rzombie1988 Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 I wanted to throw out Charlie Platt. Even though he's not really remembered, I liked him. Same with the announcer for Big Time Wrestling(Farhat). I really enjoyed that guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 I'm also going to say I think there's a lot of snobbery and mainstream backlash going on here against Gorilla Monsoon and the WWF boom period announce teams in general. I'm not mainstream. I just don't like Gorilla. I thought he sucked all the way back in pre-boom days, so it has nothing to do with the boom/expansion. I walked through some of the WWF 80s guys I liked, some I didn't, and some that I thought were "effective" even if I wasn't in love with what they did. If that's being a snob... WTF. I'm a guy who hated Hogan *in* the 80s with a passion as a Flair Fan, yet have spent more words in the past 5+ years praising Hogan's 80s work than Flair's 80s work, and more words being critical of Flair's 80s work than Hogan's 80s work... which is pretty much the opposite of being a snob. Disagreeing with *your* opinion doesn't make one a snob. It's just means we don't agree, and you don't agree with what other people think. It's not something to get bent about. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 I don't really agree or disagree here, I just find it interesting that Hisa--native Japanese speaker that he is and one of the few guys in the IWC who can understand the announcers at all--absolutely hates Fukuzawa and more or less has dismissed him as a goofball (which he was). Hisa isn't the only one to think that. On the other hand, we had one trainee with our department who was a massive AJPW Fan (the biggest of any of the guys puroresu fans that I've worked with), and Fukuzawa was his favorite. Reason? Fukuzawa liked Kawada. The rest of the announcers like Misawa. My friend was a Kawada fan. Bias. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJH Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 English speakers obviously aren't praising Fukuzawa for his insight/what he actually says. They/we can't understand him. Either way, it's irrelevent. In any language, the call at the end of Kobashi/Hansen is perfection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Death From Above Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 I always loved Fukazawa, and it was all about the energy. I never picked up more than a few basic phrases at most. People bitching that he's over the top and a goof are seriously in the wrong hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted July 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 1. Who is the main commentator on the All-Japan 80s set? 2. jdw - wasn't angry, just calling it like I saw it. Not necessarily my opinion, Gorilla is very fondly remembered by a lot of fans. I thought I detected contrariness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 I don't really agree or disagree here, I just find it interesting that Hisa--native Japanese speaker that he is and one of the few guys in the IWC who can understand the announcers at all--absolutely hates Fukuzawa and more or less has dismissed him as a goofball (which he was). Maybe he was. I can't judge that part. But the feeling I get when I hear him call matches is a good one. Not speaking japanese, I can still tell you that the two goofballs calling FMW matches during the Direct TV era were two of the worst wrestling announcers I've ever heard. J-Taro is up there with Mark Madden has one of the most annoying guy in the booth ever. But I realize it's hard to judge only going with the feel you get from heaing the voices. I don't think any non-french speaking guy could get how great Guy Hauray (french announcer for Montreal wrestling then WWF TV in the late 80's and early 90's) was, very articulate, and a terrific heel, full of shit, indignant, arrogant and quite funny too. Funny fact is that he became somewhat a of coaching guru since leaving WWF in 94. By guru I mean "full of shit". The way he no-sold and made fun of Bob Backlund's performance at Royal Rumble 93 is just awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 2. jdw - wasn't angry, just calling it like I saw it. Not necessarily my opinion, Gorilla is very fondly remembered by a lot of fans. I thought I detected contrariness. Contrariness? WON Worst Television Announcer 1984 Angelo Mosca (WWF) 1985 Gorilla Monsoon (WWF) 1986 David Crockett (JCP) 1987 David Crockett (JCP) 1988 David Crockett (JCP) 1989 Ed Whalen (Stampede) 1990 Herb Abrams (Universal) 1991 Gorilla Monsoon (WWF) 1992 Gorilla Monsoon (WWF) 1993 Gorilla Monsoon (WWF) 1994 Gorilla Monsoon (WWF) 1995 Gorilla Monsoon (WWF) No, not contrariness. Hardcore wrestling fans have thought he sucked for a quarter century. Contrariness would be thinking David Crockett got a bum rap. Which I do. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artDDP Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 At times I felt Ross was the only one who lent an air of legitimacy to the "attitude" era in 1998. Then he just started saying the same stuff over and over again. "At home some idiot is sitting on the couch drinking a beer saying 'Oh, they know how to fall.'" "Busted him wide open, and I mean from ear-to-ear!" "That carpet/apron/anything isn't there for aesthetics!" "Out-quicking" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 I said it before with David Crockett. He wasn't good but there was something genuine about what he was saying that made the product so much more believable. Especially when some of the guys on WWF broadcasts were beyond awful at that point. He was certainly better than Ray Stevens of either Gagne on the AWA shows. I just don't see why he was so bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rzombie1988 Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 Also, I wanted to say that the Crusher is the worst commentator ever. I couldn't understand anything he said in POWW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 Even worse than Bruno or the MTV guys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rzombie1988 Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 Even worse than Bruno or the MTV guys?Way worse than Bruno. He was impossible to understand and offered no insight on anything. He also seemed half drunk. I don't know about the MTV guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 The MTV guys essentially screamed through everything. "OMG A HEADLOCK... NO WAY!!! THIS IS THE GREATEST THING EVER!!!" Wrestling Society X might have been the worst thing ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bix Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 WSX had Matt Classic, so it's can't be the worst thing ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artDDP Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 The MTV guys essentially screamed through everything. "OMG A HEADLOCK... NO WAY!!! THIS IS THE GREATEST THING EVER!!!" Wrestling Society X might have been the worst thing ever. Oh, those guys. I was racking my brain trying to think who was announcing WWF matches on MTV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smkelly Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 Who was the CZW announcer who parodied Joey Styles for so long that it became his regular shtick - "SOMEONE CALL 911!!!!! SOMEONE CALL 911!!!!". That dude sucks. Naylor, can you upload some of your Baba impersonations? EDIT: Maybe a future episode of Goodwill Wrestling could be devoted to Rob Naylor impersonations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bix Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 Eric Garigulo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeCampbell Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 I loved David Crockett yelling 'NOOOO!" when Slaughter jumped off the cage during the Slaughter/Kernodle vs. Steamboat/Youngblood team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohtani's jacket Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 Ross was fantastic with timing finishes. I don't think any announcer ever did a better job of really selling the importance of a big move or a big event, just from the inflection of his voice. Let me put it this way. If you couldn't speak English and listened to all the announcers, Ross would probably rank a solid first. Akira Fukuzawa says hello. I don't speak japanese, and as it is I would rank him pretty much at the top along with Lance. Ross over excitement during finishes post 1999 just makes him unbearable to me during big matches, he sounds like he's having a panic attack and it's just as ridiculous as Joey Styles infamous screamed lines (and I like Joey as much as anybody). Basically Ross ranks that way to me : WCW Ross > WWF (1993-1998) Ross (at his best, really great, and excellent most of the time) >> UWF >>> WWF post 1999 (could be just plain terrible and annoying, oversells everything by gawd!) Fukuzawa does the same thing as Ross and Styles only it's cool because it's like a crazy Japanese TV commercial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 WSX had Matt Classic, so it's can't be the worst thing ever. He appeared on one web episode. And WSX featured fake exploding devices at ringside. Looks like Bret Ernst and Kris Kloss were the announcers. They were terrible. The ring announcer was also a POS as he was more interested in getting himself over than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resident Evil Posted July 4, 2011 Report Share Posted July 4, 2011 Ross was fantastic with timing finishes. I don't think any announcer ever did a better job of really selling the importance of a big move or a big event, just from the inflection of his voice. Let me put it this way. If you couldn't speak English and listened to all the announcers, Ross would probably rank a solid first. Akira Fukuzawa says hello. I don't speak japanese, and as it is I would rank him pretty much at the top along with Lance. Ross over excitement during finishes post 1999 just makes him unbearable to me during big matches, he sounds like he's having a panic attack and it's just as ridiculous as Joey Styles infamous screamed lines (and I like Joey as much as anybody). Basically Ross ranks that way to me : WCW Ross > WWF (1993-1998) Ross (at his best, really great, and excellent most of the time) >> UWF >>> WWF post 1999 (could be just plain terrible and annoying, oversells everything by gawd!) Fukuzawa does the same thing as Ross and Styles only it's cool because it's like a crazy Japanese TV commercial. And there just maybe nothing better in life than crazy Japanese commercials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paul Kersey Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 Who was the CZW announcer who parodied Joey Styles for so long that it became his regular shtick - "SOMEONE CALL 911!!!!! SOMEONE CALL 911!!!!". That dude sucks. Naylor, can you upload some of your Baba impersonations? EDIT: Maybe a future episode of Goodwill Wrestling could be devoted to Rob Naylor impersonations. EXCUSE ME!!!! EXCUSE ME!!! - Eric Gargiulo-the supposed face of the old CZW team. I thought he was worse than "SOMEONE CALL 911!"- John House, the heel of that team who was kind of funny. I think that was his real voice (at least when yelling) kind of a Sandman Philly accent. Kris Kloss and Larry Rivera as the XPW team were kind of a guilty pleasure. I thought the WSX concept could have worked (which is a different topic than this) but Kloss and the other guy looked like old goofballs trying to be cool with ridiculous haircuts & clothes that wouldn't have been cool on younger or cooler people. I remember some really Balki Bartokomous looking shirts on those dweebs. Could you find a hipper host than this guy? For some reason, Heenan's shoot interview comment about being replaced for someone younger and seeing a 40-year old fat guy in a Hawaiian shirt in his place comes to mind. Didn't they have poor Tony start wearing Hawaiians & sweater vests too? Shit, maybe JCP would have survived if they dressed Dave Crockett up like Phil Collins or Robert Smith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 Goth-y David Crockett saying "The Russian Nightmare....has come true." would rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 I said it before with David Crockett. He wasn't good but there was something genuine about what he was saying that made the product so much more believable. Especially when some of the guys on WWF broadcasts were beyond awful at that point. He was certainly better than Ray Stevens of either Gagne on the AWA shows. I just don't see why he was so bad. I actually think David is perfectly fine. There would be times where Tony was blathering on about whatever talking point he had written down infront of him to remind himself to go back to it for the 4th time in the match... and David would just have to cut in there to call the freaking match because SOMETHING JUST HAPPENED!!!! Was David excitable? Sure. He certainly could get annoying. But he called matches, worked in storyline, pimped feuds, and came across as a bit of a fan calling the matches. No going to say he was great, but he was far from the horrid that we thought he was way back in the 80s. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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