12 Things NXT Gets Right About Wrestling

7: Strong commentary

Mamma Mia! It's Mauro Ranallo

NXT, from its earliest days with Jim Ross, has always had perfectly fine commentary. Tom Philips was a perfectly good lead voice as the brand grew out of its FCW shadows to its current state. Corey Graves, once an NXT trainee who turned to commentary once back to back injuries forced him into in-ring retirement, quickly became one of the best announcers in all of WWE by sharpening his quick-witted heelish skills on NXT TV and several Takeovers.

It is Mauro Ranallo, however, who holds the distinction of being the greatest NXT announcer of all time. Mr. Combat Sports himself, who does MMA and boxing commentary on the side has elevated NXT to a new level of sports entertainment ecstasy.

While other announcers come off as bored and disinterested, Ranallo's passionate, convicted voice compels viewers to keep their eyes on the screen and play close attention. While other announcers can seem silly and pedantic, Ranallo's intense calling of the action makes it easy to suspend disbelief in the "fakeness" of wrestling.

Whereas main roster WWE's commentary has an unfortunate habit of distracting viewers with social media trends and advertiser/sponsor pitches while merely repeating "ooh" and "ouch" at what's happening in the ring, Ranallo's play-by-play calling of specific moves is a refreshing change. Of course, former Ring of Honor legend Nigel McGuiness and the rapidly-improving Percy Watson help round out the match-calling duties by adding additional perspective.