Top 50 Wrestling Announcers

Shane McMahon

Announcing primarily on Sunday Night Heat in the late-1990's and before he would become a major character and get into the ring, Shane McMahon certainly wasn't everyone's cup of tea on the microphone. He would shout and scream constanty, which got old for most people after about five minutes.

Calling a match can be just as important to the presentation of a wrestling match as the actual wrestling match itself. Don't believe me? Then why did Global Force Wrestling insist on hiring WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross to call New Japan Pro Wrestling matches next month in English?

It's not a skill that everyone has, however. For every Mike Tenay or Tony Schiavone, there's a Mike Adamle or Steve "Mongo" McMichael (who, by the way, are NOT listed here) that fail to up the excitement level. Not only does a good wrestling commentator have to have passion for the wrestling business, but also be a great communicator and have a unique charisma that is often unlike anything before him or her.

In order to rank the Top 50 Wrestling Commentators, we looked a variety of factors including longevity in the industry, classic calls, ability to adapt to the changing face of wrestling, a sense of humor and... uh, several other things that I've forgotten to list here (let's see who's actually reading these preambles).

A few other qualifications:

The commentator in question had to be part of a permanent announce desk. We're not counting people who sauntered down to ringside and gave their thoughts on an upcoming situation and then left again.
Play-by-play announcers and color commentators are given the same weighting here. In other words, we're not saying a play-by-play is necessarily better or worse than their announcing counterpart.
We've stuck to commentators from the past 30 years in the major North American leagues of WWE/E, WCW, JCP, AWA, ECW, NXT, ROH and TNA.

Ready? Here we go!

Well, well well..... Joel Gertner's commentatory in ECW was always laced with double-entendres and wasn't particularly insightful. Having said that, Gertner added a second voice to Hardcore TV's commentary booth, which was a much-needed change after a few years of Joey Styles going it alone.

Joel Gertner

After his in-ring career ended, Nigel McGuinness decided to try his hand in the announce booth, first for TNA's syndicated shows and then in Ring of Honor, where he experienced most of his wrestling success. McGuinness's refined British accent and knowledge of the product make him an asset on the headset.

Any names missing or misplaced? Leave your feedback in the Comments section below...

Scott Hudson brought a common sense of likeability to WCW programming when he joined the booths of Nitro and Thunder in the late-1990's. In fact, he was hired to call the one true WCW match that ever aired on WWF programming (the infamous Booker T vs. Buff Bagwell "match" on Raw in 2001).

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Reinforcing the stereotypes people have about "dumb blondes", Missy Hyatt would often shriek in horror as her favorites got hurt, as she called matches on WCW Main Event and other programs. Ironically, her more recent opinions about wrestling would have made for much more entertaining commentary.

Missy Hyatt

Bruno Sammartino became a color commentator because of a legal obligation to the WWF, and it showed. When he announced on WWF Superstars of Wrestling, he'd sometimes say very little, throwing in a comment here or there such as "great clothesliner!" instead of really calling the action.

One of the last old-school sportscasters to graduate to the world of wrestling commentary, Rod Tronguard called matches for the AWA on ESPN for many years, generally sounding enthusiastic about the business and going all in. He later joined the WWF for a brief stint in the late-1980's before retiring.

Rod Tronguard

Sean Mooney was primarily the guy who brought us important WWF updates, but he also worked some of the B shows as an announcer, calling matches with the likes of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan. Did I mention he had an evil twin brother for part of his WWF run (Ian Mooney)?

Sean Mooney

While his announcing career was much briefer than his in-ring career, Stan Lane called WWF Superstars of Wrestling and other shows alongside Vince McMahon and Ted DiBiase. He wasn't bad in the role, but you could tell he would have rather been competing as one half of The Midnight Express.

Stan Lane

During his in-ring career, Steve Corino was known for his gift of gab and became a top heel manager in ECW and Ring of Honor as a result. Since his heel stable S.C.U.M. dissolved in 2012, Corino has become an announcer on ROH television and adds quite a bit of color to the program.

Steve Corino

As revered as he was as a businessman and promoter, and even as an on-air heel character, Eric Bischoff wasn't the best commentator in the AWA and WCW. Still, he was the voice of both companies for certain periods and as a result, definitely dictated the pace of programming, particularly in WCW.

Eric Bischoff

Oooooh yeah! While Macho Man Randy Savage was great on the microphone, he struggled somewhat doing that in a controlled environment alongside Vince McMahon in mid-1990's WWF programming. Still, his unmistakable voice and demeanor made for some interesting calls in the announce booth.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage

Scott Hudson

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Like Scott Hudson, Mark Madden was a common voice that could be heard during the dying days of WCW. Unlike Scott, he certainly wasn't well-liked universally. However, Madden used that to his advantage to become an old-school heel commentator, and that definitely added an edge to WCW's product.

Mark Madden

Could we do without his "Shucky Ducky Quack Quack" moments on the WWE Network, it's hard to deny that Booker T has become a polished performer behind the commentary booth. In fact, his stint as color commentator on SmackDown in 2011 was certainly one of the highlights of that show.

Booker T

Todd Grisham has a self-depreciating sense of humor, and this distinguished him from other "backstage announcing nerds" in WWE like Marc Lloyd and Todd Pettengill. Grisham had announcing duties on ECW, SmackDown and NXT before leaving WWE for a much more impressive announce gig on ESPN.

Todd Grisham

No one could replace Jesse Ventura in the color commentary role on WWF Superstars in the early-1990's, but "Rowdy" Roddy Piper certainly gave it a good try. Already blessed with the gift of gab and a hyper energy, Hot Rod ensured that his role on the mic was never boring and always a little rowdy.

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper

Originally a developmental wrestler in FCW, WWE brought in Byron Saxton to host its version of ECW in 2009. After spending a season as a competitor on NXT, Saxton returned to the WWE announce booth again in 2012, where he currently works B shows like Superstars and the WWE Network Raw pre-show.

Byron Saxton

NIgel McGuinness

Speaking of refined British accents.... it would be hard to compete with the voice of Lord Alfred Hayes, a former grappler who retired and joined the WWF in 1982. He cpmmentated not only as comic relief on Tuesday Night Titans and Saturday Night's Main Event, but also WWF's B shows and home video releases.

Lord Alfred Hayes

No relation to Lord Alfred, Michael "P.S." Hayes exuded confidence in the ring as the leader of The Fabulous Freebirds and continued to do as a heel color commentator. Whether it was making life difficult for Lance Russell in WCW or as Dok Hendrix in the WWF, Hayes's natural rock star charisma came through.

Michael Hayes

Todd Keneley

Although he was only part of the Impact Wrestling broadcast team for a little over a year, Todd Keneley was a welcome addition to the group, bringing a sportscaster-like mentality to the announce booth. Since leaving TNA last year, he's continued to ply his trade in Championship Wrestling From Hollywood.

No, not Davy Crockett..... although some claim there is a distant relation between the two. David Crockett is the brother of Jim Crockett Jr., who ran the territory that eventually became WCW. Often working with Tony Schiavone in the early-to-mid 1980's, Crockett had an iconic voice that served JCP fans well.

David Crockett

Here was a case where Larry Zbyszko had outlived his usefulness as an active competitor, but could still use his smarmy heel charm in the announce booth. Working alongside Tony Schiavone and others in WCW, Zbyszko was an integral part of the early nWo feud, even wrestling Eric Bischoff at one point.

Larry Zbyszko

As a backstage interviewer, Jeremy Borash caused some fans to groan and roll their eyes, but the rare times that he's been allowed to call matches in WCW and TNA, he has been a breath of fresh air, adding youth, passion and a knowledgeable voice to the product.

Jeremy Borash

After becoming a runner-up in the first season of Tough Enough, Josh Matthews joined WWE's announce crew in 2002, working for shows including SmackDown, ECW, NXT, Superstars and Main Event. Plus he was a backstage announcer on Raw. Recently, he's been pegged as the new lead commentator for TNA.

Josh Matthews

Lee Marshall began announcing wrestling in the late-1980's for the AWA and later had turns in WCW and Women of Wrestling. Two interesting Marshall facts: he was the ring announcer at WWF's WrestleMania 2, and was the voice of cereal mascot Tony The Tiger until his untimely passing earlier this year.

Lee Marshall

After debuting as manager The Jackyl in the WWF, Don Callis had a few opportunities to call matches on Monday Night Raw, display a knack for doing so. He would replicate that talent in ECW as commentator/network executive Cyrus The Virus, as well as in TNA as a "management consultant".

Don Callis

During his first few years in the WWF, Jonathan Coachman was mostly a backstage announcer with an occasional turn on Raw or Sunday Night Heat. Then he had a "heel turn" in 2003 and became a smarmy character that played off of Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles and others. He's now on ESPN's Sports Center.

Jonathan Coachman

The fact that she's been in WWE for less than two years should tell you about the potential of Renee Young, a former sports announcer on Canada's The Score network. Currently, she announces for NXT and WWE Superstars, and it's only a matter of time before she's an announce booth fixture on Raw or SmackDown.

Renee Young

Bob Caudle has to be one of the longest-running wrestling announcers out there, beginning in the 1950's and retiring in the early-1990's. During that time, he called matches for Jim Crockett Promotions, WCW and Smoky Mountain Wrestling in a very straight but dependable play-by-play action style.

Bob Caudle

William Regal has always been underappreciated as a talker in wrestling, so it's not surprising that his skills as a commentator have gone unnoticed for so long. Announcing on Raw, Sunday Night Heat and other shows over the past decade, Regal hit his stride as a commentator for NXT (before becoming commissioner).

William Regal

Speaking of underappreciated.... Matt Striker was often one of the most enjoyable parts of SmackDown, ECW and NXT in recent years, using his encyclopedic knowledge of the business and clever nicknames to distinguish himself from others. He currently commentates for Lucha Underground.

Matt Striker

With his booming Texas voice and larger-than-life claims, John Bradshaw Layfield is the closest thing there is these days to a traditional heel commentator. Formerly just a fixture on SmackDown, JBL returned to WWE in 2012 and has been part of the three-man announce booth used on WWE's main shows today.

John Bradshaw Layfield

Is Tony Schiavone the greatest announcer in the industry of this business? Well, no..... and some of his grandiose claims in WCW hurt his credibility somewhat. Still, he was a dependable play-by-play guy in JCP, WWF and WCW, and he should remembered for that rather than shilling on Nitro.

Tony Schiavone

At various points leading in to The Attitude Era, Kevin Kelly was a co-lead announcer on WWF programs such as Monday Night Raw and Sunday Night Heat, marrying old-school announcer with a new attitude. He currently is the voice of Ring of Honor on their weekly programs.

Kevin Kelly

Was Mr. Perfect the perfect commentator? He certainly claimed to be, when he took over for both Macho Man Randy Savage and Rowdy Roddy Piper as the foil for Vince McMahon on WWF Superstars. And although he may have lacked the overall anger of, say, a Jesse Ventura, Mr. Perfect managed to do a great job calling the action with a sense of humor, with a bit of bragging about his own career thrown in.

Mr. Perfect

Known as "The Professor" because of his encyclopedic knowledge of non-U.S. styles of wrestling back when there wasn't a premium on said knowledge, Mike Tenay was first hired by WCW in 1994 to call AAA's "When World Collide" PPV. Later, he became an analyst for WCW on Nitro and Thunder. Beginning in 2002, Tenay became the lead play-by-play announcer for TNA Impact (up until very recently).

Mike Tenay

Mick Foley is a man of many talents, but no one really saw him as the color commentator type. However, Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy did just that in 2008, when he worked with Michael Cole and later, Jim Ross on SmackDown. Unfortunately, the announcing gig didn't last long (Foley ended his contract after enduring Vince McMahon yelling into his headset) but he added a lot of humor and knowledge to the product.

Mick Foley

Believe it or not, Jerry "The King" Lawler has been a fixture on WWE programming for a good chunk of the past 22 years. Debuting in 1992 on the WWF Superstars program, Lawler soon become the top color commentator in business on Monday Night Raw and aside from a brief departure from the company in 2001 and a health scare last year, has been in the announce booth ever since.

Jerry "The King" Lawler

While Jim Cornette is better known as an iconic manager, his work behind the microphone may be just as memorable. Beginning in 1989, Cornette became a heel commentator working with Jim Ross in Jim Crockett Promotions. He also held that role at times in WCW and Smoky Mountain Wrestling and even took his famed "Louisville Lip" to the WWF, where he would have scathing shoot commentaries on ocassion.

Jim Cornette

As his in-ring career came to a close, Taz (then Tazz) joined the announce booth on Sunday Night Heat. His announcing work improved so much that he was named the permanent color commentator on SmackDown following the brand split in 2002. After a brief stint with WWE's ECW brand, he left the company in 2009 and joined TNA, where he has been calling the action with Mike Tenay ever since.

Taz

Sure, Gorilla Monsoon could be full of cliches in many of his calls ("Literally hanging from the rafters", anyone?), but it's hard to imagine 1980's wrestling without his unique voice behind the microphone. On top of that, his chemistry with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan (and to a lesser extent, Jesse "The Body" Ventura) was tremendous and still holds up today in terms of classic announcing teams.

Gorilla Monsoon

Joey Styles holds the distinction of being the only announcer to ever call a wrestling pay-per-view completely on its own. It played into his strengths - a unique hybrid of play-by-play announcers and color man - which was perfect for the fledgling ECW product in the late-1990's. Later, Styles announced for Monday Night Raw and WWE's reboot of ECW - just about the only thing good to come from that reboot.

Joey Styles

Years before anyone knew what a "Paul Heyman Guy" was, Paul E. Dangerously was a loudmouth announcer in WCW, calling matches for some of the company's B shows and hosting his "Danger Zone" interview segments. Later, Heyman played along with Jim Ross beautifully on Monday Night Raw in 2001 and could have parlayed his skills longer on that show had he only been given the chance.

Paul Heyman

As disturbing as this pick may be to those who used to scoff at his announcing, no one had a better sense of what to promote and how to promote it than Vince McMahon. Naturally, they were McMahon's programs to begin with, but his calls were legendary because of how well he engineered it back in the day. Plus, for most of his career, McMahon called matches in such a way that most casual fans never knew he was the owner.

Vince McMahon

On a recent podcast, Jim Cornette refereed to Lance Russell as the greatest wrestling announcer of all time, and even The Wrestling Observer recognized him as Announcer of the Year several times in the mid-1980's. Russell had a more relaxed, baseball announcer style to his voice than some of his peers, which he used expertly throughout Memphis and the NWA during the 1970's and 1980's.

Lance Russell

Can I have your attention, please? As much flack as Michael Cole has caught over the years, he has been the voice of the world's biggest wrestling company since 2008, and been employed with WWE since 1997. There's no denying that Cole has improved tremendously over that time, and even while somewhat hokey at times, his "Vintage" calls have shaped the current direction of the company, and wrestling as a whole.

Michael Cole

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan was, simply put, one of the funniest men to ever step into the announce booth. From his earliest days as an announcer on Saturday Night's Main Event to a recurring role on WWF Superstars and Monday Night Raw, to his final (major) roles on WCW Nitro and Thunder, Heenan was full of one-liners and improved the entire product because of his famous voice.

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

Known as "The Dean of wrestling announcers", it's tough to discount the immense contributions of Gordon Solie to the wrestling industry. Working primarily in Florida, Georgia and in World Championship Wrestling, Solie made several iconic calls that are still remembered as part of wrestling history, using his quiet, understated voice to play up the goings-on in the squared circle.

Gordon Solie

Even decades after his last regular announcing gig, whenever a heel is criticized for cheating, I hear Jesse "The Body" Ventura's voice in my head growling "It's only cheating if you get caught!". Ventura's announcing style was absolutely revolutionary as the first major heel color commentator in the World Wrestling Federation. His later work in WCW wasn't quite as memorable, but kept his persona relevant en route to becoming a Governor.

Jesse "The Body" Ventura

How many iconic wrestling moments can you think of that have been accentuated by the emotional voice of Jim Ross? Good Ol' JR put his all into every match he ever called, be it for Mid-South, WCW, WWE or in the near future, All Japan. That passion meant a lot to wrestling fans, as it helped make even the less-exciting moments in the business seem more interesting. Plus he introduced phrases like "Slobberknocker" and "tougher than a two dollar steak" to the wrestling lexicon, which few other announcers can claim similar results from. Boomer Sooner!