TNA Impact Wrestling has struggled to find the ideal long-term commentary team when looking back at their history. None of the duos or three-person booths could become the consistent voices of the company as things changed quickly. Mike Tenay and Don West were the longest-running team, but changes were made when the company grew in the late 2000s.
RELATED: 5 Best And 5 Worst Broadcasters In WWE History
The various names to rotate in and out of commentary featured mixed results throughout the years. Some thrived in the roles despite not sticking around as long as they wanted while others just lacked the overall talent needed to do the job well. Without further ado, let's find out which names stood out for better or worse as commentators in TNA history.
10 Best: Taz
The TNA run of Taz didn’t see him used as well as his commentary work in WWE or his character work in AEW. TNA did have one big risky move with Taz when he joined the heel Aces & Eights faction while representing them on commentary.
RELATED: 5 Reasons We Prefer Taz As An Announcer (& 5 Why We Prefer Him As A Wrestler)
Taz was hit or miss for TNA while calling matches, but he was clearly one of the better commentators when looking at their history. TNA might have benefited more from having Taz expand his character like AEW is currently doing.
9 Worst: Madison Rayne
There is nothing outwardly bad about Madison Rayne’s commentary style, but the lack of a structured role has seen her struggling to stand out. Rayne has only been commentating matches for a short time but left the role after graduating college for a potential career change. Rayne announced her retirement on the pre-show for Hard to Kill 2021.
The commentary of Rayne didn't compare to her stronger success in the ring as an all-time great Knockout. Rayne could have improved in the role with more experience, but a change is likely ideal for both parties.
8 Best: Don West
Don West was clearly not the perfect commentator, but his genuine excitement added positive contributions to the product. The original team of Mike Tenay and Don West called the early years of TNA, with Don’s marking out adding to important matches and moments.
TNA removed West from the role when trying to grow the brand with a more recognized commentator like Tazz. West’s strength was in marketing and he started putting more time into selling TNA merchandise for them.
7 Worst: Matt Striker
The recent addition of Matt Striker filling in on commentary when needed has seen him receiving a polarizing reputation. Striker’s transition from WWE to Lucha Underground to Impact Wrestling has seen the same story following him.
The knowledge of Striker is obviously there, but his desire to be the smartest person in the room often makes for awkward commentary. Striker having a bigger role on commentary moving forward will likely be a huge mistake as more eyes will be on the product with the AEW and Kenny Omega involvement.
6 Best: Don Callis
Impact Wrestling putting Don Callis in charge has already provided multiple huge improvements. The product has been rebranded with the company no longer calling it TNA. Callis’ role with Kenny Omega in AEW has sparked the strong working relationship.
The commentary of Callis can easily get overlooked due to the other variables with Omega or running Impact behind the scenes. However, he might just be the best at commentary with his great work from ECW and New Japan extending to Impact whenever he calls the action.
5 Worst: Todd Keneley
The experiment of Todd Keneley joining the TNA commentary team with Taz and Mike Tenay ended up being a huge failure. Keneley never got a fair chance to show his skills as the limited time talking would see Taz often talking over him.
RELATED: 5 Best TNA Authority Figures Ever (& 5 Worst)
The lack of chemistry saw fans struggling to develop any feelings towards Keneley. TNA eventually gave up on the three-man booth and decided to remove Keneley, allowing Taz and Tenay to continue without him. Many fans have no memory of Keneley working for TNA.
4 Best: Jeremy Borash
Jeremy Borash was one of the most important people in TNA history during his time there. The roles in TNA for Borash saw him hosting, ring announcing, commentating, producing, and providing many other things behind the scenes whenever he was needed.
Borash was extremely underrated at commentary and could have thrived here in the long run if not for the other roles. TNA always lucked out by having Borash in any capacity and it was a huge blow when he left for a WWE deal.
3 Worst: D'Angelo Dinero
The transition from the ring to the commentary table for D'Angelo Dinero gave us lackluster results. Fans know that Dinero aka the former Elijah Burke from his WWE days had charisma on the microphone, but that didn’t mean he would be a great commentator.
Many of the matches called by Dinero featured confusing commentary or comedy that took away from the in-ring work of others. Dinero was a very underrated wrestler, but the role of commentating didn’t suit him the same way.
2 Best: Mike Tenay
TNA made Mike Tenay the voice of the company in the early years and he always did well in the role. Tenay had credibility from his successful run in WCW and was viewed as one of the most intelligent minds in the business.
The chemistry Tenay had with both Don West and Taz made them the two best commentary duos each in TNA history. Tenay was replaced by Josh Mathews due to his age and TNA ended up being worse off for it.
1 Worst: Josh Mathews
WWE releasing Josh Mathews saw him instantly moving to TNA and having a huge role in the company. Mathews worked both behind the scenes and on-screen in commentary with each gig still on his workload today.
Fans strongly disliked the commentary style of Mathews and it only grew worse when he turned heel. Mathews has improved a little in recent times, but he is still viewed as one of the worst commentators in the industry. Impact may be forced to hire new commentators for their rebranding process to fully pay off.
NEXT: 5 Broadcasters That Had Forgettable Wrestling Careers (& 5 That Were Great In Both Roles)
