10 Awful Wrestling Commentary Calls That Took Away From The Moment
1. Calm Down Todd (ECW 10/02/09)
Christian returned to the WWE in February 2009 after an absence of just under four years. Re-debuting on the dwindling ECW brand, he was a marquee name with an existing relationship with fans.
After evolving into an even stronger singles competitor during his absence, many believed that Christian could go on to become a major player in WWE’s main event scene.
Though this eventually did happen, his initial return was greatly hampered by the passive and apathetic reaction of Todd Grisham on commentary.
As Christian’s music hit, and Jack Swagger did his best shocked face, fans at home heard Grisham simply say:
“It’s…Christian.”
Delivered with all the gusto and excitement of a Mother seeing that one creepy relative that no one really likes stroll in to a holiday get together, Grisham’s lack of enthusiasm hurt the power of the moment.
Matt Striker did do a commendable job of talking up Christian’s accomplishments in the aftermath - but the initial damage had been done. Some have argued that it “was only ECW”, and putting him on that brand made his return matter less from the get go.
That argument only further condemns the lack of emotion; it was sorely needed to bolster his ill-fated return.