• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

The Greatness Of Jim Ross

Posted: Jan 21st 2014 By: CMBurnham

Wrestling means less without the right words to grease its path.

It has always been true to say that a great talker and a fuller house always went hand in glove - even back to the carnival/vaudevillian days. The ?roll up, roll up? function just migrated from outside the venue to the TV screen, but its premise remained the same.

From the rolling flurries of a naturally charismatic showman, to the blunt delivery of a straight-up-and-down asskicker. Using words to organize a fans thoughts has always been a tool used to great effect.

Plays are tell, movies are show; wrestling is tell then show.

Let me hear why you want to get your hands on someone, make it universal enough so it strikes a chord in me, and I will pay to see it.

Tell me why. Then show me how.

It?s because of this imperative on the tell, that pro-wrestling has unearthed some of the best talkers in any form of sport or entertainment, anywhere in the world. And as the need to connect more and more with the audience evolved so did the need to talk.

And as pro-wrestling moved its way through the TV era, the room for another voice to enter our homes became clearer and more important. A voice to sell us on what we needed to know, explain the details of feud or simply contextualise what we were seeing.

It was the birth of the wrestling announcer. Specifically the play-by-play man. The one who paints the picture.

I have watched and listened for many years to brilliant, effective, announcers excel at their jobs. I watched the WCW guys through to Monday Night Wars and later heard the lone voice carrying all the way from Philadelphia. I was fortunate enough to hear Gorilla?s booming calls and Vince?s over-the-top pinfall attempts.

All these men were skillful, talented, and in some cases hugely entertaining. But being from Ireland, my childhood was all about the ?real? style of Kent Watson on World of Sport. It was the kind of approach that I would hear again in Gordon Solie when I became a fan of American wrestling. And a style I would hear again - only more passionate and commanding - at Wrestlemania IX.

This new southern accent told me, in a very business-like way, what I should be looking out for in this match. That same voice ran down both opponents credentials and helped me understand the stakes of the match and what was on the line for both combatants involved.

The ?heigh, weight, previous athletic experience? intro was not only a great way to mark the size and athleticism of the wrestlers involved. It also made them human.

And that simply made us care more. And invest more. And wince more at their pain and root more for their victories. That southern voice became JR. And JR became the greatest of all time week by week, match by match because of his ?game time? mentality and his unique ability to be utterly submerged in the story.

At the end of the broadcast his voice would be strained, his throat would be raw but his mind was always working - making sure we were there along with him. Making sure we understood and felt what was coming down our screens.

Some people are born with that kind of intensity in their body. And some are not. If you want to take a listen to the difference, then may I suggest looking back at the ?Invasion? angle on RAW where Stone Cold switches back to WWE. Listen to Ross. Listen to Cole. Hear the difference between them. Not better or worse. Just different. Listen for Ross? natural energy until it clicks up into a controlled explosion. And listen to Cole trying to keep up with JR?s style, natural and learned.

The calls pulled the action along, the action in the ring fed the emotion of Ross on the outside. It was as perfect a partnership of the two that I?ve ever seen on WWE TV.

Wrestling announcing still has the work ethic, the dedication, the experience and the skill in it. But where?s the art gone? Where?s the animation? Where?s the urgency?

Where?s the push and pull of the talent and the announce desk?

And why is Jim Ross, healthy and prepared enough for a huge speaking tour, not being utilised in restoring all those things back to the presentation?

For all the changes - wrestling is still a tell me, show me business.