Exclusive: WWE Changing RAW Announce Team

[Dale]

Adnan Virk will be taking over play-by-play commentary on WWE RAW starting this Monday, Wrestling Inc. has learned.

Virk will be replacing Tom Phillips, who had been handling play-by-play duties on the show since last year.

Virk is a Canadian sportscaster who had hosted The Score in Canada. He worked for ESPN from 2010 until 2019, when he was fired for allegedly leaking ESPN information to the media. During an interview with The Washington Post last year, Virk said that he felt like ESPN was making an example out of him.

“I know that I made a mistake,” Virk told The Washington Post. “I would have thought that everything I’d done for the company would count for something. Whatever happens in life you say: ‘What’s the action? What’s the result of the action? Who’s the person? And how important are they to the company?’ Ultimately, I’m hurt that I was that replaceable for doing something I thought was relatively benign.

“I feel like they wanted to make an example of me.”

Virk added, “What I can say is that I was a good corporate citizen and I was proud of that. I loved working at ESPN. I used to get made fun of for going to every town hall. I know the difference between important information and something trivial, and in my mind this was so trivial that it wasn’t a huge deal.”

Phillips was added to the RAW announce team in January of 2020, replacing Vic Joseph. He had previously served as the lead play-by-play announcer for SmackDown, NXT and NXT UK.

Former UFC and Bellator announcer Jimmy Smith also recently joined the WWE announce team, as he worked the pre-shows for NXT Takeover this past week. As Wrestling Inc. exclusively reported last month, Smith had auditioned for WWE at a SmackDown taping in early March.

No idea who the fuck this is but I never minded Tom at all.

 

[Chris]

Idk who this is either. Tom is fine but nothing special so won't be hard to be better either if this guy brings a bit more liveliness.

 

[Dale]

I'd rather Tom go replace Vic in NXT tbh, that guy does nothing for me.

 

[Chris]

Vic is infinitely better than Tom smh you have the worst takes sometimes

 

[Marty McFourth]

I think Vic Joseph is great whenever I watch NXT, I'd even go as far to say he's one of the best they have lol

 

[Dale]

He's horrendous, along with Beth. It's a miracle I got through NXT with them.

 

[Deezy]

He's horrendous, along with Beth. It's a miracle I got through NXT with them.

Nope......just nope

Adnan Virk is aces btw

 

[Sky]

Additionally, Corey Graves is returning to Raw, replacing Samoa Joe

 

[Chris]

Well that fucking sucks unless Joe is wrestling again or moving to smackdown

 

[T-Pein™]

Kinda Like Samoa Joe.
sounds like a real man.

 

[Messiah]

I see him on The Score all the time. He's not bad, but I don't expect him to last long on RAW.

 

[Stellar]

I used to not mind Tom Phillips but man... he was getting very annoying recently. When everything that he says is in one tone of voice, it gets old after awhile.

If Corey is going to RAW then who will be on Smackdown with Cole? Samoa Joe?

 

[Cwalker]

My two takes on this:

1) Vic is better than Tom; even though Tom isn’t bad.

2) I’m hoping this means Joe is getting back in the ring

 

[Lady Redfield]

I know him from the score, I think he also trolled ESPN after he got fired, that’s my kind of person.

 

[Daddy Deville]

So Joe & cole it has a nice ring to it.