Read This If You Are a Wrestling Announcer/Color Commentator
By Kevin Kelly
I started my first television job in wrestling 20 years ago this week. For the first taping, I was supposed to be just the ringside interviewer. However, because the original play-by-play guy got sick, I sat in the chair and called the matches. While I was far from great, I did well enough to keep the job. It’s called being in the right place at the right time.
Along the way, I have instructed many wrestlers and announcers on how to market themselves and to always be ready.
With Ring of Honor Wrestling kicking off a new weekly television show starting this September, are you in the right place at the right time? Since I am ROH’s play-by-play announcer and have experience managing these types of things, I am chairing the process to see who’s available, interested and most importantly, qualified to be the color commentator. Keep reading if you think you are…
Some announce teams work better than others because of the difference in sound. I always thought Michael Cole and I were a great team but our voices were too similar. Some announcers are more suited for Sports-entertainment. If so, ROH may not be the right fit for you. Then again, I have always been a wrestling announcer and never thought I was a good fit for the WWE.
Color Commentators have changed over the years as well. The teams of McMahon and Ventura and Monsoon and Heenan worked great in the 1980’s WWE but in 2011 they might not be the right fit for their product. I think the best team today is Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan. I’m not going too far out on the limb there with that but I think that’s what fans want to hear nowadays.
What works about the team for me is enthusiasm and knowledge. Passion for the product and what makes the fighters tick. When I first saw Joe Rogan, I thought he was some celebrity getting some face time because of his television resume. When I heard a true MMA junkie, I knew he was the real deal. Over time, he and Goldberg have continued to gel as a team and now they are the best working team in the business today. Of course, JR and the King would be in that conversation, were they allowed to work together.
Ring of Honor is professional wrestling for the 21st century, where great combat athletes, representing different fighting styles collide in matches with significance and ramifications for title aspirations. I think the right team for ROH is closer to Goldberg and Rogan than McMahon and Ventura.
ROH has named me as their play-by-play announcer and I want to make sure the TV show has the right voice as the color commentator. Think of it this way… If I am ROH’s Mike Goldberg, are you ROH’s Joe Rogan?
I feel confident in saying for the ROH television show, they are also going to be looking for locker room reporters/interviewers and studio hosts at some point. If I were you, I’d send your stuff in as well. You never know…
ROH would only consider professional announcers with experience in wrestling and/or combat sports. This is not “Idol”, this is networking.
If you fit the qualifications above, you owe it to yourself to be in the right place because this is the right time.
So my inbox doesn’t get all jammed up, email me YouTube or web-based links of your announcing, along with photos, resume and whatever other related skills you have to make yourself invaluable.
No guarantees, but no BS either.
kkannouncersearch@yahoo.com is the email address you must use so I can more easily manage what I expect to be a voluminous amount of email…
One last thing… the job you are certain to NOT get is the one you DON’T apply for.
