Opinion

Cook’s Top 5: WWE Raw Announce Teams

With all of the combinations of announce teams, Cook goes over his Top 5!

Published

6 years ago

September 30, 2019

Steve Cook

With all of the combinations of announce teams, Cook goes over his Top 5!

With all the changes coming to WWE’s US show-carrying situation, it’s not surprising that there would be some changes to the announce teams of the main shows. Fox is apparently a major network, so they have demanded to have the A-team of Michael Cole & Corey Graves call SmackDown, with Renee Young along for the ride as a Special Contributor. So USA got the leftovers for Raw, and they decided they wanted Vic Joseph, Jerry Lawler & Dio Maddin to call the show.

If you’re like me and not up to date on 205 Live, you’re wondering who the heck Dio Maddin is. You may also be wondering why the heck Jerry Lawler is still doing commentary in 2019, and there’s an easy answer for that: Jim Ross & Tony Schiavone are under contract with AEW. I’m not saying Lawler would add a lot to that situation, but WWE probably doesn’t want every announcer from the 1990s under contract to the opposition.

I have no idea what to expect from this team. Vic has been fine from what I’ve heard from him. I have not heard Dio because I haven’t seen 205 Live in awhile. All I know is that it seems like the perfect time to look back at the Top 5 Raw announce teams.

5. Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler & CM Punk

It doesn’t surprise me that the Fox relationship with WWE could lead to CM Punk being re-introduced to WWE fans through commentary. Apparently he’s tried out for the WWE Backstage show on FS1, and if they’re smart he’ll be on it. The man has always been a talented communicator, dating back to his days in the independent wrestling scene. As skilled as he was in the ring, the microphone was always his strong suit. It was showcased during his month on commentary on Raw, and also on Superstars with Scott Stanford. He also did an episode of NXT with Cole & Josh Mathews that was incredible TV.

Punk was also smart enough to get out early in the Michael Cole heel run.

4. Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan & Randy Savage

The real shame of the thing is we missed out on Vince, Bobby & Randy calling a couple of months of Raw because of the Rob Bartlett experiment and the chance to have Heenan wear women’s clothing to try to get into the first Raw episode. We’re talking about the perfect milquetoast play by play announcer alongside the greatest manager of all time & one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, all three being incredible talkers. It was great while it lasted, but it could have lasted longer.

3. Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

Commentator Vince always worked best as the straight man with funny heels. We all fondly remember his days calling Superstars with Jesse Ventura, and he had a very similar chemistry with The King during 1995-96. I watched a bunch of the early Raws a couple of years ago because they were up on the Network, and one of the things I noticed was Vince wanting people to comment on current events. He tried it a few times with Randy Savage and it was very awkward. Lawler was able to give some kind of commentary…whether it was great or not is certainly debatable, but at least it was content.

Vince loved working with Jerry. If you’re one of those people wondering how Jerry Lawler is still on WWE’s payroll after all of these years, that’s why. Vince saw Jerry’s quick wit in action back in the day, fell in love and that was that. Lawler’s never done anything to piss him off either…even when the King left the company when his wife (at the time) was released, I’m sure Vince respected him for doing it.

2. Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler

JR & The King are among the most listened-to announce teams in the history of pro wrestling. They called Raw & PPV during the Attitude Era & for years afterward were the company’s top announce team. There isn’t a team that I can imagine doing a better job on Raw in the late-90s & early 2000s. Everything about the product played to Ross & Lawler’s strong points, and they had great chemistry together in the classic play-by-play face/heel color commentator pairing. Would you want to hear anybody else calling the Austin vs. McMahon feud? Absolutely not.

The only issue: It wasn’t the same after Jerry left the company. Lawler had already turned face & he & JR were established as friends, but the lack of fire from the booth became more & more noticeable through the years. As good as the JR/King pairing was in those Attitude years, it became a drain on the show in their later years. It didn’t help that WWE brought in the likes of Jonathan Coachman as a third man to freshen things up.

Honorable Mention: Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan & Rob “Vince McMahon” Bartlett

So Vince McMahon & Randy Savage did a charity event. This led to a very interesting episode of Raw that aired on March 15, 1993. It’s well known to people that know me that my favorite announce team of all time is the pairing of Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby Heenan. Nobody’s topped them in my book, and I can’t imagine it ever happening at this point. They had not appeared at the Raw table at this point, but they were there this week, alongside Rob Bartlett, who had been there since the beginning of the show.

For some reason, Rob decided to impersonate Vince McMahon on this evening. It was both the best & worst thing of all time. He somehow managed to get Gorilla & Bobby on the same page, which they realized meant that they were in trouble. If you haven’t seen this episode of Raw, I highly recommend it, simply for the trainwreck factor of Gorilla & Bobby trying to deal with this nonsense. Just hilarious stuff.

1. Jim Ross & Paul Heyman

The Invasion rightly gets a lot of guff from online wrestling pundits. It wasn’t all bad though, especially on the announcing side of things. While the McMahons were wrapping themselves in the WWF, WCW & ECW banners and trading wrestlers back & forth like baseball cards, Jim Ross was sitting at the Raw announce booth alongside a man that nobody ever expected to see behind an announce table again, much less a WWF announce table. Paul Heyman’s ECW dreams were over, but he landed in The King’s vacated chair next to Good Ol’ JR and spent most of the next several months irritating the hell out of his old colleague from the WCW days.

Insiders were convinced there was some kind of heat between Ross & Heyman based off their interactions at the announce table, which goes to show what a great job they did. They spent about nine months together, which in hindsight was just about the right amount of time for them. Ross & Heyman didn’t get the chance to wear out their welcome with the audience. It was brief, and it was awesome.

Well, the stuff they were calling wasn’t all that awesome. But Ross & Heyman weren’t booking at the time, so we can’t blame them for that.

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

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Classic POD is WAR

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Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1