Tim Cooke Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Anyone who knows me knows my liking of Jim Ross from 1986-1993 as the greatest mainstream announcer ever. I still think this though after hearing Lance Russel so much recently, he is close to Ross in delivering the same greatness in getting over characters and stories. Ross probably had more emotion (Russel wasn't dry but he also didn't go over the top like Ross woul occasionally when the crowd was going nuts). Bob Caudle was a great side kick for Ross, in being able to put over moves while Ross put over everything else. Gordon Solie is over rated for me. I'm bored with straight announcing of moves. Solie did that well but he could never match the atmosphere, passion, and emotion that guys like Ross and Russell bring. I like David Crockett more than most. He is quirky but he was also a great foil for the heels during interviews. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hunter's Torn Quad Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Gordon Solie Jim Ross 1986-1992 Lance Russel Jim Cornette - 2000-present day Mike Tenay 1994-present day Bob Caudle Those are my top six, but the order can change from day to day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resident Evil Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Anyone who knows me knows my liking of Jim Ross from 1986-1993 as the greatest mainstream announcer ever.Remember when Mankind said that Ross could make an okay match good and a good match great? He's correct but he can also make a great match okay and a good match bad. Ross back than as well would dog it during certain matches. And not just a little bit either. He did the commentary for the Canadian power hour up in Canada and he would have the most boring voice of all time which drug down matches so, so much. The only time he'd care if one of his favourites like the Steiner Brothers were on. That ends up creating a butterfly effect with the crowd that makes it harder for certain wrestlers to get up to the top of the card. Jesse Ventura is the best in the announcing booth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sek69 Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Tony Shiavone was good during his NWA run, it was really only when WCW was asking him to do the impossible that his work started to suffer. I like Jim Ross's NWA work, but I'm so used to hearing him now that it's very weird to hear him sound "normal", aka pre-Bell's palsy. His voice sounds like a chipmunk, and it's distracting to listen to when you're used to how he sounds now. I think Bob Caudle is one of the most underrated announcers in history. He managed to perfectly complement whoever he was paired up with. Everyone raves over Mike Tenay, but I think that's just because he was teamed up with Shiavone at the height of Tony's "not giving a shit" phase. I find him to be pretty annoying in TNA, somehow managing to sound like a moron and condescending at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Gordon Solie is over rated for me. I'm bored with straight announcing of moves. Solie did that well but he could never match the atmosphere, passion, and emotion that guys like Ross and Russell bring. I think what I liked about Solie so much is that his dry delivery allowed the matches to stand or fail on their own. He didn't hype stuff that didn't deserve it and didn;t put the words in your mouth when you saw something great. It was simply understood. In a clown's business, Solie gave it some believability. I concur that Ventura was ace in the booth. He did color but did it better than anyone. He was a heel and remained a heel but was able to point out the strengths of even those he despised. I love. Jesse. Also, revisiting old WCW, I agree with Tim that Ross was the man. God, what happened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Cooke Posted May 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 "God, what happened?" Selling out to the corporate WWE philosophy. Take the 2/20/90 MX vs. RnR Express match. Ross would constantly make gay jokes at Cornette, talk about how fat he was, and how he hoped the top rope wouldn't break when Cornette was on it, yet he would always manage to throw in how good of a scout Cornette is and how he is always prepared. He always mentioned that no matter how much cheating the MX were doing, when they hit a great move or some athletic sequence, he would go out of his way to put it over. Same with Caudle. Today, if it isn't Rock, Trips, Foley, Benoit, or Austin, he doesn't care. His lacks emotion and passion and tries to make it up by screaming his loudest during special occasions. He almost ruined Benoit's post match celebration with Eddy at WM 20. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Jim Ross, in the same era Tim noted, is my favorite announcer of all time. He was invaluable to WCW in times when they weren't exactly putting out the best product, just because he could making anything seem credible. He also played a large part in getting all of the feuds over in Mid South, and he had such a great vision of wrestling that parlayed itself into his announcing. There have been lots of good color commentators, but my favorite is probably either Jesse Ventura in the WWF or Michael Hayes in Mid South. Hayes was especially great, but he doesn't often get his due now because so many people haven't seen that stuff. He and Jim Ross played brilliantly off each other, and I think it would be worth trying to have him replace Lawler on RAW and make a go of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Oh, I agree 100%. I knew what happened to him but you would think that he would have some pride... ok.. scratch that. This is a 60 year-old man who had his face shoved in Vinnie MAc's crack and just bladed last week on TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyOwnSummer Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Solie and Jim Ross pre1993 were great. I liked Joey Styles but at some point he became almost as annoying as current day JR. Mike Tenay was great when he was calling a match, but when he had to shill something he was pretty awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffey Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 May I ask whom Lance Russel is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Some Guy Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 Russel was the host of Memphis TV. I think he had a cup of coffee in WCW as well. I think Ross was awesome from 86-98. When I think of certain matches I think of his calls in them. His calling of HiaC 1 and 3 and his "STONE COLD! STONE COLD! STONE COLD! IS GOING TO WRESTLEMANIA!" from RR 98 and "This is INDEED the NWA" from Flair/Steamboat are absolutely awesome. It's too bad that he can't recreate it today, he tries but fails. I think it has more to do with the fact he isn't a fan of the product or the talent. He loved Flair, Austin, Rock, etc... Idon't think he really likes HHH's work all that much. His call seem forced now. Ventura was the best color man ever. He is the reason I enjoy shows like Battlebowl 93. Ventura and Ross were great together. It was obvious they didn't like each other but they still made some great television. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strummer Posted May 2, 2005 Report Share Posted May 2, 2005 I think it has more to do with the fact he isn't a fan of the product or the talent. He loved Flair, Austin, Rock, etc... Idon't think he really likes HHH's work all that much. His call seem forced now. I think that's a big part of it. I remember him doing a radio interview in 98/99 and he said he didn't like a lot of what the company did but he had a family to feed and children to put through college. He claimed the company was more "Sizzle" than "steak" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted May 3, 2005 Report Share Posted May 3, 2005 Lance Russell is also the best straight man the wrestling business has probably ever seen. When something funny happened, he didn't laugh; when something ridiculous happened, he didn't scoff. He was just so good at giving everyone else a foundation to work off of, and he deserves major credit for that. The little things that Jim Ross used to do like give subtle facial expressions toward heels/face when holding the mic are things Russell probably did even better. It was also obvious that while he and Lawler were very close friends, he always did his best to be impartial on the air. Their friendship couldn't help but show, despite his best efforts, which was part of his entire appeal. His word had credibility for that reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 3, 2005 Report Share Posted May 3, 2005 What years was Russell around and did he call any famous matches that you can recall? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted May 3, 2005 Report Share Posted May 3, 2005 Also, while I liked Jesse Ventura in WCW, Jim Cornette said it best in '93, when he said it wasn't even Jesse Ventura doing color in WCW, it was some guy doing Jesse Ventura doing color in WCW. He was still solid, but he lost a step somewhere between the WWF and WCW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Posted May 3, 2005 Report Share Posted May 3, 2005 What years was Russell around and did he call any famous matches that you can recall? I know he called Lawler/Kaufmann in 1982. I am sure there are many others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted May 3, 2005 Report Share Posted May 3, 2005 What years was Russell around and did he call any famous matches that you can recall? Russell was in Memphis for most of the 1970s through the 1990s. He called the Lawler/Idol match you have. Have you watched it yet? He also co-hosted WCW Pro with Michael Hayes from 1989-1991, before going back to Memphis to work in the USWA for a short period. I'm not sure how long he stayed there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted May 3, 2005 Report Share Posted May 3, 2005 I have watched all of the stuff leading up to the match on the disc. I knew I have heard the name before but I have ben watching so much stuff lately that my mind has been getting scrambled. I don't have the wrestling memory that many of you guys do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Some Guy Posted May 4, 2005 Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 He also called the Lawler/Funk Empty Arena match. You have the Terry Funk shoot from 98, so you have that match. Russell is the guy who has to put his cigarette out before the match starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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