ESPN announcer Joe Tessitore joining WWE

[Dale]

"WWE has added an elite sports play-by-play broadcaster to its roster.

ESPN announcer Joe Tessitore will begin calling WWE later this summer, The Post has learned.

A formal announcement is expected later Tuesday.

Tessitore, 53, will remain at ESPN and ABC, where he is a broadcaster for college football and Top Rank boxing, sources said.

What is known is that Tessitore will lead a three-man booth featuring color commentators Corey Graves and Wade Barrett."

https://nypost.com/2024/07/09/sports/espns-joe-tessitore-joining-wwe/​

 

[Chris]

I never watch sports with sound on so idk if he's actually any good but this feels like a big get

 

[Daddy Dom]

I never watch sports with sound on so idk if he's actually any good but this feels like a big get

he host college football show and did MNF with Jason Witten and Booger. Hes got a good voice but, I wonder if he ends up like Adnan Virk.

 

[Storm Trooper]

He was was WrestleMania for ESPN this year and did interviews with various wrestlers. I believe he's at least a fan. But huge get.

He's got personality. Not just a bland voice guy.

Note how he is still with ESPN doing college football, and they specifically said that Cole and McAfee are still together and that he will work with Barrett/Graves... but they don't say what shows. I'm wondering if they swap shows again. Tessitore doing Smackdown on Friday and calling College Football on Saturday afternoons is damn near impossible. Monday Night Raw and College Football is possible. Plus during the football season McAfee may not want to do Monday Night Raw and compete with Monday Night Football. McAfee has not yet re-signed up for ESPN College Gameday so that could be ending, thus freeing him up for Fridays.

 

[Storm Trooper]

Joe Tessitore joins WWE

STAMFORD, Conn., July 9, 2024 – WWE today announced that Joe Tessitore, one of the most versatile and veteran voices in sports television, will join the company as a play-by-play broadcaster beginning this summer. In his role, Tessitore will work alongside analysts Wade Barrett and Corey Graves...

www.wwe.com

 

[Dale]

I dunno, I feel like they will 100% want Cole & Pat on Raw when it goes to Netflix

 

[Dale]

In his role, Tessitore will work alongside analysts Wade Barrett and Corey Graves. Michael Cole and Pat McAfee will remain teamed up.

Though that line clearly leaves it open for the announce teams to switch shows..

 

[Storm Trooper]

I dunno, I feel like they will 100% want Cole & Pat on Raw when it goes to Netflix

They may want it but does McAfee want it is the big question.

I think he'd want to be on Netflix where there'll be less restrictions, but his schedule may or may not permit it. McAfee already spread pretty thin with his Monday-Friday ESPN show (live in Indianapolis, Indiana every day) and doing Raw wherever the hell they are every week.

 

[Storm Trooper]

I'm willing to bet they will switch McAfee from Mondays to Fridays during the football season and keep doing that every year long as they have him.

 

[Dale]

I do wonder what the reasons are behind all this though because it definitely muddies everything. Corey continuing on pbp until Cole steps aside and he takes over his role. Vic moves up and takes over the secondary role left by Corey and then the Lvl Up moves up to NXT or something.

I guess we'll see how he goes but it wouldn't exactly be a surprise if he wasn't there overly long like the ones before him.

 

[Chris]

 

[Storm Trooper]

I do wonder what the reasons are behind all this though because it definitely muddies everything. Corey continuing on pbp until Cole steps aside and he takes over his role. Vic moves up and takes over the secondary role left by Corey and then the Lvl Up moves up to NXT or something.

I guess we'll see how he goes but it wouldn't exactly be a surprise if he wasn't there overly long like the ones before him.

Graves isn't a play-by-play guy he's more of a color guy. This puts him back in the role he is better at.

I think at the end of the day both Cole and McAfee are not long-term guys. Cole is close to retirement (I think a year or 2). McAfee will eventually need to slow down as you can only burn the candle at both ends for so long. I figure they do a 3 man booth and eventually one of Barrett/Graves moves on to replace Cole or McAfee. Then the other ends his tenure and Vic comes up and Barrett/Vic is one team and Graves/Tess is the other.

 

[Storm Trooper]

I never watch sports with sound on so idk if he's actually any good but this feels like a big get

You were talking about boxing games in General chat a few days ago. You may know Joe Tessitore's voice.



He did the PBP in the old Fight Night games. He's done boxing ever since for ESPN. He also did PBP for the competition series Holey Moley on ABC with Rob Riggle.

This could be a MONSTER get for WWE.

 

[Chris]

Ah that's probably why he sounded so familiar yeah

 

[Bobby Barrows]

I think it'll be a fine addition, give him a couple weeks to find his feet and go from there since calling wrestling is so different compared to college football.