Just wanted to throw out some things I've been thinking about concerning the present and future of the announce team to see what everybody thinks.
First, regarding the state of the current announce team, I think there are some positives and negatives. Michael Cole, and I know this isn't a popular opinion, is fine as a straight play by play guy--they just ask him to do too much because he doesn't get enough help from King and JBL. Ideally, he should be a neutral voice and foil to dynamic personalities on either side of him, both literally and in terms of ideological positions.
This, to me, is where King is no longer effective. He has very little dynamism at this point and no longer really has a clear voice and position in relation to the product. He's solid at the little things, like reading the ads and explaining on a basic level what's going on in the ring and how creative wants us to interpret the story, this competence is why he's still around, but I think we need more from that chair.
JBL, likewise, is serviceable but too often feels like a generic heel announcer with no real motivation for his character's positions other than being a contrarian. This makes his arguments seem hollow and ultimately hurts his ability to put guys over. He also does things well, particularly hyping a big fight feel even when that could be difficult. Again though, I think a more fleshed out character that connects with the audience rather than loudly arguing whatever common sense proposition is in front of him would be better.
So, here is my dream: In ten years, the WWE commentary team is CM Punk and John Cena with an experienced and familiar Cole still in the middle seat. If we have to think about this in the old face/heel paradigm, Punk is the heel, Cena is the face, and Cole is a neutral facilitator.
Punk's character, particularly, is a little more complex than the old heel routine, but the effect is pretty much the same. I think he could draw on his own experiences, and our collective imaginings of him as disgruntled and self-interested, to tell great stories as to why heels are reckless, indifferent to the rules, and selfish. He could really get heels over with this and give some great psychological insight that propels a story. He's also shown himself to be very comfortable on the mic and even announcing.
Cena, on the other hand, would be the babyface he always has been. He could tirelessly praise the heart and tenacity of the faces, and his credibility on those subjects would give a great rub to the praiseworthy. Wasn't something of this position missing, for example, in the long buildup for Daniel Bryan? A retired Cena could have talked about the tremendous adversity Bryan overcame with passion and respect. This job too often fell on Cole in that angle, and it suffered because no one cares what Cole thinks, he has no credibility with that kind of thing as a talking head without a wrestling background. I would have some concerns. He would have to shed his tendency to make light of things sometimes, for example, but with some work I think he could be great, with the added benefit of keeping him as an ambassador for the product.
So that's my two cents, I'm curious what everybody thinks about this team and if they have dream announce teams of their own. My intention isn't really for this to turn into a debate on the plausibility of Punk coming back, though I'm sure some of that is inevitable. I don't know if either would want to do this, but if I was in charge I would try like hell to make it happen.
First, regarding the state of the current announce team, I think there are some positives and negatives. Michael Cole, and I know this isn't a popular opinion, is fine as a straight play by play guy--they just ask him to do too much because he doesn't get enough help from King and JBL. Ideally, he should be a neutral voice and foil to dynamic personalities on either side of him, both literally and in terms of ideological positions.
This, to me, is where King is no longer effective. He has very little dynamism at this point and no longer really has a clear voice and position in relation to the product. He's solid at the little things, like reading the ads and explaining on a basic level what's going on in the ring and how creative wants us to interpret the story, this competence is why he's still around, but I think we need more from that chair.
JBL, likewise, is serviceable but too often feels like a generic heel announcer with no real motivation for his character's positions other than being a contrarian. This makes his arguments seem hollow and ultimately hurts his ability to put guys over. He also does things well, particularly hyping a big fight feel even when that could be difficult. Again though, I think a more fleshed out character that connects with the audience rather than loudly arguing whatever common sense proposition is in front of him would be better.
So, here is my dream: In ten years, the WWE commentary team is CM Punk and John Cena with an experienced and familiar Cole still in the middle seat. If we have to think about this in the old face/heel paradigm, Punk is the heel, Cena is the face, and Cole is a neutral facilitator.
Punk's character, particularly, is a little more complex than the old heel routine, but the effect is pretty much the same. I think he could draw on his own experiences, and our collective imaginings of him as disgruntled and self-interested, to tell great stories as to why heels are reckless, indifferent to the rules, and selfish. He could really get heels over with this and give some great psychological insight that propels a story. He's also shown himself to be very comfortable on the mic and even announcing.
Cena, on the other hand, would be the babyface he always has been. He could tirelessly praise the heart and tenacity of the faces, and his credibility on those subjects would give a great rub to the praiseworthy. Wasn't something of this position missing, for example, in the long buildup for Daniel Bryan? A retired Cena could have talked about the tremendous adversity Bryan overcame with passion and respect. This job too often fell on Cole in that angle, and it suffered because no one cares what Cole thinks, he has no credibility with that kind of thing as a talking head without a wrestling background. I would have some concerns. He would have to shed his tendency to make light of things sometimes, for example, but with some work I think he could be great, with the added benefit of keeping him as an ambassador for the product.
So that's my two cents, I'm curious what everybody thinks about this team and if they have dream announce teams of their own. My intention isn't really for this to turn into a debate on the plausibility of Punk coming back, though I'm sure some of that is inevitable. I don't know if either would want to do this, but if I was in charge I would try like hell to make it happen.
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