WWE Commentators’ Scripts

Most of us are aware that WWE matches are scripted. However, I have been wondering recently if WWE Commentators also follow a script, or whether their reactions and comments are genuine and spontaneous.

The moment that brought this question to my mind was a match during Monday Night Raw, on September 26, 2016. In this match, the New Day faced The Club, in a Clash of Champions rematch for the WWE World Tag Team Championships. At the end of the match, there is a moment of confusion. There is blood in the ring. Outside the ring, Luke Gallows’ hands and gloves are drenched in blood, but he does not appear to be in pain. The camera zooms out. You have to squint. Where is the source of the blood? The camera zooms in to the men in the ring, the New Day. Kofi Kingston is bleeding profusely from his forehead. Xavier Woods presses a towel to Kofi’s head. You ask yourself, when did Kofi obtain this cut that caused such a massive amount of bleeding? Was it when he was slammed into the steel steps?

Then you wonder why you have to wonder this at all. Shouldn’t the commentators comment on when the injury was received? But instead, they say nothing about the blood, the bleeding, still going on in the ring. They do not say a word. This appears strange to me. Obviously, they were not prepared for this injury. It was not in the script. But even if it wasn’t supposed to happen, shouldn’t they acknowledge it anyway? It’s a big deal when someone bleeds. It’s an even bigger deal when it’s not supposed to happen.

I did a little research on whether or not WWE Commentators follow a script, and found out that they do. However, some commentators are known to forfeit knowledge of the endings of the matches in order to better commentate and react honestly. One website, deadspin.com even released a WWE Raw script, which contains certain points they must hit during certain matches. The script even includes wrestlers’ speeches and promos. It’s pretty interesting. Here’s the link:

http://deadspin.com/this-is-what-a-wwe-raw-script-looks-like-1570327862

A nine page script of dos and don’ts for WWE Commentators was posted on a website called SEScoops (http://www.sescoops.com/photos-full-nine-page-wwe-raw-announcer-script-leaks-online/). One of the rules is “don’t call blood,” which might answer my question. However, the rules are in place to make the commentators sound natural and honest. The natural response to seeing blood is surprise, even in wrestling. The way the commentators ignore the blood achieves the opposite effect; it makes their response (or lack of one) seem illegitimate.