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What Makes a Good Commentator?

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One of the complaints that seem to be made every week about WWE, and/or wrestling on TV, is about the commentary teams. It seems that just about every fan has their favorites among the commentary teams and discuss them as much as they do the wrestlers. As someone who has only recently started going to live wrestling shows, commentary has been the make or break for my viewing for most of my life. If I can’t stand the commentary, I won’t watch it. So, what does it take to be a good commentator?

Play By Play

  1. Knowledge. Play by play requires knowledge of each wrestler, their moveset, wrestling moves in general.
  2. Storytelling. Play by play commentator has to be able to not only tell you what the heck these people in the ring are doing to each other, but why you should care.
  3. Experience. Typically, play by play commentators aren’t former wrestlers, though Gorilla Monsoon was an exception, but they usually have experience in the wrestling business or broadcasting, or both.

Examples: Gordon Solie, Lance Russel (Memphis wrestling), Gorilla Monsoon (the rare former wrestler turned play by play commentator), Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Michael Cole (yeah, I’m willing to say he’s a good one), Joey Styles (Original ECW), Mike Tenay.

Color Commentator

1. Experience. Color commentators are almost always either former wrestlers or managers. Having a great or mainstream career isn’t necessary, but a lot of experience is because they will need to call on it to give scope to what’s going on in the ring.

2. Gift for Gab. To be a good color commentator, you have to have the gift of gab, and being great at promos does not always mean a great commentator. You have to be able and willing to get the talent in the ring, not yourself, over. This is why a lot of former wrestlers that were great at promos, like Roddy Piper and Superstar Billy Graham, were TERRIBLE on color commentary.

3. Sense of Humor. This not only means adding humor to the dry play by play, but being willing to be the butt of the joke. Bobby Heenan and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler were great at that.

Examples: Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, Jim Cornette (VERY underrated), Corey Graves, Tazz, William Regal, JBL (when he didn’t lean too hard on the heel end of the spectrum), Booker T(when you could understand him), Don West, and Mick Foley.

The Third Man

Having a third person at the commentary table is not new, but the results have usually been mixed. While it can be nice to have an extra set of eyes to catch what the play by play and color people miss, or add a different perspective to what’s going on, too often it’s a case of too many cooks and not enough stew, to quote Terry Funk. Typically, the third person has to be good at both play by play and color, which makes their job tough. It’s also easy for them to get lost in the commentary, however a good third person can usually make their voices heard without drowning out the other commentators.

Examples: Mike Tenay, Jonathan Coachman.

Also, one of the things that makes a good commentary team in general, is chemistry. Monsoon/Heenan and Ross/Lawler had great chemistry together, so did Lawler/Cole, and were legitimate good friends outside of the business. Not all teams have to get along famously or be friends, Tazz and Cole weren’t, but having great chemistry is essential for any team to work effectively.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that, much like wrestling, commentary is an art and no one is great at it right away, everyone has to learn what works for them and for their co-commentators. Also, all these people have a lot of things to keep straight over several hours. So, let’s give the commentators a break and try to appreciate how hard they work to help bring us the characters we love and loathe.

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Opinion

Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

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Wyatt Sicks WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions, 

The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight. 

This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail. 

The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions. 

After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama

gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania. 

It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company. 

We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!

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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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Opinion

Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns 

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WWE Jacob Fatu Roman Reigns Backlash

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call. 

Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story. 

The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line. 

 In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years? 

Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus. 

I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?

Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!

Chairshot Radio Network

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 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Nefarious Means

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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