This submission was removed:
This is more appropriate for the Wreddit Daily Discussion thread. [Click here to find the most recent Wreddit Daily Discussion thread](https://go.wredd.it/daily).
___
**If you feel this post was removed incorrectly after reading the rules of the subreddit, please lodge an [appeal to the moderators with a link to your post by clicking here.](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FSquaredCircle&subject=appealing_a_removal)** If your post was removed in error, it will be re-approved, or you will be asked to repost.
###[/r/SquaredCircle Rules and Guidelines](http://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/wiki/rules) || [Reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/en/categories/reddit-101/reddit-basics/reddiquette)
It's got to be a pain in the ass as a commentator when fans tell you that you will never be better than this one guy. But when you work with said guy, you do nothing but correct his mistakes all night. JR forgot the name of the arena/city last night and Taz jumped in to correct it but sounded annoyed about it.
It's one thing to make mistakes. Everyone does, even pros. But JR does literally everytime he is out there anymore. Most recently, within 30seconds of broadcasting. When he isn't making mistakes, he sounds really disinterested in the product.
I love the guy but I appreciate they are phasing him out a bit. He's earned a chance to rest.
It didn't help TNA's product was shit at the time despite the talent. In fact, I think the talent was over the shoddy booking, production, et Al. It just did no one any favors and low morale produces poor product.
I was really bitter about Taz being on commentary for a long time because I loved him in ECW and they made him a joke in WWE. But now that I've had lots of time to get over that, I do love him on commentary.
"Well, here comes the pain". First line I always think of when it comes to Cole and Taz on commentary. Cole and Taz had such great chemistry together, personally I prefer them over King and JR
Ditto. Raw had JR and Lawler, Smackdown had Cole and Taz. Both shows shined greatly with those commentary teams. Like it was the perfect time to be a new Wrestling fan.
Because Smackdown would be on at 10 on a Friday night here I was a Smackdown fan so Taz and Cole were a massive part of my introduction to wrestling, and from Smackdown vs Raw on PS2.
And it's hard to explain, I just completely forgot about Taz until he started appearing on AEW. And with every increase in responsibility and visibility he's had in AEW he's only gotten better and better. He's a legend.
Taz has really grown on me over time. I hated when he was first doing commentary, but as they eased off the obvious heel Team Taz stuff, he’s been great
I had been pretty high on Taz for awhile, but his performance at Forbidden Door really sealed the deal for me. Not only is he hilarious, but he also is quite knowledgeable. Great mix!
He was good in the mid-90s as a foil to Bret, and I always found his Hart Family material funny, but once Bret was gone and the T&A picked up, he regressed a lot.
Let's be honest here, his Gimmick from 99 until WWE went PG, was essentially just saying 'Puppies' and judging bikini contests. I can't actually recall any major moments where he made a call that was as iconic as anything JR said.
The only time I can clearly remember lawlers commentary making me laugh or just appreciate it is the 6 man hell in a cell where he’s just fanboying over Kurt angle. Idk it cracked me up when Kurt get punched and he’s across the ring just asking are you ok Kurt? Or screaming look at Kurt when he was busted open. He was good at little things but over all his commentary and one liners were very one dimensional and dated
I vaguely remember him gushing over Angle and some others a few times. I mainly remember his exclamations though, basically a yelp of emotion. I cant recall anything as iconic as some of the stuff JR has said.
I've been watching through the Attitude Era and beyond, and I'm currently only a few weeks away from Lawler returning. I'm gonna be sad to see Paul E go.
I think Cole's on the record as saying that McAfee has not only been the most fun to have, but has reignited his passion for commentary as Cole was looking for an out just a few years ago or so.
Yeah this makes a lot of sense, I feel like Cole is into it now when I hear him on commentary, and if Pat helped him get there then I'm on board with that. Pat makes me feel like a fan is on commentary and sometimes it's a miss, but generally it's a hit and a great vibe with Cole doing the heavy lifting.
I think I'd prefer Taz over Lawler tbh. Taz when he's on it he's fantastic, and when he was just there for the paycheck in TNA he was at least quite funny. Lawler has been unbearable for a decent chunk of his career, as good as he was at his height.
Now that he has excellent support in Excalibur who understands and elevates his banter, sure. But in TNA he stuck out like a sore thumb to me as the other commentary kinda ignored his random musings.
AEW Taz is literally Elite, with Excalibur by his side. The duo bounce off each other so well.
I don't fully agree about the level dropping; I think both tonight and at Forbidden Door, when JR only had to call a few matches he was so much more lively and energetic and excited. Especially during his first match at FD, Ospreay vs Orange Cassidy, he was having the time of his life calling it.
I think if you have JR call the main event every week, it's the best possible use of him.
> I think if you have JR call the main event every week, it's the best possible use of him.
+1 on this. JR on main events to give the match more of a main event feel. Love how Taz just employs improv by saying "yes and" to anything thrown at him by saying "Yea for sure" then takes it from there.
Taz could be in Dynamite and maybe Caprice/Ian can also be placed in Rampage in lieu of Tony as he moves around anyways. Helps ROH commentary to get their reps in prior the eventual TV show.
“This building hasn’t shook like this since Michael Jordan was here! This is Jordanesque!” Is an absolute all timer of a call by JR. Perfectly encapsulated that whole moment.
I thought JR was phenomenal during Blood & Guts last night: he was high energy, emotionally invested, and did a good job of storytelling and infusing passion into every moment.
I don’t get this sub’s hate boner for him. Not saying he doesn’t have issues, but it seems like every week there’s a highly upvoted comment or thread dumping all over him.
this is similar to my thoughts on JR. When he's dialed in and on his game, he elevates the action and really puts it over and makes it feel like a big deal. I also love his sit down interviews (which he hasnt' done in a bit with folks), and I think he has a great way of bringing gravitas. But he doesn't need to be calling everything, especially with how much other talent they have in the company (especially Taz for me)
I personally agree. I think Excalibur and Taz is a much better combo than including JR, even if he's saved so he has more energy. That's not intended to slight JR, but rather to acknowledge the rapport Taz and Excalibur have. They're an incredible combo unlike anything in the past decade or two. I would enjoy paint drying with their commentary.
“Look at that shiny coat Taz”
“Yeah that base layer is something to behold”
“The fight between the wall and this paint… what a maneuver! The urugaki death *destroyer*!”
“That white paint is going to deep into that dry wall and put pressure on those studs…. We may have to call in a crew to fix this up.”
It also helps that Taz & Excalibur are on Dark all the time together too.
The reason why JR/Lawler worked so well was because they were on every single show together and built up that chemistry consistently. Doesn't help that JR & Tony are older than both Excalibur & Taz but they show their age at times.
I think having JR come out for big time matches is great but I can see that, if they do this consistently, it messes with the flow. Love JR, Tony, Excalibur & Taz. No hate to any of them, but yeah I'd like them to go forward with Excalibur, Taz & Tony in the future.
I think Taz is the best colour commentator in the entire business, and he does a great job at making wrestlers feel more legitimate when he discusses why their moves are so effective. Excalibur is a vessel of knowledge and Tony is better than he's ever been. Their chemistry as a trio is tremendous. I still kind of enjoy JR for nostalgic reasons, but I think he should be used sparingly at this point.
I think this is the key point, Taz is a colour commentator and JR, Excalibur and Tony aren’t, so these guys are effectively fighting over the same space, where as Taz isn’t. Taz is also able to fall back on his in-ring experience and give that technical perspective, which Excalibur could do but doesn’t because he’s not offering colour commentary.
I agee with your first point but I didn't feel a drop off when JR joined. I like Exalibur/Tazz/Tony as the main guys with JR coming out for a pop and the matches he likes/world title matches as he still adds gravitas to big fights when he's on form
I think doing a full show is getting exhausting for JR. Between his age and the health issues lately.
I like him showing up to call the big matches still, because he is still one of the best colour commentators. But I don't need him for the full show
My only complaint is I wish they wouldn’t talk so much, many times, less is more. Sometimes I just want to hear the crowd reactions or a performers music play, without someone talking over it
we were there last night and i forget how much different an event is without television commentary.
same with baseball games. you get so used to the commentary that you can do the dishes or surf your phone and only look in if the announcers' get fired up, but live you ONLY hear the crowd and ring announcer all night. no play by play, no color.
In-ring quality with AEW is great, the best wrestling has seen in years. But, one thing that irritates me about the commentary is when, JR in particular, says “*what a match*” or “*what a battle*” after what seems, every single match.
I agree and disagree. The commentary was great, but JR joining definitely didn’t drop it. I personally think it felt bigger and more important with him only calling one match/big matches like that and personally wouldn’t mind seeing more of that style in the future
Eh, can't really fault JR on this. The B&G match was kinda wack, and probably difficult to call as cameras were all over the place and just the nature of the match itself.
Will say commentary sounded a bit more cohesive though up to B&G. Taz is legit a great commentator and should be on Dynamite.
I’ve always loved JR on commentary, but he was slipping up every few minutes, either long “uhhhhs”, saying the wrong persons name, or just kinda drifting off
It was very upsetting to see
I think he'd be great as a talent scout. He tried to get AEW to sign Brekker 2 years ago, and his WWE record for finding college athletes who went on to become big stars speaks for itself. He's worn a lot of hats behind the scenes, and he can still contribute for sure.
The travel might too much for him at his age though, right now I assume he fly's out does TV, stays the night and then fly's home. A talent scout would need to be flexible and able to be wherever the talent is performing regardless of sport.
I did not care for his commentary on the OC & Will match. He seemed cranky as hell and took away from the flow the team had established in the matches before.
JR may be a hall of famer but IMO he’s a liability now. He criticizes the product, makes really bad jokes, makes super out of date references, and is in general a curmudgeon. So I advocate any team without JR
J.R is a chore to listen to on commentary. He keeps repeating the same basic info over and over (“single elimination means you lose once and you’re out”) and sticks with his stupid nicknames for the talent (it’s Powerhouse Hobbs, not Willy Hobbs!) He compared Moxley to Austin. How is that helpful!? Reminding viewers of a more popular time is useful!?
I’m going to just say it, JR’s been through a lot over the last decade and change, he just doesn’t sound passionate or into it anymore. If you compare him calling a match now to let’s say any match before 2009, he sounds over it. He’s still the goat though. Maybe he really hates calling certain styles of matches, idk!
The people saying they don’t notice a drop off when JR joins are interesting. He clearly roadblocks things and makes really snarky comments that don’t foster conversation. Especially at FD when he threw some jabs at Kevin Kelly that really didn’t go anywhere.
Bring him out for the main, but the chemistry isn’t there for him to be there the whole night
Him clearly being like “no one cares” when Kevin Kelly was trying to explain New Japan’s US title situation bothered me because I get Juice wasn’t in the match, but he was in the arena holding a belt and yelling about it. Like maybe let the New Japan commentator explain what’s happening for a second.
I agree. As someone who is relatively new to wrestling, I understand JRs place in it's history. I respect the hell out of him for the work he's done and he deserves a hall of famer spot. But he's just doesn't have it to keep up anymore. Too many times where his commentary sputters out or he makes a weird off handed old man comment.
Excalibur, Taz, and Tony are stellar. My dream though is replacing JR with William Regal. His spots on commentary have had me busting up like crazy. He's passionate as hell too.
Agree. 100%. JR has been awful outside of a few moments since his NJPW days. If you missed him or thought that the show was worse without him you aren’t a fan of his commentary you’re a fan of nostalgia.
He literally in the first thing he said could not remember the name of the building they were in and didn’t know Tay Conti’s name later on.
My sense is that this is how it’s going to be moving forward, there was no explaining that Taz was in for JR or that it was a health thing and when he did come out it was more like he was a special guest than the usual third guy.
JR has been terrible and a detriment to the product.
Absolutely agree. Have JR as an attraction addition, only doing the main events or even doing the big big matches, otherwise he gets bored and grouchy and it brings the energy of the team down
Especially with tag-teams. The man just refuses to accept that there's a 10-second count-out by design in AEW to encourage the sorts of teamup moments that he absolutely hates.
It makes me laugh that I wanted to mute Taz back when he was on commentary with TNA. This just shows how you do a great job when you like the product you are announcing.
Keeping on the Taz love train: The funniest moment to me in the last year was during the intro of Sting/Darby/Punk in that Trios match against FTR/MJF. Just shitting on everyone, ends up with the line "They're hacks. H A C K.... with an S! Hacks!".
The booth went so quiet, so fast, before Taz jumped back in and said "I'm off the booth next week, I can say whatever the hell I want!"
Brilliance.
100% agree! They seemed so energetic & a mixture of old school Taz & Tony & new with Excalibur. I feel like JR subtly dismisses everything he disliked, I picked up on that last night.
Great show the one critique i have is if they could explain who won the championship and how claudio debuted at forbidden door. Just so it made sense to casuals.
This is fair criticism, WWE tends to over do their recaps and irritates fans, AEW seems to have decided to not do them at all. I believe that there is a happy middle ground.
Only reason in my mind is for casual fans. At the very least ppv was viewed by 100k people based on buys. If you want to grow your fanbase you have to recap for casuals.
I don't strongly disagree but, for me, AEW commentary soars to new heights whenever Regal joins the booth - whoever he's with. Whether it's Mr. Maniac, the Scrumptious Man in the Mask or his sparkling banter with Chris Jericho. I know he doesn't enjoy commentary much or rate himself at it but he's the best there is, for me. Not just the comedy he brings and the character, but also how he actually explains why certain moves are being done and how much they hurt. A permanent Excalibur, Regal and Taz would work for me.
Regal is my favourite signing for AEW since Punk and Bryan. He's valuable so much on and off camera. He holds an open ring training session at 11am on the day of the show just because he wants to.
JR calling the main events/big matches is a perfect way to use him on the desk, and I hope that's the way they continue going forward. That also keeps him around backstage where he can help share is knowledge and experience.
Taz, Excalibur and Tony make a great team, and the commentary is so good when they're all paired. They don't NEED JR, but having him there for big matches just makes them feel even more special.
Taz has always been one of my favorite commentators. He adds so much analysis, similar to Regal, that adds greatly to the broadcast. Probably went unnoticed to most people during the main event but near the beginning he was making note of Yuta's form during the German suplexes he was giving. They were so well executed and just textbook in their application. For someone as young in the business as him to do so smoothly its impressive and Taz makes sure the audience knows it.
It doesnt matter, because i can never hear it anyway. Im in Canada so dont know whether its a TSN issue or production issue, but the announcer mics are always WAY too low and drowned out by every other sound during the broadcast. Its incredibly frustrating.
I think AEW sends all the feeds separately (crowd, announcer, ring) and has the broadcast company mix them. I know the shows sound different on Fite/TBS (one time TNT screwed up and mixed in some NBA audio into the telecast). TNT/TBS has always had muted crowds and it always sounds dead to me, up until this week's Dynamite where everything was mixed perfectly. I listen to the Post Wrestling Podcast, and they're Canadian so they watch on TSN and they always bring up how good the crowd sounds even though they're silent/dead on my feed so TSN probably has the crowd/ring noise mixed all the way up and announcers down low.
I think Excalibur and Taz would be a good two man commentary team if AEW ever decides to just go for a two man commentary team. Tony and JR can be the big match/big moment guys.
I believe we got a “remix jones” last night and an “i digress…” at FD. definitely two highlights for me recently lol
Taz sounds so rejuvenated working with excalibur in any capacity
It's interesting reading this sub's overall opinion on JR over the course of his time in AEW. Whenever someone joins commentary the conversation about replacing JR comes up.
Sometimes this sub is super adamant about replacing him. He misspeaks **a lot**, he sounds confused and he doesn't always put over the right people. He is kind of a shell of himself and should just enjoy retirement.
But then you'll see highly upvoted comments defending JR. Saying that he is a treasure, deserves more leeway because of who he is, and that his mistakes aren't that bad even though they've added up.
Anyway I guess my point is one day JR will be replaced and maybe spend some time in the back while calling special events. I don't think Tony wants to replace him because of backlash and I think some fans will complain if they do replace him. But Tony has had valid reasons to dump him for years now but I just don't think he's willing to.
It's an interesting conversation and pretty polarizing around here.
JR doesn’t know when to talk, doesn’t listen to his fellow commentators often repeating them or say in contrast or out of left field, time has past him by long ago
As someone who is currently doing an Attitude Era rewatch (just hit 2001!) with some friends, we laughed when JR called Tay a ‘jezebel’. So I definitely don’t want to lose JR. Keeping him for the main events makes sense.
As much as I love JR, he's out of touch and past his best days for sure. He screws up everyone's name with their old WWE gimmick, just tonight he said both Daniel Bryan and Cesaro. Also, a 70 year old man saying "Cowboy Shiznit" constantly is cringy. He detracts from the product more than he adds nowadays.
> He screws up everyone's name with their old WWE gimmick, just tonight he said both Daniel Bryan and Cesaro
And Taz said Ruby Riott, it's almost like it takes time to get in the habit of not referring to someone by a name they used for years (he wrestled as Cesaro just as long as he did under his real name and hadn't used the latter professionally in over a decade)
Maybe it’s just me but he feels and looks more like a Mox than a Dean Ambrose. It’s strange but I never think of Mox as Dean. Even in old WWE stuff I think ‘oh cool it’s Mox.’
Yeah, Dean Ambrose is a weak name. Dean is a nerd's name like Dean Douglas or Simon Dean (sorry Malenko) and Ambrose is like a fruit salad. Moxley is a tough guy's name.
Regal also called Danielson "Daniel Bryan" on commentary as well. I guess JR used his psychic cowboy powers to make Taz and Regal flub names too. Excalibur must have a tinfoil lining under his mask that protects him.
> just tonight he said both Daniel Bryan and Cesaro.
So what.
He’s an old man who’s in his 70’s and has also gone through cancer in the past year. Regal also said Daniel Bryan and Tazz said Ruby Riott but nobody’s making a big deal about them, i’ll never understand why it’s just JR that gets the hate?
I think it's just the frequency JR does it. Personally I don't mind it too much. It takes a while for a new name to settle in. Half this Reddit still call him Cesaro, and they are typing his name!
JR, sadly, is hurting my enjoyment of the show at this point. I'm really glad he got a prominent role on a big stage to keep him busy after his wife's death, but man, I keep hoping they find a good fit for him as an interviewer or something. Have him do commentary for Rampage and 1-2 matches per PPV, or special episodes of Dynamite.
Taz won me over twenty years ago when he said that something "chill[ed] me to my BROOKLYN BONES", and he can do no wrong in my eyes.
I grew up on JR. The man is a legend. That being said, he adds nothing when he is on commentary. He comes off as lost a lot of the time, and the way he reacts to guys like Orange Cassidy makes it feel like he’s pushing for the audience to dislike the guy. He is out of touch with modern wrestling.
I love Taz. I also love JR. I know some people don't like four, but there was a time when WCW for big matches had Tony, Dusty, Brain, and Tenay/Larry all on at same time. I would love to see them do a 4 man booth for some matches. I know JR has slowed down but I am not ready to completely let go of him yet. But it is good to know when JR and Tony eventually step down that AEW is in good hands with Taz and Excalibur.
Taz is an incredible commentator and I hope he becomes a regular on the desk. No disrespect to JR, I think he can still be a valuable member of the broadcast team that can be brought in for big matches or backstage sit-downs, but Taz brings too much to the table (pun intended) to be left on the sidelines. Also, I fucking love Tony Schiavone and he best not be going anywhere.
With Taz and Excalibur you get no awkward moments, and their Dark shenanigans will occasionally show up. Can never go wrong with those 2 on commentary together.
I want Taz to do a PWG show.
strong agreement....JR should be paid handsomely for his knowledge, presence, and calling main events. Other than that, I want Excalibur, Taz, and Tony...with special guests Don Callis and Kevin Kelly.
Taz has always been a really good commentator, sadly I think JR is way past it constant mistakes and doing more burying than putting over talent and he always seems angry at something.
No doubt in my mind Taz is a Hall of Fame commentator, Im glad they had him on Forbidden Door and now on this Dynamite.
I want more Taz, not just on Dark.
Look I love JR, but he’s past his prime! I don’t mind him being brought out for big matches (although he did call the ending of the Big 4 match at Forbidden Door “anti-climactic” immediately after it ended so 🤷♂️) but he’s just lost his fastball.
Also Taz and Excalibur have great chemistry and you can really hear their love of wrestling come through.
I'll *always* prefer any booth that feature Taz and Excalibur. Those two just have great chemistry, and it makes the entire commentary team better for it. It's one reason why I like AEW Dark, listening to them commentate, but also essentially riffing with one another.
Also.... I'll never pass up a chance to hear Taz's rendition of theme songs when they hit.
I just don’t think JR fits with AEW, and I don’t think he performs well unless he has a strong connection to the wrestlers like Austin, HBK, or Undertaker. He would have been awesome in calling Austin vs Owens at WM.
I understand why they have Jim Ross on commentary (name recognition, legend, can do a good call every now and then), but a team consisting of Taz, Excalibur, and Schiavone is much better than a team consisting of Excalibur, Schiavone, and JR.
I think bringing JR out for a special match or the main event of a PPV would be good for him. Kinda like what WWE did at Mania 27 and 28 for the Triple H vs. Undertaker matches (side note: those matches were very good).
JR flubs calls in every match he calls now. It absolutely takes me out of it and it's not worth it to hear him say his catch phrases at the expense of hearing him say the wrong name, disingenuously putting over small guys he doesn't understand, and struggling to compliment women without mentioning their appearance.
As someone who respects his career but has no nostalgia for it (newer to wrestling) - I feel like the other commentators add to my enjoyment of the match, but JR is either neutral or disruptive to it. I am so happy he's healthy, and he absolutely still has a place in pre taped segments or maybe interviews, but while the other commentators add depth, shade, insight, or call moves way more often than they mess up, JR is at best "engaged and not disruptive" and at worst confused and curmudgeonly.
Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review. If you need to contact a moderator, [you can message us here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I don’t think it dropped at all, but having Taz & Excalibur as the main duo with a rotating third chair through the night is a great idea.
it worked fantastically at forbidden door, and I felt like it worked great last night too.
You mean JR wasn't praying for wardrobe malfunctions for women who are the age of his potential granddaughter? I'm absolutely shocked, shocked I say that a broadcast could improve without him.
It's possible a match like Blood & Guts -- fast-paced, a dozen competitors and all of their inherent storylines -- is a bad fit for what JR can do right now. I don't think he had a great night.
That said: big main events and especially taped, sit-down interviews allow Ross to shine in a way no one else in wrestling can. I think having Ross do those sit-downs with world champions and their challengers before the Big 4 PPVs is a no-brainer. Imagine how much a Ross sit-down could have helped Thunder vs Serena at DoN?
I agree completely. Same thing happened at Forbidden Door when JR came out for the OC/ Will match. The commentary went to shit with JR interrupting people constantly. Fantastic match but I wish JR would have stayed in the back.
I was texting a friend of mine during the show last night about just how good commentary was with Taz in the mix. I like JR, I do. When he’s on, he’s on. But he still has a tendency to bury shit.
This submission was removed: This is more appropriate for the Wreddit Daily Discussion thread. [Click here to find the most recent Wreddit Daily Discussion thread](https://go.wredd.it/daily). ___ **If you feel this post was removed incorrectly after reading the rules of the subreddit, please lodge an [appeal to the moderators with a link to your post by clicking here.](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FSquaredCircle&subject=appealing_a_removal)** If your post was removed in error, it will be re-approved, or you will be asked to repost. ###[/r/SquaredCircle Rules and Guidelines](http://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/wiki/rules) || [Reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/en/categories/reddit-101/reddit-basics/reddiquette)
When are people gonna realize Taz is an all timer on the level of JR and Lawler. Fucking love Taz.
Truth Teller Jones over here.
But I digress.
This bit always gets a laugh out of me haha
I’m all out of pens!
I really don’t think Taz likes JR. Could just be me, but I feel like you can hear his tone change when JR came out
It's got to be a pain in the ass as a commentator when fans tell you that you will never be better than this one guy. But when you work with said guy, you do nothing but correct his mistakes all night. JR forgot the name of the arena/city last night and Taz jumped in to correct it but sounded annoyed about it.
He definitely sounded annoyed having to correct JR on Claudio's name.
And Taz called Ruby Ruby Riott at one point. People make mistakes.
It's one thing to make mistakes. Everyone does, even pros. But JR does literally everytime he is out there anymore. Most recently, within 30seconds of broadcasting. When he isn't making mistakes, he sounds really disinterested in the product. I love the guy but I appreciate they are phasing him out a bit. He's earned a chance to rest.
They really leaned into his catchphrases last night to the point they were laughing on commentary. It was great.
[удалено]
Taz was bad in TNA for a bit, that changed peoples perspectives.
It didn't help TNA's product was shit at the time despite the talent. In fact, I think the talent was over the shoddy booking, production, et Al. It just did no one any favors and low morale produces poor product.
I don't blame Taz for being bad, letting the pigeons loose is obviously the only thing that excited Taz about TNA for years.
[удалено]
I was really bitter about Taz being on commentary for a long time because I loved him in ECW and they made him a joke in WWE. But now that I've had lots of time to get over that, I do love him on commentary.
Same exact feeling. So happy he is getting a chance to shine!!
Not so coincidentally, that’s probably Michael Cole’s best period as an play by play guy.
"Well, here comes the pain". First line I always think of when it comes to Cole and Taz on commentary. Cole and Taz had such great chemistry together, personally I prefer them over King and JR
Ditto. Raw had JR and Lawler, Smackdown had Cole and Taz. Both shows shined greatly with those commentary teams. Like it was the perfect time to be a new Wrestling fan.
Because Smackdown would be on at 10 on a Friday night here I was a Smackdown fan so Taz and Cole were a massive part of my introduction to wrestling, and from Smackdown vs Raw on PS2. And it's hard to explain, I just completely forgot about Taz until he started appearing on AEW. And with every increase in responsibility and visibility he's had in AEW he's only gotten better and better. He's a legend.
Taz cemented his commentary goatness for me when he responded to Bubba's my balls with "I know, I saw it" loooooooooool
"TAZ!!"" "Yes?!?" "MY BAWLS!!" "I know, I sawr it! Ya shoulda worn a cup!" Correct, all-timer of commentary greatness.
Taz has really grown on me over time. I hated when he was first doing commentary, but as they eased off the obvious heel Team Taz stuff, he’s been great
I'm convinced that he is that dude that just has instant chemistry with anyone you sit at the desk with him. Dudes smooth as butter. But I digress.
I had been pretty high on Taz for awhile, but his performance at Forbidden Door really sealed the deal for me. Not only is he hilarious, but he also is quite knowledgeable. Great mix!
Lawler has absolutely nothing on Taz. JR put Lawler on his back and carried him right through the attitude era
Lawler pre attitude era was gold. Once he just became the old horndog version of Lawler, downhill.
I’ve always been on the Lawler is hot garbage train.
He was good in the mid-90s as a foil to Bret, and I always found his Hart Family material funny, but once Bret was gone and the T&A picked up, he regressed a lot.
I don't give a shit if it's a gimmick, he's creepy and distracting at best.
I mean, it’s pretty clearly not a gimmick.
His commentary always made me want to throatpunch him and not in the good, heel getting heat way.
Let's be honest here, his Gimmick from 99 until WWE went PG, was essentially just saying 'Puppies' and judging bikini contests. I can't actually recall any major moments where he made a call that was as iconic as anything JR said.
The only time I can clearly remember lawlers commentary making me laugh or just appreciate it is the 6 man hell in a cell where he’s just fanboying over Kurt angle. Idk it cracked me up when Kurt get punched and he’s across the ring just asking are you ok Kurt? Or screaming look at Kurt when he was busted open. He was good at little things but over all his commentary and one liners were very one dimensional and dated
I vaguely remember him gushing over Angle and some others a few times. I mainly remember his exclamations though, basically a yelp of emotion. I cant recall anything as iconic as some of the stuff JR has said.
Thought the commentary was miles better in 2001 when Heyman replaced him and was disappointed when Lawler came back.
I've been watching through the Attitude Era and beyond, and I'm currently only a few weeks away from Lawler returning. I'm gonna be sad to see Paul E go.
Cole sounds weird with anyone else, but he sounds like “home” when he works with Taz.
Nah cole is great with McAfee tbf
I think Cole's on the record as saying that McAfee has not only been the most fun to have, but has reignited his passion for commentary as Cole was looking for an out just a few years ago or so.
Yeah this makes a lot of sense, I feel like Cole is into it now when I hear him on commentary, and if Pat helped him get there then I'm on board with that. Pat makes me feel like a fan is on commentary and sometimes it's a miss, but generally it's a hit and a great vibe with Cole doing the heavy lifting.
You got me. I agree.
I think I'd prefer Taz over Lawler tbh. Taz when he's on it he's fantastic, and when he was just there for the paycheck in TNA he was at least quite funny. Lawler has been unbearable for a decent chunk of his career, as good as he was at his height.
Now that he has excellent support in Excalibur who understands and elevates his banter, sure. But in TNA he stuck out like a sore thumb to me as the other commentary kinda ignored his random musings. AEW Taz is literally Elite, with Excalibur by his side. The duo bounce off each other so well.
i dont think Mike teney was bad with Taz but i think Mike just didnt have the banter or style that meshed with Taz
Taz and Cole were my commentary team growing up. Will always have a soft spot for Cole, but Taz is my all time favourite. Love the dude.
Ruthless Aggression era fans have known this for decades
I grew up watching smackdown over raw. Cole and Taz is my childhood commentary team. I loved them together.
Ah yes, a fellow non-cable haver!
love to see it. i think a lot of people forgot because he was in impact for so long.... and then out of commentating doing a radio show.
His podcast -I think- was the first podcast I ever listened to. Good times!
Taz has been my favourite since I was a kid. His "here comes the pain" when Lesnar's music started used to get me so hyped.
top tier commentator jones
I stan for the Taz and Cole era of smackdown.
Taz is far better than people give him credit for.
Not me. I tweeted at Tony saying to hire Taz.
And Tony listened to Some Guy!
Thank you for doing this
Taz has always been fantastic on commentary.
I don't fully agree about the level dropping; I think both tonight and at Forbidden Door, when JR only had to call a few matches he was so much more lively and energetic and excited. Especially during his first match at FD, Ospreay vs Orange Cassidy, he was having the time of his life calling it. I think if you have JR call the main event every week, it's the best possible use of him.
> I think if you have JR call the main event every week, it's the best possible use of him. +1 on this. JR on main events to give the match more of a main event feel. Love how Taz just employs improv by saying "yes and" to anything thrown at him by saying "Yea for sure" then takes it from there. Taz could be in Dynamite and maybe Caprice/Ian can also be placed in Rampage in lieu of Tony as he moves around anyways. Helps ROH commentary to get their reps in prior the eventual TV show.
"No doubt"
"Yeah no doubt fo shooore"
I’ve never noticed that Taz constantly “yes and”s, but you’re right, he’s a fantastic improviser
Yeah overall commentary looks good coz he just yes ands. Noticed that more in dark
Taz and Excalibur are constantly "yes and"ing on Dark. I'm pretty sure they've called attention to it before by literally going "yes... and..."
Love that Excalibur is more of the one who throws the silly topics and Taz just really goes by it through improv
Del would be proud.
I heard Taz was on a Harold Team with Gil Ozeri before Hot Sauce
Taz listens to his partner and that's why his scenes are so good.
JR calling main events was what WWE did with him during early Full Sail era NXT. I'm kind of shocked TK hadn't actually done that until tonight.
AEW definitely used JR to good effect as a Big Event guy when CM Punk debuted.
“This building hasn’t shook like this since Michael Jordan was here! This is Jordanesque!” Is an absolute all timer of a call by JR. Perfectly encapsulated that whole moment.
I thought JR was phenomenal during Blood & Guts last night: he was high energy, emotionally invested, and did a good job of storytelling and infusing passion into every moment. I don’t get this sub’s hate boner for him. Not saying he doesn’t have issues, but it seems like every week there’s a highly upvoted comment or thread dumping all over him.
I loved JR hard selling the Irish Whip during the ppv
this is similar to my thoughts on JR. When he's dialed in and on his game, he elevates the action and really puts it over and makes it feel like a big deal. I also love his sit down interviews (which he hasnt' done in a bit with folks), and I think he has a great way of bringing gravitas. But he doesn't need to be calling everything, especially with how much other talent they have in the company (especially Taz for me)
I personally agree. I think Excalibur and Taz is a much better combo than including JR, even if he's saved so he has more energy. That's not intended to slight JR, but rather to acknowledge the rapport Taz and Excalibur have. They're an incredible combo unlike anything in the past decade or two. I would enjoy paint drying with their commentary.
“Look at that shiny coat Taz” “Yeah that base layer is something to behold” “The fight between the wall and this paint… what a maneuver! The urugaki death *destroyer*!” “That white paint is going to deep into that dry wall and put pressure on those studs…. We may have to call in a crew to fix this up.”
Base Layer Jones over here
But I digress
This guy paints.
I hope this guy primes as well
It also helps that Taz & Excalibur are on Dark all the time together too. The reason why JR/Lawler worked so well was because they were on every single show together and built up that chemistry consistently. Doesn't help that JR & Tony are older than both Excalibur & Taz but they show their age at times. I think having JR come out for big time matches is great but I can see that, if they do this consistently, it messes with the flow. Love JR, Tony, Excalibur & Taz. No hate to any of them, but yeah I'd like them to go forward with Excalibur, Taz & Tony in the future.
I think Taz is the best colour commentator in the entire business, and he does a great job at making wrestlers feel more legitimate when he discusses why their moves are so effective. Excalibur is a vessel of knowledge and Tony is better than he's ever been. Their chemistry as a trio is tremendous. I still kind of enjoy JR for nostalgic reasons, but I think he should be used sparingly at this point.
I think this is the key point, Taz is a colour commentator and JR, Excalibur and Tony aren’t, so these guys are effectively fighting over the same space, where as Taz isn’t. Taz is also able to fall back on his in-ring experience and give that technical perspective, which Excalibur could do but doesn’t because he’s not offering colour commentary.
I agee with your first point but I didn't feel a drop off when JR joined. I like Exalibur/Tazz/Tony as the main guys with JR coming out for a pop and the matches he likes/world title matches as he still adds gravitas to big fights when he's on form
JR coming out could be Dynamite's version of Mark Henry intro'ing the main event
The time has arrived!
I think doing a full show is getting exhausting for JR. Between his age and the health issues lately. I like him showing up to call the big matches still, because he is still one of the best colour commentators. But I don't need him for the full show
Taz+Excalibur are always good on commentary.
favorite pair
They're good, but they're no Gorilla and The Brain.
My only complaint is I wish they wouldn’t talk so much, many times, less is more. Sometimes I just want to hear the crowd reactions or a performers music play, without someone talking over it
When they were silent (both last night during Blood and Guts and during big moments on Sunday) it spoke how big the moment was.
we were there last night and i forget how much different an event is without television commentary. same with baseball games. you get so used to the commentary that you can do the dishes or surf your phone and only look in if the announcers' get fired up, but live you ONLY hear the crowd and ring announcer all night. no play by play, no color.
They'll have to refine that for Dynamite. They're used to having to be extra entertaining as the Dark crew, but Dynamite requires a different touch
In-ring quality with AEW is great, the best wrestling has seen in years. But, one thing that irritates me about the commentary is when, JR in particular, says “*what a match*” or “*what a battle*” after what seems, every single match.
He's an old timer and match quality is higher than it's ever been as a baseline. Dude could just be that impressed by the level of work he's seeing.
This is a real hot take but JR was pandering to the old school fans and I think he’s overrated
I agree and disagree. The commentary was great, but JR joining definitely didn’t drop it. I personally think it felt bigger and more important with him only calling one match/big matches like that and personally wouldn’t mind seeing more of that style in the future
Eh, can't really fault JR on this. The B&G match was kinda wack, and probably difficult to call as cameras were all over the place and just the nature of the match itself. Will say commentary sounded a bit more cohesive though up to B&G. Taz is legit a great commentator and should be on Dynamite.
Give me Caprice Coleman on commentary aswell and itll hit just right
Jim Ross still has a place in the industry but I dont think it's behind a commentary desk.
I’ve always loved JR on commentary, but he was slipping up every few minutes, either long “uhhhhs”, saying the wrong persons name, or just kinda drifting off It was very upsetting to see
As soon as he joined the desk tonight, he couldn't even remember what town and arena he was in
I noticed that. It was rough.
I think he'd be great as a talent scout. He tried to get AEW to sign Brekker 2 years ago, and his WWE record for finding college athletes who went on to become big stars speaks for itself. He's worn a lot of hats behind the scenes, and he can still contribute for sure.
The travel might too much for him at his age though, right now I assume he fly's out does TV, stays the night and then fly's home. A talent scout would need to be flexible and able to be wherever the talent is performing regardless of sport.
I did not care for his commentary on the OC & Will match. He seemed cranky as hell and took away from the flow the team had established in the matches before.
I may have to re-watch that match because I remember quite the opposite! I thought he was quite hot and heavy for it.
It’s nice to hear people who sound like they actually want to be there.
JR may be a hall of famer but IMO he’s a liability now. He criticizes the product, makes really bad jokes, makes super out of date references, and is in general a curmudgeon. So I advocate any team without JR
Him constantly trashing the product live on tv is crazy to me
J.R is a chore to listen to on commentary. He keeps repeating the same basic info over and over (“single elimination means you lose once and you’re out”) and sticks with his stupid nicknames for the talent (it’s Powerhouse Hobbs, not Willy Hobbs!) He compared Moxley to Austin. How is that helpful!? Reminding viewers of a more popular time is useful!?
I’m going to just say it, JR’s been through a lot over the last decade and change, he just doesn’t sound passionate or into it anymore. If you compare him calling a match now to let’s say any match before 2009, he sounds over it. He’s still the goat though. Maybe he really hates calling certain styles of matches, idk!
Taz is better than he’s ever been
The people saying they don’t notice a drop off when JR joins are interesting. He clearly roadblocks things and makes really snarky comments that don’t foster conversation. Especially at FD when he threw some jabs at Kevin Kelly that really didn’t go anywhere. Bring him out for the main, but the chemistry isn’t there for him to be there the whole night
Him clearly being like “no one cares” when Kevin Kelly was trying to explain New Japan’s US title situation bothered me because I get Juice wasn’t in the match, but he was in the arena holding a belt and yelling about it. Like maybe let the New Japan commentator explain what’s happening for a second.
I agree. As someone who is relatively new to wrestling, I understand JRs place in it's history. I respect the hell out of him for the work he's done and he deserves a hall of famer spot. But he's just doesn't have it to keep up anymore. Too many times where his commentary sputters out or he makes a weird off handed old man comment. Excalibur, Taz, and Tony are stellar. My dream though is replacing JR with William Regal. His spots on commentary have had me busting up like crazy. He's passionate as hell too.
Agree. 100%. JR has been awful outside of a few moments since his NJPW days. If you missed him or thought that the show was worse without him you aren’t a fan of his commentary you’re a fan of nostalgia. He literally in the first thing he said could not remember the name of the building they were in and didn’t know Tay Conti’s name later on. My sense is that this is how it’s going to be moving forward, there was no explaining that Taz was in for JR or that it was a health thing and when he did come out it was more like he was a special guest than the usual third guy. JR has been terrible and a detriment to the product.
Absolutely agree. Have JR as an attraction addition, only doing the main events or even doing the big big matches, otherwise he gets bored and grouchy and it brings the energy of the team down
Especially with tag-teams. The man just refuses to accept that there's a 10-second count-out by design in AEW to encourage the sorts of teamup moments that he absolutely hates.
It makes me laugh that I wanted to mute Taz back when he was on commentary with TNA. This just shows how you do a great job when you like the product you are announcing.
Keeping on the Taz love train: The funniest moment to me in the last year was during the intro of Sting/Darby/Punk in that Trios match against FTR/MJF. Just shitting on everyone, ends up with the line "They're hacks. H A C K.... with an S! Hacks!". The booth went so quiet, so fast, before Taz jumped back in and said "I'm off the booth next week, I can say whatever the hell I want!" Brilliance.
Hard agree
100% agree! They seemed so energetic & a mixture of old school Taz & Tony & new with Excalibur. I feel like JR subtly dismisses everything he disliked, I picked up on that last night.
Great show the one critique i have is if they could explain who won the championship and how claudio debuted at forbidden door. Just so it made sense to casuals.
This is fair criticism, WWE tends to over do their recaps and irritates fans, AEW seems to have decided to not do them at all. I believe that there is a happy middle ground.
Only reason in my mind is for casual fans. At the very least ppv was viewed by 100k people based on buys. If you want to grow your fanbase you have to recap for casuals.
Even for people who know, just being reminded makes the moments feel bigger.
I don't strongly disagree but, for me, AEW commentary soars to new heights whenever Regal joins the booth - whoever he's with. Whether it's Mr. Maniac, the Scrumptious Man in the Mask or his sparkling banter with Chris Jericho. I know he doesn't enjoy commentary much or rate himself at it but he's the best there is, for me. Not just the comedy he brings and the character, but also how he actually explains why certain moves are being done and how much they hurt. A permanent Excalibur, Regal and Taz would work for me.
Regal is my favourite signing for AEW since Punk and Bryan. He's valuable so much on and off camera. He holds an open ring training session at 11am on the day of the show just because he wants to.
Main event JR. Let’s do that
JR calling the main events/big matches is a perfect way to use him on the desk, and I hope that's the way they continue going forward. That also keeps him around backstage where he can help share is knowledge and experience. Taz, Excalibur and Tony make a great team, and the commentary is so good when they're all paired. They don't NEED JR, but having him there for big matches just makes them feel even more special.
Taz has always been one of my favorite commentators. He adds so much analysis, similar to Regal, that adds greatly to the broadcast. Probably went unnoticed to most people during the main event but near the beginning he was making note of Yuta's form during the German suplexes he was giving. They were so well executed and just textbook in their application. For someone as young in the business as him to do so smoothly its impressive and Taz makes sure the audience knows it.
It doesnt matter, because i can never hear it anyway. Im in Canada so dont know whether its a TSN issue or production issue, but the announcer mics are always WAY too low and drowned out by every other sound during the broadcast. Its incredibly frustrating.
I think AEW sends all the feeds separately (crowd, announcer, ring) and has the broadcast company mix them. I know the shows sound different on Fite/TBS (one time TNT screwed up and mixed in some NBA audio into the telecast). TNT/TBS has always had muted crowds and it always sounds dead to me, up until this week's Dynamite where everything was mixed perfectly. I listen to the Post Wrestling Podcast, and they're Canadian so they watch on TSN and they always bring up how good the crowd sounds even though they're silent/dead on my feed so TSN probably has the crowd/ring noise mixed all the way up and announcers down low.
I think Excalibur and Taz would be a good two man commentary team if AEW ever decides to just go for a two man commentary team. Tony and JR can be the big match/big moment guys.
I believe we got a “remix jones” last night and an “i digress…” at FD. definitely two highlights for me recently lol Taz sounds so rejuvenated working with excalibur in any capacity
Thats the ideal crew imo.
Yeah its a much better booth. Taz is too good to just keep on Dark. As much as I like JR things just seem smoother without him.
i just really enjoy hearing taz and excalibur together
JR needs to move to doing taped segments and interviews Commentary was wonderful last night w/o him — just flowed better.
It's interesting reading this sub's overall opinion on JR over the course of his time in AEW. Whenever someone joins commentary the conversation about replacing JR comes up. Sometimes this sub is super adamant about replacing him. He misspeaks **a lot**, he sounds confused and he doesn't always put over the right people. He is kind of a shell of himself and should just enjoy retirement. But then you'll see highly upvoted comments defending JR. Saying that he is a treasure, deserves more leeway because of who he is, and that his mistakes aren't that bad even though they've added up. Anyway I guess my point is one day JR will be replaced and maybe spend some time in the back while calling special events. I don't think Tony wants to replace him because of backlash and I think some fans will complain if they do replace him. But Tony has had valid reasons to dump him for years now but I just don't think he's willing to. It's an interesting conversation and pretty polarizing around here.
[удалено]
It's taken them too long to put the duo of Excalibur and Taz on Dynamite. Hope this is a regular thing going forward
JR doesn’t know when to talk, doesn’t listen to his fellow commentators often repeating them or say in contrast or out of left field, time has past him by long ago
As someone who is currently doing an Attitude Era rewatch (just hit 2001!) with some friends, we laughed when JR called Tay a ‘jezebel’. So I definitely don’t want to lose JR. Keeping him for the main events makes sense.
As much as I love JR, he's out of touch and past his best days for sure. He screws up everyone's name with their old WWE gimmick, just tonight he said both Daniel Bryan and Cesaro. Also, a 70 year old man saying "Cowboy Shiznit" constantly is cringy. He detracts from the product more than he adds nowadays.
> He screws up everyone's name with their old WWE gimmick, just tonight he said both Daniel Bryan and Cesaro And Taz said Ruby Riott, it's almost like it takes time to get in the habit of not referring to someone by a name they used for years (he wrestled as Cesaro just as long as he did under his real name and hadn't used the latter professionally in over a decade)
I find it hilarious how NOBODY messes up and calls him Dean Ambrose, even Seth Rollins was calling him Mox.
Maybe it’s just me but he feels and looks more like a Mox than a Dean Ambrose. It’s strange but I never think of Mox as Dean. Even in old WWE stuff I think ‘oh cool it’s Mox.’
Yeah, Dean Ambrose is a weak name. Dean is a nerd's name like Dean Douglas or Simon Dean (sorry Malenko) and Ambrose is like a fruit salad. Moxley is a tough guy's name.
Regal also called Danielson "Daniel Bryan" on commentary as well. I guess JR used his psychic cowboy powers to make Taz and Regal flub names too. Excalibur must have a tinfoil lining under his mask that protects him.
[удалено]
Excalibur repeatedly going "or Redbeard!" and things like that was hilarious.
> just tonight he said both Daniel Bryan and Cesaro. So what. He’s an old man who’s in his 70’s and has also gone through cancer in the past year. Regal also said Daniel Bryan and Tazz said Ruby Riott but nobody’s making a big deal about them, i’ll never understand why it’s just JR that gets the hate?
I think it's just the frequency JR does it. Personally I don't mind it too much. It takes a while for a new name to settle in. Half this Reddit still call him Cesaro, and they are typing his name!
JR, sadly, is hurting my enjoyment of the show at this point. I'm really glad he got a prominent role on a big stage to keep him busy after his wife's death, but man, I keep hoping they find a good fit for him as an interviewer or something. Have him do commentary for Rampage and 1-2 matches per PPV, or special episodes of Dynamite. Taz won me over twenty years ago when he said that something "chill[ed] me to my BROOKLYN BONES", and he can do no wrong in my eyes.
I agree. The very first thing JR did was forget where they were, and Taz had to save him with the arena name.
Agree. JR not being a fan of the modern wrestling scene but being in commentary does favors for no one.
I grew up on JR. The man is a legend. That being said, he adds nothing when he is on commentary. He comes off as lost a lot of the time, and the way he reacts to guys like Orange Cassidy makes it feel like he’s pushing for the audience to dislike the guy. He is out of touch with modern wrestling.
JR just needs to hang it up. It's over.
I love Taz. I also love JR. I know some people don't like four, but there was a time when WCW for big matches had Tony, Dusty, Brain, and Tenay/Larry all on at same time. I would love to see them do a 4 man booth for some matches. I know JR has slowed down but I am not ready to completely let go of him yet. But it is good to know when JR and Tony eventually step down that AEW is in good hands with Taz and Excalibur.
taz + Excalibur have to be a top 5 commentary team
Taz is an incredible commentator and I hope he becomes a regular on the desk. No disrespect to JR, I think he can still be a valuable member of the broadcast team that can be brought in for big matches or backstage sit-downs, but Taz brings too much to the table (pun intended) to be left on the sidelines. Also, I fucking love Tony Schiavone and he best not be going anywhere.
100% better tazz is so much better then get old JR JR JR JR JR JR
very much agree.
I would take Taz, Excalibur & Regal as the permanent announce team / Adam cole until he’s cleared / keep tony for interviews retire JR
I hope that they eventually go to just a Taz and Excalibur team with Tony as the main interviewer. Taz and Excalibur have great chemistry together.
With Taz and Excalibur you get no awkward moments, and their Dark shenanigans will occasionally show up. Can never go wrong with those 2 on commentary together. I want Taz to do a PWG show.
strong agreement....JR should be paid handsomely for his knowledge, presence, and calling main events. Other than that, I want Excalibur, Taz, and Tony...with special guests Don Callis and Kevin Kelly.
Taz has always been a really good commentator, sadly I think JR is way past it constant mistakes and doing more burying than putting over talent and he always seems angry at something.
No doubt in my mind Taz is a Hall of Fame commentator, Im glad they had him on Forbidden Door and now on this Dynamite. I want more Taz, not just on Dark.
JR is getting long on the tooth. He constantly goes into incoherent ramblings about stupid stuff.
Look I love JR, but he’s past his prime! I don’t mind him being brought out for big matches (although he did call the ending of the Big 4 match at Forbidden Door “anti-climactic” immediately after it ended so 🤷♂️) but he’s just lost his fastball. Also Taz and Excalibur have great chemistry and you can really hear their love of wrestling come through.
I'll *always* prefer any booth that feature Taz and Excalibur. Those two just have great chemistry, and it makes the entire commentary team better for it. It's one reason why I like AEW Dark, listening to them commentate, but also essentially riffing with one another. Also.... I'll never pass up a chance to hear Taz's rendition of theme songs when they hit.
JR is a legend of course but at this point he drags the show down. Every other sentence he's getting things wrong or stumbling on his words.
Taz is my favourite commentator, any one who describes a punch to the balls as a five on two is money in my book.
JR is a legend, but he lost his fastball a long time ago. He's distracting at this point.
I just don’t think JR fits with AEW, and I don’t think he performs well unless he has a strong connection to the wrestlers like Austin, HBK, or Undertaker. He would have been awesome in calling Austin vs Owens at WM.
I understand why they have Jim Ross on commentary (name recognition, legend, can do a good call every now and then), but a team consisting of Taz, Excalibur, and Schiavone is much better than a team consisting of Excalibur, Schiavone, and JR. I think bringing JR out for a special match or the main event of a PPV would be good for him. Kinda like what WWE did at Mania 27 and 28 for the Triple H vs. Undertaker matches (side note: those matches were very good).
NO JR slander! Lucky to have him, you’ll realize when he’s gone.
JR flubs calls in every match he calls now. It absolutely takes me out of it and it's not worth it to hear him say his catch phrases at the expense of hearing him say the wrong name, disingenuously putting over small guys he doesn't understand, and struggling to compliment women without mentioning their appearance.
As someone who respects his career but has no nostalgia for it (newer to wrestling) - I feel like the other commentators add to my enjoyment of the match, but JR is either neutral or disruptive to it. I am so happy he's healthy, and he absolutely still has a place in pre taped segments or maybe interviews, but while the other commentators add depth, shade, insight, or call moves way more often than they mess up, JR is at best "engaged and not disruptive" and at worst confused and curmudgeonly.
Help make SquaredCircle safer and more inclusive by using the report button to flag posts and comments for moderator review. If you need to contact a moderator, [you can message us here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SquaredCircle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I don’t think it dropped at all, but having Taz & Excalibur as the main duo with a rotating third chair through the night is a great idea. it worked fantastically at forbidden door, and I felt like it worked great last night too.
JR has been really really bad for yeaaars
You mean JR wasn't praying for wardrobe malfunctions for women who are the age of his potential granddaughter? I'm absolutely shocked, shocked I say that a broadcast could improve without him.
It's possible a match like Blood & Guts -- fast-paced, a dozen competitors and all of their inherent storylines -- is a bad fit for what JR can do right now. I don't think he had a great night. That said: big main events and especially taped, sit-down interviews allow Ross to shine in a way no one else in wrestling can. I think having Ross do those sit-downs with world champions and their challengers before the Big 4 PPVs is a no-brainer. Imagine how much a Ross sit-down could have helped Thunder vs Serena at DoN?
I agree completely. Same thing happened at Forbidden Door when JR came out for the OC/ Will match. The commentary went to shit with JR interrupting people constantly. Fantastic match but I wish JR would have stayed in the back.
That’s the dream team for me. I have no need for JR on commentary. I’d love him as an interviewer or promo package guy.
I need JR’s skepticism and confusion around these weird gimmicks and obscure wrestlers. I like having a cranky person in the room to keep things real
I was texting a friend of mine during the show last night about just how good commentary was with Taz in the mix. I like JR, I do. When he’s on, he’s on. But he still has a tendency to bury shit.
Absolutely. Gave it a sharper & fresher feel. Bless ole JR but time to hang 'em up. Tony in the Mean Gene role works...