Pretty much the best subject line ever am I right.
I've been going through a lot of Flair stuff on the Network, late 80's Steamboat, Funk, and Sting, and now back into WWF era Flair with Hennan on color. Hennan doing color on Flair matches has got to be some of the most amazing heel commentary I've ever heard. He is so intense and so real during those matches that you could almost believe that he and Flair have been friends for decades and it's the end of his world if Flair loses. Even at the end of Flair/Macho you can see Heenan in the locker room inconsolable, biting that towe.
1. Why don't we see more of that heel color commentary/bff/relationship between wrestlers/commentators/managers? I guess JBL is kind of a heel but he does that goofy laugh to often for me to care. (Something lame happens on-screen that WWE thinks is great ->"HaHA yea this is great Michael Cole!" etc etc) The King was pretty great in his day, I think, as a heel commentator.
Also, in that era with Flair/Macho Hogan/Sid, I'm struck by how obviously different Hogan looks physique-wise in just a phew short years. He looks so short and pudgy against Sid, and fast forward to his later years in WWF and then WCW, he looks so skinny and tall.
2. Were his physique changes during this time-frame so obviously the steroids? I remember you saying recently he needed to take time off around this time-frame due to the trial. Were people at the time that clued into steroids to even care? Or did they just not notice that he looks like a different dude?
3. Also not a question, but we're doing another 20 days of free comics if you're so inclined. comixology.tumblr.com/summerreading. Dug Forever Evil, and shockingly really am digging Superman:Doomed. Soule and Pak can write like whoa.
xoxo
1. I really thought JBL had the potential to go old school heel commentator for a while there, but now everything is just "LOOK AT THAT, MAGGLE COLE!" and the fake laughing and shit. I can barely even figure out what they're going for with the commentary anymore. The Heenan-Flair relationship is also mirrored by Jesse Ventura and Rick Rude when you're watching the old Clashes with them, as he's clearing cheering for Rude and knows his stuff inside-out.
2. Oh, people noticed. Hogan going on Arsenio Hall and claiming that he only did steroids "once" was the biggest joke in the industry.
3. I love free comics! Not a huge fan of the new Comixology app, as I believe I've mentioned before, but that's hardly your fault.
Cole cheerleading Miz during his main event push was awesome. High fives during the match and all.
ReplyDeleteI've tried ... I really have ... but I just can't get into Pak's stuff. His Action is just too Silver Age Superman for my taste, I think. Plus the premise of "Doomed" just didn't work for me from the getgo.
ReplyDeleteI've LOVED Forever Evil, but I still haven't read the latest issue because my LCS didn't order enough copies for some reason, even though it's on my pull. Ah well.
Digging "Uprising" so far in the Lantern books, and Lemire's Green Arrow continues to rule. "New Guardians Annual" is the worst comic I've read all year.
New Guardians has been dragging on and ON for months now ever since Kyle "died" at the source wall or whatever it was called. The entire premise of the series is long gone and it's basically just Kyle and Carol Ferris making goo-goo eyes at each other. It really needs a name change or overhaul or something. Maybe put Baz in it as Kyle's new trainee, I dunno?
ReplyDelete"phew short years.."
ReplyDelete.....
The Miz had some serious energy going throughout that run. Mentioned this the other day but his Wrestlemania 27 entrance is awesome. Too bad the match was a steaming pile of shit--but limited time, a concussion, and an awful finish will do that to you.
ReplyDeleteI think Cole as a straight man can work, but JBL sucks ass through a straw and Lawler is too old to have anything to contribute. I still think they should bring William Regal up as the heel commentator on Raw.
ReplyDeleteAnd if Dean Ambrose didn't have such a blindingly bright future in the ring, I'd say he'd make an awesome heel commentator as well.
Forever Evil was interesting but just dragged on soooo long. I do like the Bruce vs. Lex dynamic that's getting set up, though.
ReplyDeleteJesse Ventura going apoplectic and yelling "AHHH!" when Warrior regained the title over Rude at SS '89 was classic.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NESY1J8fW7A#t=1m57s
even better was Ventura and Randy Savage ... since they tagged together early in Randy's run and when he turned heel - Jesse's commentary at WM5 is some of the best heelwork ever ... starting with wondering why the champ was introduced first.
ReplyDelete"THIS MAKES ME SICK!"
ReplyDeleteMiz is probably the only guy who talked himself into being a world champ via promos.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad/amusing he went from main eventing Wrestlemania to being eliminated from a battle royal via the Cobra.
Cole's voice and phoniness is too grating now, though. He's damaged goods and would work better as a heel manager.
ReplyDeletePunk during his short run as a color announcer was pretty solid too.
ReplyDeleteNoticed that. And is it safe to safe that Hennan will become the new Henning?
ReplyDeletepossibly very relieved that 3 our of every 4 years are "short years" with one day less.
ReplyDeleteHe'll still be gainfully employed though for a long time. He has wisely seen that his ceiling as a "superstar" has already been met and has instead focused on becoming one of the biggest media promoters and spokesperson's for the company. He'll still get pushed from time to time for this alone.
ReplyDeleteAnd on the flip side, it was awesome hearing Jesse rip into Dusty Rhodes at WM VI.
ReplyDelete*Dong*
I can remember Hogan coming out at WrestleMania 9 and hearing my grandfather say, "Boy, Hulk Hogan sure looks skinny."
ReplyDeletePATRICKisLEGEND's reply at 8 years old was, "Well, they just announced him at 302 pounds... normally he's 303 pounds, so I guess he's a bit smaller."
JBL isn't even the worst thing about the commenting. That's easily Cole and Lawler laughing their asses off at whatever terrible comedy segment is being done.
ReplyDeleteThe combined weight of 450 lbs thing was awesome, claiming that there's no way Dusty can weigh 200 lbs.
ReplyDelete"Well, I'll give it to him, you win anyway you can, and now he's the champion of the world."
ReplyDeleteThis might be the nicest thing Ventura ever sà id about a babyface in the WWF.
No, he was cheering pretty hardcore for Roddy Piper when he turned face.
ReplyDelete"Hasn't Sapphire heard of Slimfast? Maybe oatmeal and sardines?"
ReplyDeleteCompare Cole & Co. openly embracing things like Adam Rose, and teaching the viewers at home how to dance along.... with Vince McMahon in '96 when refering to Austin, "I don't know why they like him, but they sure do."
ReplyDeleteSee, Vince used to know that as an announcer, he wasn't cool.
I got the nastiest feeling that today's Adam Rose will be tomorrow's Fandango.
ReplyDeleteLawler is really the most depressing. Cole is what he is and hasn't changed much through the years, aside from the "heel" run a few years back.
ReplyDeleteLawler has been mailing it in for years now, after such a great run as both a classic heel announcer and the Attitude Era "dirty old man" persona. He's literally just eating a pay check sitting there as a useless shill now. A robot could do what he does.
Yeah, I think the only time he went hard after Roddy was during the SS '89 Rude-Warrior match.
ReplyDeleteAdam Rose is even worse, because the fans didn't get a chance to play their part before Cole was drilling into them how to do it.
ReplyDeleteFandango just got over on sheer chance, and they really had some momentum with the guy, but the concussion just derailed the guy... and led to the re-push of a re-debuted Curtis Axel.
I'll say it again, but Jesse's work in the WM VI mixed tag match was incredible. From the non-stop ripping of Big Dust, to pointing out how Gorilla is wrong (regarding who double-teamed first), Jesse was hilarious.
ReplyDelete"Nail 'er, Macho!"
Bonus points for his "Smash 'im, Bundy" for WM3. That stuff never gets old.
Fandango never got over, his music did and it lasted all of a week...
ReplyDeleteI doubt he'll even reach Fandago status. Probably more like poor Tensai (Albert). Even Vince/Creative still know when to pull the plug on guys getting crickets.
ReplyDeleteI love Ventura & Monsoon and Heenan & Gorilla, but Ventura and Tony at SummerSlam '89 might be my favorite commentary team ever. "You're even dumber than Monsoon!" Ventura is sooooooo great during the Warrior/Rude match. Everybody knows about how great Jesse was for Hogan/Savage, but his hatred for Hogan hits a peak during the Hulkamaniacs/Million Dollar Team match.
ReplyDelete"Cover him! Cover him, Mach!" is one of my favs too.
ReplyDeleteI have no clue what this Fandango status is. The dude's theme music got over because of a post WM crowd featuring tons of tourists from other countries...
ReplyDeleteFandango was never some big deal that was over with the crowd....
His disgust at the announced combine weight for Dusty & Saphire is great.
ReplyDeleteRight. I guess I mean some aspect of his character (to wit: his theme) "got over" with the crowd. Rose is getting NOTHING.
ReplyDeleteI really hate when somebody "unexpected" returns and Lawler has to yell out "WHAT?"
ReplyDeleteHe last did it the night Flair returned a few weeks back. Its quite lame...
He still sneaks in a "LOOK AT THIS" every now and then, but....it's not the same.
ReplyDeleteI REALLY wish that Don West could have had a longer go as a heel announcer. The few months he was, he was improving by leaps and bounds every week. He really had potential to be one of the top heel announcers if he could improve like he seemed to be doing week after week.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately we got Tazz because TNA.
I think heel announcers as a whole are just not that good anymore, and it's due to the product not having any "true" heels that they can root for. Guys like Jesse and Brain were unabashed in their rooting for cheap tactics, and now since Mr. "I don't want to see guys cheat" McMahon is doing things this way, it's really stale.
ReplyDeleteNow stuff like Heenan's "my monitor went out!" has no place (and that was HILARIOUS when Konna got kicked in the nads by Woman during BatB96).
We need a thread dedicated to Bobby Heenan and Jesse Ventura quotes.
ReplyDeleteWin if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat.
ReplyDeleteWWE doesn't seem to have a clue any more.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't rocking to "Pomp and Circumstance" or "Also sprach Zarathustra" or "Real American" -- I was just excited because those songs meant a specific wrestler was about to come to the ring.
When a theme song gets MORE over than the wrestler, then the wrestler isn't long for their "popularity"
As for Adam Rose, I thought his entrance was cool to begin with, but a cool entrance can only take you so far, and the joke got old quickly.
Well they market to kids and men for the most part, Im not sure why either demo would pop for that....
ReplyDeleteYoung pre teens arent into party buses filled with weirdos and guys in their 20s and 30s arent popping for Lemons and Bunnies. Either turn him heel or feature some scantily clad women....
As I've called it before, he's in the Walmart Greeter spot. It makes me sad.
ReplyDeleteI think the entrance was cool only because it was something different. I just dont think creative thinks things through. I mean why should we root for this guy?
ReplyDeleteGorilla: "Boy am I glad I retired".
ReplyDeleteJesse: "Yeah, me too."
Gorilla: "You're glad you retired, Jess?"
Jesse: "No, that you did, Monsoon!"
So you mean if you shoot someone outside of the ring that it's not an automatic disqualification?
ReplyDeleteI love Jesse's comment on how Dusty won an award for most abs.
ReplyDelete"I'm impressed McMahon and I don't impress easy!"
ReplyDeleteYou could have a rotating booth of Heenan, nwa Jim Ross, Ventura, good moonson, joey styles,Paul heyman, and bring in Gus Johnson and heel Ric flair to call the matches and it would still suck because of Vince's production. I get that Cole is garbage. No question, I've been watching 1999 WWF and he was terrible and did a lot of the terrible shit he does today back then. But until leaves it alone the commentary is going to suck and it will be a major obstacle to making new fans and retaining old ones.
ReplyDeleteI could watch Rene Goulet vs Tony Garea Iron Man matches if Ventura was calling the matches....
ReplyDeleteEverybody always loves JR, but Ill take Ventura over any other commentator any day. And I know one does play by play and one does color....
"The funny thing about wrestling Tiger Chung Lee is that an hour later you'll wanna wrestle him again."
ReplyDelete"A friend in need is a pest."
ReplyDeleteWhich is odd, cause he and Tazz; and to a lesser extent; he and JBL were awesome on Smackdown
ReplyDeleteI once heard Cole and Taz do a show on Sirius and it was totally nothing like a WWE broadcast. I dont like Cole but I bet if Vince left him alone, he would be a lot better....
ReplyDeleteTotally agree. It's a go-nowhere series that's really just "The Continuing Adventures of Kyle and Carol," as I dubbed it in a recent column, and it just does nothing for me.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame, because I felt Tony Bedard had finally gotten into a groove during the First Lantern event and made Kyle an interesting character again.
They've got to do something with Baz. I love the character, but ever since DC forced Johns down to two monthlies, nobody's done much of anything with him. Hopefully Jensen will get hold of him in GL or Johns can use him in JL.
That is a good one that Im sure wouldnt fly in 2014....
ReplyDelete"At a total combined weight of 465 pounds, the American Dream Dusty Rhodes and Sapphire!"
ReplyDeleteJesse: "Wait wait wait Gorilla, did he just say 465?"
Gorilla: "I wasn't paying attention to the weights, Jesse."
Jesse: "You mean to tell me that Rhodes only weighs 200?"
Gorilla: "I wasn't really..."
Jesse: "Because I know DAMN WELL Sapphire weighs 2 and a half!"
Gorilla: "This is a historic moment; you shouldn't be focused on their weight!"
Jesse: "'FIVE' 65, I might buy, but no 465!"
Classic.
Piper was great at Summerslam '90. Slick is about to hit Tito with his shoe.
ReplyDeletePiper: "He's got a shoe!"
Vince: "What's that gonna do?"
Piper: "Chemical warfare!"
Cole without Vince is like Tony without Bischoff, but better.
ReplyDeleteLawler is being wasted in his current role, he should be in creative, they could use his ideas....
ReplyDeleteWe could be here all day with the "Mrs. Santana" jokes Bobby would throw.
ReplyDeleteHe hit him with the flying jalapeño!
ReplyDeleteHe and Taz on Smackdown had a decent vibe.
ReplyDeleteJesse insulting Koko B Ware's Jherri Curl was a favorite.
ReplyDeleteThe six man match with Koko B Ware and the Killer Bees was a highlight. All three men wore masks and when Koko covered the guy on the other team for a pin Jesse lost it. "NOW YOU CAN'T TELL ME THE REF DOESN'T KNOW WHO THAT IS, MONSOON!!!"
Other gems from Piper during the cage main event.
ReplyDelete"I'd tie those tassels he wears around his arms to the bars. Most ridiculous thing I've ever seen".
"What does it mean when he throws his arms up in the air, and pranced like a pony?" (Warrior changes Rude, Rude ducks and Warrior hits the cage). "It means he's gonna miss! Uh huh!".
Why did Taz leave WWE anyway? I also heard that he and Cold had a massive falling-out somehow...
ReplyDeleteIm not sure why he left....
ReplyDeleteYeah but the paperwork involved in having minors go topless is significant. Plus all the parents would have to be backstage.
ReplyDelete"Don't. Praise.The Machine."
ReplyDeleteArriba McIntye!
ReplyDeleteHe got a gig doing sales elsewhere. I think it was for a minor league hockey team.
ReplyDeleteThat was the greatest kick EVER.
ReplyDeleteAh the little details....
ReplyDeleteHe could teach the new wrestlers how to throw a punch.
ReplyDeletePiper is a far cry from Jesse or Heenan though....
ReplyDeleteAnd when he became El Matador hit became the Salsa Picante.
ReplyDeleteThat was after he'd been replaced on commentary. He was schilling merchandise at house shows at that point.
ReplyDeleteI don't find Piper all that funny.
ReplyDeleteI was kinda surprised at how bad Jim Cornette was at the role. If you haven't heard him rant during a Midnight Express squash, you need to.
ReplyDeleteOne example, he had David Crockett and Tony Schiavone laughing uncontrollably and when Cornette asked Crockett a question and he couldn't respond because he was laughing and not because he was stumped, he asked Tony "You see that? You see what happens when the fetus doesn't get enough oxygen?"
Agreed. But his in-ring career is pretty much done. Even if they pair him with Flair again like has been rumoured, everyone knows it's a joke.
ReplyDeleteYep. That was part of his job. He did a million things for TNA.
ReplyDeleteHe was good in spurts, not as a commentator though....
ReplyDeleteI agree. I still thought it was funny.
ReplyDeleteLawler is great as a heel. The fed no longer does heel mannerisms and such. Right now he's about as out of place as if he were taking his date to Chuck E Cheese.
ReplyDeleteSomething tells me he'd be pretty comfortable there.
ReplyDeleteWasn't it the Rumble in 92 when Heenan asked someone to beat the guacamole out of him, referring to the color of his tights?
ReplyDeletecamera shot of Sapphire from behind looking up "Any camera angle but that!"
ReplyDeleteUntil Gorilla shot him down: "I DON'T CARE IF YOU'VE GOT A Z ON THE SIDE OF YOUR HEAD OR NOT, THAT'S NOT LEGAL."
ReplyDeleteI loved on the Super rare occasions when Heenan and Monsoon would agree on something.
ReplyDeleteBobby: "Did we just agree on something, Monsoon?"
Gorilla: "I think we did, Brain".
Bobby: "That's it, I'm outta here!"
Heenan, after Jake Roberts DDTed Rick Steamboat on the floor on SNME:
ReplyDelete"There you go Steamboat! That's using your head!"
"Mmmm...is that pineapple juice I smell?"
Eh, he was pretty anti-Piper until Tag Team filmed. Remember at Piper's re-debut, Jesse speculated that Roddy was either scared of or beaten up by Brother Love. And of course Piper was never going to be on Jesse's good side while feuding with Rude.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Cole and Taz. The Brock - Benoit match is good example of how well those 2 meshed. They seemed like legit friends and Taz was heelish enough and smart enough about the holds to make it work. Cole broke down the "sports entertainment" part of a match, and Taz explained the wrasslin', it was a great combo.
ReplyDelete"You know, you look like you ate a WHILE pumpkin pie, Monsoon!"
ReplyDeleteI finally dropped all ties to Green Lantern books after the Relic storyline, because I just had enough with the change in status quo and the new premise (ringbearers are destroying the universe slowly? Why are they still using them?).
ReplyDeleteRed Lantern Supergirl has me slightly intrigued, but not enough to keep me buying Lantern books.
No, remember after Warrior beat Hogan clean at WM VI, after Hogan presented Warrior with the belt and held his hand up, Ventura said, "I do think Hulkamania really will live forever."
ReplyDeleteI love the Hulkamaniacs vs. Million Dollar Team match. DiBiase is just in the zone the whole match. Barbarian doing the Johnny Manziel money sign and laughing is fucking sick and worth seeking out the match for.
ReplyDeleteDuring the mixed tag at WM VI (when Sherri tries to slam Sapphire and fails):
ReplyDeleteGorilla: Oh, too much weight, Jesse!
Jesse: You said it, Gorilla. Not even Sherri can slam 250 pounds.
It's funnier when you point out Gorilla supposedly "wasn't paying attention to their weight" during the introduction.
I was absolutely shocked at how good heel Don West was.
ReplyDeleteRockers breakup at the Barber Shop:
ReplyDelete*Rockers hug*
Heenan: "They need each other."
*Shawn Superkicks Marty 2 seconds later.*
Heenan: "He don't need him.:"
*Shawn Michaels throws Marty Jannetty through the Barber Shop window.*
"He jumped through the window to escape.."
Monsoon: "WHAT?!?!?!
So apparently WWE will, because of the network not doing as well as expected, will lose more money this year than any wrestling company except for WCW in 2000.
ReplyDeleteThat and a total lack of talent.
ReplyDeleteAlong with Jesse calling Koko "Buckwheat".
ReplyDeleteDon't worry; they are slowplaying the Network to get as many viewers hooked as possible. Just wait until "Legends House 2" goes up.
ReplyDeleteHeenan: "Shawn Michael's is making guacamole out of El Matador"
ReplyDeleteMonsoon: "He is not!"
Heenan: "Look at the tights...their green."
That exchange is so damn real and funny. I miss Jesse.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I actually liked was the brief period where Michael Cole wasn't a heel commentator per se but *loved* the Miz so much that he threw out all pretenses of unbiased commentating at that point. Little touches like that are things I miss.
ReplyDeleteThey did just as well together at Rumble 90
ReplyDeleteGood thing "Sing Along With 3 Count" never eclipsed the individual popularity of Shane Helms, Shannon Moore, Evan Karaigas or Tank Abbott.
ReplyDeletePiper was awesome at Summerslam '91, too. Specifically, the Virgil-Dibiase match.
ReplyDeleteVince didn't know that until he was told by others in 97. He started to gush over Austin after his turn at Mania and Austin point blank told him to shut the hell up on the air. It was something not done anymore :( Vince would always gush over the new babyfaces and ruin whatever cache they might have (Diesel, Michaels, Ramon, even Flash Funk got Vince dancing on camera to ruin his charisma (ugh)).
ReplyDeleteI thought they were really good at making the matches feel like legit athletic contests. They would do prematch breakdowns, talk about the strategy and holds and Cole would tee up Tazz to nail home analysis thanks to his experience. By 2005 they were great IMO.
ReplyDeleteLOD stands for Look Out Dummies!
ReplyDeleteI didn't like the Relic event either (or the central conceit), but Corps has been awesome since Jensen took over, and both GL and RL have gotten better and better in recent months. RL is about on par with Corps now, and GL is really close.
ReplyDeleteRose needed to be a heel that got over through his act and became a babyface. The way they handled it, Rose seems strange and annoying, not beloved.
ReplyDeleteWe've almost reached a consensus on pinpointing the worst thing about WWE's presentation--the announcers and Vince's producing of them. We have differing views on just how bad the booking is, and whether or not cost-cutting measures should outweigh the lack of a change in the sets of Raw/Smackdown/PPVs. But we know the announcing is awful (and would be just mediocre without Vince). Any thoughts on who the next good color commentator could be?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see Christian do color. Keller brought it up a while ago, and he's right. Christian's a great talker and always knocks it out of the park when he's doing guest commentary. There's not a lot of options, but here'd be my teams:
Cabana/Christian for Raw. Colt had some interviews/tryouts for the position, so I'm guessing they'd be hoping for play-by-play out of him. Distinctive and non-whiny voice, always jovial and enthusiastic about the product. Christian would be his snarky counterpart.
Stanford/Regal for Smackdown. Regal is tremendously clever and informative, but doesn't have a big enough personality to project for a three hour show. Stanford, once again, doesn't have a whiny voice (ala Matthews and Cole) and showed himself to be a great setup man on NXT and Superstars over the years.
McMahon probably had a gun by his head for that one--Jesse always hated Hulk. Always
ReplyDeleteYou're entitled to your opinion but Punk was really too fanboy as a commentator during that time frame (i.e., letting little snarky things out that had no meaning other than to mention something he knew from the past). It was like Family Guy and their 80's fascination.
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't that great of a promo--he was average. He never conveyed a real anger or emotion, just pretend anger/emotion. I truly think someone high-up had a crush on his look and enjoyed his b-level mainstream recognition.
ReplyDelete"...how do you know about the machine?"
ReplyDelete"Younger Divas, Johnny! I SAID YOUNGER!"
ReplyDeleteHehe..."Maggle Cole"...so true...
ReplyDeleteHOGAN : "I only took 'roids once, and I didn't inhale, brother!"
ReplyDeleteI like it!
ReplyDeleteI think Triple H would make a decent heel commentator if he ever decides to stop wrestling... or if he wants to stick around as the Evil Authority Figure (TM WWE) he could always hire Big Poochie.
ReplyDeleteIt was that blasted Zahorian! He MADE Hulk take 'em!
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised they never gave Nash a shot. He probably wanted too much money. Or didn't want to travel too often. Or follow directions. Or do anything resembling work.
ReplyDelete"Oooh I knew he was gonna do that!"
ReplyDeleteI agree. But he got heel heat during a period that no one else really did. I wouldn't have made him world champ, though. A long reigning IC champ like Honky and when that was done, he could challenge for the world title but not win it.
ReplyDeleteI still call people Texicans because of Jesse
ReplyDeleteboth sides played their parts perfectly there, feeding eachother.
ReplyDeleteheight requirements
ReplyDeleteOnce my weekly pull (or actually, download) gets a bit smaller, I may give GL another try, but I'm spending WAY too much on comics lately.
ReplyDeleteNick Dinsmore got a good dig on Lawler at the Jim Cornette roast. It was just after the miners were rescued.
ReplyDeleteNot verbatim
"Let's hear it for those miners who were recently freed". *respectful applause* "Jerry Lawler finally unlocked his front door".
The Miz in obnoxious douchebag mode = awesome.
ReplyDeleteCM Punk begs to differ.
ReplyDeleteokay, I assume this is all "phantasy" and there is no need for being realistic.
ReplyDeleteif so, there wouldn't be any Vince (or anyone else) giving the commentators advices what to say anymore. so why not give Foley another try? I think he was decent on his Smackdown run with JR.
I really do think that if Vince removes his mouth from Cole's ear, Cole will be instantly better. If you've seen/read interviews outside of RAW, he's a funny, smart, engaging guy.
ReplyDeleteYea of Nash ever needs the money I could see this and he would be good. He normally was whenever he sat in on WCW commentary.
ReplyDeletebecause Michael Cole (= the voice of the WWE Universe!) thinks he's fun.
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered if a Piper/Warrior feud was planned because of that.
ReplyDeleteI think they really underestimated how little people would be "in on the joke" - but that's how the character worked on NXT.
ReplyDelete"Aldous Snow" is not someone most people who think he is hilarious "genuinely" like. just like most fans of "It's always sunny in Philadelphia" enjoy watching the gang but wouldn't want their friends to be a**holes like that.
I mention that because the 'E has a long and glorious history of destroying potentially hot midcard acts.
ReplyDeleteBut there's no way Rose would rise naturally, not with the announcers (Vince) telling people why they should like this guy, instead of letting the crowd decide. If they focus on Rose's in-ring skills and add the intro as a bonus, without the sledgehammer, it'll get over better.
Fandango wasn't really over, but could've been, had the WWE not taken hold of his newfound popularity and tried to do something with it.
I guess was referring more to at the end of that run when he "heeled" it up to set up a wrestling feud with Cena. Some of his quips during that angle were good.
ReplyDeleteCole sucked all the way back in 1999. Him not being a good commentator is also part of the problem.
ReplyDeleteI'd fire Cole immediately. I'd try to get Lawler to turn heel and work smackdown, if not, see ya jerry. On raw I'd run Vince and punk, and if that is too heavy to pull off then I'd get a new announcer to work smackdown for a few months, pay Jr whatever to work raw for 4 to 6 months and then bring the guy over from smackdown to raw and let Jr ride off into the sunset. I'd be fine with trying jbl out as heel color commentator with vkm producing him but if he still sounded like shit I'd bring in regal, honestly I might even run two announcer teams during raw like on the old Nitro's. Although really, if you just fired Cole and got rid of Vince as the producer the show becomes 100x more watchable.
ReplyDeleteFIT MORE GODDAMNED BUZZ WORDS IN THE NEXT SEGMENT OR YOU'RE FIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRREEEEDDDDDDDD
ReplyDeleteWhy does WWE continue to transition into later day WCW? 3 hour Monday night show, 3 man announce team..
ReplyDeleteI hated Shawn in the mid 90s, mostly due to Vince's gushing over him.
ReplyDelete"AWWW,YEAH!!!! THE HEARTBREAK KID!!! LOOK AT HIM GO,HAHAHA!!!"
"Do you know what Koko B Ware's mom's name is?"
ReplyDelete"What?"
"Tupper."
"It is not!"
Jim Cornette has a whiny voice but he has one of my favorite calls in 1997 when Shawn dropped the Euro title to HHH. "It was a sham, a ruse, a set-up, a charade..."
ReplyDeleteI've no idea why they don't use Stanford more. He's good.
ReplyDeleteRoss, Lawler, heel Coach? Maybe more "good" than "very good." Lawler, Cole, & Punk had a really fun vibe too. Monsson, Heenan, and Piper are probably the best we've yet to see of a 3 man team though.
ReplyDeletelawler cole punk was a thing? when was this?
ReplyDeleteNot "because of that," necessarily. But if they decided against Slaughter for whatever reason, or something else didn't happen (e.g., Flair falling into their lap somehow) a Piper heel turn and WM main event was a likely possibility.
ReplyDeletePiper's best work was completely burring the Tony Atlas Saba Simba gimmick
ReplyDeleteI meant that it was something that was planned beforehand because Piper's commentary is so random and out of character.
ReplyDeleteHogan only took one cycle of 'roids....
ReplyDelete....that cycle just lasted 20 years.
Piper, Heenan, Monsoon was good at Summerslam '91. Can't remember if it was Piper...it might have been Monsoon who called Jimmy Hart a "walking advertisement for birth control" during the show.
ReplyDelete