Jim Cornette on Mike Tenay

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  • Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
  • From Episode 228 of Jim Cornette's Drive Thru
    Artwork by Travis Heckel!
    Send in your question for the Drive-Thru to: CornyDriveThru@gmail.com
    Follow Jim and Brian on Twitter: @TheJimCornette @GreatBrianLast
    Join Jim Cornette's College Of Wrestling Knowledge on Patreon to access the archives & more! / cornette
    Visit Jim's official site at www.JimCornette.com for merch, live dates, commentaries and more!
    You can listen to Brian each week on the 6:05 Superpodcast at 605pod.com.

Комментарии • 374

  • @dionius4549
    @dionius4549 2 года назад +264

    In 2005 i listened to Jim Ross and King on Raw, Michael Cole and Tazz on SD, Mike Tenay and Don West on Impact. What a time to be alive

    • @blancosfamilyfarm1798
      @blancosfamilyfarm1798 2 года назад +14

      None of them touch King an JR though

    • @russellcampbell3500
      @russellcampbell3500 2 года назад +24

      @@blancosfamilyfarm1798 no way gorilla and the brain were the best.

    • @patale1640
      @patale1640 2 года назад +4

      Joey Styles and the King every once in a while on RAW was always gold too.

    • @bluntamainia444
      @bluntamainia444 2 года назад +6

      I remember Tenay/Heenan WCW, Joey Styles ECW, JR King on WWF, that was the real time to be alive

    • @RAZERDsXe
      @RAZERDsXe 2 года назад

      We had tazz x joey styles a bit later to

  • @85futureshock
    @85futureshock 2 года назад +168

    The When Worlds Collide PPV was such a great show and a lot of that was because of Mike. I honestly think him and Don West are criminally underrated.

    • @razorr527
      @razorr527 2 года назад +1

      When worlds 🌎 collide was such a great pay per view. Mike Tenay did a superb job calling the action.

    • @Omni999
      @Omni999 2 года назад +2

      I 2nd that statement!

    • @orangemaniabrother2232
      @orangemaniabrother2232 2 года назад +2

      One of my all time fave commentary teams

    • @tw475
      @tw475 2 года назад +18

      I really liked Don West. he didn't know all the moves. but he called it like a guy watching the show at home would call it.

    • @indyprosandcons329
      @indyprosandcons329 2 года назад +4

      Mike Tenay best play by play in the game

  • @FnRenner
    @FnRenner 2 года назад +84

    Brian made a solid point about Tenay being able to expertly explain different styles of wrestling to fans who may not have been as knowledgeable of those styles.

    • @blancosfamilyfarm1798
      @blancosfamilyfarm1798 2 года назад +4

      WAY better than ol Excalibur does

    • @despicablemonster
      @despicablemonster 2 года назад

      What like Excalibur?? Shits annoying af and none cares about his terminology

    • @stevonwhite8933
      @stevonwhite8933 2 года назад +4

      @@despicablemonster You really make a lot of wrestling fans look ignorant…

  • @ryanbowles8483
    @ryanbowles8483 2 года назад +49

    I took Mike Tenay for granted in TNA and thought he was kinda overrated but now that he's not involved in wrestling anymore I've begun to really realize how great he really was.

  • @jamesynfg
    @jamesynfg 2 года назад +184

    As a 21 year old who grew up with peak-TNA on Spike, I’ll always have a soft-spot for Mr. Tenay. Always thought he had a great announcer’s voice

    • @markfroman738
      @markfroman738 2 года назад +2

      “Wether you say I quit or I’m done, the end result is the same!”

    • @tw475
      @tw475 2 года назад +5

      he had a great voice. the only negative he did have as an announcer. he wasn't great at the storytelling part of it. Don West made up for it with his energy and excitement.

    • @Christoffski
      @Christoffski 2 года назад +3

      I got sick of Mike Tenay, but he was so good

    • @Matthew-LAMF
      @Matthew-LAMF 2 года назад

      @@haroldhall1517 that's so true. Legendary announce team.

  • @charlespage8692
    @charlespage8692 2 года назад +28

    Absolutely loved Tenay in WCW. Man is very special on the mic, and just brilliant at explaining the ins and outs of the in ring stuff.

  • @MADGUNSMONSTER
    @MADGUNSMONSTER 2 года назад +29

    It is very nice to be able to hear Mike Tenay receive his flowers while he's still alive.

  • @creoleDJ
    @creoleDJ 2 года назад +26

    We need Mike Tenay to have his own podcast. His knowledge of the sport would be a breath of fresh air in comparison to some of the other stuff

  • @donkiddick966
    @donkiddick966 2 года назад +59

    Mike rates up there with my favourites of all time. Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Mike were the main commentators when i first started watching wrestling, and have fond memories of them calling nitro. I watched TNA for the first time, and was thrilled he was announcing. It bought back nice memories when WCW was hot, but after nostalgia wore off i still enjoyed the program when he announced.

    • @russellcampbell3500
      @russellcampbell3500 2 года назад +3

      I miss brain so much. As a child in the 80s he was every where wrestling MTV much music Saturday morning cartoons, the brain was and always will be a legend.

    • @Paradise4-28
      @Paradise4-28 2 года назад +1

      Gorilla especially and even Jesse was great, among other wrestlers who were behind the mic at various times. Even McMahon was decent at the time in my opinion~

  • @disruptiveinfluencers
    @disruptiveinfluencers 2 года назад +38

    I liked him best in WCW. I loved Tony & Heenan on their own. But throw Mike in and it's the perfect combo.
    It was essentially still a 2 man booth with Heenan & Tony carrying it. But Tenay would chime in at perfect times with background info or fun facts that added context, which really enhanced the matches. Their roles were well-defined and they had a perfect rhythm.

    • @Johnny_Thunder
      @Johnny_Thunder 2 года назад +1

      such a contrast to the clowns we have to listen to now on WWE. 3 corporate hacks with zero talent or charisma.

    • @Batony
      @Batony 2 года назад

      Yes. That worked really well.

  • @brandonperkins176
    @brandonperkins176 2 года назад +43

    The Professor Mike Tenay ranks as the best color commentor with Jim Ross, Jim Cornette, Joey Styles, & Tazz. He got a great mind for calling the matches and really understood wrestling. AEW should totally get him on broad and bring more vitality to the product

    • @MrSpeed-lt8gr
      @MrSpeed-lt8gr 2 года назад +5

      @@jamesb1988 Mike did more color in WCW. I loved when he did color for the lucha matches and the Japanese matches.

    • @unclegoose3864
      @unclegoose3864 2 года назад +3

      For me it's about the paring's. Mike with Don, Joey and Tazz, JR and King, etc.

    • @tw475
      @tw475 2 года назад +3

      you got them mixed up. Tenay is a play by play guy and a very good one. but he was not a color guy. color guy is like Lawler, Heenan or Ventura.

    • @c.l.freeman7654
      @c.l.freeman7654 2 года назад +2

      Oh, Bobby and Ventura was up there near the top but Bobby is still my personal favorite

    • @steveomac385
      @steveomac385 2 года назад

      @@tw475 Tenay did color in WCW, and he is way better at color than play by play.

  • @exquisitelemonade3039
    @exquisitelemonade3039 2 года назад +17

    Tenay is great, my favourite call was when he was pissed off with Roode hitting Storm with the beer bottle to win the tna title.
    "That's a friend??? BULLSHIT!!!!!"

    • @TheFlock83
      @TheFlock83 2 года назад

      I think it was the Raven vs Shane Douglas hair match in TNA when Vampiro helped cost Raven the match and Mike loses it. Saying how terrible it was ending with “I’ve lost my objectivity and I don’t give a damn!!!!”
      He really sounded pissed at the situation

    • @THERobertL2000
      @THERobertL2000 2 года назад

      "That's how you treat a brother? BULLSH*T!"
      I remember that too!

  • @wallyrosario654
    @wallyrosario654 2 года назад +54

    Mike Tenay and Don West are one of my favorite commentary teams of all time. They were passionate and loved watching TNA. It made me feel proud of being a fan during the 2000s because it seems like they actually cared. Don West had so much goddamn energy and Tenay had all the knowledge and play by play down. It was a perfect combination, we need more 2 man booths with these kinda guys these days. I’m sick of the 3 man or 4 man or 15 man booths every week on wrestling today.

    • @Ramekink
      @Ramekink 2 года назад +1

      Those 2 plus the knockouts, Styles and Joe were what made TNA watchable

  • @lee.valley
    @lee.valley 2 года назад +17

    he knew how to get across to fans in a layman terms way, his interactions whilst interviewing wrestlers was so believable, he drew you in.

  • @heisensaul5538
    @heisensaul5538 2 года назад +51

    I didnt watch much of his TNA run, but Tenay was great during his time in WCW.

    • @JMFSpike
      @JMFSpike 2 года назад +5

      I didn't watch TNA either, and I totally agree that he was exceptionally good in WCW. I think that he'll eventually end up going down as one of the best commentators in wrestling history, but perhaps not enough time has passed since his retirement for that to happen quite yet.

    • @jaimeperez8486
      @jaimeperez8486 2 года назад +5

      Same here, I did not see TNA with Tenay. His WCW run was great. A true fan of all aspects of pro wrestling.

    • @orangemaniabrother2232
      @orangemaniabrother2232 2 года назад +5

      I actually preferred him in TNA, might be cos his partner Don West more than anything but that worked for me that combo

    • @dkupke
      @dkupke 2 года назад

      Bobby Heenan said he loved working with Tenay. He hated Schiavone because he couldn’t play “the weasel” off him. With Gorilla, Heenan would always cower off after agitating him because Gorilla was an ex wrestler. He just couldn’t replicate that with Schiavone. But with Tenay he found a foil who would put The Weasel in his play by outsmarting him with wordplay.

    • @michaelmarino7391
      @michaelmarino7391 2 года назад +1

      @ Daniel Ryan I think you mean Bobby Heenan NOT Herman, but I agree with you.

  • @Pogo113
    @Pogo113 2 года назад +10

    Yeah, that killed Malakai Black's AEW debut - "that's a man I wrestled 15 years ago...."

  • @du6165
    @du6165 2 года назад +54

    Mike Tenay was great. Loved his play by play. Gordon Solie level.

  • @KnuckleDuster2004
    @KnuckleDuster2004 2 года назад +11

    Brian's reaction to the German Goo Gurlz was priceless

  • @metallicbigtoe3949
    @metallicbigtoe3949 2 года назад +12

    "It would be Tenay, West, Shitstain, Dutch, me" 😂

  • @timesink8947
    @timesink8947 2 года назад +4

    Jim struggling to figure out which sponsor they're talking about is hands down the funniest moment of the entire podcast. I'm gonna fall over laughing, this is amazing!

  • @nocontextpoppapump
    @nocontextpoppapump 2 года назад +56

    Mike Tenay, though the play-by-play guy in TNA, felt like the color commentator of a sports game. He knew his stuff and did a great job at explaining things.
    And speaking of Tenay, Excalibur comes across to me like a wannabe Mike Tenay. He can’t hold a candle to the professor. One of wrestling’s all time greats.

    • @JMFSpike
      @JMFSpike 2 года назад +4

      I don't care what anyone says, I think Excalibur is a great commentator. I will agree that he probably was heavily inspired by Tenay, but that's a good thing!

    • @benjaminsmythe8967
      @benjaminsmythe8967 2 года назад +7

      Because he knows how to say the moves in Japanese? What about Excalibur's commentary do you like?

    • @nocontextpoppapump
      @nocontextpoppapump 2 года назад

      @@JMFSpike I’m not saying he isn’t, but he’s no Mike Tenay

    • @JMFSpike
      @JMFSpike 2 года назад

      ​@@charlesthoreson4162 Why, because you don't have the same opinion? So what? Your post is meaningless. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who would say that *you* have bad tastes. Nobody really has "bad" taste in anything, just different taste. Different and bad are two very different things.

    • @JMFSpike
      @JMFSpike 2 года назад

      @@benjaminsmythe8967 You clearly let other people do the thinking for you, and that's just sad. Just keep repeating everything Brian and Jim say like a parrot. I'm able to think for myself, and I think Excalibur is a very good and likable play by play man.

  • @captainjobber3284
    @captainjobber3284 2 года назад +11

    Mike Tenay and Don West are my favorite duo of all time. The chemistry they had was unreal!

  • @madmanszalinski
    @madmanszalinski 2 года назад +7

    "MIKE TENAY IS THE GODFATHER OF GAY LUCHADOR SEX"
    - A sign from an episode of WCW Thunder, I think it's in Maffew's Thundermania video that may still be up on here

  • @TihetrisWeathersby
    @TihetrisWeathersby 2 года назад +26

    Mike and Don West were my favorite commentary team

    • @Am71919
      @Am71919 2 года назад

      What the hell ever happened to Don West anyway?

    • @jamesynfg
      @jamesynfg 2 года назад +3

      @@Am71919 sales director for TNA last I checked

    • @TihetrisWeathersby
      @TihetrisWeathersby 2 года назад +6

      @@Am71919
      He has a sports radio show, he's been battling cancer as well

    • @exquisitelemonade3039
      @exquisitelemonade3039 2 года назад +1

      @@Am71919 He wasn't really a commentator, more a merchandising head. He just ended up behind the desk for a while somehow.

    • @philliplandry4139
      @philliplandry4139 Год назад

      West had just passed away not too long ago.

  • @ADAMdinho1
    @ADAMdinho1 2 года назад +7

    Mike Tenay was very good in WCW as a play by play announcer & even better in TNA with Don West in a two man booth. Loved the chemistry between Mike & Don! The voices of TNA in it's golden period between 2003-2009

  • @dorisjohnson6104
    @dorisjohnson6104 2 года назад +5

    Its nice to see mike tenay get all this love. Used to watch him on WCW when i was growing up. The great days of wrestling

  • @blakemeads9225
    @blakemeads9225 2 года назад +10

    Mike Tenay was always a class act.

  • @positively_broad_st3780
    @positively_broad_st3780 2 года назад +7

    Bobby Heenan said he wanted to team up with Mike Tenay to do their own radio show together. Sadly, this about the same time he found out that he was sick, so they never got the opportunity to make it happen. With Tenay's knowledge and Bobby's humor, it would have been a great show...

  • @PuroresuFan
    @PuroresuFan 2 года назад +5

    This clip about Mike Tenay really makes me miss peak TNA (That rhymes 😂)
    TNA was my childhood and every time I'm reminded of it, I look back and smile because those were the good days. I wish wrestling was like that today

  • @aliciasimmons8473
    @aliciasimmons8473 2 года назад +34

    I miss Mike Tenay wish he would come back

  • @Mr.Majestic77
    @Mr.Majestic77 2 года назад +7

    Mike Tenay was a great play by play annoucer at WCW & TNA (Impact) Wrestling.

  • @DoubleCrossRanch
    @DoubleCrossRanch 2 года назад +4

    I love how this turned into a video dragging Excalibur 😂

  • @collinz96
    @collinz96 2 года назад +5

    Tenay and West were so good on TNA in the late 2000s when I tuned into it. West with his "Did you just see that!" Reactions really got you even more into the match too but they complimented each other very well. Hyup the lads!

  • @DavidLucas-oj6ju
    @DavidLucas-oj6ju 2 года назад +3

    I remember Mike Tony and late Bobby Hennan did color commentary in WCW. I loved him and Don West in early days of TNA

  • @mikejackson1003
    @mikejackson1003 2 года назад +4

    Nearly choked when he went on about him spelling things wrong 🤣🤣

  • @gordonirvine726
    @gordonirvine726 2 года назад +6

    Jim calling Excalibre Excrement makes me laugh every time.

  • @diamonddylanpage7150
    @diamonddylanpage7150 2 года назад +4

    The Professor was an educated commentator, Excrement is playing at being one. Tenay never put himself over. Excalibur not so much.

  • @asmreatz4686
    @asmreatz4686 2 года назад +4

    I always enjoyed Mike Tenay on commentary. Very genuine and great commentary baby face reactions to heel wrestlers.

  • @brettdabeastify
    @brettdabeastify 2 года назад +2

    Mike Tenay is all time great and I grew up on him in TNA and love rewatching WCW and having him call those epic mid card wrestling matches. Def one of my favs with JR

  • @john_blues
    @john_blues 2 года назад +15

    I LOVED Mike Tenay. First heard him in TNA. He was great to listen to and brought a lot to the matches. Pro-fessional.

  • @d4will
    @d4will 2 года назад +5

    He actually knows the move names …. ahem Michael Cole & wwe announcers

  • @theuniverse7227
    @theuniverse7227 2 года назад +2

    Absolutely destroyed Excalibur 😂😂

  • @Smurffitness
    @Smurffitness 2 года назад +4

    I’m a younger wrestling fan ( 22).
    So for me, TNA on spike was like my WWF attitude era. And Mike with Taz was my JR/ Jerry the king

  • @luisg.407
    @luisg.407 2 года назад +7

    Always loved Mike Tenay. You could immediately tell he had full knowledgeable of international wrestling. Had his pronunciation down. Wish WWE had him instead of Michael Cole. Don West was badass also. His overreactions on color commentary were great. They always sold matches and put the wrestlers over.

  • @unclegoose3864
    @unclegoose3864 2 года назад +4

    I wish Mike didn't retire from the wrestling business.

  • @user-do2ev2hr7h
    @user-do2ev2hr7h 2 года назад +5

    I really liked Tenay when he was the "specialist" color guy in 90's WCW for the matches involving the luchador and Japanese wrestlers, but I'm not really fond of him as the main play by play guy. To me, he just fits better in that role of technical expertise.

    • @DrSanto91
      @DrSanto91 2 года назад

      Me too prefered Tenay as color guy. As the play by play not so much.

  • @theophrastusbombastus1359
    @theophrastusbombastus1359 2 года назад +2

    I normally skip the ads at the end, but I hung around for Jim's promo this time cos it was quite fun

  • @MrDagonOfTheDead
    @MrDagonOfTheDead 2 года назад +2

    Tenay is a fucking National-Treasure!🔥🔥🔥

  • @Jblizzybaby
    @Jblizzybaby 2 года назад +6

    Mike Tenay is a good commentator

  • @a-dashof-pepper4710
    @a-dashof-pepper4710 2 года назад +4

    Mike Tenay and Don West are one of my favorite announcer duos. I was pretty bummed out when they broke them up.

  • @drunkensailor112
    @drunkensailor112 2 года назад +4

    He was amazing in wcw with Schiavone, Hernan (and dusty on the ppv's)

  • @KdOdom7
    @KdOdom7 2 года назад +1

    I always liked Tenay. He wasn't going to be crazily over on the mic, he gave it to you how he saw it in a wrestling context but not over your head. I miss his voice. Would love to hear it with today's wrestling.

  • @Ted_Bell
    @Ted_Bell 2 года назад +3

    Bobby Heenan was talking about trying to get into radio with Mike before Cancer robbed him and us of that potential show.

    • @pauldavis6232
      @pauldavis6232 2 года назад +1

      If podcasts were a thing 20 years ago Bobby Heenan would have been awesome on such a long focused format.

  • @garymoisan5899
    @garymoisan5899 2 года назад

    I met Mike in 1990, when he was working in the Gold Coast, as a race-book supervisor. I had just started to date my lady friend Lillian, who introduced me to him. He was a great guy. We were friends for years. He had a Saturday night radio wrestling show in Las Vegas. Nobody knew Mexican wrestling history better than him.

  • @coburgerj1993
    @coburgerj1993 2 года назад +5

    Anybody involved in that era of TNA should get a pass ; that was literally the midlife crisis of all individuals involved 😂

    • @pauldavis6232
      @pauldavis6232 2 года назад

      Christian being a main eventer for a year when I started watching TNA was awesome. 12 year old budding smart mark me first heard of TNA when they signed Christian.

  • @jvharbin8337
    @jvharbin8337 2 года назад +4

    Vince Russo standing there looking bewildered is priceless.😂

  • @WeezyD313
    @WeezyD313 2 года назад +2

    I love Mike tenay. Never heard of him until TNA. Been a fan ever since.. I’ll watch a old WCW clip & pop.. love that him & JC crossed paths

  • @charleswilson4526
    @charleswilson4526 2 года назад +3

    Tenay was an amazing play by play man. I don’t mind Excalibur’s voice but everything he else is spot on... TOPE SUICIDA!!!

  • @user-ts7sy1by1o
    @user-ts7sy1by1o 2 месяца назад

    Every time a Japanese or Mexican wrestler showed up on a WCW program, Mike always found ways to make him or her extra-special. He knew the names of all of the holds and maneuvers....and threw some aspects of the history off all of them. There is nobody else like Mike Tenay. 😊

  • @wilfred_ho
    @wilfred_ho 2 года назад +2

    Tenay really comes off as a fan of wrestling; he sounded genuinely happy to call Scott Steiner's "Frankensteiner" spots and high-fiving Homicide after calling a "Topé Suicida ".

  • @Ramblebar
    @Ramblebar 2 года назад +5

    Mike Tenay was a bit dry as a commentator but his knowledge of pro wrestling was impeccable and you got the notion very quickly that he had a deep and abiding passion for the sport and that was endeared him to alot of wrestling fans and it is mind boggling that he does not have a job with one of the major companies today !!!

    • @tw475
      @tw475 2 года назад +3

      three man teams mostly suck. but Mike Tenay and Don West would have been a little better with Jeremy Borash. JB just the straight babyface announcer, the play by play guy with Tenay and Don West as the excited guy selling the big highspots.

  • @ta7sint
    @ta7sint 2 года назад +6

    Cornette and Russo as siamese twins

  • @iammine8117
    @iammine8117 2 года назад +4

    German Goo Girls WTF Jim! The fact that he knows what that is is mind fucking me! You guys' ad game is top tier, no one else even comes close! The fucking segues, the puns and inuendoes, Jim's disinformation immediately followed by Brian's correction, combined with actual info, it's absolutely glorious! Anyone that hasn't done so, check out the commercials omnibus, you won't be disappointed.

  • @lloydsharpe7641
    @lloydsharpe7641 2 года назад

    Every time i think about Tenay i think about Hollywood Hogan walking out to Voodoo Chile playing his belt like a guitar and Tenay says " Here comes Hollywood Hogan walking down the aisle to his signature song Voodoo Chilly".

  • @mattjustice6412
    @mattjustice6412 2 года назад +1

    Mike Tenay was awesome. Don West makes me want to pull my ear drums out with a rusty fork. And hearing Corny talk about Excalibur makes me giggle.

  • @IWRInteractive
    @IWRInteractive 2 года назад +4

    Mike Tenay will have nothing to do with wrestling. Or, at least, not with Impact Wrestling. I interviewed him in 2003 and tried to use the same contact for a media interview a few years ago when Impact brought Don West back for their 15th anniversary show. Tenay denied Impact's requests to bring him back. I got the feeling that his departure wasn't something he was keen on and Josh Mathews more or less took all of his responsibilities. He never replied to any of my requests and when I spoke to a person who was friends with him, I was basically told he wanted nothing to do with wrestling especially nothing to do with Impact... He had the great voice as the expert - A little nerdy but not to the degree of say a Seth Rollins who sounds, even if he doesn't look, like the kind of guy you'd stick on a locker in the locker room. Great knowledge and by all accounts, a genuinely nice guy. Tony Schiavone actually opted not to go to Impact in 2003 because their back and forth written by Shit Stain caused friction between the two legitimately.

    • @tw475
      @tw475 2 года назад +4

      it did seem like he abruptly just left Impact. I got the feeling Taz knew something too. he quit tna right after Mike Tenay was gone.

    • @d.52555
      @d.52555 2 года назад

      I’d say he should just continue enjoying retirement

    • @nickhughes8179
      @nickhughes8179 2 года назад +1

      Seth Rollins sounds like Mr Garrison from South Park. Someone in a Wrestlecrap comment section pointed that out, and I can't unhear it.
      I think the commentor was named Preparation Triple H.

    • @IWRInteractive
      @IWRInteractive 2 года назад

      @@tw475 I think it might have been a financial decision to let the two go. But, it certainly ended an era.

    • @IWRInteractive
      @IWRInteractive 2 года назад

      @@nickhughes8179 Good call. Never put that together until you said it. But, yes, that's pretty much spot on.

  • @aretnap3653
    @aretnap3653 2 года назад +1

    "I Know!...
    Let's Have a Spelling Contest!"
    😂🤣🤣😂

  • @bryanmartin9997
    @bryanmartin9997 2 года назад +6

    Jim strongly dislikes Excalibur 😂

  • @RedfishCarolina
    @RedfishCarolina 2 года назад +1

    Always enjoyed Mike Tenay. He really did a great job helping the fans appreciate good work in the ring. Even when I knew the sport was a work, Tenay always made it real,because he commented so much on the talent rather than on the sensationalism.

  • @keithyw
    @keithyw 2 года назад +4

    Mike had a bit of a mousey voice and presence for me but his knowledge of wrestling was pretty deep. I was listening to some old broadcasts with him in it and somethings just stood out. First, he wasn't a play-by-play person, which was good because I don't think that was his specialty. Instead, he added more context to the match by providing the background on wrestlers, matches, key moves which made what people did inside the ring seem more important (up until the other announcers started babbling about the NWO or Hogan). Second, the announcing quality back then was far better than the crap that goes on in AEW. Excalibur's problem is that he interrupts constantly. Whether Jim Ross or Tony Schiavone is attempting to formulate an idea, Excalibur annoyingly has to shout out whatever moves are going on rather than allowing the announcers to finish their thought. I find that unprofessional, rude and makes him look 2nd rate. Where Tenay would provide fairly good educated information in matches to help get the wrestlers over, it feels like Excalibur has the desperate need to get himself over by showing people his knowledge of moves.
    And I've said over and over again, the names of moves are irrelevant if there's no context. Tenay would explain what a La Magistrial cradle was, or other moves that were major, sometimes talk about who might have used it before, etc. But Excalibur wants to sound smart to the audience which is why he doesn't use the translated names. It comes off ridiculous to me because even if I know what the move actually means, I realize that there's a lot of people who don't know Japanese and will just be like WTF when he shouts it out.
    Part of that problem is that I think Tony Khan might've believed Nitro (WCW's) problem during 97-on was the lack of attention to matches once the NWO topic started to dominate. He's partly right in that a good match might be ignored in favor of the more important topic and at times the announcers would just go off the deep end on that. But here, the play-by-play forcibly hurts the program as a whole because the moves being called aren't as significant compared to the story that needs to be explained about the match in the ring as well as turning each part of the show into isolated segments.

  • @continentalflyer9596
    @continentalflyer9596 2 года назад +1

    Shows us on this doll Jim where Excalibur hurt you lmao

  • @RENCE27
    @RENCE27 2 года назад +1

    Mike Tenay and Don West were AWESOME in TNA,,Tenay gave you expert analysis, and new all the holds, and different styles
    Don West had so much energy and came across as a passionate wrestling fan,, they played so well off one another

  • @joeytocd
    @joeytocd 2 года назад +1

    What's Mike doing these days? Imagine a timeline in which he replaced Excalibur on commentary. 👀 Just imagine. JR, Tenay, and Schiavone.

  • @Alex-xi2nz
    @Alex-xi2nz 2 года назад +11

    It’s amazing to me how there are still, to this day, muppets defending Vince Russo. Amazing.

  • @michigan9191
    @michigan9191 2 года назад +5

    Brought to us by Spectrum Internet Service at the Castle 🏰

  • @Djarra
    @Djarra 2 года назад

    I remember how when Vampiro debuted on WCW Tenay was able to summarise his career in Mexico and Japan while he was doing his walk on.
    Vampiro of course is Ian when commentating.

  • @williamgregory1848
    @williamgregory1848 2 года назад

    Tenay was known as 'The Professor' because of his extensive knowledge of wrestling and was a walking encyclopedia of facts, history, moves and basically everything related to wrestling.
    Along with Jim Ross, Gordon Solie and Lance Russell, Mike Tenay is one of the greatest wrestling announcers of all time.

  • @tiemann55
    @tiemann55 2 года назад +1

    Man TNA in 2005 was so good !! Bound For Glory that year was one of the best ppv ever !! At one point I think TNA was as good if not better than WWE

  • @kremzinc6745
    @kremzinc6745 2 года назад +3

    For the times I did follow TNA Impact, i can agree that Tenay was excellent.

  • @jeffreyloskoskill4901
    @jeffreyloskoskill4901 2 года назад +2

    I never seen to much TNA until I started watching Ring of the Hawk. Ol' Mike seems like a good play by play guy. ✌

  • @chadzbirdzofficial4631
    @chadzbirdzofficial4631 2 года назад +2

    I always liked Mike. He didn't seem like a moron like most the announcers today. He actually knew what he was talking about

  • @gerrygarvey6792
    @gerrygarvey6792 2 года назад +1

    Jim Cornette on Mike Tenay…fuck Excalibur!!!! Love it!

  • @Paradise4-28
    @Paradise4-28 2 года назад +2

    I loved Tenay, should he be on the Mt. Rushmore of announcers anyone?

  • @krismccanna1826
    @krismccanna1826 2 года назад

    The commercial at the end of this had me in tears 🤣🤣🤣🤣

  • @JoeR203
    @JoeR203 2 года назад +1

    I don't remember if it was RVD, Glacier or Mortis, but Don West said the dumbest thing during the match:
    "He uses his feet like they're an extension of his own body."

  • @erickcheatham5154
    @erickcheatham5154 2 года назад

    In the early 90s I used to call into Tenay's radio show he did from Las Vegas. He knew what happened here in Louisville on Tuesday night, the history and present. He was a smart dude.

  • @Cobralalalala
    @Cobralalalala 2 года назад

    I remember as a kid sitting out in the car because it was the only radio we had that picked up Tenay's radio show. He was more knowledgeable and passionate than almost anyone you got to hear back then.
    I also agree about the quality of When Worlds Collide and how much he played into that. Because of his explanations I became a fan of people I'd never seen before and in some cases never saw again. Still among my favorite shows.

  • @jonoisgood
    @jonoisgood 2 года назад +1

    I'll certainly never forget tenay and Don west calling Monte brown's pounce in TNA. they got that move over with me big time.
    IT'S THE POOOOOOUNCE

  • @russphilbrook9719
    @russphilbrook9719 2 года назад +1

    Also as a quick follow up I miss gorilla/Ventura and gorilla/Heenan on commentary but I'm old

  • @SolidSkooby
    @SolidSkooby 2 года назад +1

    i hope excalibur hears this and takes it to heart.. tenay felt like he was letting us in, excalibur makes us feel like we're outside the in-crowd

  • @megsley
    @megsley Год назад

    best wrestling analyst commentator ever - thank you professor tenay!

  • @willkenshin
    @willkenshin 2 года назад +1

    Mike Tenay in TNA was so good to listen to with Don West

  • @mrtrin
    @mrtrin 2 года назад

    Tenay was so great because he was RADICALLY different from everyone else. He had the love of the sport that Schiavone did, but also did his homework and brought you up to speed if you didn’t know the moves etc.

  • @Spandau-Filet
    @Spandau-Filet Год назад

    Tenay had authority. Classic. Substantial.

  • @ralphyboy26
    @ralphyboy26 2 года назад +1

    Loved mike tenay in WCW

  • @cuco978
    @cuco978 2 года назад +1

    3 announcers I miss and wish would get hired or want to commentate again for wrestling are Mauro Ranallo, Joey Styles and Mike Tenay.

  • @sugartbube
    @sugartbube 2 года назад +1

    Tenay could have probably did baseball, football or basketball. He that good

  • @TheKevinNewsom
    @TheKevinNewsom 2 года назад +1

    Iron Mike was outstanding in WcW. Also very good in TNA.

  • @SWyrick366
    @SWyrick366 Год назад

    Imagine if Mike Tenay, Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone were all on the same commentary table at the same time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • @dr6770
    @dr6770 2 года назад

    I actually typed in "why is my" in google as soon as he mentioned it. lmao