Would you like to see Jim Ross back on commentary?

[Dead-Angel]

After last nights RAW i can say that Jim Ross like always did a very good commentary and I feel like he is missing and WWE must bring him back, I really hated the fact that Cole was in hes heel character and trashing good old JR every minute probably it was Vince idea, lets vote I really think I am not the only one who thinks that JR deserves to commentate again! , also it looked like he was so happy that he was back to commentate even one match!

 

[DMac84]

Yeah. It made the match sound exciting. JR calls it like any other Sport, not just a TV show.

I like the King, and I like Cole's Character now... but JR is WWE, and he just makes the product better. No doubt about that.

 

[FatGuyIan]

Michael Cole needs to go away. I love watching RAW, but he it is getting to the point where it makes me want to click the SAP button just so I don't have to hear him and I don't even speak Spanish. For whatever reason, Vince has a hard-on for him and has it out for JR. Jim Ross is the defining voice of wrestling for our entire generation and I challenge anyone to name someone who better defines what a PBP man should sound like. And if someone tries to convince me the either Joey Styles or Tony Schiavone are better, I may just have to snort lines of Anthrax.

 

[neildittmar]

Should J.R. be back on RAW full time? Absolutely! He gives an air of legitimacy to a very entertainment based product. He never tries to be bigger than the matches or the stars themselves. Moreover, his commentary is specifically designed to highlight the athletes and moves in a very natural, non-forced way. Specifically, he has natural chemistry with Jerry Lawler. That said, not only was it a great moment for J.R. to be back on Raw doing commentary, but it effectively brought Jerry Lawler up a notch as well, as I believe he has been fairly stagnant more times than he's been "on" lately.

Nevertheless I am in NO WAY optimistic about Ross being back on for commentary, either on RAW or Smackdown in even a limited capacity. I completely understand what WWE was trying to do at the old school RAW. That is, throw J.R. fans (and Michael Cole haters by proxy) a bone by putting Ross back on commentary for one night only. That gets those folks talking about how great it would be if WWE put him back full time. That's all fine and good for short term buzz, especially with longtime fans who may not tune in week to week, such as myself.

It's clear that the ultimate goal in that whole segment was to get heel Michael Cole over even more though. J.R. and the King doing commentary took a backseat to Cole talking over them, insulting Ross specifically, and doing everything in his power to take focus off of what was supposed to be a great moment for Ross fans. For anyone who missed it, THAT was the core of the segment... Cole is a jerk, get his heel persona over even more. It wasn't to acredit or even embrace Ross on commentary in the slightest.

Vince and company have worked very hard to get Jim Ross off of the top commentary position for many years now. Regardless of the reasons why, J.R. is now no longer a permanent fixture on RAW (or even the on-air WWE product in general) in essentially any capacity. Unless the McMahons were backed into a very tight corner, there's no way I see them doing an about-face and putting Ross back commentary after all that history.

 

[rdlevy1215]

Personally, I think Cole's announcing is fine, but for one night a week. I'd prefer him on SmackDown! and bring JR back to RAW. His commentary monday night was refreshing to say the least and the chemistry was certainly there between him and the King. If it were me, I'd put Cole and Striker on SD! and JR and King on RAW.

 

[excel_excel]

Absolutly he should come back. He was smoother then he's ever been on the Old School Raw, but my God did Cole's annoying ranting not only damper the commentary, but also distracted from the very good match in the ring. on TV that match seemed more about getting heel Cole over then anything to do with Bryan and Swagger.
The thing is it must be purely a physical appearance thing for WWE, as that old fart King is OLDER then JR, yet still is employed as a commentator.

Speaking of King he's been rubbish for years. Cole, while he is simply a parrot, still has something to offer, and sometimes his heel character is ridiculously entertaining. A more subtle heel Cole partnered with JR would make for a good team. I'm surprised TNA hasn't tried to get JR as a commenter as he'd be a FAR more valuable asset then Taz, who rarely adds to broadcasts. (but is still better then King)

 

[Dead-Angel]

i still dont get it why Vince dont want JR, i mean he is the best commentator there ever was, even the crowd always like him like last night when he was making hes way to the announcers table the crowd cheered him, still dont get it why the fans cant get what fans want, hes voice is better then coles and JR commentates with emotion and very clear and I just loved the way he commentated the match last night, whats happening in Vinces mind is mistery to me...

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Asking this is a bit of an unfair question because of course everyone would rather see JR back at the commentary booth.

Since Cole has become heel I've actually warmed up to him a lot, but comparing Michael Cole to JR is like comparing Demarcus Ware to Lawrence Taylor, sure Demarcus is one of the best currently, but Taylor is a legend, the greatest OLB of all time and was recently given the #3 spot of all time greatest players (all positions) which also named him the greatest defensive player of all time.

Cole's fine and if he stayed as a commentator I wouldn't mind too much (a year I absolutely despised Cole, still do actually but he's shown a lot more as a heel than I've seen from him before), but if I had a choice on who I would pick it would be JR hands down because (maybe outside of Gordon Solie) he is the greatest wrestling commentator of all time

 

[Sportsman939]

I hate Cole on commentary so much, he makes it hard to even watch raw anymore cause hes so awful. Especially since he loves the miz and hates daniel bryan. He calls daniel bryan a nerd when he should look in the mirror, talk about the pot calling the kettle black. And his love for the miz, i guess that does make sense since they both look completely gay. Get Ross back on commentary, he is so much better and not annoying like cole. Cole is the biggest piece of crap in the wwe right now, like the miz and alberto del rio.

 

[DirtyJosé]

JR is as much a part of wrestling nostalgia to me as The Rock and Mankind. However, enough is enough and it's time for a change. This reminds me of the arguments on why and how WWE hasn't prepared a "next class" of wrestlers. How is WWE to prepare and next generation of announcers if all people are clamoring for is more JR?

I enjoyed seeing his cameo on Raw this week, but it only served to remind me of how his time is past. WWE has spent a long time in Cole, and I think it's paying off for them now. Relics like JR and Jerry Lawler need to be let go. I'll miss them too, but they won't live forever, and sooner or later another team needs to be ready to take that desk.

I will say that Matthews and Grisham need to go as well.

 

[Mouthy Idiot]

Yes Jim Ross should be back. The fact is that he is the only one who can bring the right emotion to the broadcast because he knows how to elicit emotion during a good segment. Michael Cole is a loud mouth who says alot but doesnt really say anything. All he does is act heelish nowadays because he cant get any attention when hes calling the show straight forward.

 

[xGotTheEdgex]

Unfortunately, we wont see Jim Ross back on commentary, but I would I like to see him back? Hell yes I would! Not only has Ross not missed a single beat, but the chemistry between him and King was outstanding. JR is the best PBP commentator. Period. I have never liked Cole. He is annoying, and his heel character, is even more annoying in my opinion. While JR is a legend on commentary, Cole makes it painfully hard to watch Raw at times...

 

[drobs85]

I hate Cole on commentary so much, he makes it hard to even watch raw anymore cause hes so awful. Especially since he loves the miz and hates daniel bryan. He calls daniel bryan a nerd when he should look in the mirror, talk about the pot calling the kettle black. And his love for the miz, i guess that does make sense since they both look completely gay. Get Ross back on commentary, he is so much better and not annoying like cole. Cole is the biggest piece of crap in the wwe right now, like the miz and alberto del rio.

Definitely agree, Although i like Cole's commentary I don't get why he turns heel 11 years after joining WWE, i also don't get why he's calling Daniel Bryan a nerd. Hell if that's the case they should be best friends. What the hell does Cole think he is, a stud? Yeah and you're right about the Miz and Cole looking gay, as well as Del Fruity. Jim Ross did a good job, it was also refreshing not to hear Jim Ross talking about tropesius muscles. I'm with the guy who said put striker and Cole on smack-down, and Ross and king on Raw along with The Fink. Clearly Ross and Fink don't want to retire, so use the guys.

 

[PhD]

Asking this is a bit of an unfair question because of course everyone would rather see JR back at the commentary booth.

Since Cole has become heel I've actually warmed up to him a lot, but comparing Michael Cole to JR is like comparing Demarcus Ware to Lawrence Taylor, sure Demarcus is one of the best currently, but Taylor is a legend, the greatest OLB of all time and was recently given the #3 spot of all time greatest players (all positions) which also named him the greatest defensive player of all time.

Cole's fine and if he stayed as a commentator I wouldn't mind too much (a year I absolutely despised Cole, still do actually but he's shown a lot more as a heel than I've seen from him before), but if I had a choice on who I would pick it would be JR hands down because (maybe outside of Gordon Solie) he is the greatest wrestling commentator of all time

I pretty much agree with you on this. I'm surprised so many people are not able to separate their dislike of Michael Cole personally from the character he's currently playing, e.g. constantly shitting on Daniel Bryan and *****ing The Miz.

Yes, on the whole, Cole doesn't have shit on JR, but he's actually been pretty decent as a heel commentator the last several months, largely because he's no longer there just to hype the product as blandly as possible. I enjoy hearing him mock DB, because it'll help him get over with the home audience. I like hearing him rip on Striker and Grisham, because it makes the brand split seem meaningful since the commentators exhibit loyalty to their own show.

Honestly, it seems completely implausible to think commentary will ever be as good as it used to be, given the over-rationalization of the wrestling product today and the really blatant attempts to brand both the company and the "superstars" (e.g. everytime I hear about Kofi Kingston's "controlled frenzy" I want to dropkick my TV). Vince wants to make wrestling mainstream, and a big part of that is ditching many of the things that made it appealing to hardcore fans since the cable era made wrestling a national, if still marginal, form of entertainment.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

So what if JR did a good but not great commentary on one match? Still doesn't negate the fact that he was horrible his last few years. His emotion was gone, he seemed confused half the time, and he always forgot the names of wrestler's moves. JR was great in the 90's and early 2000's. His time is past now and if they bring him back full-time, the same mistakes he made will happen again. Cole was brilliant on commentary because he kept things interesting. The commentary was boring without Cole and that is why Cole is the voice of the WWE now. He and Santino are two of the most interesting characters in the WWE which they sorely need more of.

 

[Caitiff]

Jim Ross' appearance on Raw proved that Bryan Danielson wasn't quite right when he called Michael Cole a "poor man's Jim Ross." I actually see "Poor Man's Jim Ross" as a compliment. To say that you're worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as one of the all-time greats can't possibly be an insult. Joey Styles is a poor man's Jim Ross. And, Jim Ross, in all respect, is a poor man's Gordon Solie. (Frankly, I think even Jim Ross would agree with my comparing him and Gordon Solie.)

Michael Cole is more of a poor man's Eric Bischoff. Someone who generally doesn't want to be there, honestly believes that he's better than anyone who's watching, and, to be frank, hasn't actually contributed anything to professional wrestling. Ever.

While I'll admit that DirtyJose has a minor point, the point is completely defeated by the fact that Michael Cole actually makes Raw (and now SmackDown) more difficult to watch, solely by his presence. There's a rule in show business. "Give the audience what they want." The audience has been very vocal in their declaration that they want Jim Ross.

Be honest with me, Jose. When you think about the last 20 years of professional wrestling, who's voice provdes the soundtrack for the moments that most quickly come to mind? Hell, anyone who wants to answer that, go right ahead. I guarantee that most people will answer "Jim Ross." Some people might answer "Joey Styles," or "Mike Tenay." Hell, there might evn be a "Don West." I seriously doubt that "Michael Cole" will be listed very often.

 

[emeraldshogun]

Sadly I was just having this talk with a friend, I would absolutely love to see JR back, simply to get rid of Michael Cole. Honestly I would rather have Hornswaggle out there every week. Cole is like listening to nails on chalkboards, doesn't add anything to the show(Except to kiss Miz's ass) and really was one of the reasons I didn't watch Smackdown for the longest time. Now I have to listen to him on Raw and Smackdown makes it even more painful. JR is simply the best of his generation and one of the best of all times, Michael Cole isn't even in his league.

 

[DirtyJosé]

While I'll admit that DirtyJose has a minor point, the point is completely defeated by the fact that Michael Cole actually makes Raw (and now SmackDown) more difficult to watch, solely by his presence. There's a rule in show business. "Give the audience what they want." The audience has been very vocal in their declaration that they want Jim Ross.

Jim Ross can't perform at the level required by the WWE, period. I love how each time a thread like this pops up, people forget about the Bell's Palsy. He can't travel with the company to do the weekly shows, not even the Smackdown tapings, and he's admitted as much on his own blog.

You are certainly entitled to your opinions on Cole's work, and they are just as valid as the next man's, but on that note I'd like to share that I find Cole to be more of a success now than most any other time in his career (at least of his career that I've ever seen). He is such a weasel and a cad, and it's been a long long time since a heel announcer was as effective.

Be honest with me, Jose. When you think about the last 20 years of professional wrestling, who's voice provdes the soundtrack for the moments that most quickly come to mind? Hell, anyone who wants to answer that, go right ahead. I guarantee that most people will answer "Jim Ross." Some people might answer "Joey Styles," or "Mike Tenay." Hell, there might evn be a "Don West." I seriously doubt that "Michael Cole" will be listed very often.

Good thing we aren't living in the last 20 years; we're living in the now. JR cannot continue on in the now, simple as that. As a character he has no more room to grow. As a performer, he is no longer capable of working at the level required by the company. That's being honest with you. Yes, JR was the voice of wrestling for most of my childhood, and I will always think of him first when thinking of announcers, but it's time to let it go and to quit being so selfish.

 

[GodCompleX]

The more JR talked the more I realized how bad of an idea it was to take him off commentary in the first place. Cole is a crap replacement to the Oklahoman cowboy. JR is a great announcer period. He could announce any sport and be great at it. Cole is a character and a horrible one at that. Next to JR he sounds like those kids trying to do video commentary at one of those Fan Axxess events. Till JR can't talk anymore give me him on RAW over Cole any day. After he can't talk put him in a box in the corner of my tv doing sign language over Cole.

 

[King_of_Swing1520]

A WWE Hall of Hamer. He and king were gold on commentary. the best team i've ever heard. jim ross is a legend and cole is just an annoying character. i cant speak about the man micheal cole but his character is too annoying and he is in too much of the wwe product. micheal cole might be the pg voice of the wwe but JR is a legend.

 

[mrdingman]

Hypothetical Scenario:

JR is the Anonymous GM, he watches every week like he said on-air. He is always posting on his blog and twitter so he knows how to use a computer and think about how much it would piss off Cole to find out that he has been the "Errand boy" for the guy he is trying to replace. If you look back there is alot of history between the two in the 90's

JR will always be the best announcer WWE has ever had, I don't see him being a full-time commentator anymore, he would be much better suited for the quick appearances here and there on a show. He would be able to enjoy being back in the business without all the prep that come with being on-air live for 2 hours or more a week. Plus who better to fill the GM role then the former Executive Vice President of Talent Relations.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

So what if JR did a good but not great commentary on one match? Still doesn't negate the fact that he was horrible his last few years. His emotion was gone, he seemed confused half the time, and he always forgot the names of wrestler's moves. JR was great in the 90's and early 2000's. His time is past now and if they bring him back full-time, the same mistakes he made will happen again. Cole was brilliant on commentary because he kept things interesting. The commentary was boring without Cole and that is why Cole is the voice of the WWE now. He and Santino are two of the most interesting characters in the WWE which they sorely need more of.

I agree, as much of a legend as JR is, and as great as he was for god-knows how many years, in his last few years on the announce table he was starting to mess up quite a bit, getting moves and names wrong etc. There is no shame in that, the guy is getting old. Thats how it is. I would still like to see him do the occasional match, as on the Old-School Raw, but WWE needs to move on and I like how the Michael Cole character is developing.

So I say let JR enjoy his retirement, stick with Cole as heel commentator or let Cole be the heel GM (as evil GMs are always better IMO), and bring back Joey Styles!!

 

[People's Champ]

I loved hearing JR's commentary.....10 years ago. Listen, JR is a legend, a hall of famer. But let's not kid ourselves, he hasn't been great for quite some time. I think his time off tv, combined with the hate for Cole, has got people all worked up. JR commentary on Old School Raw was great for what it was-a one time call. LJL said it best, the commentary between King and JR was boring, but having Cole there made it entertaining. So while I love JR, he's in the past. Cole has been entertaining as hell and is now the voice of Raw. Get use to it.

 

[WolfNyte]

I dont know if you all remember but back in the Fall of this year JR had another bout with his Bells Palsy. He was sick for quite a while and even stated that he did not think he could Physically keep up with the RAW Schedule.

It is possible he is feeling better only he knows but he might not be able to handle the hectic travel schedule that an announcer or even a preformer on demands. The last I heard on his Blog was that he would not be able to physically handle it.


Do I miss good ole JR....HELL YES...Cole is boring always was and always will be. However, I am not going to Bash Vince or the WWE for not bringing him back when JR as I said before stated he is not at this time Physically capable of the schedule and demands of travel.

 

[In & Out]

"can i get a hell yea?!?"

as far as announcers go....he's quite simply the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

with all due respect to gorilla monsoon and jesse the body....they were wrestlers by nature who had great commentary skills....but JR is an announcer by nature...he didn't need a push to shine....he didnt need camera time to shine....all he needed was a mic and he could make subpar wrestlers seem good and good wrestlers seem great and great wrestlers seem like gods.