Best Wrestling Ring Announcers

Many wrestling fans often overlook ring announcers. However, when one of these talents is excellent at their job, it makes it easy to fall in love with their voice as they introduce the wrestlers when they come out to the ring. Honestly, the ring announcer is such an essential part of a wrestling match.

Since the Attitude Era, it seemed more important to hear the glass break or for The Rock to ask if you smell what he is cooking to get fans off their feet. With that said, when the announcer introduces each wrestler (possibly even listing their weight and home town), it brought a level of respect to the match. Let’s celebrate some of the greatest ring announcers ever to grace WWE.

UPDATE: 2024/04/26 11:30 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

In professional wrestling, there is a lot of work that goes into making the show something that fans want to see. It is not just the wrestlers. It is the people who set up the ring, the referees who officiate the match, the crew who sets up the entrance stage. It is all of these people and many, many more workers who deserve far more recognition than they are given. The announcers are also a key part of the show as well. Some of them have gone down in WWE history just as, if not more, famous than even some professional wrestlers. Below are the best of the best to have ever done the job.

10 Jojo Offerman Had Big Shoes To Fill

She Started Off As An In-Ring Competitor

• Offerman has been with WWE since 2013.
• She made appearances on Total Divas.
• She wrestled at Survivor Series 2013.

JoJo Offerman wasn’t around for a long time, but she appeared to be possibly the woman who could finally replace Lilian Garcia as the top ring announcer in WWE. She started on Total Divas in 2013, but she never seemed comfortable in that role and soon moved on to her work as a ring announcer.

JoJo Offerman moved to NXT and started announcing matches there, becoming their top ring announcer from 2013 until 2015. At that time, she moved up to the main roster and performed the same role for various brands until she disappeared.

9 Mike Rome Currently Works On SmackDown

He Has Been With WWE Since 2016

• Rome has been an announcer for all three WWE brands.
• He is a former WWE 24/7 Champion.
• He previously worked for Nickelodeon, Disney, and Universal.

Mike Rome is one of the current names in WWE when it comes to ring announcers, but fans have gotten to know his voice quite well due to one thing: Rome is the ring announcer for SmackDown.

Some of his best work took place when Shane McMahon started to call himself the “Best in the World,” and every time he came to the ring, he worked his ring entrance like a conductor, showing Rome how long to hold his name when announcing him. If anything, Rome has a perfect voice to be a ring announcer in WWE.

He Did Many Different Jobs

• He worked for GWA, WCW, and TNA.
• He began as a referee in WCW.
• He left TNA in 2023 after returning in 2020.

While David Penzer did not work specifically for WWE, he was a referee for WCW for eight years until WWE purchased the company. He started up with WCW in 1994 and was mentored by Gary Michael Cappetta to become his replacement. By 1995, Eric Bischoff made Penzer the lead ring announcer for WCW.

David Penzer was a staple of WCW and was part of every single television taping of both WCW Monday Nitro and WCW Thunder. After WWE purchased WCW, Penzer eventually found his way to TNA Impact Wrestling, where he worked for five years.

7 Gary Cappetta Was An Early WWE Announcer

His Nickname Was “The World’s Most Dangerous Announcer”

• He worked for AWA, WWE, NWA, and WCW.
• He was an announcer for over 20 years.
• He made an appearance at AEW Revolution in 2020.

Gary Michael Cappetta is one of the legendary, iconic names when it comes to ring announcers in professional wrestling. He worked as a ring announcer for over 20 years, calling matches all over the world. He performed the role in WWE from 1974 until 1985 and then moved on.

After his time in WWE came to an end, he worked for the AWA and then WCW before moving on to backstage work in Ring of Honor. Cappetta had a hand in training David Penzer in WCW, helping pass on his experience to future generations.

6 Tony Chimel Became An Announcer In 1989

He Learned From Howard Finkel

• Chimmel worked for WWE for 38 years.
• He was the first announcer for SmackDown.
• He was released from WWE in 2020.

Tony Chimel started working for WWE as a ring technician and then got a chance to begin working as a ring announcer in 1989. While he got his start working the B-shows in WWE, he waited and learned under the legendary Howard Finkel until he got his chance to step up.

That time came in 1999 when Tony Chimel took part in a historic moment. He was the ring announcer when SmackDown premiered and continued to work in that capacity for the TV show and all SmackDown pay-per-view events until 2007.

5 Justin Roberts Continues To Announce Today

He Works For AEW

• Roberts entered the business at age 16.
• He began working for WWE in 2002.
• He has been with AEW since 2019.

Justin Roberts started working as a ring announcer in professional wrestling a the age of 16, in various independent wrestling promotions. In 2002, WWE took notice and hired him to work as a ring announcer on SmackDown and then moved him to Raw. Roberts also worked on Heat and Velocity.

When WWE started up ECW again, Roberts became the ring announcer there, before moving back to SmackDown in 2007. Perhaps his biggest moment came when he announced the Undertaker vs. Edge match at WrestleMania XXIV, and then at WrestleMania XXVII for the entire show. Roberts is now in AEW.

4 Samantha Irvin Has Established Herself As The Voice Of WWE

She Is Dedicated To What She Does On Monday Nights

• Irvin had previously been on 205 Live.
• She was drafted to SmackDown in 2023.
• She is engaged to Ricochet.

During her time in WWE, Samantha Irvin quickly established herself as one of the best in-ring announcers going today. She treats every entrance as a special one, regardless of the wrestler’s position on the card. She does a phenomenal job introducing everyone, most notably Chelsea Green.

In addition, her most fantastic performance came at WrestleMania 40 when she announced Cody Rhodes as the new WWE Champion. You could hear the emotion as she held back tears announcing Rhodes’ name. Irvin will certainly be one of WWE’s biggest assets going forward.

3 Lilian Garca Was A Generational Announcer

She Is Also A Talented Singer

• Garcia was an announcer for WWE for almost two decades.
• She began her time with WWE in 1999.
• She was also a backstage interviewer.

Lilian Garcia is perhaps the only superstar ring announcer an entire generation of WWE fans will know. She started working for WWE in 1999, making her debut as a ring announcer on Monday Night Raw during the Attitude Era. Garcia also gained recognition for her singing career.

In 2016, after 17 years, Garcia left WWE, although she still returns on occasion.

2 Michael Buffer Had A Legendary Career

He Was Also A Notable Boxing And NFL Announcer

• He trademarked his catchphrase “Let’s get ready to rumble!”
• Buffer has been involved in countless projects.
• His last WWE appearance was at the 2008 Royal Rumble.

Michael Buffer might be the most famous ring announcer in the world, and only part of that is because of professional wrestling. In 1982, Buffer started his career in the role in boxing, and he was announcing all boxing matches one year later for ESPN. This role made him a national star.

In WCW, Michael Buffer became the exclusive ring announcer for all WCW matches featuring Hulk Hogan, as well as other main events at PPVs. He worked for WCW until 2001 when WWE purchased the company. He last served as the guest ring announcer for the WWE Royal Rumble in 2008.

1 Howard Finkel Was WWE’s Most Beloved Announcer

His Career Started In The 1970s

• His first announcing job took place at Madison Square Garden in 1977.
• He worked as a backstage WWE producer.
• His final announcement in WWE was a posthumous recording of his voice at Backlash 2020 for Edge vs Randy Orton.

Howard Finkel is easily the most beloved ring announcer in WWE history. He started working for WWE in 1975, and in 1977, he started working as the WWE’s principal ring announcer.

Howard Finkel was the announcer for some of WrestleMania’s most significant moments. He worked non-stop as the most famous voice in the company until 1995. He tragically passed away in 2020.