10 Things You Learn As A Wrestling Commentator

7. Analyse Non-Wrestling Commentary Too

Joe Buck Barack Obama
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As a kid, I used to run around the back garden pretending to be footy great John Motson. I'd score countless goals for Scotland as the sheepskin-wearing voice of many BBC matches offered his approval. I didn't know it then, but I was in love with commentary, and not just the pro wrestling variety.

Football, NFL, NHL, NBA, snooker, the bloody Crufts dog show. Everything is there to scrutinise.

This was particularly useful when announcing the Pro Wrestling World Cup in 2017. I'm the kind of fan who enjoys bombastic, over-the-top personalities and characters. That's because I've grown up watching WWE, WCW and ECW. So, announcing some mat-based matches without story context featuring top Japanese talent was a genuine challenge.

I knew I couldn't go in all guns blazing and play the heel. No, I had to try a different approach, and that's when I thought of snooker's Clive Everton and John Virgo. They, along with the NFL's Joe Buck and Al Michaels, helped me appreciate the more subtle nuances of commentary.

Watch everything.

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Mauro Ranallo
 
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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.