All Elite Wrestling's ring announcer Justin Roberts has been in professional wrestling for a long time. Roberts first signed to be a ring announcer for WWE in 2002 and worked for the company for 12 years before he was released from his contract in 2014. Roberts would eventually become the lead announcer for WWE and became best known for being choked out with his tie by Daniel Bryan after the Nexus rampaged the ring on an episode of Raw which led to Bryan getting fired for the promotion.
After being released from his WWE contract in 2014, Roberts released a memoir titled The Best Seat In The House, which covered both his personal life and his job with the WWE. The book took readers behind the scenes at some of the most impactful moments of Roberts' time with the WWE including a European tour where his passport was stolen, the incident with Daniel Bryan, and the passing of his father. In 2019, Roberts was signed to All Elite Wrestling as the main ring announcer for the promotion.
10 Loved Betty White
Before she passed away, Betty White was a beloved Comedian who was known for her role as Rose Nylund on the Golden Girls alongside Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty. Like many people, Roberts was a massive fan of White and the Golden Girls. When White appeared as a guest host on Monday Night Raw in 2014, Roberts organized for himself to meet the star backstage.
According to Roberts, the operation to set up a meeting with the highly sought-after White took a lot of time to set up and was only agreed to if he couldn't tell anyone that he had met her until after the show. Roberts agreed to the condition and also made up a special "Raw is White" t-shirt, one of which he wore and the other he gave to Betty White as a present. After she passed away in 2021, Roberts and All Elite Wrestling paid tribute to the actress.
9 Created a Massage Product Company
One of the main things that Roberts talked about in his memoirs was the stress that came with working a job in WWE and the toll the hectic travel schedule took on their bodies. While Roberts' acknowledged that he wasn't in the ring taking bumps, he still had his fair share of injuries and illnesses. During his time in WWE, Roberts sprained his shoulder, had his tonsils removed, and suffered serious burns to the roof of his mouth.
To help with the treatment of his shoulder issue, Roberts created a company with a friend that sold small portable massage machines that would create an electronic pulse to stimulate the muscle. The machine was similar to products used by physiotherapists and chiropractors, but Roberts sought to make his unit cheaper and more affordable so that everyone could have one. Roberts would give some sets to wrestlers and physios that worked with WWE until he was ordered to stop by management.
8 Passionate About Ring Announcing
While it wasn't always viewed this way, many people recently have used the ring announcer position as a stepping stone used to get their foot in the door at a wrestling company instead of an actual profession. Former ring announcer Jillian Hall tried to use the position to launch a singing career, while others, used the position to try and get wrestling training and become a wrestler. This wasn't the case for Justin Roberts.
Roberts stated that he idolized WWE ring announcer, legend, and hall of fame Howard Finkel who is WWE's most iconic ring announcer. Roberts tried to get WWE to take the position more seriously, but the promotion insisted that it was a position that they could get anyone to do.
7 Great At Impressions
One of Roberts' many talents, aside from ring announcing, is his uncanny ability to perform spot-on impressions of various celebrities, especially legendary figures in wrestling. During the audio book recordings of his memoirs, Roberts did incredible impersonations of legendary ring announcer Howard Finkel and even a version of Vince McMahon's over-the-top style and voice when he appeared on commentary from the 1970s to the 1990s.
The impressions were never done to poke fun at the target but rather to emulate them and their iconic sound. One after another Roberts nailed each impression to the point where you could not tell who the speaker was. Roberts even did his Vince McMahon impression in front of Vince McMahon, however, Roberts claimed that the WWE CEO was less than impressed.
6 Was The One Who Was Truly Close With Connor
In 2012, Connor Michalek posted a video about wanting to meet WWE's Daniel Bryan on YouTube and the video subsequently went viral. Before his eventual passing in 2014, Michalek would attend several WWE events, meeting Daniel Bryan and a host of other Superstars. After Conner passed away, the WWE posthumously inducted him into the Hall of Fame and created a charity in his name called Connor's Cure to raise funds for Pediatric cancer research.
After Connor's passing, Roberts criticized the induction and claimed that the WWE was using Connor as a part of a marketing strategy, as opposed to genuine sincerity. Roberts was particularly critical of the use of Connor's wrestling idol Daniel Bryan and the exclusion of Roberts in the tribute videos. According to Roberts, he regularly spoke to Connor and members of the Michalek family, his involvement was brushed aside for Bryan, even though Bryan rarely interacted with Connor.
5 Old School Wrestling Fan
While some wrestlers get into wrestling after college, many go into the business because they were fans themselves. Wrestlers like Edge, Kevin Owens, Bayley, and more have spoken about watching WWE on TV and attending shows before becoming professional wrestlers themselves. The same is true for Justin Roberts. Like many wrestlers, Roberts was a fan of wrestling and was spotted in the crowd at many events before getting hired by WWE.
Roberts was a huge fan of larger-than-life characters like The Ultimate Warrior, Kerry Von Erich, and Curt Hennig. Roberts would make his debut as a ring announcer in an Illinois-based independent promotion.
4 Got On With Tommy Dreamer
One of the many wrestlers that Roberts became close with during his time in WWE included ECW legend and hardcore wrestling icon, Tommy Dreamer. When Roberts worked at WWE, Dreamer filled a variety of roles from in-ring talent to producer. According to Roberts and other Superstars, Dreamer was the target of a game the wrestlers called "Tommy Ball". This was a game created in the locker room where wrestlers would try to throw things at Tommy Dreamers' private parts.
After Roberts was released from WWE, one of the first wrestling events he performed at was a House of Hardcore event, a hardcore wrestling promotion that Tommy Dreamer started in 2012. Dreamer also contributed the foreword for Roberts' 2017 book "The Best Seat In The House".
3 Hates Triple H
Roberts experienced a heap of problems while working with WWE, most of which seemed to come from his interactions with management. While many wouldn't be surprised about what Roberts had to say about working for Vince McMahon and Kevin Dunn, given the dislike many wrestling fans have for those two. Roberts also had several terrible things to say about his interactions with Triple H.
While many wrestling fans see Triple H as the savior of the WWE, Roberts claims that the former WWE Champion turned board member often treated him like a ghost in their brief interactions. Roberts claimed that while Stephanie became more involved in Connor Michalek's condition and asked Roberts to keep her updated, Triple H often put Roberts down in front of the Michalek family.
2 Ran his own Indie Fed
In 2002, Impact Zone Wrestling a friend of his, and the promotion ran shows in Tempe, Arizona not far from where Roberts' family lived in Scottsdale and close to where Roberts had gone to college. Roberts had previously worked with a variety of independent promotions in the region, filling in as a ring announcer, booker, producer, and writer as was called for by each promotion, but this was the first time he would be running a proper promotion with regular shows.
Some of the recognizable talent that appeared for Impact Zone Wrestling included Frankie Kazarian, Chris Hero, Sara Del Rey, Bryan Danielson, and Bryan Kendrick, as well as veterans like Gangrel, Raven, Tatanka, and the Honky Tonk Man. Roberts would have to leave the promotion after signing to work as a ring announcer for WWE full time. Roberts would make appearances for the promotion after getting his WWE release in 2014.
1 WWE Crushed His Passions
Former WWE Wrestlers have countlessly told stories of how WWE crushed their passion for the industry and caused them to leave, despite it being their dream job. Unfortunately, the same thing happened to Justin Roberts during his time working as a ring announcer for the company for 12 years. In his memoirs, Roberts tells the story of how working at WWE was not only incredibly stressful but also drained his passion for professional wrestling.
While Roberts does also talk about many of the good aspects of working for the global wrestling powerhouse, Roberts had many issues with management figures including Kevin Dunn, Triple H, and Vince McMahon. From a lack of clear communication, to regularly being disrespected, and constantly being asked to tone down his performance, Roberts grew resentful against WWE. Thankfully, Roberts appears to have found a new home in All Elite Wrestling and appears to be incredibly happy being back in professional wrestling and working as one of the top ring announcers in wrestling again.