WWE Monday Night Raw has a new leading voice. Earlier this month, ESPN’s Joe Tessitore officially took the reins as the red brand’s play-by-play man, calling the action alongside color commentator Wade Barrett. Tessitore and Barrett are a temporary pair on Monday nights, as the two are expected to join Corey Graves to form a three-man booth on WWE SmackDown in the new year while Michael Cole and a returning Pat McAfee resume their unit on WWE Monday Night Raw. Tessitore kicked off to strong critical acclaim, as fans largely praised the newcomer’s big game voice and ability to pick up on the WWE product.
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AEW’s Jim Ross Praises New WWE Commentator
Joe Tessitore has made a fan out of one of professional wrestling’s most legendary voices.
Speaking on his podcast, WWE Hall of Famer and AEW commentator Jim Ross gave props to WWE Monday Night Raw‘s new leading man, noting he’s a “solid hand” and a “good addition” to the broadcast booth.
“Tessitore is a solid hand,” Ross said. “He’s a solid announcer. He’s a good addition to their team. I can tell you from experience it’s a challenging job, but I think it was a good hire. He’s got a good look and he’s young. Good for Joe. Congratulations to him. I wish him nothing but the best of luck.”
JR called the WWE action for multiple decades, often sharing the table with Jerry “The King” Lawler. He took his talents to the larger wrestling world in the late 2010s, doing English commentary for New Japan Pro Wrestling, before becoming a leading voice for AEW upon the company’s launch.
“I had a great run there for over 20 years and I don’t regret any of it,” Ross reflected on his WWE tenure. “It was a great experience and I’m sure he’ll have a great experience as well if he applies himself and doesn’t feel like he’s ‘lowering the bar’ on his assignment. You’re a sports entertainment announcer and you’re a storyteller and you’re going to keep me informed and keep me excited about what I’m seeing.”
Part of being a “storyteller” in professional wrestling commentary is knowing more than just the action that is going down in real time. It’s knowing why a match is unfolding the way it is. It’s understanding how certain characters tick. It’s anticipating when an angle is reaching its crescendo. Ross notes he will be listening for these things within Tessitore’s future WWE commentary work.
“My only question would be how much product knowledge can he acquire in the short length of time,” Ross added. “Wrestling fans are picky in their announcing. They know what they like, what they don’t like, when you mispronounce somebody’s name or you say the wrong name, whatever. Tessitore has great experience. He’ll do a good job. The one thing that I’m waiting on is to see how much product knowledge that he has acquired since he made his deal with WWE.”
