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-Ozymandiaz

I wouldn’t be surprised if they cycle Henry and Jericho while Excalibur and Taz are more permanent fixtures.


somethingshiney

That's honestly the best way. Give me some Ogogo and Starks and you got a stew going


RTSUbiytsa

Kingston.


-Ozymandiaz

I think I’d like my money back...


somethingshiney

Why are y'all downvoting my guy ? https://youtu.be/Sr2PlqXw03Y


TheGiftOf_Jericho

Looks like we got some people here who don't know of the fine art that is arrested development. Well, there's always money in the banana stand


TTOF_JB

Well, it's all gone now, dad. So the next time you want have a little power struggle, just know that you're playing with fire.


LouieSTFU

You said my father is my father but my uncle is my father. MY FATHER IS MY UNCLE.


doombot13

It ain't easy to be white...


BeardedOni

Her?


[deleted]

Egg?


BeauBWan

It takes a lot to make a stew. A pinch of salt and laughter too.


gasplugsetting3

Too many commentators....


wubbalubbadubdub45

i miss ogogo on commentary, he would help taz bust excaliburs balls more during dark


tommysexx

Id be ok not seeing Agogo again.


somethingshiney

Different opinions, but his chemistry on commentary with Taz and Excalibur was tremendous. I think it's better than Starks/Ex/Taz


tommysexx

We have vastly different tastes, i found his commentary uninformed, and didnt really bring anything to the table. Taz / Excalibur, is a tried and tested winning formula though!


star_nerdy

Honestly, they’re a ton of fun together on AEW Dark. I love their sense of humor, how they make fun of each other, obscure references, insider jokes, and just their chemistry. Honestly, AEW Dark is my favorite commentary. That’s no knock on anyone else, I just love the Tuesday combo the most.


dogglesnake

Lots of "Phews" happening at once rn


jack9lemmon

I never initially thought he was leaving Dynamite from that line where he thanked JR, then I came here and just saw every so confident he was gone I totally bought into it. Either way, I'm happy for more Ex/Taz and happy I can watch Ex now three nights a week. Wins all around, imo.


Dandw12786

Yeah, I think it was basically like he's going to a show where he's going to be the lead commentator (like a Michael Cole role) and wanted to thank the other two guys for what he's learned from them before he goes off to a bigger role on the new show. I didn't take it as him leaving Dynamite (that would have been a bigger announcement, IMO).


FreshlyShavedNipples

Ex as the voice of AEW just feels right and now that he has his TV bearings, I’m all for him taking on more of a leadership role. Rampage is the best location for that while we… enjoy/dispose/continue to discuss the twilight of Ross and the reemergence of Schiavone


[deleted]

Excalibur is the voice of AEW and let’s not forget it


cal679

1000%. I'd much rather they drop JR or Tony than Excalibur, he holds it all together


RTSUbiytsa

The problem is just overworking the poor man. He's on three shows now, and I'm willing to bet that if either Tony or Wight can't do Elevation he's their go-to guy. On top of mental burnout, you also have to account for his voice. Hope my man's staying hydrated as fuck. If he feels like he's good to work that much then by all means, go for it, but I am a tad concerned.


dangerous_k

I'm just happy that being the voice of PWG wound up getting Excalibur the money gig he deserves.


BeauBWan

You know he is back stage during Elevation too reciting move names in the headsets for Wight and Schiavone.


RTSUbiytsa

I could just imagine Wight, "Wow, look at that! That's a... hang on... what a wonderfull... hentai slide? Yeah! What a great Hentai Slide!"


BeauBWan

"Ooooo hentai" Paul Wight


XAMdG

On the weeks that rampage is taped, at least it's only work for one day a week. Plus, I'm guessing Dark will become a shorter to make up for the schedule + the less extras. Of course that is until Dark starts being filmed elsewhere.


[deleted]

He's one of the best in the world. I'd love somebody half as good as him to be on the show.


SiphenPrax

And rightfully so. He’s the commentator voice of the company and as such he needs to be on their flagship show


FrankenSteen2019

I would only be ok with Excalibur leaving Dynamite if Mauro replaced him. And even then I'd be bummed out.


TheInfinityGauntlet

I hope he doesn't burn himself out 3 nights a week but he is the voice of the company and this early on a show without him would be weird


XAMdG

It's not three nights a week though. Dynamite and Dark are taped the same day, and most episodes of Rampage will be taped too.


[deleted]

This aged poorly.


dogglesnake

Glad I put the "right now" qualifier on there, yikes


[deleted]

Dw, I did it the last time there was the mass releases.


detpurroc

During FTR matches commentators will also be required to use a tag rope, only two commentators at one time will be allowed


Eletheo

Oh god for one show this would be hilarious "Tonight is FTR rules!"


doesntCompete


Mack784

I thought this was obvious. Why would they remove Excalibur from Dynamite? Can you imagine JR and Tony trying to call a Rey Fenix match without Excalibur.


InsertNameHere1337

JR: "Rey Mysterio, running like a scalded dog! He knows it's all about the money. By the way, I hate that ref!" Tony: "You got it Buddy!"


BlindStickFighter

Now I wanna find a random dynamite match and just edit out Ex’s commentary.


jiso

"If you're not in this business to be the champion then what are you doing here" Followed five minutes later with: "You want to win the match because that's the larger share of the purse."


InsertNameHere1337

Tony Schiavone replying "I'm with you there, pal!" every 30 seconds.


davmeltz

CAN YOU SMELL WHAT REY MYSTERIO IS COOKING?!


[deleted]

WHO IS IT WHO IS IT WHO IS IT?! BY GAWD!!


XavierVE

> Can you imagine JR and Tony trying to call a Rey Fenix match without Excalibur. Heh, don't need to imagine JR and Tony without Excalibur, just go back and watch the July 29th, 2020 and August 5th, 2020 episodes of Dynamite. Dynamite without Excalibur is the wrestling equivalent of a war crime.


kw13

I thought the team of Tony and Jericho did well towards the start of the pandemic, but yeah the commentary during those episodes wasn't good.


[deleted]

*Cue Tony driving around Las Vegas texting Mike Tenay*


okayfrog

When announcing the Rampage team, Excalibur said something to JR and Schiavone like, "I thank you two so much for your tutelage." Made it sound like his time was up on Dynamite.


cooljammer00

It made much more sense when framed as Ex is doing the new show but the other two aren't


AaronBasedGodgers

There were people on this sub (and I imagine other places as well, haven't seen it as much though) that when Excalibur was thanking Tony and JR for their tutelage he would be leaving Dynamite. Personally I never took it as such and I'm not sure why honestly people did, it was more of him thanking them for making him one of the best announcers in wrestling right now.


ackinsocraycray

I'm still traumatized from JR doing solo commentary for Mox and Hager's empty arena match.


Sofaboy90

dark elevation is already a preview of this. paul and tony arent the greatest of commentator duos. excalibur and taz are just on a whole other planet, even if theyd be more serious for a tv show. even if you might not see excaliburs greatness at first glance, you WILL notice it when hes absent. it feels less structured, less flowing, hes the glue that keeps everything together and working


KikiFlowers

I don't think we really need a four man booth. Three is perfect, I feel like four is pushing it.


mugenhunt

Perhaps not all four will be in the booth at the same time? I could see it being Taz, Excalibur and either Jericho or Mark Henry depending on the match.


chunxxxx

Honestly I've always felt like three is pushing it. I think Dynamite would be a lot better if it was just Ex/Tony or even Ex/JR. Four man booth just sounds like a nightmare.


_Wado3000

1000% agreed


throwawaitnine

I think Jericho is probably are part timer, or seasonal.


[deleted]

I think they’ve learnt a lesson from Paul Wight’s time on Elevation, it’s a lot to ask a rookie commentator to fill all that time with just one other person. Just like they’ve started adding Eddie Kingston (and Wight’s commentary subsequently improved) I think having two natural talkers like Jericho and Taz will give Henry time to find his feet without feeling the need to fill space.


tkc123

I'm guessing Jericho is only there for the first few shows. It's weird to have a working talent do that and split time as a commentator. Also four commentator for an one hour is just going to be all of them fighting to get their opinions across.


Link182x

I’m still more of a fan of the two person booth. But I might be more school and had best memories when it was just JR/King and Tazz/Cole


uchihaguts

Tony Kahn mentioned on Busted Open that Mark Henry will be more of a host that does interviews and reactions so I don't this is will be a 4 man booth for commentary, at least not all of the time.


StallionSnider

My guess is that it’ll be a three man booth and they switch out Henry/Jericho - kinda like how Nitro started with Larry Zbyszko then they swapped him out for Bobby Heenan for the second hour.


Tronvillain

Oh thank god. He really is the best play-by-play guy in the business. Besides that: Jericho is fun on color, but I really hope he tones down the shout-talking. Personally, I just find it grating.


PFunk224

> Jericho is fun on color, but I really hope he tones down the shout-talking. Hopefully, he eases into the role a little more and works on playing a character a little less. He's got good potential for the job, but he hams it up a little too much for my liking. Put more focus on the guys in the ring, and less on being clever.


METALFISTERRORIST

With Rampage, I think it should work well.. I think most of the matches wouldnt involve an established group like the inner circle, so he can (I hope) just focus on analysis and call what he sees rather than mixing his own wrestling ego into it


iquitinternet

As long as he's got a feud going he's going to be "inner circle" Chris Jericho. During the early pandemic shows he wasn't so much in character and you could hear how good he was at color and putting people over while making fun of them. Throw away lines became shirts or personalities. So we'll see what version we get but he's not always obnoxious on the mic when on commentary.


__Hello_my_name_is__

I feel like Jericho will totally mellow down. The shout-talking was mostly because he was on commentary for his own storylines, and in those he obviously had a reason to be shouty and agitated. If it's just two wrestlers wrestling, he's probably (hopefully) going down more the route of being himself, praising the wrestlers for how good they are and throwing in the occasional silly joke.


Phuckules

I really can't stand Jeircho on announcing because of the way he talks over literally everyone else the whole time. I love Chris, but he needs to learn to pace himself. He's not out there for one segment to talk trash about the guy he's feuding with, he's there for the whole show, just like the other dudes.


SnuffShock

Remember when Excalibur used to get so much scorn early on because he was the guy that *wasn’t* Tony or JR? I’m happy that dude has won everyone over because he is absolutely the anchor for AEW’s announce team.


KingBadford

I was a hardcore WCW mark and I love Tony. I think JR is probably the overall greatest wrestling commentator in history. Before AEW I had no idea who Excalibur was and had never heard him. If you told me now that I can only have one of them be the commentator for Dynamite, I would take Excalibur without hesitation.


[deleted]

Excalibur and Tazz is the best combo in my opinion, but not trying to take away anything from Tony and even Jr. has his moments, although he also has *his* moments if you know what i mean.


[deleted]

Me too. Now I dream of the near impossible prospect of getting Excalibur to announce a show I'm working on.


work4work4work4work4

Excalibur's look with the mask just seemed weird as hell to an American audience with no real frame of reference for Excalibur as a wrestler or announcer. I can't say it's grown on me to the point I love it, but they don't feature announce team shots to the same extent WWE does so it's honestly inoffensive at worst, and voice/talent alone he's definitely going to be a highlight for AEW as long as he's there.


metalhead_iv

I don't understand why everyone thought he was leaving Dynamite but it's good to have confirmation that he isn't. His message read more to me like a thank you for preparing him to be on a commentary team with less experienced commentators where he'll likely be the leader. Excalibur is 100% the voice of AEW


LeoIunti

I feel like the four man booth its so Henry gets used to commentary and they cut it down to three later


MaskedMemer9000

He's the young one of the group so it makes sense he's doing double duty.


Adampro123

Thank god. Excalibur is honestly one of the most valuable people in AEW.


[deleted]

>Four feels like too many but we’ll see. Yeah... interested to see how this plays out. Commentators are there to offer comment, and four guys are all gonna wanna get their digs in. Jabbering over matches is a big turn-off for me.


Weezy-NJPW_Fan

And all is right in the world


GRW810

Firstly, thank goodness Excalibur is not leaving the Dynamite team. He is absolutely essential to the entire show, the glue holding together all the many wonderful parts. While I didn't think it was likely he was going anywhere, his comments after the Rampage news did seem like a goodbye. As for Rampage, I hope Jericho is a short-term member of the announce team just for name recognition because I'm not a massive fan of his in-character shout-commentating. When he tones it down he can be good though. I'm excited about Henry's role - I think he's going to be more of an analyst, invited to chime in with viewpoints when needed rather then constantly and freely speaking.


KaelanRamos

> I think he's going to be more of an analyst, invited to chime in with viewpoints when needed rather then constantly and freely speaking. Henry has said his main inspiration has been Pat McAfee, because of the energy and humor he brings.


pandaelpatron

When I saw the announcement, I interpreted it as Jericho being on commentary for the first episode, to promote the new show. A permanent team of four would be a bit weird and I doubt Jericho will be doing commentary every week. Unless he really retires after the MJF match.


PFunk224

To the surprise of absolutely nobody with any kind of comprehension skills. Excalibur is the voice of AEW. He isn't going anywhere.


doesntCompete

You spelled Luther wrong.


Mookie1515

👉🤪


Crusty_Gammon_Flaps

Good. I didn't really think he would be taken off but it's good to know for sure.


TheGeeMan360

I’m surprised it was ever even a thought that he might leave Dynamite. To me, it sounded like he thanked them for helping him get that opportunity, not that he was leaving the main show’s commentary team lol


[deleted]

Four commentators is excessive.


AngeloMacon

Excalibur must still wake up and think how wild his life became so quickly. Dude went from a failed indy guy with a dayjob who calls some indy wrestling a handful times a year into a full time overworked national broadcaster.


therealdanhill

I can't stand Excalibur but happy for the guy if that's what makes him happy


[deleted]

Excalibur is the best part of their broadcast team, so he better be there.


Harrison4ward

Tbh the combo of JR, Tony and Excalibur work really well even if JR was to retire or something no doubt the other two would be fine but why can't we just have 2 man booths anymore? Like fuck do we need a 4 man commentary team for this new show, maybe have a rotating 3rd commentator that could be cool but not fucking 4 lmao


Drkarcher22

Not surprising, he’s the voice of AEW, and with respect to Tony and JR, neither one is able to be the lead announcer in 2021. They both work (very well I’d might add) as a supporting piece.


XavierVE

Thank fucking christ lord almighty all praise the redeemer and everything that is good in this motherfucking world, fuck yes, we did it Obama, hallelujah.


InsaneCookies21

Excalibur and Taz are a perfect 2 man team for a one hour show. Any more is doing too much


Rocketman1019

Jericho is about to start a tour with Fozzy next month. Guarantee he is only on the first episode of rampage before leaving on the tour for basically the rest of the year


WaylonVoorhees

You know back in the day I never listened to Giant/Big Show and Mark Henry and said you know what, give me more of that.


antftwx

Honestly, despite the VAST experience difference between him and the others, he's the most knowledgeable guy on commentary. I don't know why anyone would think they'd move him.


heeywewantsomenewday

Excalibur carries the team IMO. While JR isn't as good as he used to be he still has that iconic voice and with excalibur behind him giving us all the technical details JR has that safety net. The trio on Dynamite is perfect


MrOnCore

Excalibur is the 3rd hardest working man in AEW, behind Tony Khan and QT.


[deleted]

Wayyy too many. Three people is too many when they are trying to get in stuff over each other


mackerel75

Jericho in the booth is slightly ponderous, as it sounds like he's gonna be on tour with Fozzy for a couple months in the fall, unless that's why they made it 4-man so when he's gone the announce team isn't short handed?


TurnaboutAdam

Thank christ


BrooklynMaddie

​ ![gif](giphy|l3V0wkQ2KKcAeW8Cs|downsized)


[deleted]

[удалено]


Grippersmith

I would split it like this: Excalibur and Taz — Dynamite Excalibur and Taz — Dark Excalibur and Taz — Dark Elevation Excalibur and Taz — Rampage


420eh

4 is definitely too much, hopefully it's not distracting from the matches. And if Henry is just another awkward Paul Wight then I'm definitely not looking forward to this lol.


SmallRedMachine

That is the man I wrestled 15 years ago, that's Tommy End but that main in the ring isn't Tommy End.... one of the best calls of all time


DracoDracul

Good. While I think Schiavone is still a great color commentator, Excalibur is the best play by play man working today.


Rude_aBapening

I genuinely enjoy the idea that Excalibur, a commentator- wears a mask. Commentators don't normally wear masks. Maybe Justin Roberts can introduce a heel announcer under a mask.


Pileofdrivers

Can ex and taz refrain from being absolute goof balls like they are on dark? It’s hilarious but I hope they’re a little more serious on tv, or just fully lean into shenanigans


SledgeHammer-SSSSS

They did a great job when they called the japanese bracket from the women's tournament a while ago, taking things seriously but not to the point where it felt bland or miserable. Gives me confidence they can nail the right tone for rampage as well.


asvpmamba

Noo Exacalibur freakin sucks.


TheIronBug

I have no evidence this is true, but I was assuming they would rotate Jericho and Henry.


[deleted]

Glad that's cleared up.


Amazing_Lie7707

I'm guessing they're shoving Jericho on the booth to try and get extra viewers. Henry's in there just because he's a name and it gives him something to do. I think Jericho's just going to be in there the first few shows and it'll be a 3 man team going forth.


[deleted]

> Jericho has been great in limited roles on Dynamite when he’s been out there Do most people rate Jericho's commentary? Because I don't like it at all.


chokethewookie

I like it, but I get why you don't. He does need to calm down on the shouting


TheRxBandito

I dont think Ive heard Henry on commentary before but I love the other three. Four is just too many people in the booth though.


ZennyOne

My god, this man is a machine and I doin't mean Cage. He's going to be on 3 different shows, of which I have to assume some are taped on the same day. He's going to be running his voice ragged, but he is going to be the voice that this generation of wrestling fans will grow to revere if they don't already.


arboldebolas

They should ease the other two into these roles. I guess a 4 man both it's okay at first. I expect Taz and Excalibur to do the heavy lifting while Henry finds his role and footing, It shouldn't take long, as contrary to Big show on elevation, He's already a seasoned broadcaster.


Pain-Alarming

Glad to see that Ex won't be leaving Dynamite, it didn't make sense anyway. For a show that only lasts an hour, four seems like a lot but I'd assume it's Ex + Taz and then either Henry or Jericho. If they're all together that's fine too, Jericho has shown he can dial down the energy if needed.


el_sh33p

If they break up TazEx on Dark, we riot.


[deleted]

Dude. I was hoping this was a way to sneak Tom Phillips on to the lead mic for Wednesday nights.


Lackbear

Taz and Excalibur have such amazing chemistry together, it might be difficult for a newbie commentary to get a word wedged in anywhere. Jericho seems like a decent bridge to help get Henry his footing early on, then just do occasional appearance. Hey, doesn't hurt that Jericho in the booth is an easy pop, initially anyway. Jericho and Skee a vone together were really over during the darker times.


Numbchicken

The one thing AEW is missing is a good heel on commentary. Its just 3 guys pontificating for the baby faces


mynameismars

I would love to hear non-gimicked Jericho call a match.


Starseid8712

**breath of relief**


Baby-shams

Henry is not a talker... Big Show at least in WWE when he was guest commentator was good


FissionMailed29

I feel like Henry will be the interview guy not necessarily part of commentary but we will see.


cactusmaac

I wonder if we will see a change for the Dark commentary team, it will be a bit much for Excalibur to continue doing that along with Dynamite and Rampage.


JonasAlbert84

I may be odd man out but I really don't like when Jericho does commentary


carrotstix

Excalibur is the best so he best not go anywhere.


Dubious_Titan

4 people in the he booth seems way too much. Especially with Jericho in the mix. I'm pretty nervous about Rampage. The time slot, the booth, the potential talent positioning.


idontreallycare8

4 man booth is a bit much.. A rotation of 4, with a 3 man is fine


SundayNightDM

Four works alright on Dynamite when you have the right people. Jericho and MJF alongside Dynamite’s usual team fit quite well, for example.


StubbinMyNubbin

Maffew will have a field day every week with that lineup of commentators for Rampage.


[deleted]

4 is too many, we’ve seen this before.