10 Ups And 6 Downs From WWE Raw (Nov 18)

9. A New Face On Commentary

Samoa Joe Raw Commentary
WWE.com

Apparently, Dio Maddin is still reeling from his single F5 through the announce desk two weeks ago, because he was still out Monday night.

But huzzah! That meant that we got to hear Samoa Joe for three hours, which was a welcome treat. Joe has been doing kickoff show commentary recently as he recovers from injury, and he’s apparently done well enough to merit a shot on the Raw desk.

And he did more than just fine. Joe has plenty of in-ring credibility. His promos have always been top-notch. He’s smart, well-spoke and knows the business extremely well. He was clearly a heel commentator, but he knew how to temper it. He added to the broadcast without trying to be the center of attention.

If this was an audition for a future gig after his wrestling career is over, you’ve got to think that Joe passed with flying colors.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.