Don West

"Some of my all-time favorite calls have Don West on commentary. He knew how to hype things up and get you genuinely excited. More importantly, he knew how to get you invested. Everything felt like it mattered when he was calling it. Yeah, he was loud, but that was the point. I don't really get what more people want from an announcer if not energy, passion, and the ability to sell what's happening in the ring. He complemented Mike Tenay perfectly. Tenay brought the knowledge and play-by-play, while Don brought the emotion and excitement. That balance was a huge part of what made early TNA so fun to watch. The early years of TNA would not have been the same without him, and honestly, I don't think he ever should've been replaced on commentary."

[2.0] "I do like Don but at times he can be overbearing on commentary, turning him in 2009 didn't help him at all in fact it was pointless as he would return as a babyface managing The Amazing Red, although the prospect of West managing people is interesting"

[8.0] "This man's passion was off the charts, he knew how to get you invested in whatever match or product he was selling you, he had natural chemistry with Mike Tenay, a commentating duo that is TNA's version of Jerry Lawler & Jim Ross, those two were among the reasons to watch TNA back in the day, forever gonna be remembered for his enthusiasm in his prime with Tenay, so sad he passed away, he will be missed. R.I.P. Don West"

[7.0] "I didn't dislike DW as much as a lot of fans did, especially at the time. He could be grating with his yelling but he was clearly passionate about working in TNA and was a fan of wrestling even if he didn't know everything. If he were still alive and active I'd probably give him a 6 but nostalgia can be too much to overcome sometimes."

"He made TNA what it was. Without him and Tenay (which by the way was a perfect pairing), the moves, the characters and the wrestling wouldn't have been as cool. Don West as a commentator really lived up to his former profession of a pitchman. Very few commentators in history have been able to get me as hyped as he did [and it's criminal that he's rated this low here], although I can see why he may not be everyone's cup of tea."

[9.0] "Him still having a low rating is crazy, and needs to change. He is excellent in his role and absolutely an iconic commentator who had such passion despite starting out with no knowledge is commendable and respectable. Him and Tenay were a great duo and defo the best face - face commentary team in wrestling, the best that I am aware of at least. I do not have much more to say really, but I have to because of the rating system being how it is. He is great, and severely underrated, an ddeserves a ton of praise."

[6.0] "Don West was very passionate about TNA. He struggled early on in his career with learning how to do commentary without being overly loud about everything, but he did show improvement throughout his commentary career. He worked well with Tenay."

[9.0] "He was an outstanding color commentator that was able to equally match the energy that his partner, Mike Tenay had during TNA's 2002-2008 heyday. He was another reason why I would be hyped to watch TNA during that time. He should be remembered, honored, & respected for that. RIP Don West."

[10.0] "Don West is one of the best commentators of all time, he was meh in his early years but quickly he got much better. Him and Tenay is one of my personal favorite commentary duos, up there with JR/Lawler, Cole/Tazz, and Cole/McAfee. His heel turn wasn't A good choice but I understand it I guess, replacing him with Taz was A bad idea and I love Taz."

[10.0] "West was a real life, walking, talking, over the top gimmick before he ever got in to wrestling because he was a pitchman in the sales industry in a past life. To be a pitchman, you have to have charisma, personality, the ability to register, the ability to react, the ability to sell, and Don could do /had all that in droves. So when he was put on the commentary with literally no wrestling knowledge or experience, and not being smartened up at all to what was going to happen, everything you got from him was real, raw, in the moment, and genuine because he was watching with the eye of a fan just like everyone at home was (which is what drew people in ) while Tenay weaved the stories/storytelling as the PBP guy. He was a real key in helping TNA become the alternative to WWE (2002-2009)."

[8.0] "He had no experience when he started and it was obvious but anybody who watched all 110 or however many weekly pay per view shows that TNA had he improved, and it didn't matter that he had no experience but enthusiasm for the product was infectious, and it translated. I honestly do not think I could have watched all the weekly ppvs without the positive energy he brought to such a 50/50 product."

[9.0] "Don West was one of those people you ended up appreciating after his run was over, a lot of people didn't like his shtick when he called TNA Impact with Mike Tenay, and at times I was one of them. However, when subjected to humourless drones in the time since, it became apparent that West loved what he did and put full effort into the product, both calling the matches and selling the merchandise. He did a lot in particular to help get the X-Division over, making it a TNA/Impact Wrestling staple to this day. West will be sorely missed."

[9.0] "One of the most energetic, charismatic and passionate color commentators of his generation. His voice always be connected with the early and prime TNA, and that the legacy than only few achieve! RIP Don, you will missed!"

[10.0] "These rating are incredibly wrong and unfair. Don West was the best commentator in TNA history and deserves all the love and respect. Without Don West a lot of the most iconic TNA moments in history wouldn't mean anything. The amount of smiles this man has put on my face will never go unnoticed to me."

[6.0] "Don West improved over his career and became a pretty decent commentator. Always had a lot of passion."

[9.0] "I love Don West with all my heart. His enthusiasm was contagious and it was like he was watching wrestling for the first time ever he was so excited for every show. Better him than some tired cliche heel colour commentary"

[9.0] "Early Don West? Pretty terrible. But by the time he was done, he was one of the best color guys in the business. He was eventually able to channel his energy properly and he and Mike Tenay worked really well together."

[7.0] "DW is getting a bad rap for his SCREAMING days. Remember everyone: this man used to be an infomercial salesman. West went from one of the worst color guys in the business to one of the best. His heel run in TNA, from his promo shredding Mike Tenay onward is a great forgotten treasure from the company's golden years. His work as a manager was solid, too. I would enjoy seeing him return to TVs in the mouthpiece capacity."

[5.0] "If you watch Don West's early work for TNA, like during the weekly PPV era, he was just UNBELIEVABLY bad. Just absolutely brutal. He shouted... a lot. He overhyped every single thing that happened to a level that would've made Circa-1999 Tony Schiavone blush. He did actually improve a great deal in his years with the company. Eventually he was... solid. Not great. Not good. But solid. The best things about him, after those terrible early days, were his enthusiasm and his rapport with Mike Tenay. But even with all that, he wasn't anything special. Just good enough."

[10.0] "My Favorite Color Commentator ever, Don West had so much enthusiasm for Pro Wrestling as every commentator should have. It was almost he saw wrestling for the first time at every show he called, and it made you invested along with Tenay's commentary they had such good chemistry together, they made TNA feel so awesome."

[1.0] "When I was first getting into TNA, Don West almost did enough to drive me away from the television show immediately. Always yelling & super obnoxious. People have softened on him today because many of his replacements are terrible in other ways. But I truly think West's commentary made some potential fans turn away."

[9.0] "Don West probably stole Mojo Rawley's stuff, because he stays so hype. He was also indeed a excellent salesman for Total Nonstop Action and bounced well off of Mike Tenay. I can see why some might not like him though."

[8.0] "Underrated and underappreciated. While his early tenure in TNA was a bit rough, Don always had enthusiasm and had the craving to want to learn. As time went by, he became synonymous with the TNA product through his catchphrases, many of which helped even define the in-ring product based on the style presented at the time. He had the knowledge of the roster and used that to help call the matches. By 2009 when he turned heel, it seemed that Don found his calling with wildly amusing commentary before being unceremoniously removed for the much worse commentator Taz."

[6.0] "Don was an enthusiastic commentator. Better than most today simply because he enjoyed what he was doing. An easy satisfactory for me."

[6.0] ""You have GOT to be kidding me! " What he may have lacked in intimate wrestling knowledge, Don West made up for with unbridled enthusiasm. It was kind of like having a superfan on color, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I'd take him over many of the other current color commentators of various companies."

[5.0] "He certainly brought a lot of energy to the TNA product, but he was never a very insightful announcer."

[6.0] "Never the best or most insightful or informative play-by-play man, but ultimately brought great energy and fanboy enthusiasm to TNA broadcasts, plus he had great chemistry with Mike Tenay. I miss his loud and good natured personality."

[7.0] "Despite how bad of a commentator he is or was, he made TNA popular during its prime."

[1.0] "Wie kaum ein anderer bringt er das TNA-Feeling rüber. In jedem Moment kann die Welt zusammenbrechen. Aber was soll man auch von jemanden erwarten, der vorher TV-Shopping gemacht hat. Das hat die Liga zwar erst nach Jahren gemerkt, aber immerhin. Er ist ein Verkaufstalent und macht XY zu Gold. Zum Glück habe ich noch kein "Sportler-Sammelstück" in meinem Schrank."