Some people might feel that the role of pro wrestling announcers isn't that important. I think the difference between great announcers and poor ones makes a huge difference. Great announcers can amuse you during so-so matches and help immeasurably to put over storylines and to build the drama of good matches and help make them great.
Best announcers:
JR - nobody does a better job of building drama in a match and uses his knowledge of wrestling history in a great way, knows when to shut up and let the story be told in the ring
Paul Heyman - hilarious heel with a lightning fast wit, great vocal control & power
Joey Styles - never as dramatic as JR but a great everyman announcer
Gorilla Monsoon - desert-dry wit, wonderfully laid-back style (in his prime), capable of getting you excited without you realizing what he had done differently
Worst announcers:
Mike Tenay & TNA Team - non-stop bellowing, never know when to shut up, never let the story be told in the ring. Tenay is knowledgeable as anyone but needs someone good to be teamed with to use his knowledge appropriately - the best commentary he ever did was for AAA's When Worlds Collide
Tony Schiavone & the WCW Announce Team - never shut up, rarely stopped yelling, rarely talked about the match currently underway if it was the under-card, made matches that could have been pretty great with a Joey Styles announcing hard to take by their flat-out interference with the match going on by bellowing endlessly about the main event storyline
Good in memory at least:
I don't know who the announcers were for AWA when I watched in the Chicago area in the 70's, but they were damned good, were excellent at selling rivalries and building heel heat appropriately - that was a great time for wrestling with Dick The Bruiser & The Crusher endlessly entertaining tough guy baby-faces (close precedents of Stone Cold Steve Austin).
Best announcers:
JR - nobody does a better job of building drama in a match and uses his knowledge of wrestling history in a great way, knows when to shut up and let the story be told in the ring
Paul Heyman - hilarious heel with a lightning fast wit, great vocal control & power
Joey Styles - never as dramatic as JR but a great everyman announcer
Gorilla Monsoon - desert-dry wit, wonderfully laid-back style (in his prime), capable of getting you excited without you realizing what he had done differently
Worst announcers:
Mike Tenay & TNA Team - non-stop bellowing, never know when to shut up, never let the story be told in the ring. Tenay is knowledgeable as anyone but needs someone good to be teamed with to use his knowledge appropriately - the best commentary he ever did was for AAA's When Worlds Collide
Tony Schiavone & the WCW Announce Team - never shut up, rarely stopped yelling, rarely talked about the match currently underway if it was the under-card, made matches that could have been pretty great with a Joey Styles announcing hard to take by their flat-out interference with the match going on by bellowing endlessly about the main event storyline
Good in memory at least:
I don't know who the announcers were for AWA when I watched in the Chicago area in the 70's, but they were damned good, were excellent at selling rivalries and building heel heat appropriately - that was a great time for wrestling with Dick The Bruiser & The Crusher endlessly entertaining tough guy baby-faces (close precedents of Stone Cold Steve Austin).
