Last month, it was announced that longtime college football play-by-play broadcaster Joe Tessitore would be joining WWE in a partnership that will go along with his ongoing responsibilities at ESPN. And on Saturday, further information was announced about Tessitore’s looming debut with the WWE during the pre-show to SummerSlam.
Tessitore made his first appearance on WWE programming Saturday, joining current Monday Night Raw play-by-plan man Michael Cole in a segment where the two discussed Tessitore’s upcoming debut.
Cole first introduced Tessitore by listing a number of his past and current duties, including College Football on ABC and Championship Boxing on ESPN.
Then, Tessitore and Cole shared a handshake, with Tessitore expressing how cool it was to appear on WWE programming for the first time.
“It’s great to be here Michael,” said Tessitore. “Folks, Let me say this, you haven’t lived until you have come through this entryway with Michael Cole at SummerSlam. The place goes crazy already. You are a living legend, my friend.”
Tessitore would go on to say that he is “blessed and honored” to be a part of the WWE now.
Cole then went on to announce that Tessitore will be making his WWE broadcasting debut on September 2nd on Monday Night Raw. In a subsequent move, Cole will be shifting over to Friday Night Smackdown.
“I want to make an announcement tonight,” said Cole. “Joe is actually going to start on Monday Night Raw. Monday, September 2nd, in Denver, Colorado, will be Joe’s first show. I’ll be shifting over to Friday Night Smackdown on USA (Network). It’s gonna be exciting.”
It will sure be interesting to see how Tessitore does in his new role. As Michael Cole himself admitted in a recent interview with AA’s Chris Novak, broadcasting for the WWE is entirely different than doing so in just about any other sport. So there will be an obvious adjustment period for him.
However, it is certainly interesting that Tessitore will immediately be jumping into his on-air responsibilities with WWE on Monday Night Raw, which is largely seen as their flagship show, in favor of Cole, as it perhaps signals that the WWE has a good amount of confidence in Tessitore.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.