Wrestling, as any form of entertainment, must adjust to suit the needs of their audience. Without us they simply can't survive. I don't blame any promotion for doing what is in the best interests of their product by bowing to our desires, but there is one area I feel that they have let slide for too long. And in my opinion it's one of their best assets. There has been a void in the level of excitement in many of the matches I have watched over the past decade. That is the level of excitement compared to when I was younger when I could watch many contests from many promotions around the country. The asset overlooked is the tremendous advantage that the announcer can give to a match.

Some wrestlers can be made on the call of the announcer. His timbre, his emotion, his sincerity, his knowledge and his creativity can build a figure larger than the sum of his parts. An announcer can give the emphasis on a storyline that the match itself may not be able to completely convey. They can make the picture the wrestlers are painting more colorful. They can heighten the tension in the air and though I don't like to be force fed everything they can set the stage and raise my level of anticipation, playing me like a fiddle and all the while I am loving it.

I won't go into everyone I can remember but a few examples would be in order. One of my all time favorite announcers is Bobby The Brain Heenan, and I am sure no one is shocked by that statement. Diamond Dallas Page credits his success to Bobby for coming up with the name of his signature move, the "Diamond Cutter". Back in the day of the early Undertaker, I looked forward to his matches not just for his in-ring ability, but I loved to hear The Brain call out to Vince, "He's not human McMahon!" His humor brought a very real sense of fun. I wanted to watch so I could laugh along too.

Announcers that made me want to watch above and beyond the enjoyment of the match are the masters who deserve as much praise, fame and fortune as the wrestlers themselves. Gordon Solie had a tremendous amount of knowledge and I never felt he was acting like he knew more than I did. The simple fact is he did know more, a lot more, and I learned the names of moves, histories of certain rivalries and learned a pacing for a great match just by the way he called it. The timing of the moves along with his call made it a greater level of enjoyment by far.

Contemporarily speaking I loved Joey Styles. His excitement and passion made me feel each and every time like I was watching history. No matter the competitors and no matter the venue I always came away from a match thinking I will remember it forever. Reason being is that the guy calling the match sounds exhausted, is probably drenched in sweat and was outraged at all the right moments.

That brings me to Good Ole J.R. Jim is my favorite current announcer. Some people think his time is past. I am not one of that crowd. He still excites me and makes me feel a love for the sport. When they made fun of his call by using the character "Oklahoma" I found it made me like J.R. even more. Yes he screams, yes he gets angered and flabbergasted, yes it's always a "slobber-knocker" and yes he can turn his hate for a heel into a great love when that heal turns baby face but it feels real from him. I think he truly has devotion for the sport in his heart and he enjoys sharing it with the rest of us. His knowledge is of course wide spread from years and years in the business and I have a deep respect for the man for bringing me all these hours of entertainment..

Of course there are plenty others that I haven't mentioned and maybe plenty I never heard of from promotions I never got to see. If you have a favorite I would love to hear who it is. In a world of high spots where a twenty foot fall from a cage through a table is considered a "bump" I miss the old days where a man with a microphone could turn a hold that never hurt my friends in the backyard into a devastating submission too feared to be believed.

by Christopher Guido ..