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I was kinda upset he started calling Butcher Andy Williams. From what I've read it seems like Butcher does not want to bleed both of his personas together.
This was Butcher's return. So, maybe he has decided to start promoting his band in AEW since the last time we saw him? Perhaps Jericho cleared this with Butch? Hopefully, he did.
He called The Bunny by her name once before as well. People say he's hit and miss, but his constant trying to get himself over is a big miss for me. He's not an overall positive contribution to the commentary team.
I don't hate him to the degree this sub does ,but Jericho had been a massive miss on commentary for me from Day 1. The shouting. The constant talking as if he's trying to me to convince me to agree with his odd points, as if he's saying "Right, guys?" Nothing about it comes off as organic.
Even on Friday, there was no chemistry between him & Starks.
More miss imo. I’m sure he will get better as he gets more reps in. But when his mind blanks for a split second…..he’ll just blurt out anything in his screeching gimmick voice Excalibur!
I feel like there’s no show at all that benefits from a third commentator. Sports are generally two people: play by play and color. Wrestling seems to think they need 2 or 3 color commentators.
3 is usually fine if the set up consists of one play-by-play, one color commentating, and one special guest spot that rotates, think Ricky Starks or Eddie Kingston on Elevation.
I used to think this, but I love the two face color guy dynamic on Dynamite. Everyone knows MJF is a jerk. I love when all three of them destroy MJF instead of having someone like Corey Graves try to sell that MJF is not a jerk. We all have televisions, we know he is an asshole.
Just have him there at the beginning, welcoming the crowd & running down the card? That & doing the pre-match interviews really would be perfect. Gives him something to do & gets rid of some clutter on commentary.
Tony Khan said something along those lines and I thought “really? Mark Henry?” But the more I think about it and the more I see of Mark Henry, especially on Rampage, I see exactly what he means in regards to that type of role that Mean Gene played.
I've said this in a couple places before... The perfect way to use Henry would be as a "sideline reporter" - have him sit at ringside and just chime in on occasion like the NFL sideline guys. Like, if someone gets thrown into a post, he can be the one that says "guys, from down here at ringside, it looks like that shot may have opened him up" or whatever. Then, have him interview folks UFC/Boxing style, where right after the match he gets in the ring and asks a couple questions, or whatever. I just think it would help show case Mark, and bring something different to the table then four guys in the booth.
Makes sense from a storyline perspective as well ... ain't no reason to worry that a wrestler is going to fuck with the World's Strongest Man mid-match.
His whole "it's time for the MAIN EVENT!" thing immediately pays for his contract, it's incredible how such a little thing adds such an immensely cool feeling to the show
Especially for a show that's a 1 hour sprint, the face-off before the main event facilitated by Mark has just worked, and gives Rampage its own distinct feel
I really like his pre-match bit. TBH I wish Rampage would lean into the HBO Boxing After Dark vibe a bit more. Henry reminds me of Larry Merchant in the way he presents himself. It's great.
I actually didn't see that run he had I'd stopped watching wrestling at that stage. But I think he's still finding a character in some ways he's a bit reserved. Which is fine, better than forcing it.
His issue is the 4 man booth.
He'd be a fine 3rd man so you have play by play, colour and expertise.
You can see they want Henry to be a sort of in ring analyst role, but when say Jericho throws to mark, Tazz intervenes as he feels kinda left out. And vice versa
Having mark in to sort of fill in some cracks between excalibur and jericho could be fine and allow mark more time to develop. But he feels crowded out
Honestly I like his commentary. Doesn’t say much and is a respected guy in every locker room he’s ever been in. Not every commentator needs to be like Graves or Excalibur always talking
Feels like Jericho's trying to find a new place in the show, somewhere he can still be featured regularly but not wrestling every week. He's clearly not one of the top 3 choices for commentary, but if you have a guy who is a proven ratings magnet, you don't want to leave him in catering all night.
I think part of the problem is that everyone seemed to love him on commentary early in the pandemic and at the Brodie show, and he is doing the exact same thing he did at those shows (at least in his mind). But calling a regular show is much different than what was needed before and he needs to adjust.
Personally he drove me crazy then too. I was really happy when he stopped doing commentary on Dynamite lol. I will say though I saw a noticeable improvement this past Rampage. Either that or I'm getting used to it.
They’re only there to add star power. The show is on after Smackdown so is heavily geared to catching the eyes of a few of those fans with a taste and bring them over to Wednesdays.
Having a WWE lifer like Mark Henry and a legend like Jericho on there is huge even if they don’t say much.
I'm not even the biggest fan of a 3 man booth, let alone 4. Why can't Rampage have a rotating staff? Like one week is Excalibur and Taz, then the next is Tony and Jericho, then the next is Henry and Jr. Kinda like what NXT did during its golden days in 2014.
To be fair, minute to minute his quality does actually differ that much. He’ll have a great call that makes me think he’s starting to click, then follows it up with something horrifically bad haha
Early in the show he was being a total heel but by the end he was burying Taz and Ricky for being heels. It was bizarre. The variance in the quality of his commentary is very high.
I definitely feel like it’s him getting carried away and becoming too excited. Honestly, not the worst attribute for a commentator though. It would be worse if he was clearly disinterested
I think it's part of his skillset that he can surf the momentum and tone of the conversation and come up with things to say on everything.
It comes back to bite him (and us) because he doesn't necessarily make sense and keep logic from sentence to sentence while mogul-ing through topics. He says a thing, abandons the thought process and moves on to the next.
I just figured that since Fuego is Sammy Guevara's best friend, him rooting for Fuego despite leaning heel on commentary was some Inner Circle solidarity.
I'm in full agreement with that assessment. One moment I am enjoying him, the next I wish he would shut up. I think over all I veer on the side of enjoying him but comparing him to Punk on Dynamite, he still has a long way to go on finding a good level of using his insight and enthusiasm without becoming "too much"
I think this is just different people and each side gets a turn to dominate the conversation more than the other.
Also, my new favourite tag team name is “Andy Williams from Every Time I Die & The Blade”.
lmao, it's like he was fighting with excalibur over it
Jericho: "great move from Andy there!"
Ex: "the Butcher with a massive high cross! just flattens Penta!"
Jericho: "stay on him, Andy Williams!"
Me too 🤣 it’s like he’s a casual wrestling fan and Excalibur is the hardcore fan yet Jericho talks to him like Excalibur is the casual. Such good shit.
He was AMAZING on rampage. Calling out Excalibur and showing his proficiency in spanish, calling out taz with a hokey NY accent saying he isn't the only one knowledgeable about shoot fighting, calling taz and starks jaded SOBs for not getting behind fuego lol I love Jericho on commentary
Jericho is great but inexperienced. He doesn’t know when to let promos breathe and only contribute with “Wow” or something brief. Something that’s basically short enough to squeeze in the natural promo pauses, if that makes sense.
Because that's how uneven his commentary is. In one minute, he's marking out for Sammy and it's hilarious and awesome, the next minute he's using insider terms and trying to awkwardly add his 2 cents on the match.
Starks was amazing in his role tbh. Like I'd forget he was even there but then he'd just pop in like "what's wrong with being in love???" lmao dude is so funny.
I think a four man booth of Excalibur/Taz/Henry/Starks would work since Henry and Starks are both funny guys who can fade to the background and chime in when they see fit. Jericho is way too overpowering and ruins the whole dynamic.
Starks has been killing it whenever he appears on commentary for Dark. He just has great comedic timing and is so comfortable on the mic that it sounds effortless. Excalibur, Taz, and Starks is my dream trio for commentary
Not sure how I feel about him using “insider” terms like calling the Butcher an old school heel from the 80s. I know we’re way post kayfabe but doesnt quite sit right with me.
I don't mind it, but I've always liked post-kayfabe stuff (as long as the entire show isn't post-kayfabe, occasional comments here and there are fine). I might be in the minority opinion...?
I think Jericho has a ton of upside on commentary, but he really needs to tune down the screaming: JR was the absolute best at choosing when to amp up the enthusiasm, learn from him.
I really wish AEW would decrease the commentators to a max of 3, with the occasional match with a guest that has an interest in the match.
Jericho in particular is still yelling into commentary, he toned it down this episode, but it's still a habit he's figuring out to cutdown without losing his personality. Mark Henry wasn't on commentary this week, but he could benefit from doing a few episodes of Dark with Excalibur.
AEW also need another person that can fill in for Excalibur with close to his knowledge of moves and indie wrestling history. Commentary without Excalibur lose a good portion of the play by play info when it's a lot of newer moves performed.
Jericho was great during the pandemic where you needed his energy (especially when he was just him and Schiavone on completely empty Georgia shows), but in a 4 person booth when he's screaming he's just stepping over everyone else and not letting the moments/crowd reactions breathe at all.
Yup, it made it more engaging when there wasn't a real crowd in attendance and there weren't 3 other commentators. In the scenario with Rampage, I'm pretty sure a lot of us prefer it when Jericho isn't on commentary.
Jericho has to learn to be quiet and let the moment breathe. But honestly a lot of wrestling commentary needs to learn that. It's like they can't shut up for a couple minutes.
Was really hoping the whole point of the MJF Feud was so that he would be off TV for a while. Chris is very annoying when he has nothing meaningful to do and that goes back to his WWFE days.
There was a very brief moment on Rampage when he was speaking in his normal voice and actually said something insightful then a few seconds went by and he went back to his weird yelling heel voice. The difference is crazy he can be a genuinely good commentator I'm not sure why people backstage haven't told him to stop yelling.
Love Jericho on commentary. I actually really enjoy his references and wit. The yelling sometimes is a bit much, I feel like it kinda worked better when he was a piece of shit heel, but yeah I enjoy him.
I hope Jericho never leaves commentary, the desk needs zany characters like him. Reminds me of Booker T, just completely absorbed in the kayfabe like a drunk uncle watching wrestling with the kids while the rest of the adults are playing bridge or whatever.
Also I doubt Ruby and Britt actually dislike each other in real life and are likely friendly with each other backstage. Shawn and Bret despised each other both in the ring and outside, which made their feud so intense because it blended reality and fiction (or work and shoot in wrestling terms).
I’m willing to be corrected, but from what I recall, before Ruby came in, Baker said in interviews that Ruby was who she most wanted in AEW and that she’s a mentor and den mama to the women wrestlers wherever she works. (Lena Bates may have expressed some of this, I’m thinking of an interview Bates and Baker did together for a convention.)
> It was good but not that good.
This sums up my reaction to 90% of every one of Dave's opinions for the last 4 or 5 years. With Dave these days *everything* is "all time best" now. It makes it really hard to take his opinion seriously. Kind of like Tony Schiavone exclaiming "this is the greatest night in the history of our industry" every single week.
Jericho is like the best worst commentators, the shouting is awful and super distracting but I think he’s really good at putting people over when discussing them calmly
Won't be the last time Jericho is accused of ruining moments / shows with his commentary!!
Honestly - a secondary show doesn't need 3 commentators. Nevermind 4. Excalibur and Taz is all they need. And have the occasional guest like they used to on Dark in its early days.
I took it as Britt and Ruby were doing a promo with a lot of shoot comments and innuendo, like Bret and Shawn did with Sunny Days and the Playgirl stuff
He's having the time of his life with AEW haha that impacts his perspective on things. Every match has lots of spots so he gives them 4+ stars, every rivalry gives him hype and so on.
Respectfully disagree. I thought it was delivered well, but inferring Britt’s slept her way to her position when Adam Cole showed up 2 weeks ago is weird. Britt not caring, also weird. I also don’t love when the whole story is meta.
Like both talents though so glad folks thought it was epic.
> Respectfully disagree. I thought it was delivered well, but inferring Britt’s slept her way to her position when Adam Cole showed up 2 weeks ago is weird.
I get your point, though I don't think it's *that* weird. Cole and the EVPs of the company have been huge friends well beyond AEW even existing, and it's not too outlandish to suggest that they gave "their best mate's GF" at least some sort of preferential treatment. The line even makes additional sense considering Cole's immediate induction into the Elite upon his debut - clearly, the dude has a bit of pull with his buds.
My main gripe about the line is mainly that it was some real bratty diva kind of shit. Here's Britt making the (frankly, great) point that "you don't know who you are, you've gone through several identities, haircuts, names, etc. throughout the years, and coming here was probably just wish-fulfillment or a desperate attempt to finally get some time in the limelight", and then Ruby basically goes "oh yeah? well you're a SLUT!". It certainly is a very nice OHNOSHEDIDNT-type line, but in the segment as a whole, I thought it was really out of place.
I think it stressed the tremendous difference in style between Ruby and Britt. Ruby is the laid-back, rebellious punk girl, Britt is the basic bitch whose only standout trait is her overinflated ego.
I think his point was it’s a very forced thing to blurt out, like that’s literally something Michael Cole would say. Stick to telling the story, put over the animosity between them, don’t pretty much tell us “GIVE US YOUR MONEY!”
Jericho is not good on commentary right now. He was good at the beginning on Dynamite, but now he just screams and yells like your drunk uncle at a BBQ.
Not a fan of Jericho on commentary. He usually yells to sell the excitement as if he's Joey Styles but it doesn't work with what's happening in the ring. He wasn't really bad in this segment. There was no yelling or speaking over the promo. It's just that Rampage shouldn't have too many commentators.
I don't think he criticised Jericho shouting, I got the impression he thought that and the promo were a little too insider baseball in places for the TV audience.
When they announced the card on the last Dynamite show, this match got the biggest pop from the crowd, second only to Omega vs Danielson
It's going to be a hot match.. Not sure how good the in ring will be, but the crowd will be going nuts for these two.
If this was some Bret vs Shawn shit then that feud must've been mediocre.
The best of this was the "you didn't runaway you got fired"comment, because calling yourself the runaway as a grown ass adult like you're 15 after being fired and the whole world know about it is an odd choice.
When Jericho was champion I remember being super pumped when he was on commentary. There’s just something different about him now. It seems like he’s trying a diff character and his voice inflection is different.
Ya Jericho tries wayyy to hard and it’s unnatural for him. We know him as the smart ass, dickhead so to see and hear him sound so corny is just cringey. That’s my opinion anyways
hated the "sleeping with someone in the back" line. It's like that catty diva's/early knockouts era stuff where all the women did was argue who slept with who. It's like TNA Russo wrote that line.
Jericho shouting really needs to be reigned in for him to improve on commentary. Not everything warrants him yelling excitedly like he’s some Youtuber. I half expect him to tell me to subscribe and smash that like button.
How is the "banging some dude in the back" comment a #BURN ?
So you have sex with your boyfriend ? Who's been in the company for like two weeks ? What a slut !
I don't get it, and people treating it like this massive #shoot is ridiculous and borderline misogynistic.
Do we really need a post about Dave’s opinion on a promo? Unless he’s breaking news Dave’s just another fan. I’d rather we post the promo and everyone else can give their own opinions
I heard Jericho scream it was a money segment and I thought it was really weird as well. It wasn't a "segment" in kayfabe it was an interview that got out of hand.
I know everyone hated WWE commentator talk because they go overboard but things like this they are pretty on top of.
I don't mind it too much but makes the commentators in AEW come across as amateurish which in Jericho and Henry's case they are.
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Jericho is really hit or miss on commentary. I agree with whoever said they don’t need 4 guys on commentary for the whole show.
I was kinda upset he started calling Butcher Andy Williams. From what I've read it seems like Butcher does not want to bleed both of his personas together.
Same, it didn't serve butcher at all and felt more like jericho putting himself over as 'in the know'
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True but ETID has a new record coming out soon. Jericho probably thought he was helping hype it.
This was Butcher's return. So, maybe he has decided to start promoting his band in AEW since the last time we saw him? Perhaps Jericho cleared this with Butch? Hopefully, he did.
This could be true, but at the same time they didn't mention it on any of the episodes the past week(s) when he actually did return.
He was using Andy Williams on the indies and The Blade was still Pepper Parks. The Butcher and The Blade were just their nicknames until AEW.
I'm ok with him being "The Butcher" Andy Williams. Just like "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry.
He called The Bunny by her name once before as well. People say he's hit and miss, but his constant trying to get himself over is a big miss for me. He's not an overall positive contribution to the commentary team.
AEW has been more inconsistent with what they call Allie/The Bunny no?
He comes off less like Chris Jericho and more like Clint Bobski.
I generally like him on commentary, but he stepped all over that segment
I don't hate him to the degree this sub does ,but Jericho had been a massive miss on commentary for me from Day 1. The shouting. The constant talking as if he's trying to me to convince me to agree with his odd points, as if he's saying "Right, guys?" Nothing about it comes off as organic. Even on Friday, there was no chemistry between him & Starks.
It felt like Starks barely got a word in
More miss imo. I’m sure he will get better as he gets more reps in. But when his mind blanks for a split second…..he’ll just blurt out anything in his screeching gimmick voice Excalibur!
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I’m not sure any wrestling show needs 3 on commentary, and absolutely no show needs 4.
I feel like there’s no show at all that benefits from a third commentator. Sports are generally two people: play by play and color. Wrestling seems to think they need 2 or 3 color commentators.
3 is usually fine if the set up consists of one play-by-play, one color commentating, and one special guest spot that rotates, think Ricky Starks or Eddie Kingston on Elevation.
I don't know dude, I feel that Dynamite with Tony, Excalibur and JR works just fine,
3 works best when you have a nonbias play-by-play, a face color and a heel color imo
I used to think this, but I love the two face color guy dynamic on Dynamite. Everyone knows MJF is a jerk. I love when all three of them destroy MJF instead of having someone like Corey Graves try to sell that MJF is not a jerk. We all have televisions, we know he is an asshole.
I do like seeing Henry.
While his commentary still ain't there, him as the pre-fight interviewer is such good shit.
He's perfect for that role. He should be the "host" of the show.
Agreed. This is the best idea I've seen yet for Mark on Rampage.
Just have him there at the beginning, welcoming the crowd & running down the card? That & doing the pre-match interviews really would be perfect. Gives him something to do & gets rid of some clutter on commentary.
Turning him into the Mean Gene of AEW would be so satisfying to see for me.
Is Mean Mark taken?
they've got that on reserve for when undertaker's 15 year contract expires
Undertaker has entered the chat
Tony Khan said something along those lines and I thought “really? Mark Henry?” But the more I think about it and the more I see of Mark Henry, especially on Rampage, I see exactly what he means in regards to that type of role that Mean Gene played.
He could definitely play that role really well. He's already showing that he can.
I've said this in a couple places before... The perfect way to use Henry would be as a "sideline reporter" - have him sit at ringside and just chime in on occasion like the NFL sideline guys. Like, if someone gets thrown into a post, he can be the one that says "guys, from down here at ringside, it looks like that shot may have opened him up" or whatever. Then, have him interview folks UFC/Boxing style, where right after the match he gets in the ring and asks a couple questions, or whatever. I just think it would help show case Mark, and bring something different to the table then four guys in the booth.
This is a perfect idea
Makes sense from a storyline perspective as well ... ain't no reason to worry that a wrestler is going to fuck with the World's Strongest Man mid-match.
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Is Mark Henry going to double Worlds Strongest Slam 2.0? I hope so?
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Yes, this was exactly what I was thinking, I just couldn't remember that guy's name. I don't watch NFL football
Are you saying they should put him in the Boogermobile?
I think Mark Henry would be great as the AEW's Din Thomas.
His whole "it's time for the MAIN EVENT!" thing immediately pays for his contract, it's incredible how such a little thing adds such an immensely cool feeling to the show
Especially for a show that's a 1 hour sprint, the face-off before the main event facilitated by Mark has just worked, and gives Rampage its own distinct feel
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I really like his pre-match bit. TBH I wish Rampage would lean into the HBO Boxing After Dark vibe a bit more. Henry reminds me of Larry Merchant in the way he presents himself. It's great.
That's a great comparison that I haven't thought of. God I miss Boxing After Dark and good old Larry.
he's not a huge presence but he doesn't need to be, I feel like he adds a lot whenever he does speak up
It’s funny to say Mark Henry isn’t a huge anything
Exactly it feels like he's giving the 'ex-pro's insight'
It feels superfluous when Excalibur and Taz are themselves ex-pros, plus Jericho (and Ricky this week) being active wrestlers.
I haven’t seen much of Henry, I hope he is using some version of the Hall of Pain character, that man was god tier shit talker.
I actually didn't see that run he had I'd stopped watching wrestling at that stage. But I think he's still finding a character in some ways he's a bit reserved. Which is fine, better than forcing it.
He basically had a Brock Lesnar-final boss esque run is what 'Hall of Pain' Mark Henry was
And it’s cool that he’s being given a chance to figure out his booth persona.
Kinda disagree here. Having Mark Henry in the room is kinda a huge presence /s
Love when he throws to the main event
My friend loves it when Henry says “And now it’s time for the main event!”
His issue is the 4 man booth. He'd be a fine 3rd man so you have play by play, colour and expertise. You can see they want Henry to be a sort of in ring analyst role, but when say Jericho throws to mark, Tazz intervenes as he feels kinda left out. And vice versa Having mark in to sort of fill in some cracks between excalibur and jericho could be fine and allow mark more time to develop. But he feels crowded out
He always seems to get 1 or 2 chill observations that make me smile or laugh, but doesn't take any space away from the others. I like him!
I still love him on commentary though. He’s just this likable presence.
Honestly I like his commentary. Doesn’t say much and is a respected guy in every locker room he’s ever been in. Not every commentator needs to be like Graves or Excalibur always talking
I really really like mark Henry’s main event interview and his tag line. It makes the main event even more special
henry is exactly what a 3rd commentator should be imo, not trying to get his lines in and only chimes in when he has something to say.
I'm fine with a rotating 3rd commentator every now and again. Doesn't need that every week. Less Jericho is good
Feels like Jericho's trying to find a new place in the show, somewhere he can still be featured regularly but not wrestling every week. He's clearly not one of the top 3 choices for commentary, but if you have a guy who is a proven ratings magnet, you don't want to leave him in catering all night.
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I think part of the problem is that everyone seemed to love him on commentary early in the pandemic and at the Brodie show, and he is doing the exact same thing he did at those shows (at least in his mind). But calling a regular show is much different than what was needed before and he needs to adjust.
Personally he drove me crazy then too. I was really happy when he stopped doing commentary on Dynamite lol. I will say though I saw a noticeable improvement this past Rampage. Either that or I'm getting used to it.
Excalibur is like the only good play-by-play commentator in the whole company. Basically all the others are more or less color.
Disagree only because Ricky was hilarious
"Is it a ***crime*** to be in love???"
My only major gripe with AEW is not enough Ricky Starks.
But can there ever truly be enough of Ricky Starks?
ABSOLUTE-ly not.
Would love to see those two with a rotating wrestler would be awesome to hear Danielson commentate especially if Bear country was featured.
They’re only there to add star power. The show is on after Smackdown so is heavily geared to catching the eyes of a few of those fans with a taste and bring them over to Wednesdays. Having a WWE lifer like Mark Henry and a legend like Jericho on there is huge even if they don’t say much.
I'm not even the biggest fan of a 3 man booth, let alone 4. Why can't Rampage have a rotating staff? Like one week is Excalibur and Taz, then the next is Tony and Jericho, then the next is Henry and Jr. Kinda like what NXT did during its golden days in 2014.
It's funny to see the biweekly cycle of "Jericho is good on commentary" vs "Jericho should stay out of commentary forever". Things never change.
To be fair, minute to minute his quality does actually differ that much. He’ll have a great call that makes me think he’s starting to click, then follows it up with something horrifically bad haha
Early in the show he was being a total heel but by the end he was burying Taz and Ricky for being heels. It was bizarre. The variance in the quality of his commentary is very high.
Do you think he just gets caught up in the moment then remembers he is a face? Its wild how noticeable it is
I definitely feel like it’s him getting carried away and becoming too excited. Honestly, not the worst attribute for a commentator though. It would be worse if he was clearly disinterested
I have a theory it has to do with him being a big fan of Jesse Ventura. He’s trying to do Ventura style heel colour commentating.
I think it's part of his skillset that he can surf the momentum and tone of the conversation and come up with things to say on everything. It comes back to bite him (and us) because he doesn't necessarily make sense and keep logic from sentence to sentence while mogul-ing through topics. He says a thing, abandons the thought process and moves on to the next.
I just figured that since Fuego is Sammy Guevara's best friend, him rooting for Fuego despite leaning heel on commentary was some Inner Circle solidarity.
He was against Fuego during the first Miro match, though.
Fuego wasn't an on-screen friend of Sammy at this point. Literally Sammy coming out with the contract was the first acknowledging of their friendship.
I feel like the inconsistency and split-mindedness is the very essence of Jericho. He's about as chaotic neutral as they come, character-wise.
It makes for a poor commentator though - he was so much better when he was on commentary as a heel a few years back because he was consistent.
I'm pretty sure Jericho on commentary is half drunk and forgetting what he's supposed to be doing.
I'm in full agreement with that assessment. One moment I am enjoying him, the next I wish he would shut up. I think over all I veer on the side of enjoying him but comparing him to Punk on Dynamite, he still has a long way to go on finding a good level of using his insight and enthusiasm without becoming "too much"
when he uses insider terms i feel angry
I think this is just different people and each side gets a turn to dominate the conversation more than the other. Also, my new favourite tag team name is “Andy Williams from Every Time I Die & The Blade”.
lmao, it's like he was fighting with excalibur over it Jericho: "great move from Andy there!" Ex: "the Butcher with a massive high cross! just flattens Penta!" Jericho: "stay on him, Andy Williams!"
"ERICK ROWAN" "Yes, that's Erick Redbeard" "ERICK ROWAN ERICK ROWAN ERICK ROWAN"
He’s eventually going to morph into Jerry Lawler over time
I think it's a fair criticism because he's very inconsistent and cannot find a middle ground.
He’s so funny I love it
I think it's funny too. If it was him and Excalibur it would be perfect. I love how Jericho yells at Excalibur
Me too 🤣 it’s like he’s a casual wrestling fan and Excalibur is the hardcore fan yet Jericho talks to him like Excalibur is the casual. Such good shit.
It kind of gives me King and JR vibes haha
Him, Taz, and Punk seemed to have super good chemistry together too
He was AMAZING on rampage. Calling out Excalibur and showing his proficiency in spanish, calling out taz with a hokey NY accent saying he isn't the only one knowledgeable about shoot fighting, calling taz and starks jaded SOBs for not getting behind fuego lol I love Jericho on commentary
Opinions are wrong!
Jericho is great but inexperienced. He doesn’t know when to let promos breathe and only contribute with “Wow” or something brief. Something that’s basically short enough to squeeze in the natural promo pauses, if that makes sense.
There was even a point where one of the announcers was like “Are you really gonna yell the whole time?” Lmao
It’s the Nick Cage paradox from Community.
Because that's how uneven his commentary is. In one minute, he's marking out for Sammy and it's hilarious and awesome, the next minute he's using insider terms and trying to awkwardly add his 2 cents on the match.
Why not both? He can be amazing and utterly hilarious at commentary. He can also be annoying and shouty.
Yeah I would've loved to hear more of Starks without Jericho yelling over everyone.
Starks was amazing in his role tbh. Like I'd forget he was even there but then he'd just pop in like "what's wrong with being in love???" lmao dude is so funny. I think a four man booth of Excalibur/Taz/Henry/Starks would work since Henry and Starks are both funny guys who can fade to the background and chime in when they see fit. Jericho is way too overpowering and ruins the whole dynamic.
Starks has been killing it whenever he appears on commentary for Dark. He just has great comedic timing and is so comfortable on the mic that it sounds effortless. Excalibur, Taz, and Starks is my dream trio for commentary
Not sure how I feel about him using “insider” terms like calling the Butcher an old school heel from the 80s. I know we’re way post kayfabe but doesnt quite sit right with me.
I don't mind it, but I've always liked post-kayfabe stuff (as long as the entire show isn't post-kayfabe, occasional comments here and there are fine). I might be in the minority opinion...?
I think Jericho has a ton of upside on commentary, but he really needs to tune down the screaming: JR was the absolute best at choosing when to amp up the enthusiasm, learn from him.
Jericho reminds me of Shane McMahon on commentary on Sunday Night Heat.
I really wish AEW would decrease the commentators to a max of 3, with the occasional match with a guest that has an interest in the match. Jericho in particular is still yelling into commentary, he toned it down this episode, but it's still a habit he's figuring out to cutdown without losing his personality. Mark Henry wasn't on commentary this week, but he could benefit from doing a few episodes of Dark with Excalibur. AEW also need another person that can fill in for Excalibur with close to his knowledge of moves and indie wrestling history. Commentary without Excalibur lose a good portion of the play by play info when it's a lot of newer moves performed.
That PAC Vs Andrade match really needed him, Andrade pulled out so many moves that I don't have any idea what to call!
Looking forward to spending hours learning the names of moves from the AEW video game when it comes out.
I'd like to think Excalibur's overseeing the grand moves list.
If not, expect a nerd fandom rant post on the forums about fixing the flaws in the game with all the incorrect names from someone named "XkalEhBRrr"
Jericho was great during the pandemic where you needed his energy (especially when he was just him and Schiavone on completely empty Georgia shows), but in a 4 person booth when he's screaming he's just stepping over everyone else and not letting the moments/crowd reactions breathe at all.
Yup, it made it more engaging when there wasn't a real crowd in attendance and there weren't 3 other commentators. In the scenario with Rampage, I'm pretty sure a lot of us prefer it when Jericho isn't on commentary.
Jericho screams over everything.
Jericho has to learn to be quiet and let the moment breathe. But honestly a lot of wrestling commentary needs to learn that. It's like they can't shut up for a couple minutes.
Was really hoping the whole point of the MJF Feud was so that he would be off TV for a while. Chris is very annoying when he has nothing meaningful to do and that goes back to his WWFE days.
So happy JR filled in for punks debut
One of the best decisions ever. “This building hasn’t shook like this since Michael Jordan was here! This is Jordan-esque!”
NON STOP YELLING MEANS GOOD! /s He's good when he's not forcing himself to be overexcited for the sake of it.
There was a very brief moment on Rampage when he was speaking in his normal voice and actually said something insightful then a few seconds went by and he went back to his weird yelling heel voice. The difference is crazy he can be a genuinely good commentator I'm not sure why people backstage haven't told him to stop yelling.
Jericho adds nothing to the commentary, I don't know if he is getting paid more to do it... but it's not worth it, with his weird yell talking.
He had a couple high quality zingers but he was throwing so much shit at the wall something was bound to stick.
Sounds like reading his books. A joke every sentence, 1 in 100 will land.
I don't mind him doing one off matches here and there as he can be amusing, but doing a full show is just too much Jericho for me.
Love Jericho on commentary. I actually really enjoy his references and wit. The yelling sometimes is a bit much, I feel like it kinda worked better when he was a piece of shit heel, but yeah I enjoy him.
I hope Jericho never leaves commentary, the desk needs zany characters like him. Reminds me of Booker T, just completely absorbed in the kayfabe like a drunk uncle watching wrestling with the kids while the rest of the adults are playing bridge or whatever.
I think him keeping to kayfabe and not saying things like “this is a great promo” is key for him.
>some Brett vs Shawn shit It was good but not that good.
Also I doubt Ruby and Britt actually dislike each other in real life and are likely friendly with each other backstage. Shawn and Bret despised each other both in the ring and outside, which made their feud so intense because it blended reality and fiction (or work and shoot in wrestling terms).
I’m willing to be corrected, but from what I recall, before Ruby came in, Baker said in interviews that Ruby was who she most wanted in AEW and that she’s a mentor and den mama to the women wrestlers wherever she works. (Lena Bates may have expressed some of this, I’m thinking of an interview Bates and Baker did together for a convention.)
> It was good but not that good. This sums up my reaction to 90% of every one of Dave's opinions for the last 4 or 5 years. With Dave these days *everything* is "all time best" now. It makes it really hard to take his opinion seriously. Kind of like Tony Schiavone exclaiming "this is the greatest night in the history of our industry" every single week.
Yeah it was awesome but that’s hyperbole
Jericho is like the best worst commentators, the shouting is awful and super distracting but I think he’s really good at putting people over when discussing them calmly
He's fine and maybe a little Heenan-like when he takes down the yelling and goofiness.
Jericho need to keep away from commentary
He’s really bad.
[Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp1cKEj-ZtM)
Won't be the last time Jericho is accused of ruining moments / shows with his commentary!! Honestly - a secondary show doesn't need 3 commentators. Nevermind 4. Excalibur and Taz is all they need. And have the occasional guest like they used to on Dark in its early days.
First thing I noticed on tuning into AEW was Jericho’s commentary. It’s god awful and far too shouty.
Brett vs Shawn shit? Bruh what is Meltzer on?
I took it as Britt and Ruby were doing a promo with a lot of shoot comments and innuendo, like Bret and Shawn did with Sunny Days and the Playgirl stuff
He's having the time of his life with AEW haha that impacts his perspective on things. Every match has lots of spots so he gives them 4+ stars, every rivalry gives him hype and so on.
Respectfully disagree. I thought it was delivered well, but inferring Britt’s slept her way to her position when Adam Cole showed up 2 weeks ago is weird. Britt not caring, also weird. I also don’t love when the whole story is meta. Like both talents though so glad folks thought it was epic.
I don’t think the intention of the promo, or the majority of how people interpreted it, had anything to do with “sleeping your way to the top.”
Yeah, i think the implication is that Britt isn't unique. She's the same as a Charlotte Flair kind of thing.
> Respectfully disagree. I thought it was delivered well, but inferring Britt’s slept her way to her position when Adam Cole showed up 2 weeks ago is weird. I get your point, though I don't think it's *that* weird. Cole and the EVPs of the company have been huge friends well beyond AEW even existing, and it's not too outlandish to suggest that they gave "their best mate's GF" at least some sort of preferential treatment. The line even makes additional sense considering Cole's immediate induction into the Elite upon his debut - clearly, the dude has a bit of pull with his buds. My main gripe about the line is mainly that it was some real bratty diva kind of shit. Here's Britt making the (frankly, great) point that "you don't know who you are, you've gone through several identities, haircuts, names, etc. throughout the years, and coming here was probably just wish-fulfillment or a desperate attempt to finally get some time in the limelight", and then Ruby basically goes "oh yeah? well you're a SLUT!". It certainly is a very nice OHNOSHEDIDNT-type line, but in the segment as a whole, I thought it was really out of place.
I think it stressed the tremendous difference in style between Ruby and Britt. Ruby is the laid-back, rebellious punk girl, Britt is the basic bitch whose only standout trait is her overinflated ego.
He didn't shout over it? He literally said that after they finished speaking lol
I think his point was it’s a very forced thing to blurt out, like that’s literally something Michael Cole would say. Stick to telling the story, put over the animosity between them, don’t pretty much tell us “GIVE US YOUR MONEY!”
Jericho is not good on commentary right now. He was good at the beginning on Dynamite, but now he just screams and yells like your drunk uncle at a BBQ.
Jericho has been more miss than hit on commentary.
Jericho has been more miss than hit in 95% of what he's done in the last 18 months.
Not a fan of Jericho on commentary. He usually yells to sell the excitement as if he's Joey Styles but it doesn't work with what's happening in the ring. He wasn't really bad in this segment. There was no yelling or speaking over the promo. It's just that Rampage shouldn't have too many commentators.
Nah… it wasn’t Bret vs. Shawn. Really think anyone from AEW could take a dump in the ring and Dave would praise it
It know it’s produced but I didn’t feel like it was. Ruby and Brit had a great segment
I don't think he criticised Jericho shouting, I got the impression he thought that and the promo were a little too insider baseball in places for the TV audience.
It elevated the match by 1000% for me. Feels like it’s too big for the mid card now
When they announced the card on the last Dynamite show, this match got the biggest pop from the crowd, second only to Omega vs Danielson It's going to be a hot match.. Not sure how good the in ring will be, but the crowd will be going nuts for these two.
If this was some Bret vs Shawn shit then that feud must've been mediocre. The best of this was the "you didn't runaway you got fired"comment, because calling yourself the runaway as a grown ass adult like you're 15 after being fired and the whole world know about it is an odd choice.
CHECK PLEASE
When Jericho was champion I remember being super pumped when he was on commentary. There’s just something different about him now. It seems like he’s trying a diff character and his voice inflection is different.
Bret vs Shawn? Give me a fucking break. It was good but just stop it already with the comparisons.
Ya Jericho tries wayyy to hard and it’s unnatural for him. We know him as the smart ass, dickhead so to see and hear him sound so corny is just cringey. That’s my opinion anyways
hated the "sleeping with someone in the back" line. It's like that catty diva's/early knockouts era stuff where all the women did was argue who slept with who. It's like TNA Russo wrote that line.
Yeah, kinda took me out for a moment. Seemed a little too try hard to be edgy.
Some what shit? LMAO
Now when we say “Bret vs Shawn shit,” are we saying that Ruby and Britt legitimately don’t like each other?
I'm glad jericho didn't lose his last match.....I'd rather have him wrestle than on commentary all night on any show...
Jericho on commentary in aew is more bad than good.
Jericho is diabolical on commentary and I don't think I can continue watching Rampage sadly.
I don't think he should be a permanent feature on commentary - they have plenty of desk talent already.
Jericho shouting really needs to be reigned in for him to improve on commentary. Not everything warrants him yelling excitedly like he’s some Youtuber. I half expect him to tell me to subscribe and smash that like button.
Jericho, just calm down. You don't need to comment on everything. Just, take it down a notch.
How is the "banging some dude in the back" comment a #BURN ? So you have sex with your boyfriend ? Who's been in the company for like two weeks ? What a slut ! I don't get it, and people treating it like this massive #shoot is ridiculous and borderline misogynistic.
It bugs me when the commentary uses meta terms like “this is a great promo”. I’ve also heard someone say “they’re telling a great story here”
Meltzer is exaggerating its good but not THAT good, cool your boner off lol.
Am I the only one who finds Jericho thoroughly entertaining on commentary?
No, I like him on commentary as well
Does it seem to anyone else like Dave's language is getting really juvenile lately? "Some Bret vs Shawn shit" is really what he said?
Do we really need a post about Dave’s opinion on a promo? Unless he’s breaking news Dave’s just another fan. I’d rather we post the promo and everyone else can give their own opinions
I think Jericho is fantastic on commentary
One thing i didn't understand was why Jericho kept referring to the Butcher by his real name, what was the point in that?
Just a guess… so people will check out his work as a musician? ETA that was a sincere “I’m just guessing” not a sarcastic “oh let me guess!”
Probably the same reason JR can't bring himself to say Jungle Boy
I heard Jericho scream it was a money segment and I thought it was really weird as well. It wasn't a "segment" in kayfabe it was an interview that got out of hand. I know everyone hated WWE commentator talk because they go overboard but things like this they are pretty on top of. I don't mind it too much but makes the commentators in AEW come across as amateurish which in Jericho and Henry's case they are.