TNA commentary booth news and the top 10 Color Commentators ever

In honor of Don West, the worst color man I’ve ever had the misfortune of listening to, being relieved of his TNA job and, according to PWI promoted within the company, here is a list of 10 guys who are the opposite of Mr. West- the very best color men I’ve ever heard.

10. Jerry Lawler

Lawler is far from my favorite of the options for number ten, but to simply not include him is a disservice. He’s lately become a total shill, but for awhile in the 1990s had decent focus in getting angles over, had pretty funny jokes about wrestlers, and got his own shtick (“Puppies!) over to such an extent that it has only recently died down. Also, some credit is earned by simply surviving this long under the tyrannical Vince McMahon.

9. Dusty Rhodes

Dusty is a little bit insane, but has such an amazing mind in the business, having come up with and executed some of the greatest ideas in wrestling history (like War Games), that he knows exactly what to get over. Even as a caricature, he could put over an angle like no other and now, years removed from his in ring days, he’s offering his best commentary ever in FCW. He’ll be a fast mover up the list if he’s left there.

8. Mike Quackenbush

Quackenbush, the mastermind behind all things Chikara, has an amazing mind for the business. He does both color and play-by-play with Chikara, usually doing an amazing job at either. He’s specifically excellent at explaining and getting over the actual match and making the moves seem like they matter, no small task given just how fancy Chikara can get.

7. Cyrus the Virus

In ECW, Joey Styles was an island unto himself, handling the commentary booth alone, but when ECW went to TNN, they added Cyrus. Cyrus was the villainous censor, a true heel commentator through and through and he was excellent at it. He got over the conservative viewpoint about ECW at every point, which only made the company seem cooler and edgier through pissing him off.

6. CM Punk

Many will object to Punk being this high on the list, but his Ring of Honor commentary work was fantastic. Punk is one of the few who managed a sense of humor without trivializing what went on in the ring. He was often hilarious, but never buried anyone and always put the angles first- exactly what I want in a color man. Besides, how can you hate the first man to notice Roderick Strong’s “freaky retard strength.”

5. Paul Heyman

Heyman can be an obnoxious jerk, but he’s also probably the most original mind the wrestling business has known in the modern era. When he was on color, he was sometimes frustrating to the point of no return, but his sharp wit and implicit understanding of exactly what he wanted to get over made him one of the best color men ever.

4. Matt Striker

Matt Striker is an absolutely great color man. Many will object to his placement so high, since his ECW work is so shortlived, but it has been amazing. He is a true student of the game and the only man I can ever recall actually explaining and getting over non-WWE style wrestlers and wrestling with his commentary, which only makes his own talent on ECW look all the better and more worldly.

3. JBL

JBL is very similar to Matt Striker, except viciously funny. He knows wrestling inside and out and his strong intelligence comes through when he speaks, just as it does for Striker. His points are well-reasoned and he’s one of the few who won’t talk down to the audience, but instead makes good points that leads to deeper and more engaging storylines.

2. Bobby Heenan

"The Weasel" is the funniest man to ever get behind a microphone for the WWE for color commentary. His hilarious jokes and utter contempt of all things good made him an ideal color man and the only thing stopping him from being number one are his drunken WCW years which were actually so bad they were kind of good.

 1. Jesse Ventura

Jesse Ventura may look like a lunkhead, but he’s a very intelligent man, much like the others populating the top of the list. He’s from an era where wrestlers knew the business inside and out and he always conveyed that in a clever, interesting manner, while still managing to be an unlikable jerk, so that his hatred of faces got them even more over. Further, he’s second only to Heenan in the comedic department and his verbal sparring with Gorilla Monsoon is the stuff of legends. His last, and perhaps my favorite point, one which only JBL, Heyman and Punk get, Ventura never talked over a great moment.