6 Ups & 3 Downs From WWE Raw (30 Sept - Results & Review)

Ups…

6. Love For Tessitore

It’s been a few weeks, so it’s a good time to give new Raw play-by-play man Joe Tessitore a first-month evaluation: He’s the real deal.

Tessitore still is working to get the move names correct – he called Finn Balor’s slingblade a “sling shot” and referred to a Death Valley Driver as a “death drop driver” – but he’s already improved on that front by leaps and bounds from his first week.

But it’s Tessitore’s delivery, passion, energy, and authority as he calls the action that is resonating thus far. He comes across as commanding and composed, which is important for the lead announcer, and is really difficult to pull off. Several others have come and gone through the years without ever grasping that presence. His call of Jey Uso’s Intercontinental Championship win last week was a massive high point.

Monday was another strong effort from Tessitore, as he seems to be gaining confidence week-by-week, and his rapport with Wade Barrett also is growing. It’s still early, but WWE might have found their next voice.

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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.