10 Things You Learn As A Wrestling Commentator

5. Appreciate This Sh*t Isn't Easy

James R Kennedy ICW
David James Wilson/ICW

Pressing the reset button in between each unique segment or match isn't easy on the brain. Here are a few examples of situations I've come up against.

The first was during that aforementioned World Cup. In WCPW, we were taping episodes of the Loaded show in between tournament matches, and so I had to wear two different hats. One was over-the-top heel James R. Kennedy, and the other was less abrasive so Dave Bradshaw could talk about KUSHIDA's brilliance rather than my bullsh*t.

To make things harder, tapings were done out of sync. The first match we saw was from Episode 3, Segment 2. Then, out next was one from Episode 1, Segment 4. This had to be done due to wrestlers working double shots elsewhere or having problems with travel, but it was mentally taxing to remember what plot points you could reference, who'd done what etc.

The second was when I made a short-notice, brief return to ICW at the tail-end of last year. Being honest, I hadn't watched the product since leaving in 2016, and so had to cram in a lot of research quickly. There wasn't enough time, but relying on improvisation and history helped me out.

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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.