe that would have had a lasting impression.

3a) Owens defeating Cena at Elimination.

3b) Punk winning the championship at Money in the Bank 2011

 

[justinept]

Lawler's heart attack. I want to see if his real world shock and cries for help would mirror his fake wrestling world.

Otherwise, I like JR more than Cole so it may have been nice for many moments. But it is commentary, and I can mostly tune it out.

Well considering that Michael Cole's quick thinking during the moments immediately following Lawler's heart attack are credited w/ saving Lawlers life, I'd rather not change this moment...

But I digress - There has been a lot of discussion about JR's place in history among broadcasters. Look, if people want to put Solie, Monsoon and Heenan ahead of him, then fine. At worst, JR is the 4th best of all time. That still means he was pretty damned good... Personally, I'd put him ahead of both Monsoon and Heenan because I didn't particularly care for either individually. When working together, they were phenomenal. When working separately, they mostly phoned it in - especially Heenan, who totally botched the Hogan heel turn call by questioning his intentions on the way to the ring.

As for moments I wish JR would've called..

Most of them have already been mentioned - specifically:

1) Punk winning the title at MITB 2011
2) Sting's debut
3) The Undertaker streak being broken.
4) Rollins cashing it at WrestleMania 31

There's a pattern with these moments - and it's that they all had the element of surprise. That's where JR was so good. He showed legitimate emotion in his calls. It's where guys like Cole, Stryker, JBL and the rest of the lot fail in my opinion. They're mostly robotic. It's tough to distinguish the mundane moments from the special moments based on their call alone - because they all sound pretty much the same to me.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Triple Naitch has it right, FREAKIN' EVERYTHING!!!

Every moment that's occurred in WWE since he has been gone has suffered. Not only because commentary is atrocious these days but because Good Ol' J.R. makes every match & moment better! I'm even listening to J.R.'s podcast while typing this!

Also I would have loved to see J.R. come to WWE 7 or 8 years earlier. Imagine a young J.R. co-calling the 1st Wrestlemania, Savage vs. Steamboat, Shawn throwing Marty through the Barbershop window or the 1992 Royal Rumble?!?!?! That would've been epic!

 

[tak161]

Lawler's heart attack. I want to see if his real world shock and cries for help would mirror his fake wrestling world.

Otherwise, I like JR more than Cole so it may have been nice for many moments. But it is commentary, and I can mostly tune it out.

Quite honestly, I don't think JR would have been able to continue on that night. He would have been way too upset to go on, after seeing his friend like that. And I can guarantee you, he would have been at King's side from the moment he went down.

Also, others have mentioned it, but the biggest recent moment I wish JR would have called was Sting's debut. He definitely would have conveyed the emotion that Sting deserved to have brought out on commentary. And I know that Sting would have preferred it as well to have "Rossy" call his debut and first Wrestlemania match.

 

[stingray11214]

Triple Naitch has it right, FREAKIN' EVERYTHING!!!

Every moment that's occurred in WWE since he has been gone has suffered. Not only because commentary is atrocious these days but because Good Ol' J.R. makes every match & moment better! I'm even listening to J.R.'s podcast while typing this!

Also I would have loved to see J.R. come to WWE 7 or 8 years earlier. Imagine a young J.R. co-calling the 1st Wrestlemania, Savage vs. Steamboat, Shawn throwing Marty through the Barbershop window or the 1992 Royal Rumble?!?!?! That would've been epic!

You give VKM too little credit. Granted, Vince was no Gordon Solie. However, VKM was a very credible announcer back in the day. He called a great card at WM1. Good 'ol JR was still grinding his teeth with the NWA, and you saw the promise in him.

As for missing Ross: I do. I can still imagine him, even at that graduation video of those two kids and the stunner, screaming "STONE COLD! STONE COLD!"

 

[Eyebrows]

I think I miss JR for the smaller things. The big moments, Sting's debut, Lesnar breaking the streak etc. are able to stand up on their own regardless of the commentary.

JR made the mid-card sound important. Whether he'd be allowed to do so these days with the over-producing is another matter, but when JR was calling an Intercontinental Title or Tag-Team match, he would do his absolute utmost to make it feel like a big deal. He was absolutely fantastic at putting guys over that way.

 

[L@RISANO]

Some have already been mentioned like the End of the Streak, SHIELD break-up, Sting's long awaited debut, etc...

Bryan winning the title would have been done great justice by JR on commentary.

The Rollins-Ambrose part 1 of their feud would have been great with JR selling it.

Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns would have been great with JR announcing, especially the WM 31 Main Event, where I think JR's commentary would have put over Reigns and Rollins both on that same night in a huge way.

Lastly, Cena being slaughtered by Brock at SummerSlam 2014. JR would have amped that up big time.

 

[Paige's Side Piece]

Mines would have to be Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns. Just to hear JR call that brutal beating and detailing how much pain Roman had to be in, and the initial shock when he call Seth Rollins cashing in his money in the bank briefcase.

 

[bjarvis]

WrestleMania 31, Main Event.

The first F5, a minute in. JR would have sold the s out of that. Instead the commentary made it seem so common, so normal and it was delayed massively.

The Reigns comeback.

The Rollins cash-in.

JR would have made every moment sound gold.

 

[gooseholla]

As with any commentator that commentates every show for years you get fed up with them. The King is prime example. His catchphrases are old and unfunny. Same happened with JR for me. You sit there waiting for the BAH GAWD! SLOBBERKNOCKER! GOVERNMENT MULE! BBQ SAUCE! Something about Oklahoma and then sign when it occurs regularly.

Cole I have always found annoying, Coach I found annoying. But I don't know whether JR would have added anything to any of the return moments or shock moments. They were epic and shocking without anyone needing to sell them on the mic.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Michael Cole is truly an awful commentator, so I'd prefer JR for everything. Maggle is cold and clinical, totally detached from the product, and his voice is annoying, unlike the golden voices of guys like JR or Solie. As Joey from Wrestling Soup said not long ago, there are no Michael Cole fans.

Seriously, the surprise appearances from Lesnar, Jericho and Sting over the last few years have been ruined by Cole's lack of emotional investment. But he's a longtime guy, the ultimate yes man to Vince, and a political snake, so sadly he won't be going anywhere.

 

[maloney414]

Definitely the Sting moments stand out. JR has a WCW past and called many Sting vs. Flair matches. JR would have really done right by Sting.

JBL was just terrible....