Commentary Desk Placement: Your Choice?

[CMWaters]

Sillier thread on WWE section got me thinking about this.

To my knowledge, there are three major positions for commentary tables that have been prominent over the years:
1)Old school style, up in the box in the audience like how major sports do it. Predominantly used before Monday Night Raw debuted for WWF. Lets announcers do their thing

2)Ringside: The most common used nowadays (though was used before Raw and such). Allows for announcers to get a better view of the action if the monitors go out, and for the wrestlers to use their table if they like, but kinda reduces room outside of the ring, as well as puts announcers into character roles (which can be seen as a positive or negative)

3)Near entryway AKA Monday Nitro Style: A compromise between the two examples above. Still down in the floor area and easier to have dealings with wrestlers, but not right at ringside to reduce outside of the ring room. Makes any announcer/wrestler interactions more special because it can't happen AS easily as just at ringside.

Just wanted to see the consensus here.

[Lance Uppercut]

I never liked the far away style in the first example. It just reminded me of those WWF superstars where it's obviously a green screen.

I like the Ringside better mostly due to the fact that Nitro, the announcers actually had their back to the ring when they weren't on tv, so it's just silly.

[Jindrak Mark]

As a fan I always liked the Nitro announce set-up near the stage. Then when Bischoff was Raw GM in the mid 2000s they did it too.

If I was an announcer though I feel like I'd want to be ringside and as close to the action as possible.

[thecrusherwi]

I don't have a strong preference either way. Having it in the press box like in those early stadium Wrestlemanias and some other PPVs from that era gave those shows a real Super Bowl feel to them.

I think I like best the AEW/Nitro/SNME/80s WWF Superstars location of on the floor, but away from the ring.

[tafkaga]

If I had to choose, it would be #3, with ringside being my LEAST preferred option. I don't really care that much for spots that involve the announcers during a match, whether it's wrestlers going through the announce table or getting into a fight with a guest announcer. It's just become cliche at this point.

[Urn Anderson]

The press box goes a long way in giving it a “big event” feel, IMO.

[Hit Girl]

Old school

Far away from the ring

[Burst]

I've grown to be quite fond of the stage/ramp setup as Dynamite uses it, it makes it much easier to cycle in guest announcers without necessarily having to do their full entrance. I think 2008-2012 WWE ruined ringside announce table spots for me even still, particularly the times when they'd take their mighty time clearing the bits off the table and moving those big CRT monitors out of the way.

[Venti]

Ringside, because I never get tired of people going through announce tables

[J. Hova]

Dec 12, 2023 16:05:23 GMT -5 Jindrak Mark said:

As a fan I always liked the Nitro announce set-up near the stage. Then when Bischoff was Raw GM in the mid 2000s they did it too.

If I was an announcer though I feel like I'd want to be ringside and as close to the action as possible.

I would think it would be the opposite, that the announcers would want to be away from the action since they work off the monitor, not the action in the ring.

I don't really have a strong preference, just as long as the Spanish announce table stays ringside for well, you know.

[Phosphor Glow]

i'm a big fan of the Near Entryway style but i'm also a big late 90s WCW gal so i'm biased

they all have their benefits though tbh, i haven't seen anyone try the first example in a long time, i think it'd be cool to see it again

[Main Event Mark]

How about ringside, with the table against the side of the ring?

[Ozman]

Old school, press box style. Announcers don’t need to be characters in the show.

[crowley1986]

Ringside - no idea how JR/King did it in 2002-05 with so much loud pyro off Kane/Jericho etc