WWE: Ranking the 25 Best Announcers in Pro Wrestling History

Jim Ross was fired in the firestorm that was the trainwreck episode of Raw on Monday night. His firing was unexpected because it was unplanned.

Ross still took it in stride, tipping his hat before leaving in front of his fans in Oklahoma City. Just watching the emotion of people as it went down, you could tell there was something up. The curtain may have been peeled back for a moment there as some real-life animosity could have leaked into the storyline world of WWE RAW.

Ross will be missed as one of the great commentary voices of all-time. Ross has been fired many a time by WWE, but this may be the very last time. WWE has very big shoes to fill, especially after alienating much of their audience. Just to show how much Ross is missed, here is a list of 25 of the greatest wrestling announcers of all-time. You may not agree with some of them or even heard of others, but all are iconic or great in their own way.

25) Johnathan Coachman

You may not appreciate how great The Coach was, since his tenure with the company ended just a few years ago. However, Coachman is remembered for his multiple jobs like backstage interviewer, commentator, host of the Divas Search, assistant GM and occasional wrestler.

The Coach was able to move on to bigger and better things at ESPN, but he will always be remembered for his time in WWE. His voice was distinctive and his calling of matches was very underrated. Regardless of how big he gets on Sportscenter, his interviews with The Rock will live on forever.

24) Tazz

Not for nothing, but Tazz was a legendary wrestler for ECW. In WWE, the same success couldn't translate. On paper, Tazz at a commentary table makes you want to clutch your ears. However, Tazz has provided us with some very solid work as a color commentator.

Be it on SmackDown or on TNA Impact!, Tazz will never have his voice get confused with someone else. Sure, people make fun of some of his lines, but we have definitely seen worse commentary than Tazz. He has been a mainstay at the booth for quite a long time now and will likely stay there until he says he is done.

23) Josh Mathews

Josh Mathews is incredibly underrated today. He began as a runner-up on Tough Enough, stuck around to interview backstage, and has managed to make it onto Smackdown as a commentator on a three-man booth. Mathews hasn't had much time to get his voice to stick out, but he is still young. Consider Mathews' place here weighed by his potential to be the next great voice to come out of WWE. If they let him be, Mathews can be a voice to remember this time period by.

22) Kevin Kelly

Sure, laugh at Kevin Kelly. Why is he even here, you may ask? If you have ever heard Kevin Kelly on commentary, you will know that he knows his stuff. Kelly was fine as an interviewer in WWE and currently resides in Ring of Honor as their play-by-play man. Kelly is now their identifiable voice for the third largest wrestling promotion in America. Some would argue that their new TV exposure will have them leapfrog over TNA. Kelly's commentary may only make them look better for that.

21) CM Punk

CM Punk only did commentary for a few weeks in WWE, but his impact was felt throughout the company. It made people wonder why Punk wasn't doing it from the exact time that he got hurt. Instead, Punk on commentary has become a treat that never gets old. His time all by himself this past Monday night was very suspect though. All by himself, Punk seemed awkward on the mic. He can deliver fantastic promos, but calling a match all alone makes even Punk blush on live TV.

20) Mick Foley

The rumors of Foley returning to WWE soon makes everyone happy, especially those who remember Foley on the microphone. Foley was a color commentator for Smackdown after Tazz left, but Foley wouldn't stay too long himself. Despite his dream job alongside Jim Ross, Foley left the company and hasn't come back since. His voice always was unique and his insight is forgotten for the lack of time he could develop such a voice. Hopefully, he can return soon and jump onto a booth somewhere.

19) Dusty Rhodes

Yes, Dusty Rhodes is on here. Sure, he may babble and talk about nothing, but The American Dream has always made things loose and fun for people to enjoy. His commentary presently for the developmental Florida Championship Wrestling is enough to watch episodes when they post randomly on the Internet. Rhodes may not always be clear, but matches always sound cooler and like more of a big deal because of The Common Man.

18) Randy Savage

The Macho Man is a legend in the ring, but he will also be remembered for his time spent on the commentary table. Everyone had a Randy Savage impression they did, but none were as good as the real thing. Savage followed a match very well and his commentary never sounded like he was cutting a promo. He took commentary seriously and his results spoke for themselves. Savage is the perfect example of being so great in more than one aspect.

17) Jim Cornette

Did he speak and nobody understood? Yes. Was he yelling like he reported a hurricane for The Weather Channel? You bet. Jim Cornette's commentary always stuck with you, whether you liked it or not. He was quotable and there was always a big fight feel with him at the desk. Not only would his words sometimes be all over the place, but his excitement was always so high. If you weren't into a match, Cornette made you hear his excitement and catch it.

16) Michael Cole

I know that some won't appreciate this one, but you can't mistake how long Cole has made it work in WWE. Eliminate his time as being over the top and ruining the call of a match with his screaming unrelated to the match.

Cole is a loyal worker who always shows up to say something. His fanbase has fluctuated since becoming a heel commentator. His work on NXT made the show watchable at times. He can easily become a distraction and ruin a perfectly good match, but that's the chance I am willing to take with Cole.

15) Bob Caudle

Between Smoky Mountain Wrestling and NWA, Bob Caudle is one of those legendary voices most fans don't know about. There's a reason that those two companies still have old episodes aired on TV and Caudle is one of them. He was the great voice to get a lot of young stars over before many of them would become WWE and WCW superstars.

14) John Bradshaw Layfield

I still miss JBL on commentary. His voice was perfect for the announcers' table and, if he felt like it, he could come back and talk circles around Booker T. JBL was the perfect heel to sit around and tell you his opinion of things. He was a former WWE Champion and a long-time veteran, so when he spoke, you would be stupid not to listen. He is known as a Wrestling God, but his commentary wasn't far behind.

13) Tony Schiavone

Poor Tony Schiavone probably never wanted to do commentary for WCW. I'm pretty sure that he always wanted to do Atlanta Braves games for Turner Sports, but got stuck down on the pro wrestling circuit. Even there, Schiavone was able to make his own name and stick it out for a long time. Schiavone became known as a notable voice for WCW in the 90s and has his fingerprints all over the success of the company during the Monday Night Wars.

12) Lance Russell

Lance Russell was a commentator in the USWA, as well as the NWA territory of Memphis. Russell was deep into the territory that always could stand out from the rest because Russell, at the time, stood out from all the rest as well. From 1984 through 1987, Russell was a commentator in Continental Wrestling Association and won the Wrestling Observer's award for best Television Announcer for each of those years. Considering it was a job done outside of WCW or WWE, it was impressive to win that award and dominate it for so much of the 1980s.

11) Matt Striker

Matt Striker was destined to be a wrestling commentator. His teaching background and vast knowledge for the sport made him almost too smart for his own good. It eventually made him gain enemies from his co-workers and Striker was moved around. Now, Striker is the host of NXT and done some sporadic commentary at times. In 2008, that Best Television Announcer award shockingly went to Striker. His lack of commentary opportunities in the current state of the WWE is one of the big injustices that can hopefully be repaired.

10) Eric Bischoff

Before being an authority figure, Eric Bischoff made his money as a commentator and backstage interviewer. Nobody knew that this young guy was pulling strings backstage. It almost sounded like someone else I have heard of...

9) Paul Heyman

Paul Heyman defined ECW with his brash attitude that was copied onto his brand. The company eventually folded, but Heyman wouldn't disappear. He would pop up in WWE and make the Invasion storyline so much fun to watch. As McMahon children fought with their father over wrestling supremacy, Jim Ross would have to deal with Heyman badmouthing WWE every chance he got. In the end, Heyman's words were memorable and their back and forth reminded you of great teams of old.

8) Jerry Lawler

Lawler has certainly lost a few steps today, especially in this TV-PG world we live in. It doesn't erase the fantastic job he has done over the years to make color commentary fun to hear. His heel work during the Attitude Era was great and he had countless one-liners. A lot of those lines have tried to be translated or copied in today's standards and failed miserably. So as to not ruin your Hall of Fame legacy, leave the booth, Jerry.

7) Vince McMahon

Before being the brash billionaire boss, Vince McMahon was the guy at the desk doing commentary. McMahon always did a good job over the years and his voice became a part of the experience. McMahon as a character was very rarely cared about until his ownership of the company was revealed.

6) Jesse Ventura

The Body certainly had the voice when his wrestling career was all over. Venutra always had such a distinctive voice and made matches fun to watch. Ventura always sounded like he cared, even when you knew he likely couldn't that was what made The Body such a good commentator. It also probably helped his political career out a bit too.

5) Gorilla Monsoon

How could I ever forget Gorilla Monsoon? Having him this far away from the top is a crime to some, but there have been some all-time greats. Historically, Monsoon is actually remembered as a bad commentator. That's probably because he had to keep telling Bobby Heenan to be quiet.

4) Bobby Heenan

Speaking of The Brain, Heenan was the great color commentator that every other guy wishes they could emulate. Heenan was always so quick on the microphone that you were guaranteed to laugh once every night. He played the heel so well that you never needed him to do anything else. Go find some of the Twitter feeds with Heenan's quotes for a trip down memory lane. You won't be disappointed.

3) Joey Styles

Joey Styles makes the top three for his very unique style that made him the last of a dying breed. Styles was the voice of the original ECW. When I say he was the voice, I mean it. He was the only voice. Styles often had to call the action all alone, a feat others at the time would likely stumble over. From 1994 to 1996, his hard work was recognized as Best Television Announcer by Wrestling Observer. Among WCW and WWE, ECW stuck out for their unique style and their great commentator. ECW likely doesn't have the impact it does without Joey Styles.

2) Gordon Solie

A legendary voice in wrestling, Gordon Solie is the kind of guy that you want to tell your grandkids about hearing. Nobody who wasn't around for his time on the air, including myself, can truly appreciate his gift. Finding his commentary in old matches over the years, I can see what the hype was about. Don't bother talking about wrestling in the 1980s unless Gordon Solie is one of your first people mentioned.

1) Jim Ross

You knew Jim Ross would be number one and why the heck not? It isn't like Ross hasn't deserved such an honor. On 13 different occasions, Ross won the Best Wrestling Announcer honor and the fact that it is only that much may be a crime upon nature. Doing it as the best in both WCW and WWE, Ross is beloved by fans and superstars alike. Having Ross call your match is an honor in itself.