JerryvonKramer Posted July 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 So you like David Crockett but don't like Gorilla Monsoon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 Subject to change with the JCP 80s set coming out and listening to a heck of a lot more of him... At the moment, I'd rather listen to David Crockett than Gorilla. John Don finally takes over after Bob feeds him a low blow. The strike is perfectly legal in a [Texas Death Match], though it's a sign of just how shitty of an announcer that Gorilla was that after calling the low blow he indicates the ref can award the match to Backlund for that. Finally, about 40 seconds after the spot, it sounds like someone told Monsoon that it's a freaking TDM and no holds are barred. In classic Monsoon fashion when he's been wrong, he makes no correction, just pretends he didn't fuck up and instead starts talking about how everything is legal in the match. A good announcer would have pointed out that now that he thought about it, the ref was right to not award the match as no holds are barred, and while it could normally get Muraco DQ'd, it doesn't happen tonight. And weave into the storyline that it was Backlund who wanted this match, and it's the risk that he took. Anyway, Don follows with a nice reverse splash off the ropes for a two count(!). When Muraco is stomping Backlund on the apron, Monsoon complete's his full 180 degree Cover His Ass turn by getting on the ref for warning Don. You see, Gorilla knows the rules of the match, and Worley is now the one who is the fuck up. And people wonder why I think Gorilla was a dogshit announcer and Vince was great. Go back and watch the Backlund vs Patera TDM in MSG and pay attention to how Vince is perfectly insynch with Backlund and Patera as the start laying down the storyline of the "no holds barred" concept of the match. He nails it. Gorilla doesn't until it's pointed out to him. Prick. "He was one of the most impressive of all Intercontinental Champions I've seen come down the pike here in say 25 years." -Gorilla This at a time when the IC Title wasn't even *10* years old. My version of this has the pre-match interview with Race conducted by Gorilla. Classic moment in it when Gorilla is trying to bitch out heel Harley by putting over Tito, only to have Harley address Gorilla as "Gino". Monsoon didn't look too happy. Gorilla moment of the match: "This match got under way some ten minutes ago." -Gorilla, 2:42 into the match Jackass. In the pre-match, announce Mel Phillips forgot to mention that it was a No DQ match. So three minutes into the match when Savage starts choking Tito right infront of the ref, Mel has to get on the mic to announce that it's No DQ so that the fans get why the ref isn't putting a count on Macho. Gorilla also seems not to have read the script as this was news to him, despite a pre-match interview where Tito was talking about the No DQ stip. And some people think Gorilla was a good announcer. Bob crumples great off a chop from Buddy, keeling over through the ropes and down onto the heel side for some nice payback for Buddy earlier going out on the face side. Buddy's still selling the arm, which is super cool. Buddy hits a vertical suplex, and you have to love Gorilla shitting on it. You just wish that Gorilla had to listen to an announcer shitting on his own work when he was active in the ring. [Re: Les Thornton vs Mr. Wrestling II in the TBS Studios] I found the most interesting thing in this match to be Gorilla's commentary (not in a good way either, this got his dreaded "main event in any arena" tag) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dooley Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 As in with most things in wrestling, taste in announcers comes down to which brand of goofy you like best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 This is my kind of goofy: Don is clearly one of Kal's favorites and he digs interviewing him. Don has a great buzz going on, and is having a hell of a good time. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victator Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 Watching the first episodes of NWA on TBS with Ross, Crockett and Tony Schiavonie and Tony is getting ran over. He hardly talks at all. To the point Crockett has to invite him to talk. Tony and JR become a pretty good team by the middle of 88. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dooley Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 This is my kind of goofy: Don is clearly one of Kal's favorites and he digs interviewing him. Don has a great buzz going on, and is having a hell of a good time. John Muraco was good but I kept thinking Rudman was about to kiss him. He looks as smitten as a teenage girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdw Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 Exactly. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artDDP Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 This is my kind of goofy: Don is clearly one of Kal's favorites and he digs interviewing him. Don has a great buzz going on, and is having a hell of a good time. John I clicked this not expecting to see what I saw. I thought it might be kind of goofy but this is full-on infatuation! I laughed so hard about thirty seconds in. It really did look like Kal was going in for a kiss! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 Since I've been subjected to him a lot. I'll throw out that Piper was a very shitty color commentator. I was never big on Savage either. I will give the Honkytonk Man some credit though. He's a little annoying but he's surprisingly solid as a commentator while still working within the confines of his gimmick. Of course, I could be missing out on how awful he is because Piper really takes the attention off of him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 Savage loved to spell R-E-S-P-E-C-T, and it always amazed me that he could talk in his wrestling voice for that many hours without going hoarse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 Gorilla/Bill Watts/Scott Levy would be the best team ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 Since I've been subjected to him a lot. I'll throw out that Piper was a very shitty color commentator. I was never big on Savage either. I will give the Honkytonk Man some credit though. He's a little annoying but he's surprisingly solid as a commentator while still working within the confines of his gimmick. Of course, I could be missing out on how awful he is because Piper really takes the attention off of him. Piper was pretty awful. Ray Rougeau was kinda dreadful too (in both language). I did enjoy HTM when he did it for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted July 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 For bad commentators, how about Ted DiBiase on colour? He worked both with Vince and with Bischoff. Only thing that comes to mind is the total over-selling of Undertaker's burial in the casket match vs. Yokozuna at Royal Rumble '94. Also, about that show. One thing I've always wondered about is why they swtiched from DiBiase and McMahon to JR and Gorilla. Was that just a shill for WWF Radio? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 Yes, which was weird. It always felt like WCW promoting Omni shows -- most of your audience couldn't access it if they wanted to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 I liked when Dibiase did guest commentary in Mid-South. It might just be a WWF thing as they tended to create shitty announcers. It could've been the gimmick too. Speaking of Mid-South, Ernie Ladd was great when he got behind the mic. I always thought TNA should've given Kevin Nash the color commentary spot. I always found him really entertaining whenever he got in the booth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 Nash won me over when he asked why Ric Flair always wears his kneepads below his knees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 He was great at Bound for Glory 2006 during his X Division Invitational. He was putting guys over and even got a crack in at the WWE for hiring the wrong one legged wrestler. I know it's popular to hate on Nash but I love hearing him just talk about wrestling. He really has a great mind for the business when you take him out of the equation. There was a shoot with him and Waltman drunk off their asses and he was just ripping the WWE to shreds about how they were using Sheamus. He was so drunk he was slurring his words and he was making total sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resident Evil Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 Be careful listening to Nash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 Oh, Nash is full of shit when it involves himself. That's always been his biggest weakness when it comes to how he views wrestling. He thinks way too highly of himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Morris Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 If I remember correctly, the sexual assault charge case against Jerry Lawler was just leading up to the dismissal of charges when the 1994 Royal Rumble took place. I'm assuming Vince wanted a heel commentator to work with so DiBiase got the nod. The real issue with DiBiase there is he was still doing his arrogant laugh, and while that worked for his wrestling character, that wasn't good for match commentary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cm funk Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 Different strokes for different folks on Monsoon. He was a marketed character like everything else in the WWF, and the presentation wouldn't have worked as well with a straight commentator like a Solie or Russell. Monsoon as the host and voice and character and comedy straight man was more important than the technical details of his commentary. I always thought the stuff some people complain about with him were part of his charm. He was like the grandfather who's gotten a little goofy. Plus he did a lot to get the characters and stories over, whether selling someone like Mike Rotundo or Bret Hart as a great technician, or Dino Bravo as a dangerous strongman, he was really good at that stuff. Pointing out little things in matches that the average person wouldn't even notice is just nitpicking. I didn't start watching NWA/WCW until 92-93, so Schiavone was always the voice of that company to me. I think I liked him up until some point in 98-99 when he very noticeably stopped caring and it was hard to rise above the crap that the product was becoming. I always loved Dusty and Larry Z when they'd do the 3 man booth. The main thing I expect out of a color man is that they be entertaining, and those two entertained the hell out of me. Heenan in WCW could be hit or miss on the same show. Sometimes he'd get really into a random undercard match and do a great job with it, other times he'd kind of mail it in, and you could tell when he thought what he was seeing really stunk. He always entertained me too though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 Piper in the Survivor Series 90 match with Perfect's team v Warrior's team: "There's a lot of heat in there!" then he tries to cover it up by pretending he was talking about the temperature. Ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMFabianoRPL Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 Piper in the Survivor Series 90 match with Perfect's team v Warrior's team: "There's a lot of heat in there!" then he tries to cover it up by pretending he was talking about the temperature. Ha! Forget that, ANYTHING he said during Undertaker's debut ruled. Especially during the entrance. About David Crockett...I think his bad reputation was in part instigated by Wrestlecrap. (They're guilty of doing that with a few things...some of the stuff they roasted on the site wasn't that bad) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerryvonKramer Posted July 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 Different strokes for different folks on Monsoon. He was a marketed character like everything else in the WWF, and the presentation wouldn't have worked as well with a straight commentator like a Solie or Russell. Monsoon as the host and voice and character and comedy straight man was more important than the technical details of his commentary. I always thought the stuff some people complain about with him were part of his charm. He was like the grandfather who's gotten a little goofy. Plus he did a lot to get the characters and stories over, whether selling someone like Mike Rotundo or Bret Hart as a great technician, or Dino Bravo as a dangerous strongman, he was really good at that stuff. Pointing out little things in matches that the average person wouldn't even notice is just nitpicking. I'm 100% with you there. One thing I never got about Meltzer and co ragging on the WWF product of that period for how much they apparently did wrong, is the fact that they seem totally oblivious to the fact that ... This group of people created the most over product of all time. If Gorilla buried people so much just to get himself over, why was practically the entire roster from Hogan to Brian B. Blair and and Dangerous Danny Davis over like rover? Someone somewhere was doing something right, right? Are the Gorilla detractors going to argue that everything was crazy over DESPITE Monsoon? I'm not saying you should like him if you don't, but I think saying he's downright awful or the "worst" appears to fly in the face of the evidence. I can't think of another promotion or period in which the entire card was over in that way and Gorilla was the main play-by-play guy at that time. So he has to take some credit for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted July 7, 2011 Report Share Posted July 7, 2011 Piper at Summerslam 90 is really interesting too, especially during the Warrior/Rude match when he just doesn't get whatever the hell Warrior's doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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