Commentary is just the Worst right now

[clifford]

Seriously, this is something I really noticed over the last weekend.

Commentary is SO bad right now. More explicitly, commentary on Raw and Smackdown is SO BAD right now. They treat the audience as so stupid, they go over and re explain EVERYTHING, there is no just calling the action, every thing has to be analysed and a spin put on. It's exhausting.

The classic examples are whenever Cole goes 'Now remember what this means....' when calling a match, or literally every stupid argument Graves and Saxton have, that go on for at least two lines more than they should.

Say what you want about Mauro Ranello, and I know his style is very polarizing, but he does not make me wince and groan like the commentary teams on Raw and SD do. He and Nigel and Percy are just calling the action, reacting to it. Same with the 205 Live call team. There's no debate or arguments, no spelling it out for the audience like we're toddlers,

It's like, everything that's happening is explained over and over again to the audience, there is absolutely no subtlety. Everything has to be a talking point, the commentators have to argue, every single thing has to poured over and broken down.

Just taking the Brock/Bryan match into account, Cole and Graves are just constantly saying how Bryan is done, this is horrible, the match should be stopped, why is this happening, who's the reason for this. Bryan makes a comeback and it's why is he making a comeback, what does this mean, how is this happening etc. My god, JUST CALL THE MATCH. It takes me out of the match so much.

Guy like Phillips, Rene, Graves, Saxton; these are good commentators. They can call the action well. But the way it's done these days is just abhorrent.




TL/DR; Commentary sucks cause they have to analyse and debate absolutely everything instead of just calling the match, and it takes me out of y'know, the MATCH.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

I get your point, but Lesnar v Bryan is a bad example to point to for putting over the calling of wrestling moves.

“Lesnar with a German suplex.”

*long pause*

“And Lesnar with another German suplex.”

*long pause*

“Another German suplex by Lesnar.”

[Bub (BLM)]

Back when he was good, Jim Ross always had the perfect balance of telling stories and calling the action. He also had a prime Jerry Lawler on color, and no pointless third guy. I know it's beating a dead horse, but commentary really did go to complete shit when Michael Cole became the lead commentator.

[ilggant]

I think they hit a new low on Raw this week when they said the Revival were the sole survivors from team Raw.

Erm...no they were not. They lost. And the fact that you even tried to play it up like they won to further your 'clean sweep' angle shows how stupid this company of a pre-determined show really is, when they obviously could have had team Raw win the tag match as well if they really wanted a 'clean sweep'.

This was made worse when the New Day exposed everything by pointing out the 6-1 to anyone with amnesia.

[Fade is a CodyCryBaby]

I think it's been much worse.

Like when it was Cole and Lawler. Or when Coach was there, back in the day and recently. But I get what you're saying. But that's all Vince. And KEEPIN THE WWE UNIVERSE UP TO SPEED ON THE NARRATIVE PAL.

I think right now, the line up is okay. Phillips is about as interesting as white bread to me, I like Graves and I'm actually finding myself getting used to Cole (which is terrifying) but in that I reminded myself why I liked JR so much and the big key there was the man sold the story going on in the ring. While Cole sells whatever shit Vince has concocted in his head.

[King Devitt]

Overall I think commentary on Raw/PPV's became MUCH more bearable once Renee was added.

The over-abundance of testosterone just led to absolutely miserable experiences for all of our ears.
Plus, she comes off like an everyperson type, and her announcing feels SO much different than the Michael "vince's hand up his ass" Cole, or Corey "try hard JBL" Graves.

In fact I had the fewest nitpicks on commentary from this past Survivor Series, and found Mauro to be way more eye-rolling with his shoe horned commentary at Takeover; outside of being annoyed at the commentary during the Charlotte/Rousey match.

[Gus Richlen Was Wrong]

Could be worse. Could be the World Series Of Poker commentary.

Seriously, I love poker but those two guys are annoying beyond belief.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

I'm not going to stand by and let a commentary team with Vic Joseph on it be touted as less than the very worst!!!

[Deleted]

Yeah it's pretty awful. I don't understand how Michael Cole has been around so long and been absolute trash for most of that time.

[Cyno]

Raw commentary is better with Renee Young over Coach. Smackdown is kinda mediocre right now. But at least it isn't as godawful as Mike Tenay and Don West's TNA stint during the mid 00's where they just yelled and screamed everything and talked mid-promo repeating what a wrestler said like 10 seconds ago.

When I think about it, good wrestling commentary is the exception. Most of it is really mediocre or outright bad. Makes you appreciate the good ones even more.

[Deleted]

I mean, how long is Michael Cole going to be commentating for the company? I feel that he is going to be doing the same thing in his 60s and 70s.

[Cela]

I don't get what people like about Rene. I get that she's new, but she sounds like your friend's girlfriend who doesn't really understand the show, but still wants to be included, and keeps interjecting how something makes her feel. Things like:

"That was a bad thing that person did!"

Still infinitely preferable to Cole, who has made me stop watching from time to time. But she's not good.

[Deleted]

Nov 21, 2018 13:19:00 GMT -5 Cela said:

I don't get what people like about Rene. I get that she's new, but she sounds like your friend's girlfriend who doesn't really understand the show, but still wants to be included, and keeps interjecting how something makes her feel. Things like:

"That was a bad thing that person did!"

Still infinitely preferable to Cole, who has made me stop watching from time to time. But she's not good.

I'm still giving her time because there was a time I thought Saxton didn't have a prayer but I think he's really good in his role now. She's better than Coach but only in the sense that she doesn't detract from the show, just doesn't add anything to it.

I don't think the commentary situation in WWE is that dire, Raw typically is bad, but the Smackdown team is fun.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

I raise you a Mike Adamle and two Rob Barletts.

[Rican]

I don't understand how Cole is still in the role he's in. Vince is so image obsessed and the rest of the main roster announce teams are all younger, attractive people who seem like they'd be fun to grab a beer with. Then you have Cole who looks and sounds...less cool and less young. I remember reading he's been pushing to a backstage role, let him do that already.

[xxshoyuweeniexx]

Nov 21, 2018 13:19:00 GMT -5 Cela said:

I don't get what people like about Rene. I get that she's new, but she sounds like your friend's girlfriend who doesn't really understand the show, but still wants to be included, and keeps interjecting how something makes her feel. Things like:

"That was a bad thing that person did!"

Still infinitely preferable to Cole, who has made me stop watching from time to time. But she's not good.

No way, she’s fantastic.

Now let’s listen to her deny knowing why her husband and man she lives with wished cancer on one of his best friends and beat the shit out of the other one.

[nickcave]

I feel like we should sticky this topic and make it evergreen because I feel like I've seen this sentiment every few weeks since I've joined the forum years ago haha

[crowley1986]

Nov 21, 2018 13:19:00 GMT -5 Cela said:

I don't get what people like about Rene. I get that she's new, but she sounds like your friend's girlfriend who doesn't really understand the show, but still wants to be included, and keeps interjecting how something makes her feel. Things like:

"That was a bad thing that person did!"

Still infinitely preferable to Cole, who has made me stop watching from time to time. But she's not good.

this, while shes far better than coach (not that bar is high) but she's meh...she's a better interviewer/panel host

[héad.casé]

I love Renee on commentary, she’s a breath of fresh air, but the thing that’s bugging me right now is ever since Dean turned on Seth, all Cole has been doing is asking Renee why Dean is doing this - and you can tell she doesn’t really know how to answer - probably because she doesn’t know where the angle is going.

[segaz]

Nov 21, 2018 14:20:53 GMT -5 OVO 40 hunched over like he 80 said:

I raise you a Mike Adamle and two Rob Barletts.

I am genuinely surprised at the amount of hate Adamle used to get