State of the Wrestling Announcer: What WWE and AEW Are Doing Right and Wrong
Half the presentation of professional wrestling is what the viewer sees. The other half is what is heard, which is sometimes overlooked despite how influential that element can be.
Along with promos, video packages and the sound of the wrestlers slamming the mat, one of the key elements of a successful show is its commentary.
Some of the most legendary moments in wrestling history wouldn't be nearly as iconic if it weren't for the announcers filling in that gap.
Just imagine The Undertaker hurling Mick Foley off Hell in a Cell at King of the Ring 1998 without Jim Ross shrieking "They've killed him! As God is my witness, he's broken in half!" Can you imagine Steve Austin winning a championship without "Stone Cold! Stone Cold!" in your head? At this point, All Elite Wrestling has had Tony Schiavone say "It's Sting" about a dozen times just to hear those words again on Dynamite.
But neither AEW nor WWE has a foolproof formula in the commentary booth. Both companies are doing some great work but also have their share of flaws.
Let's break down what is right and wrong in the current state of wrestling announce teams.
Right: AEW Is Having Fun
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Above everything, commentators should raise the intensity and convince viewers they're enjoying the product as much as possible. One of the best ways to do that is to have fun themselves.
Right now, no commentary team is having as much fun as Excalibur and Taz on AEW Dark.
In fact, their input has become one of the saving graces of the show. No matter who is in the ring, they will be cracking jokes and having a ball, especially with a guest like Ricky Starks.
Brodie Lee's son, Negative One of Dark Order, has been a guest on recent editions and his interactions steal the show every time.
His absence from Dynamite last week led to a fantastic example of the quirkiness that goes on during otherwise mundane matches:
"Do you think you could ever see a point where you and Negative One sit down at the bargaining table and work up some sort of crossover between Team Taz and The Dark Order?" - Excalibur
"Sit down, maybe have a glass of milk and a shot of Jack Daniels, cause I like the milk and he probably likes the Jack." - Taz
"That's why they're trying to recruit Hangman." - Excalibur
With your eyes away from the match itself, there is still value to the program just by hearing the commentary.
Wrong: AEW Gets Too Meta Sometimes
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Unfortunately, AEW sometimes doesn't know when to reel in that humor.
This is a criticism that applies to more than just the commentary side of the company, though. The whole brand has issues once in a while with crossing the line between a knowing wink and going into pure parody.
At times, the commentary team points out that something is scripted, brings up old gimmicks of wrestlers no casual fan would know just to pop the "smart mark" audience and more.
For instance, the response from commentary on the balloons for MJF's surprise for Chris Jericho's birthday party flying away was to laugh it off and essentially tell the audience it was a botch.
This is great once in a while but loses its effectiveness when it isn't using sparingly. Eventually, it becomes more of a defense mechanism where AEW is trying to make sure nobody thinks the company takes itself too seriously for fear of coming across hokey.
But by consistently acting like everyone is in on the gag and going meta at random moments, it undercuts the stories that aren't being treated like jokes and are presented in a serious fashion. The transition is too jarring and doesn't mix.
Wrong: WWE's Commentators Have No Personality
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WWE's response is to go too far in the opposite direction. Rather than playing fast and loose with its commentary team, the company forces each announcer into the same mold.
In the past, there was a distinct difference between Bobby Heenan, Gorilla Monsoon, Jerry Lawler, Jesse Ventura and others, including Vince McMahon himself. You knew with Lawler you'd get bad puns, Heenan was always sharp-witted, Monsoon would argue passionately for the babyfaces and so on.
These days, you might not be able to tell the difference between Michael Cole, Vic Joseph and Tom Phillips. They're all good, great even, but they're carbon copies of the formula Cole perfected years ago.
Mauro Ranallo is the only commentator in recent years who injected some of himself into the job, rather than just spitting out company-speak.
Wrong: The 3-Commentator Booth
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Synergy is easier to achieve with a duo, as one can do play-by-play while the other is a color commentator. One can be serious while the other is more of a joker. When one is rooting for the babyfaces, the other makes the case for the heels.
With three-person teams, one person almost always steps someone else's toes in one of those roles and makes it superfluous.
If Phillips is the straitlaced babyface play-by-play guy and Samoa Joe is the former wrestler on color commentary, what is Byron Saxton doing there? He only backs up what one of the other two is saying or is the butt of the joke.
Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett have developed a decent rapport with each other on NXT, but when Beth Phoenix is between them, she tends to contribute nothing just the same.
This is stranger still in AEW, as Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross and Excalibur are all best at play-by-play. If any of them takes the call with a maneuver, the other two become color commentators, which isn't their strength.
Ross, in particular, has struggled to find his purpose on commentary in AEW. While Excalibur and Schiavone tend to jump on moments quicker, he has been relegated to the position of promoting picture-in-picture like it's his favorite thing in the world.
Cole and Corey Graves on SmackDown are a better-functioning team than anything else these days because there's no third person to take up unnecessary space.
Wrong: The Fake 'This Is Serious' Voice
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"The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is a fable that never stops being relevant and even applies to pro wrestling commentary.
It used to be that when the announcers took their voices down to a lower register and acted more somber, something serious was going on.
Somewhere along the way, this became just another thing to fake in an attempt to work the crowd. As such, it's lost its impact.
Acting in and of itself is a manipulation viewers are willing to subject themselves to, but the fact that this doesn't work on the audience anymore just means it's lessened the value of when the legitimately serious moments occur.
If you are constantly screaming in anger, no one can tell when you're really mad. Likewise, if everything is "serious" to the point where WWE treats it like it's going against the script, fans start to think everything it's a work and none of it feels genuine.
Right and Wrong: The Double-Edged Sword of 'Everything Is Awesome'
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Commentators have the thankless task of trying to convince audiences that everything is amazing as they're the first line of criticism fans immediately hear while processing what's going on. The more you're told something is great, the more likely you'll form that opinion.
Credit where it's due, both companies try to keep the level of energy up for the entire program, even if something isn't quite so good. Sometimes, the commentary is the only thing saving a segment from being a total bore.
At its best, it enhances what is already great. Hearing a referee count a pin can be exciting, but it's better when a commentator chants along "One! Two! Three!"
Unfortunately, this also suffers from the Boy Who Cried Wolf issue in that if everything is the best thing ever, then the commentators lose credibility when they're excited, too.
Not much can ever be allowed to just flop anymore. A punch isn't just a punch we can skip past, as it's a "devastating strike to the face" that no one bats an eye at.
After hearing such things enough times, viewers tune out the commentary—unless it was coming from Ranallo, whose trademark enthusiasm was a delight.
Wrong: Commentators Always Play Stupid
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The third big issue with tone to match seriousness and excitement is intelligence, or the lack thereof.
Announcers are responsible for passing on information to viewers so they can more process what's going on.
At its best, this relationship is natural. A commentator will call the moves, break down why a wrestler did a certain action and remind everyone of the story being told.
But an unfortunate trap they often fall into is playing dumb to make sure they aren't too far ahead of the viewers.
With a baffled "What is happening?" expression, anyone paying attention can see the answer and we're meant to believe these professionals who are paid to analyze what is going on are too dense to decipher what is right in front of their eyes.
"What are Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke doing here?" was shouted on an episode of Raw when they were clearly about to take part in Raw Underground and were visiting their friend, Shayna Baszler.
"Can you explain to me what's going on?" is what Cole asked Graves last week about a six-man tag team match that was obviously made during SmackDown's break. This has been done many times, but we are meant to believe this was too complex for him to understand.
When casual viewers watch pro wrestling and hear this, it makes them look down on sports-entertainment fans as it gives off the impression they need to be spoon-fed information to understand basic stories.
Right: Rare Flubs for a Difficult Job
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Despite all the criticism laid out here, it has to be noted that commentary is a difficult job. It isn't as simple as sitting down and blurting out whatever comes to mind.
You need the right voice, the right knowledge, the ability to speak without stumbling over your thoughts, and you have to do it all in a clear, concise manner that is easy to understand and entertaining.
Commentators also have to do this while having a director bark orders into their ears or feed them lines or information they must convey on the spot. It's enough of a challenge to do all those things above, but to do them while not getting distracted is impressive.
For the most part, everyone on commentary in AEW and WWE achieves this without getting lost in their words or stammering, which is astounding.
Miscellaneous Nitpicks and Praise
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Rounding out this list are some other miscellaneous talking points that might not be the biggest pros and cons but deserve a mention.
Someone at Raw and SmackDown seems to prefer backstage interviews that end with Charly Caruso or Kayla Braxton staring off-camera with no acknowledgment of the commentary team at all.
Thankfully, AEW and NXT are immune to that. McKenzie Mitchell, for instance, will say something like "Back to you, Vic and Wade."
A big positive for both shows is that the announcers dress the part and rarely look shabby.
WWE broadcasts in a large number of different languages. This has made the brand more accessible to a worldwide audience, allowing the company to tap into different markets and expand.
Lastly, both companies have found ways to keep the commentary teams going even during the pandemic. Whether through remote recordings or an in-person booth, this should be praised, as commentary teams are vital to wrestling shows.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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