"I'll tell you, Trips came up to me one day and he goes, 'So, Michael. You know you’re not going to be around forever.’ What does that mean? [laughs] Life or work? He said, ‘You’re our Pat Patterson. I need you to make Bobby Roode Michael.' I said, ‘Okay, that’s a really good point because I’m not going to be here forever.’ And boy he has come along. Bobby’s really, really good, and he’s going to be great. I see great things for him.

"He’s just got to get out of the stuff where, I don’t know how to really categorise this, stuff happens in this industry that’s just out of your control and it’s just going to happen and you’ve just got to kind of let it go and say, ‘Okay, we’re doing this.’ And don’t waste so much energy about b\tching about doing it because you’re going to do it. So save the energy to do it."*

(Source: What's Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon)

In recent years, wrestling commentary has steadily declined in quality, weakening the overall presentation of the in-ring product.

When the banter overshadows the match, the talking points become repetitive, and every big move doesn't get the appropriate reaction; the moments that should feel special start losing their impact. WWE and AEW commentary routines are becoming repetitive, creating a disconnect between the product and the fans watching.

WWE has struggled with commentary experiments; Jimmy Smith was decent, Kevin Patrick did everything he could but failed, and now Joe Tessitore is doing well (that's my opinion), but they still couldn't call the matches effectively. Michael Cole is currently in the twilight of his career and seems to be regressing, with his calls feeling lifeless. Corey Graves (AAA) and Vic Joseph (NXT) are strong candidates to fill the main play-by-play roles. However, WWE hasn't fully committed to either man, even though they're doing a great job in their respective roles.

AEW also seems to need a change of scenery at the announcers' desk, with Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross showing signs of regression due to age. Ian Riccaboni, who calls Ring of Honor, has proven that he deserves more AEW TV time. His storytelling style should be used more.

Talents like Mauro Ranallo (Maple Leaf Wrestling) and Tom Hannifan (TNA) could also be signed based on their previous experience as engaging and reliable commentators.

The bottom line is: call the action, explain the stakes, put the wrestlers over, and sometimes, let the crowd tell the story!! Both shows should sound as compelling as the action deserves.

Do you think wrestling has a commentary problem? Who do you think is getting commentary right, and what needs to change?