Commentator Thread

[Mr. Nerfect]

This is just a place to discuss commentary styles, commentary teams, commentators, ways the WWE can improve their commentary, etc.

Just to let it be known, I don't listen to commentary. I tend to look at the storylines my own way, because that way they're deeper and make more sense.

That being said, here is what I would do with the RAW commentary team:

RAW:
Joey Styles: The best play-by-play guy the WWE has. Do not try and turn him into JR-lite. Have him serve as an apathetic man to the action. Have him note illegal maneuvers; have him note smart or stupid moves. Don’t have him take sides on McMahon vs. Michaels; have him comment on how he doesn’t think throwing urine in the face of the boss is a good career move. Make Joey Styles the “Voice of Reason” the RAW announce team has never had.

Jerry Lawler: He plays the sit-back role. He sits there watching the action, noting on little things that may have escaped the viewer. Explaining how and why a wrestler did something. Have him play a heel role. He doesn’t like woman wrestlers, babyfaces or anything that reminds him of Bret Hart.

Jonathan Coachman: Keep him around as the storyline guy. He always gets the feeds on how a superstar is doing if they are injured, or if a match will take place later tonight. Have him give the backstage scoop, etc. He relates the action in the ring to the storylines in the present.

So the show would start something like this:

Joey Styles: Hi everyone, I’m Joey Styles alongside Jonathan Coachman & Jerry “The King” Lawler, and welcome to Monday Night RAW…

Jonathan Coachman: We’re live from *town* and tonight what a line-up we have for you *lists confirmed line-up*.

Jerry Lawler can then say something if the opportunity presents itself.

Joey Styles: Let us get underway…

*Show starts*

Coach: Wrestler A is competing here etc.

King: Wrestler A is *opinion*

Styles: *Calls moves, depending on who gets the upper hand*

Coach: Wow! Wrestler B is so and so…they surprised us with a strong showing their/they aren’t off to a good start.

King: *Opinion on Wrestler B*

Use rest holds a chance for Jonathan Coachman to update us, and for King to maybe have some banter with him.

Styles then calls the rest of the match, as Coach & King occasionally join in to highlight something. A Chokeslam from Kane would seem much more impressive if it was only Styles calling the match for two minutes, then all of a sudden three voices just go “Ooo!” selling its effects as painful.

Don’t have the commentators come in on promos (except for maybe Jerry Lawler). It seems too much like a laugh track otherwise, telling us when and how we should emote. Sure, some say that is the purpose of commentators, but I disagree. I think they’re job should be to present the product they’re calling in a neat and tidy way.

I've rushed this, so it may not come out right, but I just thought I'd start a thread on the way commentary is done in the WWE. The way they're ruinig Styles sickens me.

[Dave Youell]

Personally I really enjoyed Joey in ECW when he shows emotion against heels, I remember a great promo/segment, when he was talking about how the Dudley's broke belluahs (sp?) neck and was talking about how he know's he's suppose to be impartial but screw it, I hope to god that Tommy Dreamer kills the dudleys or some crap like that.

It was emotional that it made me forget about kayfabe sit back and say 'woah!' and it really made me care about that match. We don't have any of that in the WWE right now

[owenbrown]

I miss Paul Heyman :'(

[The One]

Joey Styles, Bobby Heenan, and Paul Heyman...they could call a match between a bowl of Jell-O and a picture frame...and odds are make it one of the best matches of all time based on commentary alone.

[wwe2222]

too bad Bobby Heenans voice isnt the same now...I would love if he was still able to do commentary.

[Rey-Rey]

Vince McMahon was the ultimate FACE announcer. I loved it when the heels did something and then he would scream, "Aw, come on! Disqualify him, ref!!"

While Joey Styles is pretty good, I miss the ECW version of him. He's such a kiss-ass now to the WWE but that's probably more of the WWE's fault more than anything. I will always remember the way he berated Mike Awesome at One Night Stand.

[Mr. Nerfect]

It would get him into A LOT of hot water, but I would mark out if Joey Styles just started sarcastically yelling out "BAH GAWD! Best hip toss in the business! Greatest moment in the history of RAW!" and using hyperbole where ever he could.

The WWE seems to miss JR, which I think is ridiculous. I like Jim Ross, but he cannot call matches. Styles can do that better than almost anyone. Watching RAW for the first few times after Styles got the position was interesting for me, because it felt like a wrestling show again. Now they've censored him to the point where he's trying to immitate JR's style. Of course he's not going to be able to do it as well as JR.

I would much rather be sitting, watching RAW, and have an honest commentator telling me what is happening. I want to hear a bitter Joey Styles talking about how Shawn Michaels is one of the better wrestlers in the company, and how he has been reduced to wrestling the owner of the company out of a petty McMahon grudge.

I want to hear about how RAW's tag team division has been insufficient enough to support Kane & Big Show's reign as World Tag Team Champions. I want to hear about how Torrie Wilson & Candice Michelle have less experience than David Arquette. When Jerry Lawler said Shawn Michaels throwing urine in the face of the McMahons was "one of the greatest moments in the history of RAW", I really wanted to turn the TV off. Exaggerated comments like this hurt the WWE more than help them.

Think about it, you are watching a show and you see something entirely stupid, and the people selling it to you tell you it is the best moment in the history of the show. I would be repelled from the product completely. By having the commentators simply assist the story, by selling it like a bad career move for Shawn Michaels, you make a valid point, and it doesn't turn viewers away.

The WWE should not tell Lawler, Styles & Coach to call Kane & Big Show the most dominant tag team in WWE history. People who liked other teams might be offended. Put them over as World Tag Team Champions. "No one has been able to de-throne Kane & Big Show as World Tag Team Champions," sounds much better than "These two are the greatest tag team in WWE history. Forget the other teams we've had hold the gold, this is the only one that metters,". Sure it's an opinion thing, but I really think the commentators will be much better if they were allowed to address the things they see as they see them, not as the WWE sees them.

[Disturbed316]

During the Monday Night Wars, WCW had a pretty decent announce team. Heenan and Schivani were good, untill Schivani always said "the biggest night in the history of our sport" every week.

Even Mike Tennay was alright in WCW, but in TNA he is just horrible.

[Kane Knight]

You know, I used to have two cats. Then we rescued a third, who had been abused and isn't that bright. Well, she and one of the other cats didn't get along, so they started pissing all over the place. This went on for years, until the older cat had to be put to sleep (intestinal cancer). The other cat? She stopped pissing everywhere.

What does this little doctor phil story have to do with wrestling? Jerry "the King" Lawler tries to make everyone but his buddy work bad. Both Styles and Coach (Which is funny, because the Coach ain't all that good) have been pissed on, and of course, Coach (Who is the abused retarded cat) is pissing back.


Bottom line, as long as King is around, he will mark his territroy, and the announce table will always smell like piss.

[loopydate]

This is apropos of nothing, but...I'm a commentator now. :D

[Mr. Nerfect]

This is apropos of nothing, but...I'm a commentator now. :D

Congrats.

[Mr. Nerfect]

You know, I used to have two cats. Then we rescued a third, who had been abused and isn't that bright. Well, she and one of the other cats didn't get along, so they started pissing all over the place. This went on for years, until the older cat had to be put to sleep (intestinal cancer). The other cat? She stopped pissing everywhere.

What does this little doctor phil story have to do with wrestling? Jerry "the King" Lawler tries to make everyone but his buddy work bad. Both Styles and Coach (Which is funny, because the Coach ain't all that good) have been pissed on, and of course, Coach (Who is the abused retarded cat) is pissing back.


Bottom line, as long as King is around, he will mark his territroy, and the announce table will always smell like piss.

Awesome analogy.

Jerry Lawler arguably needs to move on. A Joey Stlyes/Jerry Lawler team could be good, but Lawler is past his prime in the booth.

Keep Lawler & JR for Saturday Night's Main Event, etc. This would just be for the nostalgia. I'm not too sure how Styles & Coach would work together. It would either be really good, or really bad. I would have them work Heat from this point on (why do they use Todd Grisham to call matches?), just to get them used to each other.

On SmackDown!, things are pretty good. Tazz & Cole have got something going between them, and it would be risky to upset that. I wouldn't mind it if Josh Mathews joined them once in a blue moon, though. Mathews would probably better be defined as a colour commentator, but he can call matches as well. Have him really take charge during cruiserweight matches, etc.

3-Way teams can be awful, but they can work on occasion. I think it all depends on how the commentators relate to each other off-screen. Three men who walk away from the booth without saying anything to each other aren't going to come off well on-screen.

The only other way to expose guys is to occasionally have a rotation. I would actually keep Tazz as the stable man on SmackDown!. Have Michael Cole & Josh Mathews work SmackDown! alternating weeks, but have them do Velocity together. Then on PPV, they work as a threesome.

On RAW, have Jerry Lawler step down. The WWE seems to have no problem with him, but he's trying to fill JR's shoes now, and while King was a good commentator, the most insightful things he says are usually extremely obvious. "Carlito's got talent", "Masters is young", "Kane & Big Show might be unstoppable", etc. Isn't a colour commentator supposed to go deeper? I actually wouldn't mind it if they gave some new guy the position. Not any new guy, some former wrestler like Dean Malenko. Maybe they can convince JBL or William Regal to step down as an active wrestler and take the position?

Jonathan Coachman would make a better manager-type than a commentator. The booth is at ringside, now, so have him come in and call matches when he is with his client. Don't have him hired by his clients because of his wrestling knowledge, have him hired to get on commentary and shill the Hell out of the guy he represents.

So in short (I should probably start doing his for every post I make):

My Revised RAW Team: Joey Styles & New Colour Commentator

Heat: Joey Styles & Rotated Colour Commentator (make it a surprise every week)

SmackDown!: Michael Cole & Tazz one week, Josh Mathews & Tazz the next.

Velocity: Michael Cole & Josh Mathews

Saturday Night's Main Event: Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler

RAW PPV: Joey Styles & RAW's Colour Commentator

SmackDown! PPV: Michael Cole, Josh Mathews & Tazz

Interpromotional Matches: Joey Styles & Tazz/Michael Cole, Josh Mathews & RAW's Colour Commentator (depending on the match)

How do you think that would work?