The purpose of pro wrestling commentary is being lost on Michael Cole, John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Jerry Lawler. Instead of elevating matches, they are holding them back.
Rather than amplify the stories that unfold in a ring, the trio consistently jokes around, seemingly more focused on entertaining themselves than the audience.
That was especially clear during the pre-show match before TLC.
WWE was trying to get the recently repackaged faction of Big E, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston some momentum. They got a win against former tag champs Goldust and Stardust for that purpose, but that victory was hard to sit through.
When Stardust entered, Cole didn't sell him as being a strange, dangerous predator. Instead, he chuckled as he appeared, saying, "Look at this goof!"
Cole used that same dismissive phrase early in Daniel Bryan's career.
JBL talked at length about how much Stardust looked like The Great Gazoo from The Flintstones. He, and eventually his broadcast partners, proceeded to ramble on about the comparison throughout the action.
In fact, as the match neared its climax, Lawler was busy talking about the upcoming Flintstones DVD and wondering if The Great Gazoo would be in the film. He didn't seem to care that The New Day was closing in on a win.When Big E and company battled Stardust and Goldust on Raw the next night, far too much of the commentary focused on how much Big E sweated. That's not exactly character development.
If the announcers aren't taking the matches seriously, then why should fans? If the in-ring action isn't compelling enough to keep JBL, Cole and Lawler from going on tangents, what does that say to the audience?
The pre-show match is supposed to act as the enticing tidbit that gets fans to sign up for the pay-per-view. The announcers didn't treat it that way, as James Caldwell of the Pro Wrestling Torch pointed out:
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2302465-ryan-dilberts-10-count-wwes-announce-team-making-it-hard-to-enjoy-matches
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