High praise onto Tessitore.
From April until May 2021, current MLB, NHL and former ESPN host Adnan Virk began commentary duties for Monday Night Raw while the company ran shows out of the ThunderDome.
Virk’s time in that position spanned six weeks before both sides agreed to part ways. Currently in that lead commentator spot on Raw is ESPN’s Joe Tessitore. Adnan Virk guest appeared on Sports Media with Richard Deitsch and shared that he’s spoken to Tessitiore since he’s taken on the role.
Adnan mentioned that when he got his shot in 2021, Tessitore reached out to him. Virk is supportive of Tessitore and told him he’d be great in areas where Virk was not. He cited Tessitore’s history as a wrestling fan and thinks he’s done great thus far. Virk expressed his opinion that Tessitore could reach Michael Cole’s level.
Well of course and Tess and I are old friends from our ESPN days and both of us, very fond of Nick Khan, as you know, who’s doing a phenomenal job so, when things went down for me when I got the job (at WWE), I remember Tess called me and goes, like, ‘How’s the job?’ Tess called me so he was great counsel both ways and then this time when he got the job, I was thrilled for him and basically when I talked to him, I just said, ‘I’m surprised it took so long.’ I’m like, ‘You are so gonna be great at this job where I wasn’t’ and he’s laughing, ‘Ah, Virk, you’re too modest.’ I said, ‘No, but listen –’ I said, ‘What have I done? Baseball, college football, college basketball, studio primarily. You’re primarily a play-by-play guy. Already a different animal. Host versus play-by-play. Secondly, what sports have you done?’ Joe Tess is better at boxing than anybody arguably. Todd Grisham, I love my buddy at DAZN. Corey Erdman, there’s others… But Tess is a great boxing play-by-play guy. So, I know boxing and wrestling is different but it’s a combat sport. You will know how to rise and ebbs and flows and then most importantly and most impactfully, I loved wrestling as a kid but I didn’t follow it as adamantly as I’ve gotten older. I believe Tess has always…
I wish I had more time to watch… But I think he’s done great and I’m with you, I’m like, that’s a very tough audience as you know. They’re very tough to impress. So if you can come in and let’s say, 60 percent of them like Tess, that is a resounding victory and I’m sure that number is higher but, it’ll only grow because again, people… eventually, they’ll understand Tess and his cadence and like I said, the fact that he’s passionate about it and he knows it and he’s a hell of an announcer. Like I said, I think Michael Cole is outstanding. But I’m sure Tess at some point can reach those levels as well and it’s obviously a great hire for Nick.
While in WWE, Virk worked under Vince McMahon. The former WWE CEO is being profiled in the ‘Mr. McMahon’ Netflix docuseries. Virk stated that he’ll be tuning in.
Yeah, I can’t wait (for Netflix’s Vince McMahon docuseries). I was texting a friend of mine yesterday and I said, ‘I’m curious as to how this is gonna go because if you do it right, it’s gonna be no-holds-barred, it’s gonna be, you know, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Tessitore was on the call for Raw in Ontario, California alongside Wade Barrett. To get a review of that show, head over to this link.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Sports Media with Richard Deitsch with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
