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Commentary has always been an integral part of professional wrestling. While the wrestlers tell a story inside the squared circle, it is a commentator's job to put the competitors over, via the medium of the spoken word.
Good commentary has the ability to turn an average match into something very special while bad calling can lead to a solid in-ring match becoming a boring and dull affair.
A wrestling commentator always has to be on their toes, playing close attention to the in-ring action and calling it as it happens in real-time.
Announcing a wrestling match is a really tough job especially when you have people on headset constantly telling you what to say when you're trying to call a match.
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Here are the top five commentators in wrestling today:
#5 Kevin Kelly
If you followed WWE during the Attitude Era, it is highly likely that you'd have heard about Kevin Kelly.
Kelly was a part of WWE's broadcasting team during the Attitude Era. He was a part of the infamous "Pillman's got a gun" segment where he was interviewing Pillman.
After an eight-year stint with the company, Kelly would leave WWE in 2003 following which he would disappear from the business for the next seven years before returning as the lead commentator for Ring of Honor in 2010. Kelly would serve as the promotion's play-by-play announcer for the next seven years before leaving the company in 2017.
In October 2017, Kelly would start his stint in New Japan Pro Wrestling as the promotion's lead English commentator, a position he still holds. Kelly has called some of the greatest matches in New Japan history including the Omega-Okada series.
Kelly's three-decade experience in the industry along with his easy to follow styles has endeared him to fans all over the world. He was voted as the Best Television Announcer by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2018.
#4 Ian Riccaboni
The lead/play-by-play commentator for Ring of Honour, Riccaboni has been with the Maryland-based promotion since 2014. A fan of the business since a young age, Riccaboni attended numerous WWE, WCW and ECW shows during his teenage years. He also holds a degree in Media and Mass Communication from New York University and worked as a full-time contributor for USA Today before arriving in ROH.
Riccaboni has also worked as a ring announcer for ROH before moving into his current role of ROH's lead commentator. Initially starting out as the second lead commentator in a booth which had Kevin Kelly and Colt Cabana, Riccaboni would become the promotion's lead commentator following the departure of Kevin Kelly in 2017. Riccaboni was also part of the commentary team at ALL IN and the historic G1 SuperCard.
Riccaboni has a great voice, and his sharp and to the point insights during a match make him one of the best commentators in the business right now.
#3 Excalibur
One of the unsung heroes of AEW's first pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, Excalibur was an absolute joy to listen to with his sharp insights and impeccable sense of humor. While his colleagues on the desk Alex Marvez, and Jim Ross looked out of place for the most part of the show, Excalibur was at the top of his game during the entire show.
One of the founding fathers of the hugely popular independent wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Guerilla, Excalibur also worked for the promotion as an in-ring talent winning the PWG Tag Team Championship once with Super Dragon. He would retire from in-ring competition in 2007 and become the lead play-by-play commentator for PWG. He was also a part of the commentary desk at ALL IN alongside Don Callis and Ian Riccaboni.
His familiarity with most of the talent performing at Double or Nothing made his calls more engaging and entertaining. Excalibur has attained legendary status within the IWC for his work in PWG and it looks like he is all set to gain more fans with his stint in All Elite Wrestling.
#2 Don Callis
A three-decade veteran of the business, Callis is one of wrestling's sharpest minds. Callis is known for his tenure in promotions like WCW, WWE, and Impact Wrestling. The Winnipeg-native started his career in 1989 in Tony Condello's wrestling promotion West Four Wrestling under the ring name "The Natural". Callis debuted in WWE (WWF at that time) in 1996 as "The Jackal", where he would be a part of the faction "The Truth Commission". But, Callis is best remembered for his stint in ECW where he performed under the ring name, "Cyrus".
Callis currently works for IMPACT as the company's co-executive Vice President and also works as the color commentators for their pay-per-views and weekly TV shows. Callis has also been credited with the recent resurgence of IMPACT which has seen the company gaining some lost ground within the wrestling community.
Callis has also been working as a color commentator for New Japan Pro Wrestling since 2017. His quirky style coupled with his wicked sense of humor and pompous attitude has made Callis a huge hit among fans all around the world.
#1 Mauro Ranallo
Starting out as an announcer at the young age of 16 years, Mauro Ranallo would go on to become one of the most celebrated commentators in combat sports. Ranallo started his career in All-Star Wrestling before becoming the lead announcer for Stampede Wrestling.
Ranallo gained worldwide fame for his stint as the commentator for Japanese Mixed Martial Arts Promotion Pride Fighting Championship, where he shared the booth with MMA Legend Bas Rutten. Ranallo called some of the most memorable fights in MMA History during his time in Pride FC. Ranallo worked for MMA promotions like Strikeforce and Elite XC before returning to pro wrestling in 2015 when he joined New Japan Pro Wrestling as the company's English commentator for their shows telecasted in the US on AXS TV.
Ranallo signed with WWE in December 2015 and would become the lead commentator for SmackDown before leaving the promotion due to health issues in 2017 before being re-hired as the lead commentator for NXT. Ranallo's over-the-top and animated style which sees him making references of the current pop culture phenomenon, and his pitch-perfect voice makes him the best wrestling commentator in the world right now. Ranallo's popularity among wrestling fans can be gauged by the fact that fans chant "Mama Mia", a term frequently used by Ranallo during his calls.
