Commentators

[NeanderCarl]

Watching WWE recently, I think the commentary team on Raw needs to be replaced ASAP. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler, once the best team in the business, are now lazy, ill-prepared and stale, and get more information wrong than right. So I'm asking the TPWW community... who would you like to see replace them? And which two mic men do you think would have good chemistry together and make a good team?

Here are some of my nominations:

PLAY-BY-PLAY

Todd Grisham: I know it sounds like a strange choice, and sometimes he can be insufferable on Heat, but on a few occasions this year Grisham has stepped into the chair on Raw, and done a very good job, most notably the night that Joey Styles "quit". He was a lot more serious than on Heat, and was an improvement over Jim Ross.

Eric Bischoff: Never the best play-by-play on Nitro, but at least he would be a fresh face and voice for Raw, and I'm sure his decade of performing as an on-screen character in the time since will improve his act should he return to the desk.

Vince McMahon: Highly improbable, but I always liked Vince as a commentator. He could make any match sound exciting. For this to work, he would have to "lose" his position of power (kayfabe) to some other figure-head President and eat humble pie back at the announce table as a face.


COLOUR
Johnny Polo: Back in 1993/94, Scott 'Raven' Levy was the co-host of several WWF weekend shows with Gorilla Monsoon, and he was a riot! Hilarious and cutting. I would love to see Levy drop the tired Raven act and return to the funster persona of Johnny Polo, complete with his trusty sound effects machine.

Shane Douglas: Never gonna happen, but Shane has always been a good mic man, and he auditioned for the Raw job back in 1995, and apparently impressed (he got the job, but turned it down to remain in ECW.)

Jesse Ventura: The original and arguably the best. The ever-entertaining 'Body' is as flambuoyant and sarcastic as ever, and would fit right back in at the desk. Although he has had past legal problems with McMahon, he commentated on Raw in 1999, voiced the XFL and joined the Hall Of Fame a couple years back. It's a possibility.

Mark Madden: Could be entertaining, if a little obnoxious. Not my favourite choice on this list, but better than Lawler.

Ted DiBiase: Already held this position in 1994, and started well (good performance at Royal Rumble 1994) but slowly went downhill, and eventually became a manager instead. Worth another shot.

Michael Hayes: Dok Hendrix was a blast! Then they misused him, and buried him away. The best thing about King of the Ring 1995, possibly the worst PPV of all time.

Roddy Piper: Former commentator always did a great job of putting people over (just ask Virgil!), and bringing excitement to a match.

Art Donovan: Um... just kidding.

Of course there are several wrestlers/personalities reknowned for their mic work who might be able to translate that success to the desk, much like JBL has. Names that spring to mind: Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Armando Allejandro Estrada, Steve Austin, Val Venis, William Regal....

My personal choice to replace JR and King, if contracts were not an issue, would be Grisham and Polo.

Any better suggestions?

[Mr. Nerfect]

Josh Mathews as the play-by-play guy. He can also slip some colour commentary in there, being a former wrestler himself, and being able to talk about psychology and what-not.

Eric Bischoff as the colour commentator. It'd be sweet to have a former General Manager in the booth. He can talk about he'd do with guys if he were still running the show, and he's got a well-established character. No offence to any of your other choices, but they're irrelevent to recent WWE storylines, which could make them hard to connect with.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I also wouldn't mind it if they just got rid of Jerry Lawler, and replaced him with someone else. It'd be fun seeing JR work with a new colour man (his work with Paul Heyman and Tazz is often praised), and JR actually offers something to the commentary team.

Lawler could be used on Heat, to kind of lend credibility down there. I think both Todd Grisham and Jonathan Coachman are underrated, but together they don't really create the best results. Try sticking Jerry Lawler with Todd Grisham. The King working with a younger guy could bring out the old cynic in him, which was the quality that made Lawler great in the first place. There is more call for a heel presence of Heat, as there isn't too much character development, and the wrestling is self-contained. Lawler would be much better in that environment, in my opinion. Maybe whip him out for PPVs, if he develops a better personality.

So yeah, Jim Ross and Josh Mathews would be an acceptable pairing. Mathews would be fantastic as The King's replacement. He could so easily pull off the young guy prodding the veteran. He could mock Jerry Lawler's style, put it over as a new dawn for colour commentary, and make references to what he and his new play-by-play partner are going to do, when Jim Ross inevitably gets the can. I just see him as an obnoxious young fuck, that actually knows what he is doing.

On ECW, I think Joey Styles could be traded for Michael Cole. Seriously, I think that would be awesome. Have Heyman justify it by saying he wants the new ECW to survive, so he wants a sports entertainment commentary team. Michael Cole and Tazz have great chemistry, and even though their role would be as a sports entertainment unit, they do have that humour and wit that can help them capture the spirit of ECW.

Joey Styles and JBL would just be the best team in the business. Styles and Layfield would just have better chemistry than the current ECW pairing of Styles and Tazz. Michael Cole is too goody-good, and it feels like it lets the team down. Joey Styles has the Democratic feel to him, and JBL has the Republican edge going. It'd just be so awesome to see. They have the tension between them, too. JBL hates ECW, Styles prefers to the new to the traditional.

Styles would fit in so much better on SmackDown!. He can call longer wrestling matches. They could actually let him call matches there, because they actually seem to focus on the wrestling. Styles is also less of a babyface-bias commentary, and more impartial to things. Seeing him just passively say "You're a jackass" to JBL's heel rants would be classic.

There's also the fact that they're the best play-by-play and best colour guys in the business, respectively.

So yeah, if I had my way:

RAW:
RAW: Jim Ross (I doubt they will get rid of him, again, plus he could work with a better partner) and Josh Mathews

Heat: Todd Grisham and Jerry Lawler

PPV: Jim Ross, Josh Mathews and maybe Jerry Lawler or Eric Bischoff (this could allow JR to rest, and save up for the main events, Mathews could handle play-by-play well)

SmackDown!:
SmackDown!: Joey Styles and John Bradshaw Layfield

PPV: Joey Styles and John Bradshaw Layfield

ECW:
ECW: Michael Cole and Tazz

PPV: Michael Cole, Tazz and maybe Paul Heyman (It would be sweet to have Heyman on hand, so they can just temporarily leave the booth, get a mic, and make an impromptu match. Plus Heyman is awesome.)

Interpromotional PPV:
Team 1: Jim Ross, Tazz and Joey Styles

Team 2: Josh Mathews, Michael Cole and John Bradshaw Layfield

I think having two seperate teams call WrestleMania, and just alternate between them, with one guy from each brand sitting in on each match would be much more efficient. It allows the WWE to monitor the commentators' chemistry with other guys, to see how they mesh with the other brands, and it allows fans to connect with their personalities a bit more thoroughly. Jim Ross and Tazz work well, and Joey Styles can work both play-by-play and colour, so he'd make a good third man, backing up either guy. Michael Cole and JBL are familiar to each other, and Josh Mathews wouldn't be out of place. Much like Joey Styles, he can work either play-by-play or colour, so he could raise the quality of the team quite a bit.

Royal Rumble Match:
RAW: Jim Ross and Josh Mathews
SmackDown!: John Bradshaw Layfield and Joey Styles

I know there are no ECW commentators here, but I think it works in this scenario. Styles and Tazz were left off the Survivor Series PPV, so I think the ECW commentators could be left off the RR PPV. Have the usual interpromotional teams to begin with, but when it comes to this match, take RAW's guys, SmackDown!'s guys, and just stick them in there.

The Royal Rumble Match is not a conventional match, so it is best to just get your most interesting commentators, and stick them in there. Jim Ross is great when it comes to big matches. Josh Mathews is an amazing commentator, as is Joey Styles. They know how to work any match, and are the future of WWE broadcasting. JBL is just damn entertaining, and if he doesn't call the match, there is something wrong with the WWE. Maybe just have a random draw to decide which brand's team gets to call the match? Have SmackDown! win, and that way the booth is less crowded?

Jim Ross and JBL would be acceptable, my only concern is that it would be redneck central. If Josh Mathews is more of a babyface commentator, assuming Eric Bischoff is brought in to replace Jerry Lawler, and JM replaces JR, I can see a Mathews/Layfield team working brilliantly.

[Mr. Nerfect]

But, honestly:

Josh Mathews and Eric Bischoff
Todd Grisham and Jerry Lawler
Michael Cole and Tazz
Joey Styles and John Bradshaw Layfield

How fucking awesome would that be?

[NeanderCarl]

I don't know about awesome, but certainly an improvement on the current fare.

[El Fangel]

I agree, as there is no J.R

[Jura]

What happened to Tony Schiavone?

[Chavo Classic]

Bill DeMott on Velocity was entertaining

[Gerard]

Noone mentioned Larry Zbyszko? :nono: :shifty:

[Chavo Classic]

Who is this 'noone' person?

[NeanderCarl]

Tony Schiavone hasn't been involved in wrestling since WCW went under, bar a one-off appearance for TNA.

Plus he's another Jim Ross anyway, good in his prime, but he was lame by the time WCW went under.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Bill DeMott on Velocity was entertaining

That he was. He and Josh Mathews were fantastic together. He's pretty heavily involved in Deep South Wrestling, so I'm not sure if he could do it.

[Afterlife]

Bill DeMott on Velocity was entertaining

Yeah, I liked him that week.

[Chavo Classic]

DeMott's 'Turning Point' section was awesome. It somehow validated wrestling and made me feel less of a geek for watching two men in lycra engaging in choreographed hugging.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Now that ECW is fucked over, they could bring Joey Styles and Tazz up to RAW. Because JBL is the best colour commentator in the business, trade him for Tazz. Bring back Velocity, and let Joey Styles do Heat, like he wanted to. I enjoyed it when he and Todd Grisham did commentary.

Joey Styles and John Bradshaw Layfield (RAW)
Joey Styles and Todd Grisham (Heat)
Michael Cole and Tazz (SmackDown!)
Josh Mathews and Tazz (Velocity)
Joey Styles, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield and Tazz (Royal Rumble Match)

Fuck that would kick-ass.

[NeanderCarl]

Only problem is JBL will apparently be returning to action by the time WrestleMania hits. So the search is back on.

[PullMyFinger]

McMahon as commentator was awesome.

[Jeritron]

JBL is returning to action? hmm, I realize hes passionate about performing but I think retirement is the best decision for his career at this point.

[The One]

Only problem is JBL will apparently be returning to action by the time WrestleMania hits. So the search is back on.

JBL is comming BACK??? Last I heard he hung it up for good. This is fantastic news!

[Jeritron]

I'd be scared shitless if I was a wreslter and Vince was commentator. Its like if your boss was handcuffed to you all day while you did your job. Granted Vince must watch most of the show if not all anyways, but at least hes not right there in plain sight while you work, literally analyzing and observing every move. At least whiles hes in back its out of sight out of mind and you can presume hes eating a sub or taking a shit or something.

[The One]

I think it's time we get some new blood behind the booth. The same old are getting old and are losing their step, but the newbies all sound like Josh Matthews. Of all the wrestling fans on earth, you'd think they could find a few smart ones who could call a match decently.

[Jeritron]

Most of the new young guys suck, but I remember thinking the same thing about Michael Cole at one point, and even more so about Coach. I think the winning comination is putting a young talented play by play guy with a veteran, well known and over with the fans but not TOO over, and with a lot of charisma. Michael Cole and Tazz went on to be great.
I dont think there'll be any changes until they're forced to make the change. King and Lawler have just worked too well and are a staple for them to change it by choice. If JBL returns to action look for Smackdown to employ Coach or a retired WWE wrestler as the color guy.

[NeanderCarl]

JBL is comming BACK??? Last I heard he hung it up for good. This is fantastic news!

That's the rumour that's been doing the rounds for months. He has already returned to the ring in a match in Germany a couple of weeks ago, and apparently wants to be a part of WrestleMania.

[The One]

NeanderCarl just made my night.

[Skippord]

JBL is comming BACK??? Last I heard he hung it up for good. This is fantastic news!
How is JBL in the ring a good thing at all?

[The One]

Skippy, we have been over this so many times, JBL is great. Your opinion of him is wrong.

[El Fangel]

Don West.

[NeanderCarl]

That's the rumour that's been doing the rounds for months. He has already returned to the ring in a match in Germany a couple of weeks ago, and apparently wants to be a part of WrestleMania.

Sorry, not Germany, it was in Ireland.

[Jeritron]

I don't know where I stand on JBL. I didn't like him at first with the new gimmick, especially in the main event, but his character really grew on me. I really like his character and persona but I'm undecided about how I feel about him as an overall main event in ring performer. Part of me can't wait to see him back, and another part would like to see him remain an on air personality (commentator or GM)

[NeanderCarl]

Found it...

King Booker, Ken Kennedy and John Bradshaw Layfield took on The Undertaker and Kane in Dublin, Ireland on November 13th in a Handicap Match. Taker pinned JBL with the Tombstone.

[darkpower]

Tony Schiavone hasn't been involved in wrestling since WCW went under, bar a one-off appearance for TNA.

Plus he's another Jim Ross anyway, good in his prime, but he was lame by the time WCW went under.

Fair to him, though, did you really see anything that wouldn't make ANYONE lame as a PBP announcer? WCW was so bad at the time that anyone calling the match with a straight face would be considered lame. Plus, Tony was quite pissed at the WCW product himself at that point in time, so it would seem as though he really desired a good product that WCW wasn't giving around that point.

He had done WWE at one point, and I don't know if the WWE would have that invitation open for Schiavone to come back should he want to. I think he should at least try it.

[The One]

If Schiavone and West ever teamed up I would shoot myself.

Tony: This is the greatest match in the history of our great sport!

Don: DID YOU See-Eee That!

Tony: The greatest move in pro wrestling history!

Don: WOW!

I swrear they would have a contest to see who could get more excited about an arm bar if they ever worked together.

[PullMyFinger]

I don't know why people are so hard on Shiavone. He wasn't that bad...he spoke clearly, made the wrestling seem professional bigtime like boxing, and was calm. None of the orgasmic, "DID YOU SEE THAT!" stuff in TNA and boring crap in WWE.

WCW's commentating team was the best IMO.

[Afterlife]

How is JBL in the ring a good thing at all?

I tend to agree, here. If we're going to push a loudmouth clod with a limited moveset and a lackluster gimmick then, by all means, put the title on Coach. Anything's better than pushing JBL again.

[Jeritron]

I tend to think he's best left as an announcer. Or if he wants to be part of active storylines/fueds, a GM. Teddy Long is a shitty GM, make JBL the GM, put Coach or a retired wrestler at the announcers table.

[Afterlife]

How is Teddy Lizzle "shitty"?

[Jeritron]

I take that back. He's not shitty, its just time for a change. I liked him at first but I'm just sick of him, Its time for a change on both shows. Raw doesnt have a clear GM, and Smackdowns had the same gig for a while now. If you're gonna bother to have on air kayfabe GMs, you should keep it fresh.

[Mr. Monday Morning]

Where the fuck is the love for Larry Sweeney and Ultramantis Black. COME ON PEOPLE.

[Afterlife]

The SD GM scene was in non-stop turmoil for about a year. EB was RAW GM for about 3, wasn't he? He managed to keep it down ok. I think Teddy Lizzle's fine. I mean, he's really black, but I think that's why he runs SD and not RAW, playa. Ya feel me? Holla.

[Jeritron]

haha, bischoff is a little bit more entertaining and interesting than Teddy Long, no offense to T. Lizzle.
As for Raw, they need a GM and I know whos its gonna be.....*GLASS SHATTERS*
Stone Colds gonna be returning right after the new year, and its gonna be in a full time capactiy, but not as a wrestler. So whats that mean...and you know its gonna be on Raw.

[NeanderCarl]

I haven't seen or heard anything about Austin returning full-time.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Where the fuck is the love for Larry Sweeney and Ultramantis Black. COME ON PEOPLE.

I can't speak on Ultramantis Black, but Larry Sweeney has charisma pouring out his ass. I certainly wouldn't object to him being called in to the WWE. Maybe stick him on Heat for a while, replacing Coach? I love Coachman and all, but he's an active wrestling character at the moment, not a commentator.

Another guy I wouldn't mind doing commentary is Nick Berk. The guy has personality, and the WWE is high on him. Incase you were wondering, he's the guy who played the comedian in that Michael Richards skit on RAW. He's a wrestler, but like Larry Sweeney, I can see them giving him Heat for a bit. Maybe have him work with Larry Sweeney on Heat, and eventually bring them in as a tag team?

[Mr. Nerfect]

JBL really started to grow on me when he competed in the mid-card, and I was rooting for him at WrestleMania 21, but I would prefer him to remain a commentator.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I haven't seen or heard anything about Austin returning full-time.

Jim Ross said that Austin would be back leading up to WrestleMania, in one of his blogs. I don't know if it will materialise, though.

[The One]

The only match Austin would come back for is Hogan...and that's only if he went over (which he SHOULD). Other than that he might be around at Mania to promote his new movie being done through WWE Films.

[My Final Heaven]

Nobody's mentioned him yet, but somebody that popped into my head was REGAL. He could do color or straightman, and he's somebody that I could easily listen to every week. :D

Mean Gene Okerlund. Gene certainly has the experience to be a weekly announcer, as long as his voice hasn't started going out on him.

[Dorkchop]

STEVIE RAY! Seriously. He needs to announce whatever show Monty Brown is on. Stevie Ray commentating a Monty Brown train wreck promo would never stop being awesome.

I'm not joking.

[NeanderCarl]

Names that spring to mind: Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Armando Allejandro Estrada, Steve Austin, Val Venis, William Regal....

Nobody's mentioned him yet, but somebody that popped into my head was REGAL.

I know, I know... I'm being facetious.