SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Great stories need a great narrative voice. A commentator describes what is happening, interprets the action, adds context, shapes our emotional response, and guides our understanding of the characters and events.
Different forms of media have used various narrative voices to accomplish these tasks. Ancient Greek and Shakespearean tragedies employed a chorus. Works of fiction use a traditional narrator. Film and TV often employ a voice-over narrator. Game shows and award shows utilize a host.
Professional wrestling, like sports broadcasts, relies upon commentators. Commentator duties are traditionally shared by a play-by-play commentator and a color commentator.
The play-by-play (a.k.a. lead) commentator describes the action as it happens, identifies and characterizes the participants, provides context, including statistics, explains important developments, and helps the viewer understand their significance. The lead commentator typically admires babyface wrestlers and condemns cheating and similar behavior by heels.
The color commentator adds analysis and opinion, often mixing in humor and inserting their own personality while doing so. Often, they provide opposition to the opinions of their counterpart by unfairly supporting heel wrestlers and their actions and criticizing babyface wrestlers. Their arguments for doing so are typically weak or lack moral conviction, reflecting the point of view of the heel character while doing so in a way that is unlikely to sway the audience.
Commentators play a critical role in our enjoyment of professional wrestling. Fans recall how a great commentator (e.g., Jim Ross circa 2002 or Jesse Ventura circa 1989) enhanced the product, and how an ineffective commentator (e.g. Jonathan Coachman or Mike Adamle) detracted from it.
Today’s announcing in WWE is a mixed bag. Sometimes it is clever and enjoyable, and correctly frames our understanding of the story being told in the ring. At other times, it’s counterproductive, confusing, or discordant.
Which commentators are succeeding, and which are floundering? Let’s take a look.
Rising Star: Announcer Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett is the best color commentator WWE has had in decades. He understands wrestling psychology and is adept at weaving that into his comments in a way that enhances our engagement in the action. He is able to describe the stories wrestlers are telling in a manner that makes them seem more dramatic and plausible.
Like all of WWE’s color commentators, Barrett is a former professional wrestler himself; that experience gives him credibility when he describes what it’s like to be an active participant: the thrill of victory, the pain associated with taking a particular maneuver, or the strategy behind a wrestler’s actions.
Although Barrett has plenty of personality, he is careful to put over today’s talent rather than himself. He is generally measured in tone and can create excitement without shouting about it. A quick wit, Barrett’s humor is entertaining and tends to enhance the action rather than distract from it. His heel perspective is not effective enough to win over fans, but it’s not so unrealistic as to be implausible or inauthentic.
Barrett seems to work well with his partners, especially with Michael Cole. It’s no accident that the pairing is saved for situations where it matters most: premium live events.
The best WWE has to offer, for my money, Barrett remains only the second-best wrestling commentator named Wade.
First Runner-Up: Corey Graves
Corey Graves is the most legitimately funny commentator in wrestling, the spiritual successor to Bobby Heenan and Jesse Ventura. He uses his wit to great effect when putting down babyface wrestlers or correcting his broadcast partner, Michael Cole. Graves has strong opinions about everything that happens in the ring, and his deliberately-biased take provokes a contrary reaction from the viewer. A strong personality, Graves stands out as more of a character than any other main-roster commentator.
Graves maintains his credibility by doing what his partner often refuses to: telling the truth about a poor performance. He is the first to point out a failed maneuver — “he didn’t get all of that” — correct his partner’s mistakes, and point out when a supposedly entertaining segment is anything but. He was quick to point out how terrible Danhausen and Joe Hendry’s concert was on the July 27 Raw, even as Cole was trying to sell it.
Graves is a true treasure on commentary, and with over ten years of experience, he is also WWE’s most consistent announcer. When he was briefly moved back to NXT and replaced by Pat McAfee, many fans couldn’t wait for Graves’s return.
In meals and on WWE, everything’s better with Gravy.
Second Runner-Up: Vic Joseph
NXT lead announcer Joseph is a promising up-and-comer in WWE announcing.
He has the fundamentals down pat: He knows more wrestling moves than Michael Cole and can describe the action clearly, even during complex wrestling sequences involving moves in rapid succession.
Joseph has a genuine enthusiasm for wrestling which is apparent in his work. He gets appropriately excited when the action heats up, with an emotional delivery and an ability to accentuate big moves with his trademark “Bam!”
Joseph knows how to make matches feel important and shows good chemistry with his partners. Many would consider being paired with Booker T a negative, but Joseph’s affection for the Hall of Famer seems genuine and at times touching. He’s not afraid to call out Booker’s mistakes, but seems to celebrate his color commentator’s quirks rather than fight against them.
The future of WWE main-roster play-by-play commentary is in good hands with Vic Joseph.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Podcast weekly Tuesday Flagship: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
Fading Star: Announcer Michael Cole
A veteran of nearly 30 years of experience in WWE, Cole is the senior announcer in the company. Although he’s had some dreadful periods (Cole Mine, anyone?), he vastly improved after the departure of Vince McMahon, who may have micromanaged him with near-constant distracting orders.
Cole has really struggled in 2026. Although he has great chemistry with Corey Graves and generally puts his decades of experience to good use, Cole has failed to hold wrestlers to any sort of moral standard. As the lead announcer, it’s Cole’s responsibility to frame acts of villainy as such. In this, he has failed completely.
Sneak attacks, bullying, violence against innocents, and cheating have long been staples of WWE heels. These immoral acts largely distinguish heels from babyfaces, who act honorably, treat others with respect unless provoked, and follow the rules of wrestling matches to ensure the superior competitor wins. Recent months have seen Cole inexplicably fail to comment on these transgressions. At other times, he has praised them outright, as if any immoral behavior is justified, as long as it helps the heel get ahead.
By being remiss in his responsibility to adequately describe acts of villainy on Raw, Cole further muddies the difference between babyface and heel. This leads viewers to feel ambivalence towards match outcomes, as they are not inclined to favor a moral competitor over an immoral one.
When right and wrong no longer matter, nothing matters.
Cole should know better.
First Runner-Up: Booker T
As a living legend of professional wrestling, Booker T is rightly beloved by fans worldwide.
As a commentator, he is not.
Frequently nonsensical, T often seems completely disconnected from the action in front of him. He repeats stock phrases and clichés (e.g. “OH YEAH, MAN!” and “champagne wishes and caviar dreams”) randomly and ad nauseam.
T’s character is confusing, as he enthusiastically supports a heel one moment and a babyface the next without rhyme or reason. At times, he seems to be entertaining himself more than trying to entertain fans. Without Vic Joseph to redirect, interpret, and sometimes ignore him, T would be completely lost.
Fifteen years as a color commentator, and he hasn’t gotten any better.
SmackDown demoted T as a commentator following inadequate performances in 2011 and 2015.
NXT deserves the same treatment.
Second Runner-Up: Joe Tessitore
Tessitore was a highly accomplished sports broadcaster on ESPN and ABC before coming to WWE. When he debuted on Raw in 2024, his authentic sports-broadcaster voice was a fresh, welcome change for most.
Since that time, he’s disappointed as often as not.
He continues to struggle with wrestling terminology, often miscalling or mispronouncing moves. Even when he calls the action correctly, he fails to describe the story of what’s happening in the ring or to help viewers understand the characters, their motivations, and the emotional stakes of matches.
Tessitore often strikes the wrong tone. His delivery often comes across to fans as artificial, and it’s unclear whether he believes what he’s saying.
He’s often monotone and subdued, then escalates emotionally at the wrong times, becoming overly excited over a routine development. When a truly dramatic moment occurs, Tessitore can remain in the same vocal register, making the moment feel less important.
Two years into his WWE run, Tessitore continues to be a good sports announcer but is only a passable wrestling commentator.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.