Pro Wrestling! (For Everything WWE, Impact, Indies, AEW, & Japan !) 2024

[JBatmanFan05]

Nigel could be doing a great heel job (never listened to him) but if the face announcer isn't showing the emotion and making you feel...its lost because the face announcer has to interact and push that. Monsoon did that with Heenan. Callis did that with Joey Styles on ECW.

Yeah, the interplay or interaction is key. Heenan had Gorilla or Vince or whoever. Ventura had Vince (or maybe Gorilla at times). JR made Lawler better. That is key to accentuating the heel commentator.

Heenan I really believe is perhaps my favorite entertainer in wrestling history. He was genuinely villlainous, hilarious, serious, offensive, etc...he was a whole package of entertainment.

[krazijoe]

Yeah, the interplay or interaction is key. Heenan had Gorilla or Vince or whoever. Ventura had Vince (or maybe Gorilla at times). JR made Lawler better. That is key to accentuating the heel commentator.

Heenan I really believe is perhaps my favorite entertainer in wrestling history. He was genuinely villlainous, hilarious, serious, offensive, etc...he was a whole package of entertainment.

So true...Heenan was a treasure...

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Yeah, the interplay or interaction is key. Heenan had Gorilla or Vince or whoever. Ventura had Vince (or maybe Gorilla at times). JR made Lawler better. That is key to accentuating the heel commentator.

Heenan I really believe is perhaps my favorite entertainer in wrestling history. He was genuinely villlainous, hilarious, serious, offensive, etc...he was a whole package of entertainment.

Yeah I love Heenan and Ventura. Jessie detailed in a shoot years ago that what should have been a dream pairing (him and Jim Ross) didn't click , because Jim may have had issues with some things. Like he was given a huge salary coming in. So Jim wouldn't take what he'd set up as a heel and do a good job playing off him.

[Android 17]

There was this old shoot someone uploaded on YT with Heenan. Had me cracking up the whole time.

Very smart man also.

[Deathstroke]

Anyone seen the first two Season 5 episodes of Dark Side of the Ring?

[Username taken]

BTW, I want this pic of Trick Williams and Lash from NXT last night framed.

Attachment 138278

This is right up there with Macho & Liz. Love seeing black couples in wrestling.

This segment was crazy.

Trick was whooping ass before and after that kiss.

It was just perfect.

[Immortal Weapon]

BTW, I want this pic of Trick Williams and Lash from NXT last night framed.

Attachment 138278

This is right up there with Macho & Liz. Love seeing black couples in wrestling.

Black love is strong in modern WWE. There's like 4 couples off the top of my head. Love to see it.

[DABellWrites]

Yeah, the interplay or interaction is key. Heenan had Gorilla or Vince or whoever. Ventura had Vince (or maybe Gorilla at times). JR made Lawler better. That is key to accentuating the heel commentator.

Heenan I really believe is perhaps my favorite entertainer in wrestling history. He was genuinely villlainous, hilarious, serious, offensive, etc...he was a whole package of entertainment.

JR stated Heyman made him a better announcer when he was talking about Paul's HOF announcement. It seems everyone is in agrees he deserve it.

[Android 17]

Anyone seen the first two Season 5 episodes of Dark Side of the Ring?

I just finished watching them. The last segment in the John Tenta episode made me tear up with his family talking about his passing. So sad.

The Buff Bagwell episode was cool. Buff is still a mess. Made me laugh when Scorpio asked how could Buff be a stripper when he had a little dick. LOL.

This segment was crazy.

Trick was whooping ass before and after that kiss.

It was just perfect.

Black love is strong in modern WWE. There's like 4 couples off the top of my head. Love to see it.

Absolutely.

[Deathstroke]

I just finished watching them. The last segment in the John Tenta episode made me tear up with his family talking about his passing. So sad.

The Buff Bagwell episode was cool. Buff is still a mess. Made me laugh when Scorpio asked how could Buff be a stripper when he had a little dick. LOL.

I never thought much of the Earthquake character but learning John Tenta's background was pretty interesting.

Yes, 2 Cold Scorpio just slamming Bagwell for having a small dick was freaking hilarious. And throughout the episode all the talking head stuff made it seem like he had gotten his **** together now but at the end of the episode when he said that he still wanted to get back in the ring, I thought to myself that he clearly wasn't fully based in reality still.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I never thought much of the Earthquake character but learning John Tenta's background was pretty interesting.

Yes, 2 Cold Scorpio just slamming Bagwell for having a small dick was freaking hilarious. And throughout the episode all the talking head stuff made it seem like he had gotten his **** together now but at the end of the episode when he said that he still wanted to get back in the ring, I thought to myself that he clearly wasn't fully based in reality still.

A lot of old wrestlers are addicted to the ring and keep wanting to come back...its why Sting came back. Why Undertaker kept going and held on so long. Its why Terry Funk wrestled into his 70s. Its something about it for some.

[BigLbo]

Absolutely.

Listen, you rewatch some of those RAWs and PPVs from 1998-2000ish, Lawler was HILARIOUS.

I had tears in my eyes watching the 1999 Survivor Series match with Mae Young and Moolah in it, Lawler dropped some funny ass lines.

when i rewatch the old stuff lawler is nearly unbearable for me. the heel commentator is supposed to get heat on the heel not make you hate the actual commentator just for being annoying. i never found lawler to be particularly witty on commentary either.

Solie was an early voice for me....I can see where Styles gets some things from.

Dutch Mantell was discussing announcing and story telling. As he brought up , the art of an announcer "telling the story" is one some get. He wasn't a fan of Excalibur and did say one thing , "People confuse knowing all these moves with telling a story to the audience as an announcer..."

Watch Jim Ross in his late 90s prime or Joey Styles...between calling moves , they are telling the audience the story as they go. They literally tell the audience WHY this guy in ring is a bad guy and they have emotions.

Nigel could be doing a great heel job (never listened to him) but if the face announcer isn't showing the emotion and making you feel...its lost because the face announcer has to interact and push that. Monsoon did that with Heenan. Callis did that with Joey Styles on ECW.

I been for years wanting Steve Corino as a heel announcer. Put him on RAW.....introduce him as the King of Old School and let him play heel announcer there. He could do it cheering on the heels the entire way. Just have Cole play off him a lot due to it.

joey styles and especially ross aren't good at calling anything other than american style matches, and it's not just because they don't know the moves. i realized styles was not as good as i thought he was once i heard him do commentary outside of ecw(mlw in the early 2000's).

heenan's book is my current bathroom reading material.

[JBatmanFan05]

the heel commentator is supposed to get heat on the heel not make you hate the actual commentator just for being annoying.

I disagree. You were supposed to be annoyed with Heenan, Ventura, and Lawler, and all heel commentators since they routinely don't support fair impartial competitiveness. And in Lawler's case, he was played as Vince's stooge, bootlicker (like how Patterson and Brisco were meant to be annoying). Heel commentators are not solely about the heel wrestlers (but if you're annoyed by the heel commentator, then you'll be annoyed at the heel wrestlers), the commentators are characters themselves in the television/PPV production. Gordon Solie, JR, etc...commentators have a long history of being characters in wrestling programs (being attacked by heels and saved by faces, etc) and that is why fans can focus on them fondly as they were a lot of "the face" of many promotions.

[BigLbo]

I disagree. You were supposed to be annoyed with Heenan, Ventura, and Lawler, and all heel commentators since they routinely don't support fair impartial competitiveness. And in Lawler's case, he was played as Vince's stooge, bootlicker (like how Patterson and Brisco were meant to be annoying). Heel commentators are not solely about the heel wrestlers (but if you're annoyed by the heel commentator, then you'll be annoyed at the heel wrestlers), the commentators are characters themselves in the television/PPV production. Gordon Solie, JR, etc...commentators have a long history of being characters in wrestling programs (being attacked by heels and saved by faces, etc) and that is why fans can focus on them fondly as they were a lot of "the face" of many promotions.

i disagree. the use of the word "just" in my statement "hate the actual commentator just for being annoying" is key here.
the primary purpose of commentary in general is to enhance the in-ring action & talent for those viewing at home(primary being the key word there), that's far more important than getting heat on yourself. it's better to dislike or even hate the heel commentator for what they say or how they views things than to hate them just for being annoying and making the matches difficult to enjoy. i mean somebody could just make noises if they just want to annoy viewers until they hate them.

and a lot of the times when the commentary go beyond and become characters in the storylines, it sucks pretty bad.

i don't want to watch any promotion where the commentator is the face of the company.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Saw this as a meme. No idea if this photo was touched up or not…IMG_1865.jpg