The Top Ten Commentators

[Old_school]

The Top Ten 10.02.07: Commentators

Posted by Julian Williams on 10.02.2007

The guys that made everything in the ring seem exciting and groundbreaking. Yes, even a Mantaur match.

Good day fine people and welcome back to another groundbreaking edition of The Top Ten. Sorry about being MIA last week, but between pulling double shifts at work and actively searching for a new apartment with the girlfriend, my life has been pretty hectic the last few weeks. Anyhows, enough about my crappy life, you guys came here for some list goodness. I apologize in advance for the lack of Reader Feedback, but my Yahoo Mail keeps freezing whenever I try to open it on my PC & only works on my PDA and as much as I love you guys, I'm not going to type out each of your emails word for word. Copy & Paste is the only way to go. I changed my email contact to my Hotmail account so hopefully that's the link at the bottom of the page, but if it's not, you can email me at JulianW125@Hotmail.com. This week, we're going to look at The Top Ten Commentators this week since the word "Announcer" can be confused with a ring announcer & I know that there would be someone out there waiting to bite into my ass about that one. Although I probably wouldn't mind. I'm into that kinky shit. LIST TIME!

The Top Ten Announcers

10) Tony Schiavone

I know what you're probably thinking. Tony Schiavone?!? Really??? What are you smoking Jules?! And if you're thinking of the Tony Schivione from the dying days of WCW, you'd definitely be right. But in the late 80's and most of the 90's, Schivione was a very capable announcer and was able to convey the story going on in the ring very well with his announcing. Schiavone was the voice that called many great WCW moments including various WarGames matches, the nWo's Invasion, Hulk Hogan's heel turn, and Goldberg's title victory over Hogan. His voice was synonymous with WCW and during the high period of WCW, he was definitely a presence on the mic and was a familiar voice that helped catch all the viewers up on the shenanigans of the nWo. I know I'm going to catch flak for this one, but the man is very underrated whether you want to admit it or not.

9) JBL

The Wrestling…..GOD has only been an announcer for a little over a year, but he's already placed himself in the upper echelon of commentators. JBL is everything that a color commentator should be. He gives praise to everybody, whether they're a heel or a face, and even finds a way to give props to the wrestlers who he can't personally stand. He's humorous (especially when ragging on Cole), but also knows when to get serious and is able to bring across the intensity happening in the ring on the mic. JBL made a flawless transition from the ring to the booth and I for one hope that we continue to hear JBL on Friday Nights for many years to come.

8) Lance Russell

Lance Russell was definitely a commentator before his time as during his era, commentators tended to be very unattached to what was going on in the ring and instead just provided straight forward play-by-play as if it were a boxing match. Russell showcased emotion whenever a face was being pummeled by a hated heel and talked with the wrestlers like he was their friend rather than some anonymous commentating slug. Whenever a heel did something particularly dastardly, he would damn them and wouldn't show any objectivity when telling the audience how despicable the act was. His easygoing demeanor and smooth deliver made him an instant favorite with fans and he was often the highlight of Memphis Championship Wrestling.

7) Gorilla Monsoon

Many people tend to crap on Gorilla Monsoon's commentating skills, but I think that he is a vastly underrated commentator that was a perfect fit during the Hogan-era of the WWE. His constant verbal sparing with Jesse Ventura and Bobby Heenan made even the most horrendous match watchable just because what they were saying was so entertaining. Everytime I watch a match Monsoon was commentating on and he tells Heenan or Ventura "Will you stop!" after they say something completely ludicrous, it always makes me smile. Monsoon was synonymous with the Rock ‘N Wrestling era and I don't think that there could have been a better commentator to illustrate the larger than life and grandiose show that wrestling had become.

6) Jerry Lawler

Lawler's commentating nowadays leaves a lot to be desired, but there was a time when The King was heralded as the best color commentator ever and it was for good reason. He was consistently funny with witty one-liners and jokes that would make you laugh out loud. He always supported the heel, no matter how wrong they were, and would constantly threaten whoever he was broadcasting with, just to make them know he was still The King. I remember during the late 90's, there would actually be columns online that were fully dedicated to funny quotes said by The King because he had that much material. When they turned Lawler into JR's pal and started having him feud with some of the heel wrestlers like Muhammad Hussan and Tazz, he lost a lot of what made him so special which was that he was a full blown heel announcer. Once in a while, King will throw out a funny line that reminds me of the good ‘ol days, but it's nothing compared to how Lawler dominated the announce booth in the 90's.

5) Joey Styles

Many commentators have tried, and miserably failed, to call a match by themselves. Even some of the most legendary commentators in the game have stumbled when placed on the mic by themselves. Not Joey Styles. Styles was so fluent, verbose and funny on the mic when calling a match, that he didn't need a partner. In fact, when he did have an announce partner in the latter days of the original ECW, it just felt weird and you knew that Styles didn't need some chump trying to announce with him, he was fine all by himself. Styles was like a play-by-play man and a color commentator all rolled into one as he would call all the action in the ring, no matter how fast paced it was, and still find time to provide some side commentary about different wrestlers. Styles' voice has been pretty much neutered in the WWE which is a shame because if Vince just gave Styles the ball and let him fly with the way he's comfortable with commentating, I think it would add immensely to the current ECW product.

4) Jesse Ventura

When The Body made the transition from the ring to the booth, he did it so effortlessly and perfectly that many wondered why he didn't do it even sooner. Ventura was one of the first truly heel announcers as he would get into loud disputes with whoever he was commentating with while defending whatever heinous act the heel in the match was doing. He would often berate his commentating partners and threaten them, but it was all done in good fun as everybody knew The Body would never actually touch Monsoon or Lord Alfred Hayes. The way he would try to justify a heel's actions were often hilarious as it seemed that no matter what they did, he would find some find of loophole to defend them. For my money, the announce team of Jesse Ventura and Gorilla Monsoon are the most entertaining duo of all-time. And if you didn't mark out whenever Jesse posed for the crowd during the early days of Wrestlemania, you have no soul.

3) Bobby Heenan

Come on. It's Bobby Heenan, you know he would be high on this list. The man was comic gold and provided some of the greatest lines ever heard on any wrestling broadcast.

"A friend in need is a pest."

"You don't have to yell at me! I'm not blind!"

"If you're poor and you do something stupid, you're nuts. If you're rich and do something stupid, you're eccentric."

"That shirt he's wearing looks like sinus infection green."

"Stu Hart trained all his kids; only three of them use the litter box"

"I finally know what RIP stands for. Ross Is a Pickpocket. Gimme back my wallet!"

"The Guerrero family is at home watching this wondering if the wheels are going to be stolen off their house"

And that's just a minor portion of all the unforgettable quotes that Heenan gave us.

2) Gordon Solie

Gordon Solie has been referred to as The Dean of Wrestling announcers, The Howard Cosell of Pro Wrestling and The Walter Cronkite of Pro Wrestling. Basically, Solie is the most revered and beloved wrestling commentator of all-time. He coined the phrases "pier 6 brawl," "crimson mask," and "he's not fast, he's sudden." His approach to calling in-ring action was very serious and he treated wrestling as if it were any other sport and called it with professionalism and respectability. Solie made wrestling seem important and seem like an affair that could be enjoyed by all types of people because the way he presented it made it seem like the premier sporting event going on in the country. Classy all the way, Gordon Solie is a name that will live forever amongst true fans of this great sport of wrestling.

1) Jim Ross

Good Ol' JR has been a staple in the wrestling world for decades now and has commentated on some of the most famous matches in wrestling history and made some of the most famous calls ever. When Mankind got thrown off the top of the Hell In A Cell by The Undertaker, JR's call of "As God as my witness, he is broken in half!" made the moment even that more unforgettable. His various catchphrases like, "He's goofier than a pet ‘coon" and "He's running like a scalded dog" have become legendary and will live forever long after JR is gone. I think if you ask any wrestling fan who they would want to call one of their matches if they ever became a wrestler, they would almost immediately say JR and I believe that is the true test because JR connects with the fans so well. No matter how many times Vince has tried to go younger and hipper with his announce team, the fans always demand JR because he reaches fans of all ages. No matter how old he gets and how many times people say he's "slipping up", at the end of the day there's nobody I'd rather hear call a wrestling match than Jim Ross. Period.

[Jericho]

Тоя е луд. Дебелия Тони не заслужава да бъде и МИСЛЕНО за него въобще...

[Kalata]

Че какво му е на Тони Шавони? :ermm:

Относно първото място, колебая се сериозноно между Боби Хийнън и Джим Рос. Джеси Вентура отива трети.

"You don't have to yell at me! I'm not blind!"

:lol: :lol:

[HEIDENREICH]

Въпреки,че съм 411 марк ,напоследък,от около месец класациите на бай Джулиън хич не ми харесват.Започна след като в класацацията за SummerSlam даже не спомена този от Уембли,после направи една не особено сполучлива за завръщанията,а сега и тази.Не всички споменати съм ги слушал,особено в оригинал благодарение на гадните шваби по RTL 2 & DSF(макар,че Гюнтер Цапф и Карстен Шафер бяха с класа над тези които коментираха WCW поне не понемчваха всичко).

Любим коментатор ми е Bobby Heenan -наистина имаше невероятен комендиен талант.Още помня коментара му на мача Bret Hart-Mr Perfect-Summer Slam 91-Брет е подлец удря човек с очила Oтделно коментара му за Royal Rumble 92 бе страховит-едва ли победата на Флеър щяха да я запомнят така без него зад микрофона.

Gorilla Monsoon се допълваше със него много добре , а работеше добре и с Roddy Piper.

J.B.L. също е много забавен-може да е коментатор отскоро,но съм се смял на глупостите му със глас-даже на тъпи турнири ми е оправял настроението.

Jerry Lawler също има много добри попадения,даже Vince McMahon го харесвах като коментатор и не ме дражнеше.

Rey Rugeau много хубави интервюта правеше,но в оригинал много малко съм го слушал на френски-имаше една програма canal + но скоро я спряха-през 97-ма имаше и френски анонс тийм .

Macho Man Randy Savage обаче не беше особено добър в тази роля,не ме е впечатлил много.

J.R. не се справя зле ,но аз не бих го сложил на първо място.По ми харесва как коментира сегменти и интервюта,отколкото мачове-много грешки прави и използва почти еднакви лафове.

Но най-добри коментатори са моя приятел Камен Петров и колегата му Огнян Георгиев :clap:

[DjPetko]

Определено съм съгласен с тази класация, но все пак и Joey Styles(когато беше в old shool ECW) си ме кефеше, просто защото беше различен и казваше каквото мислеше.

[ReplikoN]

Според мен Чей Ар си ситава най-добрия в бизнеса

[RcadestickR]

King би трябвало да е по напред според мене, ама си остава мое мнение...

[wwz]

Джим Рос, просто си ме кефи.

[rawhide]

Сори, че чак сега се наканих да пиша.. Като цяло съм съгласен с класацията.. Само си мисля, че може би Tony Schiavone трябваше да е една или две позиции по-напред..

И да.. Може би първото място заслужава Bobby The Brain Heenan.. Струва ми се обаче, че в класацията спокойно може да бъде включен и "The professor" Mike Teenay.. Човека си го бива, не е натрапчив като присъствие и определено не прекалява с лафове като: "By gawd!" и други такива..

[djihad]

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