Underrated facial hair.
On yesterday’s Aftermath Daily Dose, we discussed some of the most underrated and overrated performers in the history of the business. It’s a debate that can go in many directions depending on why you define one as being under or overrated. Was it because he or she accomplished more than their talents suggested they should have? Was it because their rating in the eyes of experts is too high or low based on what they actually accomplished?
In the end though, the most pivotal factor in a Superstar’s perception rests in the hands of the announcers. That element itself is vastly underrated, and as a result, so is the skillset of the folks with the headsets on.
To tie everything together, Jim Ross added another great column on WWE.com this week on Tony Schiavone, speculating about whether or not the former WCW voice was the most underrated play-by-play man of all-time.
In the early years of our relationship, I’d rank Tony right there with the best play-by-play talents in the business. However, as the years went on and the political scene in WCW became more tumultuous and stressful, the lifelong baseball fan seemingly hit the wall and the genre of pro wrestling did not appear to be as much fun for him as it was back in the day. Until one has been in those shoes, one can’t imagine the stress of doing live TV in that type of environment.
Tony will likely always be remembered as steering the unpredictable ship of Monday Nitro as it earned massive TV ratings during the “Monday Night Wars.” I will best remember him as my ‘roomy’ and fellow sports enthusiast who I truly enjoyed working with.
Tony is living his dream these days doing baseball play-by-play on radio and also working on the Georgia Bulldog Radio network. I’m sincerely happy for the devoted husband and father. Working alongside Tony Schiavone was pivotal in my growth as a broadcaster.
In three paragraphs, Ross encapsulates the essence of the Schiavone debate and in a way, most discussions about under and overrated performers in pro wrestling.
Due to the horrific nature of the WCW product near the end of its existence, the common thought is that Schiavone was also a bad announcer. The reality is that Schiavone was a very good announcer, as evidenced by the fact that he is now a respected radio voice in the real sports realm. But even good announcers can be hampered by a dismal event and poor leadership and production. Tony was forced to sell something that was making very little sense, was almost entirely off the cuff, and was visually poor by the time the final event was rolling around.
People also point to the fact that Tony was the one who famously informed viewers that Mick Foley was going to win the WWE Championship, which is credited with being the turning point in the Monday Night Wars.
Remember that line?
“Fans, don’t even think about changing the channel, because we’ve learned that at our competition, Mick Foley, who used to wrestle here as Cactus Jack, is going to win their world title! Heh, talk about putting asses in the seats.”
Let’s be clear: Schiavone isn’t a bad announcer (or overrated) because this happened. To take it one step further, it’s pretty difficult to say he shouldn’t have done this as well.
Ultimately, it was Eric Bischoff producing the show, telling him what to say.
How many of you stand up to your boss when it risks your job?
Schiavone’s job was to sell the product, as with any announcer calling any action, anywhere. Outside of his over-the-top “this is the greatest night in the history of our sport!” calls, he was a master of improvisation and keeping the energy of the broadcast up. At times his conversation with Bobby Heenan would outright ignore a cruiserweight match for example, but he made damn sure you knew about and were excited for the main event two hours later.
Forget Nitro, he was also an integral part of the late NWA broadcasts and the straight man for Ric Flair’s wildman interviews.
Much like Sid Vicious, which we discussed yesterday, Schiavone is a case of someone who is universally dismissed by fans to the point that he has become underrated.
Sure, he was labeled the Worst Television Announcer by the Wrestling Observer in ’99 and 2000, but just about everyone in history is going to be second to Jim Ross, who rightfully won the Best Television Announcer.
The talent pool was slim. Someone had to win it.
We can’t revise history in that respect, but we can look back at his career and acknowledge that he was, and is, a gifted announcing talent.
Now, Booker T on the other hand…
