wrestling / Columns

Joey Styles Fails To Evolve

November 17, 2016 | Posted by Jeremy Lambert
Joey Styles Image Credit: WWE

Joey Styles has been in the wrestling business for 20 years. Yet, on Saturday night at Evolve 72, he seemed like any other amateur independent announcer.

Before I get into Styles and his “joke,” I have to mention just how bad Styles was throughout the Evolve 72 event. He didn’t seem to know the product and he wanted to play all of his commentary hits. He wanted to make jokes rather than focus on the action. It’s ironic that that Styles would commentate an Evolve show, given his lack of evolvement in 20 years.

Styles can be compared to Mike Goldberg, who also had a terrible night filled with cliched calls on Saturday. They don’t add anything to the product, they haven’t improved since they started, they aren’t knowledgeable, and they spout off catchphrases and cliches to make you believe they know what they’re doing.

Following his terrible night on commentary, Styles capped it off with a “grab her by the…” joke. The comment was out of place and unfunny, which pretty much sums up Styles’ night.

Styles was immediately fired by Gabe Sapolsky. It appeared that would be the end of it, save for idiots like Jim Cornette defending Styles on Twitter. But then, Styles just couldn’t help himself. He had to do what he thought was right, pen an open letter to fans explaining his actions and positions. It only made things worse.

Styles admitted that he panicked during the promo. That they had talked about doing the promo one way, in the ring with Joanna Rose, but he was thrown off when they did the promo at ringside without Joanna Rose. For a guy who has been in wrestling for 20 years, with an exclusive tie to having the microphone in his hand, how could he possible panic when one person was out of place?

This just goes to show Styles’ lack of preparation and growth as an announcer and personality. He thought he was still in ECW, where he could say something offensive and topical and have everyone cheer because that’s just how it was during that time and in that environment. In 2016, a person in Joey’s position has to be smarter. For a guy who has been in the business for 20 years, Joey has to be smarter.

Prior to the show, Gabe said that he wanted everyone to stay away from any political talk. That wrestling is an escape. Styles confirmed this.

So, not only was Styles unprepared and simplistic, he also went against the orders of his boss. How does this happen? When you’ve specifically been told to stay away from a topic, and that’s the first topic to come to your mind when you’re lost, how good are you at your job?

In the letter, Styles revealed that he asked Gabe to publicly fire him. It’s great that Styles went to Gabe, knew he screwed up, and asked for a harsh punishment. But don’t broadcast that. What does it accomplish? It makes Gabe look bad because he was just doing what you asked him to do, not thinking for himself. I guess it helps Styles save face, which is probably all that matters in the world of Joey Styles.

I don’t think Joey realizes that, while disobeying the bosses orders was bad, this is really about the comment itself. It wasn’t funny or right when Donald Trump said it. The fact that he said it and was elected President doesn’t make it better. It just shows that America is filled with dumb people and that the system is broken. It was a misogynistic comment, and it is a big deal. It wasn’t funny when Styles said it, or implied it, either. It’s still misogynistic and it’s still wrong.

It’s good that Syles apologized to everyone, repeatedly, even though he says that they weren’t upset. They should have been upset, though.

They should have been upset that they hired a 20-year veteran to call the action and bring legitimacy to their product, and instead, he got flustered at a very minor change and had people muting the commentary during the event. They should have been upset that he went against direct orders. They should have been upset that he threatened multiple relationships for the company and their partners. And they should have been upset that he was implying sexual assault towards a co-worker.

He apologized. They fired him. It was the right move. It still doesn’t make what Joey said any better.

Yell at me on twitter @jeremylambert88

article topics :

EVOLVE, Joey Styles, Jeremy Lambert