Jesse Ventura

[9.0] "Its a toss up between Ventura and Heenan for the best colour commentator in the history of WWF/E. Often hilarious in his put downs, Ventura would also call out the faces for blatant cheating, mainly Hogan, and had great back and fourth chemistry with Monsoon. From 1988 to 1990 he enhanced any match he was calling. Simply put - his commentary could make me sit through a Brutus Beefcake match. That takes a special talent."

[10.0] "Jesse Ventura is probably the sole reason why everyone started watching Saturday Night's Main Event. His commentary was what sold it and made it a success. Plus, The Body was always a great talker in general. I mean, the guy could make the viewer believe anything. He was okay as a wrestler. He was a great heel, especially in his tag team with Adrian Adonis. I remember him best as a commentator. Plus, he gets a 10 because he's a decent human being IRL. And he also tried to get a union in pro wrestling until a certain someone who shall remain nameless *COUGH* Hulk Hogan *COUGH* ruined it for everyone."

[8.0] "As a wrestler he was average. He had charisma but didn't really break any new ground. As an announcer he's one of the best ever. Even though he was a heel he was shockingly fair and his voice gave matches some gravitas."

[2.0] "I'll never get the appeal here. His commentating was much better than his wrestling but we're rating wrestling here. He was never a good performer. Looked terrible with his shirt off with weird moles on his body. His style was hardly unique as he ripped off Superstar Billy Graham. Like I said, I don't get the appeal."

[6.0] "I think Bobby Heenan's summary of Ventura accurately reflected his qualities; he was a great talker, had a kind of unique physical charisma like Superstar Billy Graham but as soon as the bell rang it was over because the guy just couldn't have a good match to save his life, zero atheticism, zero tangibles to speak of. Truly awful. He was a great heel in everything bar the actual physical moves of a match, hence why people firmly remember him more for his commentary over his rather mediocre wrestling. As a commentator he was after my time so I can't judge 100% fairly. He seemed very cliché in places (and the awfully aged comments he'd make were just cringe-inducing) at times a bit dull, not the kind of guy who could get the crowd interested in low-energy situations. When he was firing on all ends (and aided by some good contrast work by someone like Gorilla) he could be really entertaining with his quips and could really sell the heels as tangible human beings rather than just gimmicks, giving them good justifications for their actions and rationalisations for some of the weirder things of the era. Not one of the greats by far, still relatively remarkable for the time though if only because of how much he managed to do off the back of being able to talk the talk well."

[6.0] "LOVE his commentary, even the WCW stuff. Have you ever seen his ring work though? LOL! He's terrible! Which makes his commentary even better, what a heel! EDIT: The casual racism is just killing me, in the worst way - gotta take off some points because it's excessive and disgusting."

[3.0] "Cant stand his voice, he was a poor in ring performer, and his The White House needs a wrestler schtick was annoying. Not sure why so many adore this man."

[7.0] "Didn't care much for Venutra the wrestler. Very basic on the wrestling and he was a master of stalling like Larry Zbysko. Ventura excelled as the WWF's first (I think) heel commentator. A constant foil to Vince McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon on the pay per views and weekly TV programming, he was calling the action during the WWF's best era."

[9.0] "Had a great gimmick. Was a heat magnet as a performer when they let him be himself. Had a one of a kind speaking ability that made people want to listen to him (he still has it, even in his political ventures). Could talk the chrome off of a bumper. The very first heel commentator. I always loved the banter between Him and Vince because he challenged Vince on commentary, something most didn't do. I loved how he'd go at Monsoon a lot, especially when it came to heeling on Joey Marella as a referee since that was Gorilla's son. Also, outside of Shawn Michaels in later years, I have never heard anyone to talk to Vince on or off screen the way Jesse did and get away with ."

[10.0] "One of the most charismatic commentators of all time, his tag match run and his feuds with the Hulk Hogan and Bob Backlund are decent and still arousing interest! His image resembled a mixture of Billy Graham and Randy Savage .... He is charming as a heel, especially cool how the crowd reacts to him)) His 1999 return as Governor and his authoritative manner are admirable)"

[10.0] "One of my favorite heels ever! I could listen to him ranting on the commentary booth all day long. In the ring, he was serviceable enough to not be bad as well so a ten is fair here."

[10.0] "The second best commentator, after Bobby Heenan. Great promo, wrestling skills.. oh, well? Let s just talk about his promo skills instead."

[8.0] "Ventura was a fantastic heel commentator. He was sometimes a bit of a broken record, but he had a great voice and was able to tell a great story."

[8.0] "As a Wrestler not very good. Just came across as a Superstar Billy Graham clone. As a commentator one of the best in his time. Had good charisma wore over the top outfits. Even though he was a heel commentator him and Gorilla Monsoon came across as if even though they disagreed on everything they still respected each other. The same cannot be said when he had Vince McMahon on commentary with him."

[9.0] "Intelligent guy, good on commentary, had a lot of presence, had good chemistry with both Monsoon and Schiavone."

[9.0] "Jesse Ventura was a fine wrestler in an era of wrestling that was more about quantity than quality, if a match went an hour, even if 45 minutes were rest holds, then it was a classic. But as a colour commentator, Ventura shined. His work with Monsoon in 1984 - 1990 was obviously the high point of his career, but what a high point. This is the man that paved the way for such commentators as Bobby Heener, Jerry Lawler and Paul Heyman on the commentary booth, the outright heel who always has a quip and will always bug the play-by-play commentator. What Jesse could do that made him stand out is that he could justify being a heel. Every time a heel did something heelish, he always had an answer for Monsoon as to why that was ok. And also, he went from wrestling to politics. So good for him."

[4.0] "Ok commentator, boring wrestler though, he was just a guy with a lot of muscles that could cut an okay promo, as a wrestler he's very forgetable, he's remember more for his commentary and all he did outside of wrestling"

[6.0] "Undeniably witty and incredibly funny on the microphone, his commentary of Uncle Elmer's marriage is still one of the funniest things WWE ever put on television, but he was absolutely horrible in the ring even by late 70's standards."

[4.0] "I personally think he was not that great. He was just muscle that's all. Some good moves but not that exciting to watch in the watch. Kind of bland. He was great with Adrian Adonis as the East-West Connection and his feud with hulk hogan. Great commentator as well."

[8.0] "Popularizing the role of heel colour commentator, Jesse was pretty good when he wasn't trying so hard to get himself over at the expense of the match."

[10.0] "I don't think I've ever seen him wrestle but I loved his work as a commentator and I also like his stuff outside of wrestling. One of the smartest people in the business, not too many can say they took Vince and his lawyers to court and actually won."

[8.0] "A great heel commentator with a great gimmick. I only saw him wrestle on a few occasions. Maybe his real-life personality as a difficult person to get along with is why he made such a great heel and commentator to counter Gorilla Monsoon and Vince McMahon's commentary."

[10.0] "Strong ring worker, excellent on the mic. A credible threat to Hogan during Hulkamania. Good rivalry with Putski, but he is a 10 for The Body Shop and his presence at the announcers table. He was completely innovative with the Body Shop. A regular feature, with a heels insight, which he easily pulled off."

[8.0] "Aside from Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, the best color guy in the biz. As a wrestler, he was ok. Unfortunately, injuries shortened his in-ring career significantly, but his strong charisma, quick wit, and ability to draw heat made him an excellent heel commentator."

[8.0] "This man has probably had the most fascinating life of any wrestler that's ever stepped in the ring. He broke a lot of stereotypes regarding wrestlers. He accomplished a lot in the ring, was an entertaining commentator after the abrupt end to his wrestling career, and, of course, had an amazing life away from the ring altogether. However you feel about him, his work, and especially his politics, you have to admit there's nobody in the history of professional wrestling like The Body, The Mind, The Governor, Jesse Ventura."

[8.0] "The Body should have been one of the biggest stars in the wrestling world, he had it all, he could talk and back it up in the ring but injuries got in the way."