The transition from wrestling to broadcasting has seen many great wrestlers find a new career path after retiring. Most performers have a strong knowledge for the business after years of working at a high level. Names like Jerry Lawler, Jesse Ventura and Taz would become successful broadcasters to start legacies in a new aspect of wrestling. Not all would find success as Mick Foley, Al Snow and others couldn’t find success at commentary.
We will look at current wrestlers with great chances at becoming broadcasters along with those that don’t have the same potential. The names with the best chance have done a great job in limited commentary appearances and have the wrestling knowledge to back it up. Others unfortunately don’t have the same potential due to various limitations. Find out which talents could have a bright future with five current WWE stars that can become great commentators along with five that have no chance.
10 Great commentator: Kevin Owens
WWE has seen Kevin Owens become one of the better stories of a wrestler that thrives at guest commentary work. Owens primarily did this as a heel character, and always added fun to the dynamic of the calling of a match.
Michael Cole and Byron Saxton were always mocked by Owens in a way that was productive without taking away from the match. Owens had years of experience providing guest commentary for PWG. WWE would have a hit if KO ever moved into the color commentator role in the future.
9 No chance: Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt is certainly charismatic and a great talker, but it would be hard to envision that translating to broadcasting. Most of the wrestlers to make the move didn’t have a strange gimmick that was associated with their careers.
This would be like The Undertaker moving to commentary and killing the mystique of his character. Wyatt needs a neutral character like when Mick Foley started portraying himself on WWE television. It remains unlikely to witness a commentator having a background as The Fiend.
8 Great commentator: Big Show
The veteran role of Big Show saw him recently return to get involved in a feud against the faction of Seth Rollins, Buddy Murphy and the Authors of Pain. Big Show is inching towards the end of his career with this being a potential final run.
The voice of Big Show does not necessarily translate easily to commentary, but he has the knowledge and the charisma to make it work. Big Show has always been viewed as a charming personality that was great at media work. An opportunity in commentary could create a new success for him.
7 No chance: Randy Orton
Randy Orton is one of the biggest names in WWE that is not necessarily known for having a memorable voice. Promos have never been Orton’s strong suit, but he was solid enough to always get by with noteworthy pushes always elevating him.
Orton would struggle more than most in the commentary role if forced to make a change. The quiet demeanor of Orton has been a huge part of his character in recent years. Being forced to talk all show about the action likely would not work out with Orton as a commentator.
6 Great commentator: Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe having a short run as the third commentator for Raw while recovering from an injury showcased his overall potential in the role. The work of Joe impressed as he added both insight and humor to the commentary team.
Joe was cleared to compete at the end of 2019 and has become one of the top Raw faces feuding with Seth Rollins’ faction. The wrestling career of Joe is still going strong, but he set himself up for the future with a potential return to commentary whenever he retires.
5 No chance: Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley is still trying to break out for WWE, but the same issue always follows him. WWE has never seen Lashley become comfortable cutting promos in an effective manner. Managers like Lio Rush and Lana have always been added to improve his overall character.
Lashley is soft spoken and it becomes a harder task for him to cut compelling promos. Commentary does not seem like an ideal fit for someone like Lashley. The big man must improve his promos and talking ability during his in-ring career before even thinking about a transition.
4 Great commentator: Daniel Bryan
The wrestling intelligence of Daniel Bryan is second to none in the wrestling world. Bryan has appeared as a guest commentator quite a few times in his career and always manages to leave a positive impact. It doesn’t matter if he’s playing a face or heel.
Bryan makes fans laugh when he’s a face character on the commentary team. His heel turn provided even more fun when he thrived getting his points across while running down the faces. WWE could have a huge broadcasting success story if Bryan ever wanted to make the change.
3 No chance: AJ Styles
AJ Styles spent many years getting turned down by WWE before finally receiving a contract offer. The Southern accent and a prior reputation for weak promos were two things that hurt him. Styles has improved his promos, but it still seems unlikely he could do well as a commentator.
Most of the better commentators already had great identities for being tremendous talkers on the microphone. Not even the improvement from Styles could be enough to reach that level. Styles would be better suited as a producer or trainer rather than a broadcaster in the future.
2 Great commentator: The Miz
The Miz has been arguably the top WWE representative for over a decade now. WWE started trusting Miz to appear on major shows to promote the company and represent them well. Miz clearly knows how to get his points across while talking.
WWE even tried him at commentary with a short run in the role on the Main Event program. Miz was quite impressive and showed potential to thrive in the role. It already seems like Miz would be a WWE lifer who would always have some role in the company. Miz will likely be offered a color commentator position whenever he retires.
1 No chance: Dolph Ziggler
WWE always held back on going all the way with Dolph Ziggler due to not buying into his promos as much as his matches. Ziggler had momentum for a while, but the company always stopped short of giving him a sustained main event push.
The sense of humor and general personality of Ziggler is hit or miss. His commentary would likely turn away many viewers that wouldn’t want to hear his jokes or talking style. Ziggler is one name that doesn’t have a realistic path to broadcasting for WWE.