J. Hova
Don Corleone
Emotionally exhausted and morally bankrupt
Posts: 2,013 
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Post by J. Hova on Oct 20, 2022 0:04:56 GMT -5
I mean at this point, he can do whatever he wants, he's earned that. That said, it would probably be the best use of his skills backstage producing the commentary and doing the occasional pinch hit. For the love of God, get this man in talent relations, even in an advisory role.
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Post by Viking Hall on Oct 20, 2022 9:14:11 GMT -5
Think it needs to be a two way street with JR at this point, he doesn't need to be there every week, or even for every big event, but if he's really into a match or a feud, bring him in, let him be enthused and excited about it, because a motivated JR still brings that indescribable 'something' to a match that the other commentators don't have.
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Post by Instant Classic on Oct 20, 2022 11:09:35 GMT -5
I hope he leaves after this. He needs to come home to WWE call one more big match and call it a day.
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Post by Citizen Snips on Oct 20, 2022 11:32:32 GMT -5
JR is like The Simpsons for me; when he was great, he was great…but he’s been not great for about twice as long as he was great at this point.
That said, I hope AEW and/or WWE always has something for him to do aside from commentary. He clearly seems to depend on “this business” at this point and I’m sure it would be brutal on him to just exile him into retirement.
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Post by THE FVNKER on Oct 21, 2022 10:14:38 GMT -5
Did we ever get any kind of official report or statement about JR not doing Dynamite any more? I've been out of the loop for a minute with AEW, and since I came back it was like he just vanished.
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Post by Magic knows Black Lives Matter on Oct 21, 2022 10:49:17 GMT -5
JR’s not a perfect person by any stretch but he’s gone through a lot of hardships in the last several years and has pretty consistently been shit on by the industry he’s given so much of his life to.
If anybody deserves one of them cushy “for life” honorary employee titles, where you don’t do much but collect a check and the occasional public appearance, it’s JR.
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Post by Andy Martin on Oct 21, 2022 11:05:22 GMT -5
I'm not a JR detractor, but I think it'd be fine to have Tony Schiavone in the "legend" role at the announce table and let other commentators move up. I’d like more clearly defined roles on commentary as well, while we’re at it. Have Tony actually BE your lead play by play guy, Taz provides the colour/analysis (which he is excellent at), and Excalibur dropping little historical notes and background info. As it is right now, the trio at the table often end up stepping all over each other at times. |
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Fade
Patti Mayonnaise
Posts: 38,301
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Post by Fade on Oct 21, 2022 11:39:57 GMT -5
I'm not a JR detractor, but I think it'd be fine to have Tony Schiavone in the "legend" role at the announce table and let other commentators move up. I’d like more clearly defined roles on commentary as well, while we’re at it. Have Tony actually BE your lead play by play guy, Taz provides the colour/analysis (which he is excellent at), and Excalibur dropping little historical notes and background info. As it is right now, the trio at the table often end up stepping all over each other at times. Ex is absolutely the lead play by play guy with Taz as color commentator. But I agree: they step all over each other. I honestly don’t know what Tony brings anymore. Really wouldn’t mind if he was taken off and it’s just Ex & Taz. Ideally I’d love Rampage to have its own set of announcers, but I don’t see that happening either. |
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Post by Dr. Bolty, Disaster Enby on Oct 21, 2022 11:48:17 GMT -5
I’d like more clearly defined roles on commentary as well, while we’re at it. Have Tony actually BE your lead play by play guy, Taz provides the colour/analysis (which he is excellent at), and Excalibur dropping little historical notes and background info. As it is right now, the trio at the table often end up stepping all over each other at times. Ex is absolutely the lead play by play guy with Taz as color commentator. But I agree: they step all over each other. I honestly don’t know what Tony brings anymore. Really wouldn’t mind if he was taken off and it’s just Ex & Taz. Ideally I’d love Rampage to have its own set of announcers, but I don’t see that happening either. I think Tony brings a human touch that Excalibur and Taz are a bit too character-ful to pull off. I don't feel like Excalibur can pull off the sense of loathing that Schiavone brings for Cole and MJF, and Schiavone's lack of ring experience gives him more room to be intimidated by the wrestlers. Even if Taz hasn't been able to wrestle in 20+ years, he's still expected to act at least a little bit like the Taz who could kick anyone's ass, and lacking that background helps Tony play a role the others don't. That said, Tony's best right now as a third guy who sprinkles in that flavor while Excalibur and Taz handle most of the talking. |
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Fade
Patti Mayonnaise
Posts: 38,301
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Post by Fade on Oct 21, 2022 11:51:44 GMT -5
Ex is absolutely the lead play by play guy with Taz as color commentator. But I agree: they step all over each other. I honestly don’t know what Tony brings anymore. Really wouldn’t mind if he was taken off and it’s just Ex & Taz. Ideally I’d love Rampage to have its own set of announcers, but I don’t see that happening either. I think Tony brings a human touch that Excalibur and Taz are a bit too character-ful to pull off. I don't feel like Excalibur can pull off the sense of loathing that Schiavone brings for Cole and MJF, and Schiavone's lack of ring experience gives him more room to be intimidated by the wrestlers. Even if Taz hasn't been able to wrestle in 20+ years, he's still expected to act at least a little bit like the Taz who could kick anyone's ass, and lacking that background helps Tony play a role the others don't. That said, Tony's best right now as a third guy who sprinkles in that flavor while Excalibur and Taz handle most of the talking. Yeah. No disagreement Tony brings in “the human touch”, which I found to really work well in contrast with JR’s ornery self. But now? It just comes off like grandpa Tony occasionally chiming in. It’s not a BIG deal but the last few weeks I’ve been like “eh..” Also, ex needs to get better at showing that kind of emotion. He needs to grow. It just can’t be rattling off move names and whatever the cards are for next week at super Sonic speed. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2022 13:37:11 GMT -5
Ex is absolutely the lead play by play guy with Taz as color commentator. But I agree: they step all over each other. I honestly don’t know what Tony brings anymore. Really wouldn’t mind if he was taken off and it’s just Ex & Taz. Ideally I’d love Rampage to have its own set of announcers, but I don’t see that happening either. I think Tony brings a human touch that Excalibur and Taz are a bit too character-ful to pull off. I don't feel like Excalibur can pull off the sense of loathing that Schiavone brings for Cole and MJF, and Schiavone's lack of ring experience gives him more room to be intimidated by the wrestlers. Even if Taz hasn't been able to wrestle in 20+ years, he's still expected to act at least a little bit like the Taz who could kick anyone's ass, and lacking that background helps Tony play a role the others don't. That said, Tony's best right now as a third guy who sprinkles in that flavor while Excalibur and Taz handle most of the talking. I'd say that Tony (and JR, for that matter) helps to add legitimacy. It just feels more like a big deal when you have one or both of those guys on commentary. |
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Post by Andy Martin on Oct 21, 2022 14:29:12 GMT -5
I think Tony brings a human touch that Excalibur and Taz are a bit too character-ful to pull off. I don't feel like Excalibur can pull off the sense of loathing that Schiavone brings for Cole and MJF, and Schiavone's lack of ring experience gives him more room to be intimidated by the wrestlers. Even if Taz hasn't been able to wrestle in 20+ years, he's still expected to act at least a little bit like the Taz who could kick anyone's ass, and lacking that background helps Tony play a role the others don't. That said, Tony's best right now as a third guy who sprinkles in that flavor while Excalibur and Taz handle most of the talking. I'd say that Tony (and JR, for that matter) helps to add legitimacy. It just feels more like a big deal when you have one or both of those guys on commentary. My thing is,, Excalibur doesn’t really seem to know how to be a lead play by play guy. He gets stuck trying to do both roles and it comes off clunky. It’s why you need (to use some combat sports examples) a Jon Anik or a Jim Lampley to sort of “drive the bus”, and let your colour analysts do their part. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2022 17:54:15 GMT -5
I still enjoy listening to him on his Podcast but would absolutely prefer he take a backstage or sit down role with AEW as soon as possible. For the longest time it felt like even though he raved it about it on his podcast he didn't actually like the product he was calling or even understand it
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Blade
Don Corleone
Posts: 1,943
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Post by Blade on Oct 21, 2022 21:36:56 GMT -5
I think people react in weirdly overwrought ways to JR saying some very mild things. Like, I remember people getting mad that he said something like "A curse? Oh, come on!" when Danhausen first started doing his shtick. As if it was the death of the character if every commentator didn't immediately jump to full-throated credulity that Danhausen was cursing people.
People will take one line where he sounds mildly aggravated or gets a little lost and fit it into a predefined notion of who they think JR is and then get mad about that predefined notion even if he spends the rest of the match doing fine. I do not think it is a particularly great crime that he has some tastes and doesn't like it when, say, tag partners just hang around indefinitely in the ring doing spots. I do not think it is a great crime that he references people from the territory days. He screws up names sometimes, but he also did that twenty years ago (quite infamously).
Of course, funnily, I've never really considered JR The Best Ever. He's a perfectly fine announcer who I always saw as good but not in any sort of rarified upper echelon. Age has caught up with him a bit but he functionally does more or less the same job as he did in 2003 at more or less the same level of enthusiasm and competence. On a personal level, I'm sure staying involved in the industry is important to him, so for that reason I hope he has a place doing something for as long as he wants to.
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Post by Mr Mario Mario on Oct 22, 2022 19:27:50 GMT -5
I’m sympathetic to him wanting to be involved but shows and acts shouldn’t have to suffer because of it
Even during Rampage this week in the main event, he was b*****g about how the no DQ nature of the triple threat matches didn’t make sense and then you have Excalibur etc trying to justify it. It’s been going on forever. Your one job JR is to sell the fans on the match, not sit there and complain
Use it to put over how Rush is smart using the nature of the match to his advantage or something
You don’t even need him for interviews etc because Renee is there
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Oct 22, 2022 22:54:32 GMT -5
Keep him off commentary, if he could do the occasional big match here and there when he is interested and up to it that's fine but he does not need to be on TV every week. He still has value in the sit down role for sure
Either way while he may "retire" I don't expect him to be out the business. WWE or AEW will keep him on the payroll doing something
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Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,216
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Post by Mozenrath on Oct 23, 2022 17:37:24 GMT -5
JR is one of those guys where his biggest strength as a commentator is one of his weaknesses, too: He doesn't filter. That gets you impassioned calls about heels' dastardly actions that made a lot of his top moments shine, or stuff like "will somebody stop the damn match?!" when Foley was taking heavy abuse. No one's in his league on that, letting go and getting involved.
Of course, the problem is that he grumbles and pouts openly, too, and will sometimes bitch about things like how he hates rakes because it's usually really obviously fake since people don't get redness, etc, from it, and it strikes him as hokey. He isn't well-equipped for shtick sometimes, which can be a problem. I also think sometimes he can be unnecessarily patronizing to the talent, but I've just rarely been keen on commentators calling the wrestlers "kids", even when it's someone in advanced age, and he's far from the only one guilty of that.
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markymark
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Posts: 18,557
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Post by markymark on Oct 27, 2022 14:48:01 GMT -5
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Mr T L Wolf
Hank Scorpio
He has the looks of Andre the Giant, and the strength of Barry Windham. Not to mention he's a hero to a few armadillos, a kangaroo and a small herd of bison.
Posts: 5,319
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Post by Mr T L Wolf on Oct 30, 2022 11:59:28 GMT -5
"I like working with Excalibur and Schiavone. I think that's our best group."
It's not.
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Dub H
Crow T. Robot
Captain Pixel: the Game Master
I ❤ Aniki
Posts: 47,929
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Post by Dub H on Oct 30, 2022 13:51:00 GMT -5
"I like working with Excalibur and Schiavone. I think that's our best group." It's not. The best group HAS to involved Taz & Excalibur, by far the best duo, the third man you can change whatever. |
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