Message-ID: 

Best Announcer                          

Award Description:

To be given to the commentator/announcer who makes the most insightful and
entertaining comments while pushing his product.  "Ring announcers" don't
qualify here.  As of 1992, the difference between this and colour
commentator will be enforced.

Previous Winners:

  1990: Jesse Ventura 
  1991: Jesse Ventura 
  1992: Jim Ross 
  1993: Jim Ross 
  1994: Jim Ross 
  1995: Jim Ross
  1996: Jim Ross
  1997: Jim Ross
  1998: Jim Ross
  1999: Jim Ross
  2000: Jim Ross
  2001: Jim Ross
  2002: Michael Cole

**2003**: Michael Cole

123 first place votes
115 second place votes
 96 third place votes

 39 37 13  332   Michael Cole
 32 27 12  265   Mike Tenay
 18 18 21  186   Jim Ross
  6  8 29  112   Josh Matthews
  8 10  4   78   Joey Styles
  7  6  9   71   Jonathan Coachman
  3  1  1   20   Dave Prazak
  2  0  2   14   Dan Wilson
  2  1  0   13   Jim Cornette
  1  1  0    8   Eric Garguilo
  1  0  1    7   Dr. Alphonso Morales
  1  0  0    5   Steve-O
  1  0  0    5   Steve Murphy
  0  1  0    3   Steven Prazak
  0  1  0    3   Scott Hudson
  0  1  0    3   Grand Poobah
  0  1  0    3   Arturo Rivera
  0  1  0    3   Aaron Royal
  0  0  1    2   Ron Niemi
  0  0  1    2   Mike Johnson

REJECTED - not play-by-play announcers

  2  1  0        Tazz
  0  0  1        Some guy voted for his brother
  0  0  1        Duplicated votes

HACK-MAN: Since Jim Ross finally didn't win Best Announcer last year, and
the fact that he's gone downhill a lot in the last 12 months, I'm guessing
he won't win this year either.  I fully expect Cole to win for his second
year in a row.  But the three announcers who are head and shoulders above
anyone in WWE are Dan "The Dragon" Wilson (NWA Wildside), Steven Prazak
(usually on color, but has done play by play in Wildside), and Mike Tenay
(who is a shadow of his WCW self now that he has to be the one to hype
things other than what's going on in the ring).

PAUL ZOROVICH: God help me, I'm voting for Cole two years in a row.

MICHAEL: 1st:  Joey Styles.  MLW¹s Halloween television show was a riot
with Styles donning a different luchadore mask for each time he was
camera. 2nd:  Jim Ross.  Considering the crap he¹s had to call this year,
not to mention three angles to get him off television, it amazing that
he¹s even still placing here. 3rd:  Michael Cole.  I thoguht about placing
him 2nd until I remembered ³pound and ground².

MATTHEW HOCKING:  Cole is getting better but he's still too bland.  Tenay
knows his stuff but he's really annoying.  I gave my number 1 vote to Jim
Ross, who despite an off year and a poor partner, is still the best big
match announcer in wrestling.  There is nobody I'd rather hear announcing
a main-event.  Coachman almost made the list, but he needs to learn more
emotions that "really excited" and "really bitter".

SCOTT CHRIST: Michael Cole got pretty good somewhere along the way. I'd
give Mike Tenay #1, but his senseless company lines and shills and well,
the faces he makes keep him at #2. Jim Ross at #3 because when he's up for
it, he still calls a big match like no one else can.

STEFAN TORNGREN: Josh Matthews didn’t make it into my top 3, but I think
he has done an excellent job on Velocity. Could be #1 in a few years.

JEFF "FRO" WAHLMAN:  Jim Cornette's the best wrestling announcer going
today... always informative, putting over the product and the wrestlers,
highly exciting and entertaining, and yet retaining credibility and not
overshilling.

THE CUBS FAN: While I'm sure I wouldn't want him to be doing the same act
on a show that has meaningful, Josh Matthews does his job as well as any
other announcer I watch does their job.

RICK SCAIA: The changing of the guard has happened.  Michael Cole can now
be counted on to perform more consistently than Jim Ross, and is my
Announcer of the Year. Again, Cole is assisted greatly by the hands-down
most valuable commentator on any wrestling show, Tazz, but that doesn't
diminish the fact that Cole has found his voice, his role, and the right
chemistry with his partner. Ross, saddled with an often embarrassing
partner and also forced throughout the year to deviate from calling the
action to become a performer and character in his own right, simply had
too many off weeks to have any shot at retaining this title in 2003.  So
shoot me, I still like Mike Tenay in small doses, which is about all there
is to have of him; he's #3.

--
Christopher Robin Zimmerman   |    moderator, rec.sport.pro-wrestling.info
WWW: CRZ.net | AIM: SeeOurZed | co-moderator, rec.sport.pro-wrestling.moderated
--
©2003 CRZ[tm]


--- Internet Rex 2.29