Youtube Thread 2000

[Sheffbag]

6 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

the comparison I've long made with Lance Russell was to Terry Wogan on Radio 2, that sense of warmth and familiarity to the point of feeling welcoming and almost cosy is a massive part of why I think Memphis wrestling worked as well as it did. Wogan famously, when asked how many listeners he had, always answered "just one" - because he always spoke as if he was talking directly to one person, not to a mass audience. I think Lance Russell had that same approach. His other charm is that he's a TV host transplanted into this mental, dangerous world, and all he wants is to keep everything running smoothly - I don't think any announcer has ever done a better job of selling an interruption to the scheduled show as something that genuinely upsets the apple cart; his anger at Jimmy Hart taking time to do a promo when Lance is trying to do a piece to camera or lead into the next match is fantastic. The polar opposite of the modern wrestling, "promo at the start of the show sets up a main event match" approach.

Since I started doing commentary myself, I realised immediately that I will never be able to do a big Jim Ross/Joey Styles oversell job and phony excitement, and that it would sound incredibly forced and phony if I tried to. What I can try and emulate, and who I'm far more drawn to now, is Lance Russell and Kent Walton, because what I get out of their commentary is credibility. Above all else, neither of them ever feel like they're trying to sell me something.

Agree with you Bomber, Lance was amazing, just watching that video is a lesson in itself. The prelude to the empty arena match at around 21 min is fantastic. Just Lance there talking to the audience while casually lighting a cigarette on camera but putting it across so well. He is up there with Solie, tbh i would properly put him above Solie because of the way he would react sometimes to get an angle over as you said.

I do radio and i get the Wogan comparison completely, same goes for Test Match Special team. Listen to that if you want to learn how to fill air time. 

 

[Devon Malcolm]

24 minutes ago, Sheffbag said:

foreign analogue satellite was awesome for wrestling

RTL/Vox - WWE

DSF - WCW including PPV's, dubbed over in German but still had English commentary under it which you could make out

Galavision - AAA on a Saturday afternoon

I think one of the scrambled Dutch channels (RTL5?) had WWE as well.

[Chico Torres]

I remember reading an article when Lance Russell died which likened him to Kermit and the live Memphis wrestling tv show as The Muppet Show, the charming friendly uncle just trying to oversee a pleasant show but having to maintain order as it inevitably descended into chaos while surrounded by lunatics.

I always enjoy him getting exasperated at some heel breaking the rules, disappointed when someone turned to the dark side or gently carrying someone nervous through an interview.

Both great in their own ways but I think he’s a lot better than Solie who comes across as cold whereas Lance Russell was more folksy.

While I (sadly) didn’t grow up watching Memphis wrestling, Lance was the voice of WCW when I first watched it as he was the solo host of International Pro/Power Hour. That show was mainly edited to just show matches without the promos, angles, update segments for the most part and the comparison that @BomberPat made with Kent Walton is very apt, he commentated in a way that was welcoming rather than bombastic.

Also the inspiration behind those Jimmy Hart classic

 

Edited Monday at 12:14 PM by Chico Torres

[Snitsky's back acne]

Bill Dundee slaps Lance Russell.
NOBODY touched Lance Russell. 

 

[Chico Torres]

It happened only a few times and every time it happened it was a big deal because it’s someone attacking the nice grandpa and it was shocking.

Here is the Dream Machine attacking him

 

[Chili]

1 hour ago, Chico Torres said:

It happened only a few times and every time it happened it was a big deal because it’s someone attacking the nice grandpa and it was shocking.

Here is the Dream Machine attacking him

 

My personal favourite is about 0:45 seconds into this. Tojo Yamamoto, Sato & Gato have bloodied Jeff Jarrett and Eddie Marlin after Tojo got a tin of yellow paint on his head. Post commercial, a paint splattered, very angry Tojo confronts Russell with his kendo stick, so Lance fearing it kicking off arms himself with the bell hammer and is not fucking about.

"I may only get lick, but I'll hit you right in the face with this!'

 

[davertfnewman]

One of my favourite bits with Lance, which has been commented on by Brian Last and friends on the 605, is the famous split of the New Fabulous Ones. There's the disappointed look when Eddie once again turns on Tommy but I really like the bit where Lance has bought that they are going to try and make it up and they walk off. As natural as it gets, he gets lost in a thought for a moment and looks at something on the back of his hand, then when he looks back up it's happened. "I don't believe it!"

Also a big fan of Oliver Humperdink blowing his top at Gordon Solie and strangling him. "Try and restrain yourself!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uYcTbV4lVM

Edited Monday at 04:53 PM by davertfnewman