Last week, as part of a hot-shot, ratings grabbing edition of RAW, WWE COO Triple H announced that WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross would be returning to RAW full time as one of the show's venerable commentators.
The news was certainly exciting at face value, however once the initial pop for Jim Ross returning died down, I began to wonder whether or not WWE's new look announce team would suffer from subtraction by addition.
Especially if Michael Cole were to remain in the driver's seat.
Right on cue, these concerns were substantiated this past week on RAW. The RAWful (© Big Nasty, Inc.) three man announce team periodically sucked the life out of an otherwise stellar broadcast throughout the show.
Lead by the oh so detestable Michael Cole, the three man announce team seemed more intent on getting their barbs in on one another - with Ross and Lawler bickering with Cole - than calling the action. In instances reminiscent of the crowded and obnoxious 2010 NFL Draft panel, Ross, Cole, and Lawler struggled and shouted through the built-in chemistry issues that come with a three man announce booth.
Cole, of course, was doing most of the shouting.
Much of the concern I had with Ross returning to RAW alongside Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler was that Cole would be quicker to unzip his pants, pull out his little Cole Miner, and urinate all over the RAW announce table to remind Ross whose (decreasingly rated) show this had become.
Cole did not miss a single opportunity to keep Ross at bay, ensuring that he remained the neutered third man in the booth to the point of sabotage. The interjection of Jim Ross seemed like just that - an interjection, and more of a luxury than a natural transition into Ross' usually pin-point analytical contributions.
In fact, Jim Ross himself acknowledged the chemistry problems via twitter, asking fans to give the announcing veterans time to "jell." However if Cole continues his signature obnoxiousness, with Lawler attempting to match him tit for tat, the gel will continue to remain liquid.
An announce team serves as the lifeblood of any pro wrestling television product. It serves as one of the most important roles on the entire product as it is the announcer's job to take the viewer by the hand and guide them through the storylines, progression, and featured talent of the program. Vince McMahon was a longtime announcer for RAW, despite being chairman of the WWE, not because he wanted to pay dues.
It was because he knew how important such a role was more than anyone else.
Many have been baffled by RAW's stagnant ratings in wake of a hot CM Punk angle and the heavily promoted dawning of a new era with Triple H's return. It seems that no matter how hard WWE has tried to pop a significant rating, they can't seem to poke their collective head above a 3.3.
Meanwhile, projections for Money in the Bank buyrates have the Chicago-sized pay-per-view, featuring what appeared to be CM Punk's final match with the company, increasing about 20 percent compared to last year according to Vince McMahon at the 2Q-11 conference call earlier today.
The conclusion could easily be drawn that fans seem to have no problem watching a hot angle live, yet they've shown the propensity to skip the television in favor of strong Monday night programming opposing RAW.
Casual wrestling fans, who contribute to the bulk of any strong rating for RAW, do not find it as difficult to skip the TV when subjected to even a few minutes of a screaming, bickering, petty broadcast team.
Some hardcore fans have even admitted to hitting the mute button while Cole is talking, although most of said fans probably lied about performing such an act.
Jim Ross as the third man in the announce booth is likely the closest WWE will come to caving into the all too familiar demands of bringing the Hall of Famer back to replace Michael Cole. Fans should be pleased with this addition, however if RAW continues to be anything like it was this past week, the television product will continue to suffer.
There was once a place for the obnoxious, heel Michael Cole we still see to this day. His lucrative unlikeable factor contributed to one of the most successful WrestleManias of all time as he was featured in one of the top matches on the card.
However now that there is no storyline to go with his obnoxiousness, Cole has gone right back to being rendered a liability and his own worst enemy as he holds the RAW announce team hostage to his counter-productive shtick. Even though Michael Cole's days of frosting his tips are well behind him, hopefully he and his RAW cohorts are able to effectively gel for the sake of the show.
Big Nasty is the best writer in the world. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty.
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