Kevin Kelly

[5.0] "I initially rated Kevin an 8 because I enjoyed his work during the bigger New Japan shows. But after seeing how actively boring he was during the tour shows or during the tournaments, I just lost my enthusiasm. The guy needs someone to work off of, otherwise he's more insufferable than Michael Cole's heel years. And it sucks that his career is seemingly over because he devolved into this bitter conspiracy theorist who blames everyone but himself for his career falling apart."

[3.0] "I'm not sure what's happened to Kevin Kelly in 2023. He used to be a very reliable, if unspectacular, play-by-play commentator, but lately he's just fallen off a cliff. His work in AEW has been poor, which you could blame on not being familiar with the product or whatever, but his NJPW work in the G1 was just as bad. It's probably for the best that he's wrapping up with NJPW, but Collision was markedly better when Ian Riccaboni took over so Kelly could go back to Japan. I hate to wish for people to lose their job, but watching Collision, it's frequently been clear that the show would be better off without him."

[2.0] "Genuinely one of the worst commentators of all time, in the same tier as guys like Todd Grisham. The only thing he's good for is reciting facts, statistics and figures. It's kind of funny that he has this fake-ass radio announcer voice, and yet can't muster up the slightest bit of genuine sounding enthusiasm. The vast majority of the time, when a wrestler, say, hits their finisher, he doesn't sound excited, he sounds like he saw something mildly interesting, like an unusual species of bird flew past his window. His weird lack of enthusiasm harms everything he touches. Like, he seems to be a really nice guy, but's he an awful, awful commentator. And don't even get me started on his calls of the Rainmaker and especially the Destino. Horrible stuff."

[4.0] "He was alright once but now he mostly feels just...lifeless ? Maybe he doesn't have the passion in him anymore I don't know but everything he says is robotic or dreadful. Also has the worst call of the Destino and Rainmaker. I'm not sure he's a good choice for a play-by-play commentator anymore because there's no excitement in his voice."

[10.0] "How is Kevin with such a low score, he is one of the best announcers in the world, he brings so much to the table in the matches"

[10.0] "Arguably the best commentator right now, certainly my favourite of the last few years. Has been a constant positive for New Japan for the last 5 years and is able to bounce off of all of his partners over the years."

[10.0] "The best commentator in the business today. I enjoyed his runs in WWE and ROH, but his stint with NJPW has cemented his status as one of the all-time greats. He's extremely knowledgeable about the product and comes across as a professional, respected broadcaster. He's able to convey emotion without being too over-the-top, which is a rarity in wrestling and adds to New Japan's sports-like presentation. More than anything, he's shown a true dedication to his craft by constantly touring Japan and being away from his family for long periods of time. No commentator out there today sacrifices as much as Kevin Kelly does."

[9.0] "I've never listened to Kevin Kelly during his WWE days but since I've begun watching New Japan he's quickly become my favorite English commentator. Great chemistry alongside either Chris or Don. His commentary during Omega/Okada. G1 Climax 28 finals, the entire G1 Climax 29 tournament. and Wrestle Kingdom 14 is so good. That's just to name a few commentary performances of his that stand out. He's extremely consistent. He's good with information and can sell the importance of a match. He could be really funny as well. Above all else, he sounds like a real person."

[10.0] "Kevin Kelly is my favourite commentator other than maybe Ranallo and Heenan. I've only heard him commentate NJPW, and is a big reason for my continued love of the promotion."

[10.0] "Easily my favorite commentator outside of Jim Ross in the history of professional wrestling. He genuinely loves the sport, and it's obvious in each and every match he calls. ROH instantly improved it's one weak spot when they brought in Kelly, and NJPW continues to be my number one brand, somewhat in part thanks to Kevin. I hope he never leaves. Easy 10/10."

[9.0] "Sometimes he gets some things wrong but what makes Kelly great in a New Japan commentary booth is that he gives the audience time to feel the match and time to understand the in ring dynamics that is happening in a match. I also love his reactions especially when he partners either with Rocky Romero or Chris Charlton. Their reactions are amazing and it just makes the match more special. Sadly I can't give him a 10 as he isn't a wrestler."

[4.0] "The worst thing you can be do as a commentator is sound boring and show fake enthusiasm, Kevin Kelly isn't terrible but he does do both of the aforementioned things."

[10.0] "This man is probably the best commentator in pro-wrestling right now IMO. Probably is because I love NJPW so much, but still he is a fantastic commentator. He always gives useful facts to the audience and has a great voice. He was named the commentator of the decade by the WON after winning back-to-back commentator of the year awards. The most underrated commentator today. And I really like the elongated Destinos and Rainmakers"

[9.0] "Kevin Kelly recently received commentator of the decade award from WON, and it was well earned. His commentary engages you in a match. He actually gives the audience useful facts. The only point I would have to remove is for his infamous elongated Destinos and Rainmakers. Aside from that, a 9."

[8.0] "Kevin Kelly is a solid commentator who has only started to shine recently. Only used sparingly as an interviewer in the WWE, his stuff in ROH with McGuinness was great. His current run in NJPW his also enjoyable, as he always acts as the viewer's fact sheet, always informing them about things they need to know before matches and always giving things context so newer viewers can understand what is happening better. He can get annoying when he elongates words and speaks in run-on sentences (case in point "Desssssstinoooooooooooooooooooooo! ") but overall Kelly is a very informative and easy to listen to commentator who surpasses many others in the current wrestling scene."

[7.0] "I never found Kevin Kelly to be too bad during his WWE days, but he never really stood out either. Now in NJPW, I think he's mostly good. He sounds very knowledgable & he's not afraid to add some context to what we're seeing. In a recent match featuring ZSJ, Sabre was deliberately taking the tape off his wrists & Kelly informed the crowd it was due to swelling in his hands after taking a beating. Now that's probably not the real reason & it is probably that the tape was actually just falling off. But that kind of added context really sells what pro wrestling is supposed to be. My one critique of Kelly is that I'm not a fan of how elongated he is with some words (finishers, in particular). Deeeeeeeeessssssssstttttttiiiinnnnooooooooooo!"

[9.0] "While I've always been a fan of Ring of Honor, I've never been a fan of Dave Prazak. I always thought his commentary got in the way of the match more than it helped. Things improved instantly for ROH when Kevin Kelly was brought in. I didn't remember him from his WWF days, but I really enjoy his commentary. He sounds like he's enjoying what he's seeing, and that encourages the viewers at home to enjoy it more. A solid 9"