Ranking Every SmackDown Commentator
In honor of SmackDown 1000, let’s look back on everybody who has called the action.
In honor of SmackDown’s 1,000th episode, here is the ranking of every commentator in the history of the blue brand.
22. David Otunga
You can try to hide him on a three-man or even a four-man booth, but David Otunga still sticks out like a sore, broken, bloody thumb. Thank God he has been banished to the pre-show panels, where he can regurgitate and corporate buzzwords and jargon.
21. Brad Maddox
For two weeks in March of 2013, Brad Maddox was a totally unnecessary addition to the commentary team. Perhaps it was a tryout, or maybe WWE felt a three-man booth was needed, but the man best remembered for a sex tape added nothing, except for a whiny heel perspective. Been there, done that.
20. Byron Saxton
Listen, I’m sure Byron is a nice guy. Hell, that’s why the entire roster shits on him. But the man has never made me care about what’s going on in the ring. His goofy outfits and nerdy demeanor actually hurts the characters that he embraces. Now he’s better than David Otunga, but c’mon, that’s like saying he’s more punctual than Calvin Gibbon.
19. Ernest Miller
The Cat filled in for Tazz on a Thanksgiving episode, but Michael Cole could have called the show solo. However, his inaudible mumbling must have impressed the powers that be, because Miller took over color commentary on Velocity a month or two later.
18. Jonathan Coachman
As we all know by now, Coach is simply not pro wrestling commentary material. During the 2000s, he played a backstage or sideline announcer role well, and was a fun, cocky, aloof sidekick. Perhaps he should have been a full-time manager handling the bevy of aimless midcarders during that era, because he felt disingenuous behind the announce table, trying to sell us on a product it didn’t feel like he believed in.
17. Todd Grisham
After sitting under Jim Ross’ learning tree for a few months, Todd Grisham was promoted to play-by-play commentator of SmackDown. Unfortunately, he was just another robot churning out McMahon directives. He fit the mold of young, good-looking white guy with professional broadcasting background. But in the world of wrestling, that’s just boring.
16. Josh Matthews
Although he has done a swell job calling the action for Impact Wrestling over the past year, he never seemed comfortable in the big chair in WWE, appearing more at ease on secondary programs like Velocity and Saturday Morning Slam. He worked with a variety of partners on SmackDown, filling the silence during three-man booths and ultimately struggling to define his own identity.
15. Alex Riley
It’s a shame that A-Ri did commentary only once on SmackDown because he was pretty good. Having experience from calling Superstars (although if nobody hears you, does it even count?), Riley also provided the ex-wrestler perspective that seems to fit the color man template.
14. Michael Hayes
Filling in for Jerry Lawler, the Fabulous Freebird called the action in his old stomping grounds of Dallas. With his commentary experience from Mid-South as well as WWF Action Zone and WWF Superstars, Hayes was a natural at keeping up with the Attitude Era shenanigans, sympathizing with Triple H going through four different opponents in four different match types.
13. Booker T
Shucky ducky quack quack. Nobody knows what Booker T is saying, but at least he breaks up the monotony.
12. Jim Cornette
Surprisingly, the shoot interview king called only one episode of SmackDown, and it just so happened to be the most important. Jim Cornette joined Michael Cole for the pilot on April 29, 1999, providing a different feel from Raw. Perhaps Corny just wasn’t interested in doing more, because he certainly had the chops for either emphasizing the heels’ superiority or lambasting their wrongdoings.
11. Matt Striker
His best days on commentary lied ahead as the voice of Lucha Underground (and sometimes MLW Fusion) learned the ropes on SmackDown, nearly a decade ago. A natural storyteller and wrestling historian, Matt Striker gelled well with Todd Grisham’s sports-centric focus and McMahonian verbiage.
10. Paul Heyman
The ECW mastermind called a couple episodes with Michael Cole, and the 9/11 tribute show with Jim Ross. While his chemistry with Cole couldn’t compare to what he had with Ross (he rivals Lawler in that regard), Paul Heyman remained an entertaining storyteller, unabashed in his praise for the Alliance.
9. Tom Phillips
Perhaps it’s a Philly bias, but Tom Phillips is one of the best play-by-play commentators in WWE history. It’s hard to believe he came through the same system as Grisham, Matthews, Cole and all the other interchangeable talking heads. Phillips calls the action like it’s a legit competition while maintaining the WWE narrative and uttering whatever buzzwords are needed, all without sounding robotic.
8. Corey Graves
When one door closes, another door opens, as Corey Graves can attest. After multiple concussions derailed his in-ring career, the Savior of Misbehavior devoted himself to learning how to broadcast, and quickly climbed up the company ladder to being part of the Raw announce team in the summer of 2016. Since then, Graves has become a modern-day Bobby Heenan and Jesse Ventura, not always siding with the villains, but more often than not championing their devious tactics. He currently pulls double duty as Raw commentator as well, giving fans the option of hearing him roast either Coach or Byron.
7. Mauro Ranallo
A blessing for fans, Mauro Ranallo was chosen as the voice of SmackDown when the show moved to the USA Network. His knowledge of moves, quirky pop culture references and infectious enthusiasm was a breath of fresh air on WWE programming – of course, that meant he was ill-fitted for Vinnie Mac. Although his run was brief, and included an absurd four-man booth, Ranallo did a superb job.
6. Mick Foley
In the summer of 2008, the Hardcore Legend donned the headset, in what seemed like a natural fit on paper. Foley gelled with both Cole and J.R., describing the in-ring action and psychology in vivid detail while putting everybody over. Plus, he was funny and shared plenty of backstage jokes. However, listening to McMahon’s barking through the headset every week proved too much for Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy, and he quit during a legitimate screaming match with the chairman.
5. Jerry Lawler
From SmackDown’s launch until The King’s exit from the company in early 2001, Jerry Lawler was the jester of Thursday nights. In the same vein as Jesse Ventura and Heenan, the King held court as heel commentator, cheering the villains and roasting fan favorites while ejaculating over the divas. His arguments with Cole didn’t compare to his banter with J.R., but they were fun nonetheless.
All good things must come to an end, though, as Lawler reeled back his heel persona in the mid-2010s, becoming more of an elder statesman. His old timey one-liners didn’t pack quite a punch when he was the respected legend – it was like you were forcing a laugh out of courtesy to your uncle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHhWoFgdHPk&t=4s
4. Jim Ross
Despite being fired and put on the backburner numerous times, good ol’ J.R. overcame all health and political obstacles to become the greatest commentator in the history of pro wrestling – his southern drawl synonymous with Monday Night Raw. In 2008, he was infamously drafted to SmackDown without being told beforehand, and was visibly pissed. Despite any ill will, Ross ushered in a level of legitimate sport to the entertainment spectacle, perfectly capturing the motives and emotions of complicated characters and translating them to the viewing audience.
3. Tazz
“Well, here comes the pain!”
Who would have guessed the perpetually grumpy Human Suplex Machine would become a friendly, entertaining announcer? Although his in-ring career was butchered in WWE, the experience led to a new opportunity for Tazz, a way to reinvent himself and extend his tenure far longer than imagined. As the color commentator of SmackDown for most of 2001 until 2006, the Brooklyn native broke down the action for the audience and brought raw emotion to the overly-produced WWE system. He introduced us to Joey Numbas, tomatas and most importantly, helped establish Brock Lesnar as the “Next Big Thing.”
2. JBL
You either love JBL or you hate him, as his genuine antagonistic persona leaves no middle room. While he was overbearing for the entirety of his Raw run, exaggerating everything as the greatest (but not doing it with Tony Schiavone’s charm), JBL did give at least one funny line a week.
Of course, his sense of humor truly flourished during his initial commentary stint on SmackDown. From 2006 until the end of 2007, the former WWE Champion was a blast to listen to, dissecting in-ring psychology like a sportscasting veteran and accentuating the strengths of heels and faces alike. Of course, he maintained his character’s smug aura when talking about himself, but he also emphasized true excitement over being ringside for pro wrestling matches. “We fight on Friday night, Maggle!”
1. Michael Cole
People didn’t seem to hate on Michael Cole when he was calling SmackDown for nearly a decade. But then he jumped to Raw and had Vinnie Mac’s hand wedged up his ass, working him Jeff Dunham-style. Cole spews WWE lingo like a robot, lacking emotion where it counts, and his heel run was insufferable.
However, we know he’s capable of delivering a fine performance, as evidenced by the main event of WrestleMania XXX, the Beast in the East special and the United Kingdom Championship Tournament. Coincidentally, all without McMahon in his ear.
When he finally decides to hang up the headset, people will look back on his impressive tenure with WWE and truly value his time on SmackDown, where he helped launch a new show, endured weekly comparisons to the greatest (J.R.) and aided Tazz and JBL in their transitions to the commentary table.
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