Welcome to another eWrestlingNews Question of the Day!
WWE has its newest addition to the broadcast team with the debut of Joe Tessitore as a play-by-play commentator for Monday Night Raw alongside Wade Barrett.
My question for you today is “What did you think of Joe Tessitore’s debut as a WWE commentator?”
Remember to answer with your response in the comments below.
As far as my answer…
I thought he did a pretty damn good job. He’s not someone I was familiar with at all prior to the announcement he’d join WWE, as I don’t watch other sports in any capacity, so I had never heard his style before. Upon hearing it for the first time here, I thought nothing of it. It didn’t stand out to me at all, which sounds like I’m hating on him, but it’s actually a compliment. I mean that less in the “it was unremarkable” sense, and more in the “it just felt like he was in the same position as any other that we’ve seen before like Jimmy Smith and Tom Phillips” capacity.
Now, I will say that that sentiment does come with the negative that Mauro Ranallo had came onto the scene making a huge impression on me, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Tessitore could have blown me away, too. He didn’t, but that’s okay. What’s more important is that he didn’t feel out of place, like we’ve heard from guys such as Adnan Virk and Mike Adamle—nor did he sound like he wasn’t interested in the product at all, like what happened eventually with Todd Grisham.
Of course, it’s also important to note that this was his FIRST day on the job. I’m sure he’s going to get even better and find a comfortable groove. But there have been plenty others that settled in to the gig and never got out of their awkward phase, like Kevin Patrick. Right now, he’s the new guy on the scene who didn’t make a stand-out impression, but managed to slip in there like he’s been on the team for at least a few months. That’s a testament to how much potential he has in the role, and I’m excited to see him grow into it over time.
I would still say if I were fantasy booking an all-time commentary team for the three shows, I’d probably put prime Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler on Raw, maybe a three-man team of Michael Cole with Pat McAfee and Corey Graves on SmackDown, and I’d try out Mauro Ranallo with Bobby Heenan for NXT, as I’d love to see that combination (as much as it would be tempting to just make that The Brain with Gorilla Monsoon). But we’ll see if eventually, Tessitore can etch his name in the books as a go-to best commentator of all time. Who knows? It could happen.
What did you think of Joe Tessitore’s debut? Who would be your favorite commentary teams of all time? Drop your thoughts below!
