Best Colour Commentator                 

Award Description:

To be given to the colour commentator who provides the most insightful and
entertaining comments. 

Previous Winners:

  1991: Bobby Heenan 
  1992: Bobby Heenan 
  1993: Jesse Ventura 
  1994: Bobby Heenan 
  1995: Bobby Heenan 
  1996: Bobby Heenan
  1997: Jerry Lawler
  1998: Jerry Lawler
  1999: Jerry Lawler

**2000**: Jerry Lawler

544 first place votes
514 second place votes
465 third place votes

346  71  30 2003   Jerry Lawler
 34 116  85  688   Tazz
 28  86  59  516   Edge & Christian
 36  45  49  413   Bobby Heenan
 19  42  40  301   Stevie Ray
 21  39  34  290   Cyrus
 17  38  42  283   Joel Gertner
  6  15  40  155   William Regal
  7  14  15  107   Mark Madden
  5  11  10   78   Mike Tenay
  3  10  13   71   Conquistadors
  1   6  10   43   Konnan
  1   4  11   39   Michael Hayes
  1   4   4   25   Scott Hudson
  1   0   2    9   Insane Clown Posse
  0   1   2    7   Michael Cole
  0   0   3    6   Kane
  1   0   0    5   Tom Pritchard
  1   0   0    5   Larry Zbyszko
  1   0   0    5   Larry Rivera
  0   1   1    5   Crowbar
  0   0   2    4   Juventud Guerrera
  0   1   0    3   Kevin Kelly
  0   0   1    2   Kurt Angle
  0   0   1    2   Jonathan Coachman
  0   0   1    2   J Taro
  0   0   1    2   Ivory
  0   0   1    2   Dave Layne
  0   0   1    2   Bad News Allen (Stampede)

REJECTED - did not do any colour commentary last year

 12   7   4        Jim Ross
  2   0   0        Joey Styles
  0   1   2        "Tie" votes
  0   2   1        Duplicate votes
  1   0   0        Gorilla Monsoon (wasn't alive last year)

HIRO: Guest Colour Commentators rule! William Regal on the announce table
rocks! How could anyone forget what he said about Trish Stratus? "She's a
buxom wench isn't she? Nice Bristols too!" should be the quote of the
year! Sadly Tazz on the mic is the only thing that I can recall about
Tazz's performance this year. His mocking of Michael Cole is almost up
there with Regal ("That's a Northern Lights Suplex, Michael Cole. NORTHERN
LIGHTS SUPLEX!"). Finally Edge and Christian 'breaking kay fabe'
commentary was very well done. We should let these wrestlers take turns at
the announce table more often (Tazz already is).

CHRIS BIRD: In an era where the colour commentator seems to have
disappeared in the midst of Jerry Lawler's self-markism, we were treated
to a surprise renaissance from the most unlikely of sources - Tazz and
Stevie Ray. Both are enormously entertaining colour commentators, doing
what the colour commentator is supposed to be doing - tossing out jokes,
cheering the heels, and mocking the faces. When even Lawler is coming in
his pants for the Rock, you can rely on good ol' Tazz to grouse. And
Stevie Ray is just discombobulated fun, the way Dusty Rhodes was when
Dusty was at the top of his game (we're talking "DEZ A WIMMIN IN DA MEZ
WAZROOM!" levels). Continually excellent, as always, is the third-place
Joel Gertner.

ADAM FROM TORONTO: No matter how bad he gets, Heenan deserves a vote just
because of his untouchable past. As good as Lawler is now, he still
couldn't clean Heenan's neckbrace. Sean who?

J3R CR0WE: Edge and Christian are legandary on commentary. The "run-in"
segment was hilarious, as was the swerve one. Tazz is really good too, but
returning week after week kinda grates on me. Regal has the comedic yet
gentlemanly stylings that make me laugh.

CHANCE BIDELMAN: Heenan is definately missed on wcw main tv.why are they
hidding him on the dumb sat night clip show.

SCOTT W.: Lawler is the man.  Tazz is second, cause he is cracking me up.
I'm sorry, Pete is second.  He doesn't look like he is having fun out
there.  Joel is 3rd for his intros and sexual innuendo.

MARCUS SPARKS: Tenay wins over Lawler for the sole reason of Lawler's
fixation on "puppies" is getting tired.

JOHN C.: Jerry Lawler wins yet again with Edge & Christian coming in
second thanks to their terrific brand of humour with Cyrus rounding out
the top three. It's a shame that WCW took Bobby Heenan off of Nitro &
Thunder because he's a legend in terms of wrestling broadcasters and is
still the best announcer they have.

STEVE SHIVES: Cyrus is the best, it's a shame he doesn't work for the WWF
anymore--I'd rather have Don Callis at ringside calling Raw with J.R. than
the King, whose act has gotten stale to say the least.  I voted Tazz in
second place.  Yes, he should be wrestling and not announcing, but there's
no denying that he's pretty good at it--in between those annoying oversell
laughs is some good, sometimes even insightful commentary.  Which is not
to say I wouldn't prefer the WWF letting him go in the ring on Mondays and
Thursdays and suplex people on their heads on his way back to
upper-mid-card credibility.

MOSES GATES:  It's a damn shame that Tazz has leapfrogged Hayes to become
the number two color guy.  Michael Hayes is the most underrated
commentator today.

STEPHEN TISZENKEL: The fact that WCW lets Mark Madden get away with saying
some of the things he says proves how little they care anymore. Oh, well,
it's the viewers' gain, I guess!

BRIAN SCALA: Okay, I marked when Kane put on the headset. Sue me.

JAMES HOWARD: Stevie Ray is the most enjoyable colour commentator that WCW
has had in years, and Tazz is one of my favorite colour commentators of
all time... but as they say in Nicaragua, "Chihuahua! *Woof*!" :)

CHRISTOPHER SHEA: Tazz was fall-on-the-floor funny during his Smackdown
stints, but ever since being moved over to Heat he's been pretty
pedestrian. Lawler may not be as good, but he's more consistent.

RICK SCAIA: Sometimes Jerry Lawler can be annoying and one dimensional...
but for every time the King beats the proverbial dead horse, there are two
times when he'll latch onto a one-shot line and expand it into a
compelling, merchandise-selling, money-making catchphrase or character.  
The announcers jobs are to get the talent over, and Lawler does a good job
of it.  I put Cyrus second on the Best Color Commentator list for a
different reason: he's just about the only announcer whose "insider jokes"
actually strike me as funny, rather than self-serving or otherwise
stilted.  Tazz's showing late in the year has been impressive; though a
face turn seems in the offing, it was great to see someone so effectively
bring back the standard heel commentator archetype (in the finest
tradition of Bobby Heenan, who is basically out of work now after years of
being the best pure heel behind the desk).

DOMINIC SEIBERT: Most Deteriorated Colour Commentators -- Bobby Heenan &
Larry Zbyszko-- Not their fault since their company sucked all the
enthusiasm out of them.

NATHAN LONEY: Jerry Lawler is still the best.  Tazz gets my second place
vote for being hilarious in his role on Heat.  Gertner gets third place,
because he plays off Styles so well.

BILL LEHECKA: Jerry Lawler's morphed from a heel commentator to a 'tweener
with hormones.  I enjoy his shtick, and I would've enjoyed his feud with
Tazz more if there was a decisive conclusion to it.

MATT SPAULDING: The Judgment Day Iron Man Match was Lawler's best and most
serious work in years, and he's made a smooth transition from heel to
lech.  Stevie Ray was a breath of fresh air to a tired Thunder announce
table.

BLAZEJ SZPAKOWICZ: Although I hate Tazz as an actual wrestler, and
although his gimmick irritates me, I think he may well be the best colour
man in the business. It may simply be the fact that after years of
listening to him, Jerry Lawler has simply worn a bit thin, but I really
swear to Benoit that Tazz is simply better. Just keep him out of the damn
ring! Lawler's an easy second, and Edge & Christian get third for all
those wickedly awesome smarkish comments they make. And cause they're
Canadian.

LAWRENCE BENEDETTO: Nothing beats the high-pitched squeal Lawler gives us
on a weekly basis. Although E&C telling us they were going to do a
"run-in" was quite a fine jab at wcw.

TANVIR RAQUIB: One orange midget, 2 blonde Canadians and a huge black man
with gapped front teeth.

RAVI MISRA:  Here's hoping for Jerry Lawler to be the XFL's sideline
reporter.  Not that I think that the XFL is going to be great, but Jerry
Lawler would only make it better.  Tazz was quite amazing as a commentator
as well, and I think almost everyone now knows what a Northern Lights
Suplex really is, except probably Tony Schiavone, who'd end up calling it
a sidewalk slam.

MIKE PLYLEY: Michael Hayes is seriously underrated as an announcer.  He
may not be flashy, but he gets the job done, roots for the heels, and
doesn't make a complete ass of himself or look like an idiot.

JOHN DONALDSON:  The only reason I watch Sunday Night Heat on MTV, Tazz.  
Only he has the cojones to call Taka Michinoku a Puerto Rican from The
Bronx.  Bobby Heenan is The Weasel and that's what makes him so great,
he's old school and he always will be with his corny humor and his one of
a kind trapped in a time warp quotations.

JEFF "FRO" WAHLMAN: Tazz wins this one thanks to putting Michael Cole in
his place. Lawler is also good except for his "marking out" for women
which gets kinda old. Bobby "The Brain" is having a nice resurgence now
that he's doing a show with a taped studio format that he rules at
(Worldwide).  This category is really turning into a lost art with these
"heels" all acting more neutral.

PHIL PRZYBYLO: Lawler's number one, no doubt.  Tazz is a natural behind
the mic.  Ten years from now, he'll probably be in the same position as
"LAW-LA".

C McMURTRY: Don Callis' mixture of humor and wrestling insight makes him,
far and away, the superior color commentator in North America. Stevie Ray
is simply awesome, providing more fodder for online fans than anyone in a
long time. Konnan is a close second in that regard. Too bad both have to
wrestle.

THE CUBS FAN: Michael Hayes is the best color guy no one ever hears.

JBELL55146: While sometimes immature, The King still throws out some good
one liners that can make me laugh. And you mean to tell me that Tazz
actually is funny?!?!