Finding Five-Star Commentary

We spend so much time as pro wrestling fans talking about the best performers in the ring, the best matches, the best shows and other superlatives. It can get a little excessive sometimes.

What occurred to me recently is that we rarely celebrate the best performances by announcers. Sure, you get the casual, widely-accepted "Jim Ross is the greatest of all time" opinion thrown around, but do those fans ever cite sources? Do they talk specifically about the matches and moments that make J.R. one of (if not the) best?

I found myself reflecting on what Jim Ross matches stand out as his best work, and that expanded to other prominant announcers in recent pro wrestling history. What are their best performances? How do you measure their quality? These are good questions to ponder.

I came up with a few candidates, but I'm going to need your help putting together a decent list. Leave a comment below or you can reach me via Twitter @MainstreamMat. We'll gather up the worthy candidates and maybe put them to a vote.



Michael Cole: I'm not a serious Cole hater, but it's hard to think of a signature match that he's called. I know his call of the Mankind/Rock title change on RAW gets a lot of replay, but I don't recall it being especially good.

Bobby Heenan: There's no debate in my mind when it comes to "The Brain's" best performance on commentary. It has to be Ric Flair's win at the 1992 Royal Rumble. It's almost Oscar-worthy, as Heehan rides a roller coaster of emotions, with Gorilla Monsoon egging him on the whole way.

Paul Heyman: He didn't have an especially long run as an announcer in WWE, but he definitely brought a lot to the table. I think he was really good during the Rock/Austin main event at WrestleMania X-7, as The Rock slowly earns Paul's admiration.

Jerry Lawler: "The King" takes a lot of heat for his lax perfformance these days, but he used to be much better. I recall him being especially good during the Undertaker/Mankind Hell In A Cell match.

Vince McMahon: Any fan can do a decent impression of Vince on commentary, which makes it easy to forget that he was very effective at times. I think his best may be Undertaker/Shawn Michaels Hell In A Cell. He really sells the danger of the match, and knocks it out of the park when Kane debuts.

Gorilla Monsoon: This is another tough one. Monsoon had incredible longevity, and called a bunch of WrestleMania matches, but it's hard to single out his best. His most replayed call is probably Hogan/Andre at Mania III, but his biggest strength seemed to be enhancing his color partners.

Jim Ross: The unquestioned king of modern day pro wrestling announcers is endlessly quotable. Most of those big replays come from the Undertaker/Mankind Hell In A Cell match. He was also very good during Bret/Austin at WrestleMania.

Tony Schiavone: He was the voice of one of the biggest storyline in pro wrestling history, but how many calls during the New World Order era were truly memorable? It's tough to think of one that stands out. Maybe the Goldberg/Hogan title change in the Georgia Dome?

Joey Styles: The voice of ECW is burned into the memories of countless fans. In a way, he's hard to judge. There was a lot of post-production work during those early days of ECW that certainly smoothed out any rough edges. Don't get me wrong, Styles proved his worth many times during live events. I really liked him during the Tommy Dreamer/Raven blowoff match and Terry Funk's title win at ECW's first pay per view.

Mike Tenay: I have to include "Iron Mike" because I specifically recall his performance during the Rey Mysterio/Eddie Guerrero mask vs. title match at Halloween Havoc. He starts off with his usual educated background commentary, but by the end he's like a fan lost in the awesomeness of the match.

Jesse Ventura: Some of "The Body's" best work came at the expense of Hulk Hogan. I think he smartened up an entire generation as he pointed out "The Hulkster's" blatant cheating and backstabbing. It was quite an education. I recall him being pretty good during the Warrior/Hogan title change at WrestleMania. I'm sure there are others.