WWE Commentary Thread (Raw, Smackdown, NXT, PPVs, etc.)

[C.S.]

I thought WWE commentary deserved its own catch-all thread because the subject gets brought up so often in numerous threads. I know I've been involved in discussions about Booker T, Coach, Mauro, Cole, Graves, etc., but I can't find them now. My guess is they're spread over multiple threads.

 

This can be a place to vent about bad (or good) WWE commentary as it happens, or even in the past if you're doing re-watches. ("J.R. is a grumpy so-and-so.")

 

I'll start off with a recent Graves interview that discusses PWO's two all-time favorite commentators:

 

If he dislikes Jonathan Coachman and Byron Saxton:

 

"Usually if I am not into somebody, then I just won't talk about them. I wouldn't have anything to say. I have gotten to the point now where I am kind of tired at points. I still am on such a roll non-stop and I haven't had a week off in any way shape or form in like 4 years. I love it though, that is what keeps me going, I am finally at a point now where I think to myself that I don't have anything for this segment so I have to catch my breath, my throat hurts, which still hasn't recovered from WrestleMania, and every once in a while I will tell Byron [saxton] to take this segment, or Coach, help me out here. Usually I am so take charge, it's either Tom [Phillips] and I or [Michael] Cole and I. We have instant chemistry and we can read each other's minds and finish each other's thoughts, but a lot of times I tend to forget that there is a third guy there. It is nothing intentional but you get in the zone and you get excited and fired up, but every once in a while I remind myself to breathe. I get burned out sometimes."

 

Working with Coach:

 

"I don't know Coach on a social level. I am cool with him and have hung out with him a handful of times socially, but I don't know him, which is different because with Booker T, by the time we were doing Raw together, I had worked with him in the studio every single week for a year and a half and spent all day with him. We had a chemistry, where we would go to the hotel bar and just talk business and have fun so I had a rapport with him, but with Coach, he was the square peg in a round hole, so in the first few weeks I told myself that I wasn't going to come at him too hard because I wanted to have him get back into it. It's not something you just pick back up overnight and say that you are doing Raw commentary. He and I are cool. My thing is that you can tell when he is live Tweeting on the air because he will literally repeat something or say something that means nothing, and then you will scroll through Twitter and then you see Coach sending a 'Coach em Up' Tweet, and then he'll talk about how great the match is going to be, and I say something like, 'thanks Coach.' We just spent the last five minutes saying that. The longer we work together the better it is going to be."

 

http://www.wrestlinginc.com/wi/news/2018/0509/639743/corey-graves-on-if-he-dislikes-byron-saxton/

[sek69]

Byron seems to be getting better at being the third wheel, so to speak. He doesn't usually add much of value but he doesn't step all over the others to get his shit in either.

[flyonthewall2983]

I like Booker T. He reminds me a lot of Dusty on WCW Saturday Night.

[Badlittlekitten]

I never enjoyed a three man booth. Coach is useless but I remember him introducing some workers for a promo segment earlier in the the year(cant remember who they were) and him being a suprisingly ok hype man in the segment. Let him do something like that. Or better still, get rid. I dont mind Cory but I wish hed stop the constant heel/face switching.

[KawadaSmile]

I dunno guys but Corey fapping on live television to Mandy Rose is some really sleazy shit

[C.S.]

I dunno guys but Corey fapping on live television to Mandy Rose is some really sleazy shit

That's been his gimmick since NXT though. He did it with Eva Marie. It was hilarious then because it was such a smark audience and he was acting like she was the best ever, but I think he's gone back to that well one too many times.

[CarpetCrawler]

Let me tell you, Gorilla Monsoon and Gene Okerlund as a two man commentary combo is incredibly underrated. I love listening to them just shoot the shit while Jose Luis Rivera has a headlock going for five minutes. They definitely make those mid-80s MSG and Boston Garden shows a lot easier to sit through. For that matter Alfred Hayes isn't bad either on those shows, and Pat Patterson with Gorilla was a fun combo too. There's something really fun about the unbuttoned attitude people have calling those arena shows. And then there's Dick Graham and Kal Rudman who are at the top of the list of commentary teams I stop and listen to. Two dudes having an absolute blast calling wrestling.

[Mad Dog]

I love Gene Okerland. The rapport he had with a lot of the guys was just great. And I loved the subtle sleazy pervert that he presented himself as.

[Grimmas]

One thing that really bothers me is that the lead announcer always has to get in their saying or nickname every time they appear.

 

The worst is for Sasha Banks, where Cole goes "IT'S BOSS TIME!".

[hammerva]

I dunno guys but Corey fapping on live television to Mandy Rose is some really sleazy shit

 

The best part is when there is a woman on commentary like Steph at Royal Rumble or Beth Phoenix at Mixed Match Challenge who kind of calls him out on how pervy he sounds.

[Boss Rock]

I dunno guys but Corey fapping on live television to Mandy Rose is some really sleazy shit

 

He's thankfully stayed out of Lawler territory with that stuff. I think he knows what lines not to cross.

[Boss Rock]

I liked this quote from Tom in regards to his pbp (from Sam Roberts podcast):

 

"I get tweets from people saying I don't have much of a personality. I'm like 'Great! I'm not supposed to.' I'm supposed to tell you here's when the show is, here's why this guy's mad at this guy and try to tell you some moves along the way."

 

He and Corey were always my favorite duo.

[sek69]

One thing that really bothers me is that the lead announcer always has to get in their saying or nickname every time they appear.

 

The worst is for Sasha Banks, where Cole goes "IT'S BOSS TIME!".

 

 

My pet peeve (and this dates back all the way to when Vince was annoucing) is that everyone seemingly has to have a "*Gimmick* One" based nickname. Like how Bobby Roode is the "Glorious One" and Goldust was always the "Bizarre One".

[El-P]

Most annoying call in current WWE announcing :

 

"For the win !" = nearfall

[Boss Rock]

I know there are lots of people who hate Mauro, but he's never been completely un-listenable to me. At his worst though, he can be rather distracting. Like last night on NXT he was super over-the-top in professing his hatred for Ciampa. Almost chew the scenery type commentary.

[El-P]

 

I dunno guys but Corey fapping on live television to Mandy Rose is some really sleazy shit

 

He's thankfully stayed out of Lawler territory with that stuff. I think he knows what lines not to cross.

 

Lawler turning into a legit creepy old man during the Attitude Era really killed whatever goodwill I had left for him in that role.

[Mad Dog]

I know there are lots of people who hate Mauro, but he's never been completely un-listenable to me. At his worst though, he can be rather distracting. Like last night on NXT he was super over-the-top in professing his hatred for Ciampa. Almost chew the scenery type commentary.

I usually like Mauro but he was extra manic and over the top last night.

[Boss Rock]

He has qualities I do like, such as making matches feel like a big deal. The pop culture references can be a bit much, but it's usually just an eye roll and that's it.

[Alucard]

One thing that really bothers me is that the lead announcer always has to get in their saying or nickname every time they appear.

 

The worst is for Sasha Banks, where Cole goes "IT'S BOSS TIME!".

 

I find this hilarious, every week without fail. That and Roman's "Here comes..... THE BIG DOG!"

[Matt D]

Mauro would be better off if someone sent him some comp tapes. If he's going to lean into that sort of wrestling nerd gimmick, it'd be better if he knew about more than just NJPW.

[Mad Dog]

He has qualities I do like, such as making matches feel like a big deal. The pop culture references can be a bit much, but it's usually just an eye roll and that's it.

I like that he doesn't speak WWE. For all of his faults it feels like a human being is actually talking to you which I can't say about Cole most of the time.

[Boss Rock]

I don't dislike Cole, but he's tons better when he doesn't have Vince and five other people in his ear.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

 

One thing that really bothers me is that the lead announcer always has to get in their saying or nickname every time they appear.

 

The worst is for Sasha Banks, where Cole goes "IT'S BOSS TIME!".

 

I find this hilarious, every week without fail. That and Roman's "Here comes..... THE BIG DOG!"

It seems like he is definitely in on the gag with “BIG DOG” now. This week was especially obvious.

[Mrzfn]

I don't dislike Cole, but he's tons better when he doesn't have Vince and five other people in his ear.

 

So... practically never, sadly.

[C.S.]

Does anyone else have fond memories of Sean Mooney and Lord Alfred Hayes on commentary during matches aired on Prime Time Wrestling?

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one.