25 Ways WWE Has Ruined Raw

Commentary is one of the most important aspects of professional wrestling's presentation. Finding two well-informed announcers with chemistry, complementary styles, and enough sense to understand that their job is to enhance the action, not get themselves over, is incredibly rare. This is especially true in WWE, where bumblers like Rob Bartlett, Mike Adamle, and Booker T have somehow landed roles in the booth, sullying many a big moment with nonsensical babble.

For many fans, Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross are considered the benchmark. They were the perfect balance, and while 'King' was often over-the-top (particularly during his "puppies!" phase), their chemistry as opposites brought many an Attitude Era moment to the next level. But time eventually caught up with them, and in 2008, WWE made the decision to finally pull them apart.

What has WWE commentary become since then? A passion-less, overproduced mess of buzzwords, slogans, and catchphrases. Michael Cole sounds like a robot pushing buttons on a soundboard. His colleagues aren't much better, with even the tremendously sharp Corey Graves letting his standards slip in 2017, and while largely a production problem, there's no doubt Raw's commentary hit the skids when Lawler and Ross were removed.