WWE: 10 Greatest Commentators of All Time

There is a common opinion in the wrestling business that excellent commentary can make a good match great.

There is a problem in the WWE currently in that the announcers seem more concerned about putting themselves over than actually calling the match.

Michael Cole's gimmick of supporting the heels and jeering the faces has become very irritating, very quickly.

The feud between Lawler and Cole still leads to countless petty disputes at the announce table which, combined with the mind-numbing emails, distracts from the actual matches.

Commentary should add to the match as opposed to taking focus away from it, and the current team cannot produce.

Josh Mathews has the potential to become a good announcer but he does not yet have the experience to lead a pay-per-view team.

The following article is a list of the 10 greatest commentators, color or play-by-play, of all time.

10. Vince McMahon

Before Vince McMahon publicly revealed that he was the driving force behind the WWF, he was constantly bullied by Jesse Ventura on commentary.

Vince McMahon had a talent for selling the product and making even the most insignificant match seem important.

His back-and-forths with Ventura and the comedic partnership between them added something to the WWF product at the time.

Although Vince's career as the evil Mr McMahon has eclipsed his days on commentary, the Ventura-McMahon combination will go down in wrestling history.

Vince has always had the ability to over-act, and he could easily channel his own excitement through the television screens to the viewers.  

9.CM Punk

In the short weeks that CM Punk spent at the announce table, he proved that he has yet another talent in the wrestling business.

He even argued that nobody could touch him on commentary in his much-talked about promo two weeks ago.

Punk has always had a very natural air and he came across as extremely genuine on commentary.

He was funny, relaxed and not afraid to take risks with regard to his content.

Punk has always had a reputation for pushing the envelope and "grabbing Vincent K. McMahon's imaginary brass rings," and there was a lot of controversy on commentary.

Punk played the classic heel bully commentator when paired with Josh Mathews or Scott Stanford, following in the footsteps of JBL and Jesse Ventura.

But when announcing on Raw, he showed a more sympathetic side and was incredibly adept at putting talent over.

But the main attraction that CM Punk brought to the table (pun intended) was sheer entertainment.

Here are some classic Punk quotes from his time on the announce desk:

• "Melina with a small package, there must be a joke in their somewhere!"
• "Come on, you know the C.M stands for 'Cole Miner!'"
• "John, you spilled my diet soda!"
• "Come on, King, I dare you to call this correctly!"

Comedic gold! 

8.Joey Styles

Joey Styles is known as the "Voice of ECW" in the same way that J.R was known as the "Voice of Raw".

His voice on commentary was as much of a feature on Paul Heyman's brainchild as hardcore wrestling and abusive language.

He even had a stint with the WWE after ECW folded, but in a more watered-down form.

This led to a worked shoot similar to Punk's where Styles ranted about the "lack of wrestling" in the product of sports entertainment.

His catchphrase of "Oh my god!" whenever a high-risk or hardcore spot took place was his trademark.

He will also be remembered for the way that his usually calm voice would break into high-pitches screams of excitement whenever the action picked up.

He was also the first commentator to ever call a pay-per-view solo in his ECW days.

7. Jerry "the King" Lawler

While some of Lawler's comments nowadays may make you think that you are listening to a senile old man, "The King" was once the best heel announcer in the business.

J.R and "King" were the perfect combination of straight and crooked, with J.R calling it down the middle and Lawler siding with the heels.

This formula had been used before and will be used again, but it always seems to produce the best announce teams.

Jerry has been in the wrestling business for an incredibly long period of time and knows the tricks of the trade inside out.

His nuances and his mannerisms, coupled with his naturally arrogant demeanour, made for great television.

His pathetic hero worship of the Rock ranged against J.R's loyalty to Stone Cold Steve Austin added an extra dynamic to the feud. The emotional investment both men had in this feud elevated it in the minds of the casual fan.

As annoying and mindless as King can be sometimes, true wrestling fans will always remember this entertaining incarnation of Jerry Lawler.

6. JBL

John Bradshaw Layfield's character transformation from beer-swilling thug to superior millionaire made him into a main event star and a multiple time World Champion.

He was then able to channel this character into one of the best heel color commentators in history.

JBL said all the things that you are not supposed to say; he pushed all the buttons and he quickly became the star of Smackdown.

His interaction with Michael Cole led to hilarity and lots of jokes and put-downs at Cole's expense.

He once cited Jesse Ventura as an influence, and he has perhaps come closer than anyone to emulating the genius of the "Body".

5. Jesse "the Body" Ventura

I have already talked a lot about the heel color commentator role and the way that CM Punk, JBL and Lawler have tried to do this in the past.

But the original was none other than Jesse "the Body" Ventura, and he revolutionized the role of the color commentator like Hulk Hogan changed the wrestling history as a whole.

Bret Hart, in his autobiography, stresses the importance of Ventura's early support for the Hart Foundation and how it helped them get over.

Jesse always had supported the heels no matter how delusional his argument was. He could justify their actions no matter how despicable they were.

When you combine this with Vince McMahon's shocked reaction to the latest act of evil by Jake Roberts, it made for excellent commentary.

4. Gorilla Monsoon

The ultimate straight man of wrestling commentary, Gorilla Monsoon's legacy lives on even today.

The "Gorilla Position" is widely known wrestling terminology for the area behind the curtain that the wrestlers frequent before making their entrances.

His relationship with Bobby Heenan produced so many classic moments that epitomize why wrestling in the '80's was so much better than today.

He also started many trends on commentary that instantly caught on, including referring to Bret Hart as the "Excellence of Execution" and calling the Undertaker's finisher a "Tombstone".

3. Bobby Heenan

Hilariously funny, outrageously biased and financially corrupt, Heenan was one half of the greatest announcing duo in history.

Heenan's back and forths with his good friend and on-air enemy Gorilla Monsoon on Primetime Wrestling are legendary and make for entertaining viewing on YouTube.

But it was their work together on the commentary desk that made the Monsoon-Heenan dynamic special.

Bobby Heenan had probably the sharpest wit in the history of wrestling and could always hit you with an hilarious one-liner out of nowhere.

The Royal Rumble 1993 is the one match that encapsulates what made Bobby Heenan brilliant on commentary

His desperate support for his main man, Ric Flair, and the importance that he placed on a Flair victory added an excellent dynamic to the story of the match.

It was also laced with funny exchanges and comical disagreements between the two best friends.

2. Gordon Solie

This is the man that Jim Ross still maintains is the greatest play-by-play man that ever lived.

It is very hard to argue with J.R, as Gordon Solie set the standard for so many years at the announce desk.

He paved the way for J.R to follow in his footsteps and the similarites between Solie and Ross are evident.

His nickname, the "Dean of Wrestling," came about due to the fact that he was the most widely recognized voice in the days of territorial wrestling.

He always tried to act like a legitimate sports commentator and attempted to be as serious and as genuine as possible.

He is also famous for coming up with the expression "the Crimson Mask", used to describe a wrestler that is bleeding profusely from the face.

1. Jim Ross

Despite J.R's admiration for Solie, I am of the opinion that Jim Ross has now surpassed his mentor.

Ric Flair said that it came naturally to Solie while J.R "eats, sleeps and drinks" the wrestling business.

This implied that it was J.R's passion and love of the sport that made him so great.

When JR was on commentary, he lived in the moment and put his heart and soul into commentary. He could make you believe that a match between Mark Henry and the Great Khali was a five star classic.

The way he expressed himself and his many classic phrases make "Good 'Ol J.R", quite simply, the greatest wrestling announcer that has ever lived.