Ranking the Best Announcers in WWE and AEW

Commentary in any sport is of the utmost importance when it comes to drawing an audience and informing it. In professional wrestling, the role takes on that much more significance, thanks to the sheer number of storylines and threads those on the headsets have to convey.

As the two most prominent companies in the industry, WWE and AEW understand better than anyone the value of having strong voices on the mic, relaying important information to the audience, not to mention the narratives that will carry the organizations into their next big events.

Which of their broadcasters has emerged as the best in the business at what they do, skirting the fine line between pro wrestling shill and the voices most recognizable to the fans?

Find out with this countdown.

Excalibur (AEW)

Leaving Excalibur out of the top five will almost certainly create controversy among the AEW faithful but there is reason for it.

Despite winning the Wrestling Observer Award for Best Commentator in 2020, 2021, and 2023, he still struggles with conveying the story in front of him for the audience at home. Sure, some of that can be chalked up to the fact that the creative forces in the company have not done a good enough job of booking actual storylines over the last two or three years, but there is still some blame that falls directly at the feet of the masked broadcaster.

He is undeniably knowledgeable and able to call any move from any corner of the world or introduce any wrestler from any global promotion. While both are assets, what AEW desperately needs is someone to connect the audience to the product emotionally by telling the audience the story at play.

More of that, less of the breathless card lineups or next week's show and Excalibur makes this list.

Pat McAfee (WWE)

Some understandably do not like or understand Pat McAfee's commentary style. He is sometimes bombastic, at times over the top, but he brings unquestionable energy to his work. He has rejuvenated Michael Cole in a way some figured was at one time impossible.

That he is enthusiastic about the product and the stars involved in it has helped engage fans and get them to care again, something the doldrums of 2019 stole from them and the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to eliminate.

Could he stand to dial it back a bit, especially in the more somber moments? Sure, but for a mainstream personality whose greatest asset is his love for the business, McAfee has been a breath of fresh air on WWE television.

The more he learns along the way, the better he will be and the greater the likelihood that he will make the main list in the future.

Wade Barrett (WWE)

Barrett is a strong color commentator who brings personality to his match calls but does so in a serious manner. He does not scream for puppies and is not on the desk YEETing with Jey Uso, but he will sneak a one-liner or two in there while also calling back to his own in-ring experience to convey what a Superstar is thinking or feeling before a big match.

He is funny while also maintaining his professionalism, something that has proven problematic in the past.

A member of the commentary team since his 2020 stint with NXT, the former King of the Ring and intercontinental champion has been one of the pleasant surprises since assuming a role on the headsets.

The voice of NXT has grown and evolved on the headsets before our very eyes and ears.

A former radio broadcaster who covered just about every major sporting event during his days in Cleveland, he kicked off his WWE run as the voice of Main Event and NXT UK before really making fans sit up and take notice with his work on 205 Live.

His work on that show earned him spots on the Raw and SmackDown announce teams before ultimately settling in with NXT, where he has served as the voice of the developmental brand for the last four years.

Once considered one of the voiceless drones on WWE's roster of commentators, Joseph has proven he can tell stories and call the action, all while injecting his personality.

The change in regimes creatively and a looser commentary environment has helped, but Joseph has managed to do what others in his position have not: avoid becoming a commercialized caricature of a pro wrestling commentator, discover his own voice, and become the voice of an entire brand.

That he has managed to do so alongside Booker T on Tuesday nights, a legendary competitor who certainly brings an over-the-top personality to the broadcast table, and has successfully reeled him in more times than not is a miracle in its own right.

If there is a color commentator who has managed to mesh well with his play-by-play guy, while establishing a character at the broadcast position and letting his personality shine, it is Nigel McGuinness.

The former Ring of Honor world champion can work with anyone. From Michael Cole and Andy Shepherd in WWE to Tony Schiavone and Kevin Kelly in AEW, he has consistently brought his in-ring expertise to the table while allowing his wit and personality to shine.

The banter he creates with his broadcast partner helps create an experience for the viewer that is one moment, fun and light, and the next, heavy with the gravity of the situation.

His fun personal beef with Adam Copeland on AEW TV in recent months is an example of the little things that McGuinness does well. The best color guys in wrestling history have approached their job as heels, each tasked with propping up the heel while the play-by-play man hypes the babyface.

McGuinness has done it well, without having to shriek at the top of his lungs or adopt a gimmicky approach to his work.

He has always been himself and it resonates with fans, who have consistently enjoyed his work regardless of the company he has worked for.

Corey Graves is a legitimate success story at the commentary table.

The Pittsburgh native was forced into retirement in 2014 following a rash of concussions. A favorite of the bosses in the developmental system, Graves was awarded a commentary contract by Triple H and never looked back.

Earlier in his career, he came across as knowledgeable and with a great deal of love and passion for the industry, but could also be considered a bit smug. He was the heel voice of the team, so it fit with the persona that he was attempting to portray, but it did not always appeal to the viewers at home.

Fast-forward a decade and you have an on-screen performer who has worked hard at his craft and evolved into one of the most adaptable commentators in the game.

On Friday nights, he is the play-by-play guy, tasked with getting over the wrestlers and stories in the ring but also tending to the many corporate sponsorships and business relationships the company has with other organizations and brands.

On premium live events, he slides back into his color commentary role, where he perfectly meshes with Michael Cole on the biggest broadcasts the company has to offer. Look no further than WrestleMania XL, the beginning of a new era in WWE and one of the great two-night performances by any broadcast team in WWE history.

A guy who has been around as long as Graves has, and as part of as many high-profile matches as he has called, could easily balk at the idea of appearing on Main Event or Speed, but he continues to show up and show out, working his way onto this list; a countdown few could have managed the tattooed punk appearing so high on when he first put on the cans in the infancy of his broadcast career.

Whether Ring of Honor or AEW television, Ian Riccaboni has consistently been among the best commentators in the business, thanks to his studious and impassioned approach.

A native of Allentown, a city rich in pro wrestling history, Riccaboni got his start in 2014 for ROH after learning under Kevin Kelly. Within four years, he was one of the best in the business and the voice of The Elite's ALL IN mega-event.

He called the historic G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, has filled in as needed for AEW, and is the consistent voice of Tony Khan's version of ROH.

What separates Riccaboni from his peers is his ability to study the complex backgrounds of some of the top stars in the industry, know their histories and move sets, and convey them to the audience without ever coming across as a know-it-all.

Best of all, he does it while never losing sight of the stories at play. He is a fan who appreciates the work of the talent in the ring but never allows that love of the industry to take precedence over his work.

Does he express excitement? Absolutely, but like the best at his job, that can be endearing under the right circumstances. He remains professional and does not get too insider-y, one of the key differences in today's industry.

Riccaboni is a student of the game, is always prepared, loves what he does, and it is endearing to the audience. That he knows the wrestlers involved and can get them over on the mic without being obnoxious about it or flexing his pro wrestling knowledge like a walking encyclopedia, has earned him this spot on the countdown, and if it were not for the renaissance of our No. 1 entrant, very likely would have found himself atop the wrestling commentator mountain.

Michael Cole is the best announcer in WWE history and the No. 1 entrant on this countdown.

That may sound blasphemous considering the iconic calls of Vince McMahon and Jim Ross during the golden and Attitude Eras of the company, but neither of those men had to juggle the responsibilities that Cole has throughout his career while still managing to inform the audience.

Cole is a play-by-play commentator and salesman, shilling the products of WWE's seemingly infinite business partners. He touts headlines for public relations purposes and highlights the company's social media accounts. He juggles those responsibilities while still shining a light on the men and women between the ropes and the many storylines in which they are involved.

For nearly three decades, he has contributed to the WWE Universe, first as a backstage interviewer, then as the voice of the SmackDown brand alongside Taz. That commentary team may be the most underrated in company history, with their work in 2002 and 2003, in particular, being among the best WWE has ever seen.

When the time called for Cole to turn heel in 2010 and become a significant on-screen character who mixed it up in the ring on occasion, he pulled that off, too.

Even when the WWE product was at its most stale, with storylines that did not register with fans and wrestlers who sometimes appeared uninterested with whatever the company's creative forces had in store for them, Cole still attacked his calls with the passion one expects from the voice of the company.

The recent change in creative regimes, coupled with the introduction of broadcast partner Pat McAfee in 2022, has completely changed Cole for the better, allowing him to flex a personality that appeared to be erased from WWE television long ago.

Completely invested in the product, Cole has once again emerged as the best lead commentator in the industry, a performer who can do it all and whose contributions to the business' top company have likely been underrated and undervalued prior to his recent renaissance.

The voice of an entire generation of fans, Cole has earned his flowers and will one day be looked back upon as the G.O.A.T. that he is.

An easy No. 1 on this countdown.