10 Ways To Refresh WWE's Stale Television Product
6. Rethink The Announcers
The days of Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross are long gone, but there’s still plenty of talent among WWE’s current group of commentators. Sure, the likes of David Otunga, Byron Saxton, and JBL aren’t up to much, but their peers all range from good to great, and yes, that includes Michael Cole.
As with the wrestlers, the problem isn’t that WWE’s commentators are subpar, but that they’re operating in an environment that severely limits their ability to perform. Cole, for example, showed just how excellent an announcer he can be during the UK Championship Tournament, where he was energised, insightful, and razor-sharp with his analysis. On Raw, with Kevin Dunn and Vince McMahon screaming into his headset all night, he is robotic, tedious, and clichéd.
Scaling back on scripting and overproduction would improve the commentary teams tenfold, as would reducing their size. Three-man announce booths only hinder the announcers’ ability to get a point across, and it feels like they’re competing with their cohorts, rather than complementing them.
Scaling back to one play-by-play announcer and one colour commentator would help immensely, and turn this negative component of WWE’s current presentation into a positive.