Ranking WCW Commentators - Worst to Best
If the advent of the WWE Network has done anything for the common wrestling fan, it has allowed many to go back and both discover and relive the history of the wrestling business. Not only WWE, but ECW, WCW and several other territories. In an effort to keep content flowing here on The Signature Spot that may be a little different from the usual curve, I’ve decided to go back and take a look at different aspects of the business, starting here today with a ranking of WCW’s commentary crew over the years, starting with the worst before making our way to the best of the best.
25) Mark Madden – The absolute bottom of the barrel. I once tweeted that Mark Madden replacing the legendary Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan on Nitro was the true death knell of WCW. Clearly Madden, an egomaniac who truly believes he is the greatest thing that ever happened to wrestling, was doing a cursory search of his own name, as despite me not tagging him in the tweet, found it and attacked me, belittling Heenan. Many people will defend him by saying he is playing a role, but he is just the absolute worst.
24) Juventud Guerrera – ‘The Juice’ as he was known, was an incredible in-ring performer, whether in his masked or unmasked incarnations. But on the call, his weak attempt at being The Rock was not good. He made some appearances on Thunder later in that shows run, and while he had some moments that could be called entertaining, being on commentary was not his strong suit. While not as embarrassing as his later WWE run as part of the Mexicools, it certainly can’t be considered a career highlight.
23) Chris Cruise – Mostly forgotten to time, Chris Cruise was almost a blink and you miss it commentator in WCW. In fact, the only time I remember seeing him was on Halloween Havoc in 1989 doing interviews. Mostly relegated to work on the syndicated WCW Worldwide, Cruise never made a big impact.
22) Stevie Ray – As one half of Harlem Heat, Stevie Ray would go onto become part of the most decorated tag team in WCW history. But as Booker T went onto become a huge star, Stevie would become part of the NWO B Team and occasionally part of the Thunder commentary team. While most didn’t like his style, personally I was a fan and found him to be pretty entertaining.
21) Jeremy Borash – That’s right, Jeremy Borash was in WCW. Mostly remembered for his work in TNA and later WWE, especially being a part of the memorable Broken Matt Hardy universe, but Borash did join WCW in its dying days, as part of the Vince Russo Era.
20) Konnan – K-Dogg was always a better character than he ever was a wrestler, so it seemed like a natural fit for him to be on commentary, and while some may have been fans, his work never fully clicked, which may explain why he never found a permanent spot in the booth.
19) Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael – Speaking of characters, Mongo was brought into WCW to do colour when Nitro first began. The publicity stunt eventually turned into him becoming a wrestler, which he was never great at. But he did provide us with Pepe, his little chihuahua who wore costumes so that sounds for something.
18) Eric Bischoff – Let’s be honest, for all the good that Eric Bischoff did for the wrestling business, his commentary was never great. He did bring a lot of passion in wanting to get the product over though, almost as if his job depended on it.
17) David Crockett – Crockett would never be considered a great commentator, but as Dusty Rhodes once said, he was raw. He wanted to get the product over because it was his family’s life’s work. And he certainly made an impression… I mean. Would ya look at him?
16) Lee Marshall – Known more for his 1-800 Collect calls mocking the weasel, the man who would go on to be Tony The Tiger was never known as a GGGGGREAT addition to the table, but could also hold his own alongside the greats.
15) Kevin Nash – Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Kevin Nash is one of the smartest and most charismatic people to ever hit the wrestling business. After he booked his own retirement, Nash would end up on commentary for a brief time, usually sarcastically shooting on what he was seeing. Was it necessary and good for the product? Not really, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t entertaining.
14) Dutch Mantell – The Dirty one is arguably one of the greatest minds to ever be in the business, and certainly could hold his own on commentary. As revealed on an episode of What Happened When, Tony Schiavone discussed one of the greatest calls that Dutch would ever make, discussing a new album released by the Rock & Roll Express, saying that the album went ‘plywood.’ If that doesn’t earn him a spot on this list, I don’t know what does.
13) Michael P.S. Hayes – Speaking of great minds and charismatic figures, Mr. Doot Doot Doot is one of the most revered figures in the history of the business, and one of the figureheads of modern-day WWE. While he may not have always been a great fit on commentary, he was one of the better people that WCW ever put in the booth. While he would always be sure to put himself over, he would also be great at getting other talent over at times.
12) Terry Funk – Was there anything that Terry Funk couldn’t do. While most will remember him on commentary leading to his legendary heel turn on Ric Flair in 1989 (which Chris talked about here) he would also serve as the colour man on WCW Worldwide and other ventures for a period of time. While this is certainly won’t be what the Funker will be remembered for primarily, you would be doing a disservice to his work and yourself if you never checked it out.
11) Larry Zbyszko – Some loved him, some hated him. But the Living Legend was a big part of some of WCW’s biggest moments. Whether it be the evolution of his aborted feud with Louie Spicolli or his work with Scott Hall and Eric Bischoff, Zbyszko being on commentary led to some huge moments. While no one would call his work fantastic, he helped establish a lot of talent and never failed to be entertaining.
10) Scott Hudson – When one thinks of Scott Hudson, they inevitably think of the dying days of WCW. While he spent some time on WCW Saturday Night and the syndicated shows, he didn’t end up on Nitro or PPV until WCW was on the downswing. Which is unfortunate, as his work and clear love of the sport came through. A dynamic commentator, certainly one who belongs in the top 10 of this list.
09) Mike Tenay – Many now associate The Professor with his work in TNA, which is sad as his work in WCW blows that away. Tenay never had the charisma or talent to work as the main guy in the booth, but working side by side with guys like Schiavone, Heenan, Zbyszko and Dusty was his strong point, as he brought the smart fans perspective to the call, and at times there was no one better.
08) Bob Caudle – The dark horse of the top 10, Bob Caudle was one of the original NWA and WCW commentators, and his work side by side with Gordon Solie and Jim Ross is legendary. By no means a fountain of charisma, Caudle brought an old-school vibe to the proceedings and much of his work is sadly forgotten to time.
07) Dusty Rhodes – No one can ever deny that The American Dream wasn’t one of the most charismatic and best talkers the business has ever seen. And while this did him well on commentary, the fact that he also held a position of power backstage could be to his hindrance at times as he would sometimes try to really put over something to the detriment of the product. But 90% of the time, you could never go wrong with Dusty on the call. Always entertaining, frequently funny, the man was a treasure.
06) Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura – When The Body came to WCW, it was clearly only for the money. While his work never suffered, the same passion that fueled his WWF success never seemed to be there. His early partnership with Jim Ross never fully blossomed, admittedly to JR’s jealousy of Ventura, but when he started working with Tony Schiavone they really clicked, as they had previously in their brief tenure together in WWF. Sadly, The Body was never liked by Eric Bischoff, and upon bringing his archrival Hulk Hogan into the company in 1994, Ventura was quickly released so we never got to see what he could have done with the big angles that were to come.
05) Paul E. Dangerously – Simply put, Paul Heyman is a genius. The man can do pretty much anything in the wrestling business, and commentary was one of the best things he ever did. He wouldn’t quite get to his pinnacle due to backstage machinations and the constant heat he seemingly brought on himself, but his work with Jim Ross in the early 90s in WCW was some of the best commentary work anywhere in the wrestling world.
04) Gordon Solie – Newer fans may not be familiar with Solie’s work, and nowadays his name will usually bring up jokes about his constant drinking, especially towards the end of his career. But there is a damned good reason that many, Jim Ross included, consider him to be the greatest wrestling announcer or commentator of all-time. A man who brought legitimacy to his work, with no frills, he is absolutely deserving of a high spot on this list.
03) Tony Schiavone – To many, myself included, Tony Schiavone was the voice of WCW. Starting back in Jim Crockett Promotions and despite a one year tenure in the WWF from 1989 to early 1990, he was there until WCW’s final night. The man called everything from early WCW shows and Saturday Nights, to Nitro and Thunder, for every great and, not so great WCW moment, odds are Schiavone was on the call. And while even by his own admission he spent a lot of time not caring, he still made every moment matter to the best of his abilities. Heh, that’ll put butts in seats.
02) Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan – The Brain was the man. There should be no doubting this fact. His calls are tied directly to some of the most iconic moments in wrestling history, from Ric Flair winning the 1992 Royal Rumble to Hulk Hogan’s heel turn in 1996, Bobby Heenan is synonymous with wrestling commentary. And yes, his work in WCW, especially the latter days, was circling down the drain, but there can be no denying that Heenan helped lend an air of authenticity to WCW when it needed it most, and as I began, he is still the man.
01) Jim Ross – Jim Ross is the greatest wrestling announcer of all-time. From his calls in Mid-South Wrestling, to the early days of JCP and then Turner’s version of WCW, all the way through his run in WWF/WWE and now AEW. But many will argue that his work in WCW was actually his best, and most passionate work. It would happen at his healthiest, years before his Bell’s Palsy attacks, and he truly seemed at his most invested in the product in terms of treating professional wrestling like a real sport. And for this reason alone, Jim Ross is the number one commentator in WCW history.
