Star ESPN broadcaster Joe Tessitore joining WWE commentary team

Update —

WWE has officially announced the hiring of Joe Tessitore and confirmed that he’ll be part of a commentary team with Corey Graves & Wade Barrett starting this summer.

Tessitore stated that he’s a “lifelong viewer” of WWE.

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A new voice is joining the WWE broadcast team.

The New York Post reported on Tuesday that Joe Tessitore, a star broadcaster for ESPN and ABC, has been hired to the WWE commentary team. Tessitore will still remain with ESPN and ABC, where he calls both college football and boxing. He was previously an announcer for Monday Night Football as well.

Tessitore will start with WWE later this summer.

The report states that — while it isn’t known if Tessitore will be on Raw or SmackDown — he will be the lead announcer in a three-man booth with Corey Graves & Wade Barrett. Michael Cole & Pat McAfee will be staying together as the other commentary team. Currently, Cole & McAfee are the Raw team and Graves & Barrett are on SmackDown.

When Kevin Patrick was released from WWE earlier this year, Graves became the lead play-by-play voice on SmackDown, shifting over from his previous role as a color commentator.

Dipping into the traditional sports world for broadcasting talent is something that WWE has done under Nick Khan’s leadership. Like Adnan Virk (who had a brief stint as a WWE commentator in 2021), Tessitore was a client of Khan’s when Khan was an agent.

“This job is something of a full-circle moment [for] Tessitore, who was the first media client of WWE president Nick Khan,” the New York Post wrote.

The New York Post added that the 53-year-old Tessitore also has a great relationship with Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

“Whether it’s a world title fight that’s got the globe buzzing or a college football rivalry that’s grabbed the nation’s attention, Joe’s voice provides that big event feel each time he is behind the microphone,” Levesque said in a press release after Tessitore’s hiring was announced. “We’re excited for Joe to join legendary WWE broadcaster Michael Cole and our esteemed announce team, bringing his signature energy and meticulous preparation to our WWE telecasts each week.”

“It’s an honor to be a part of WWE.  The recent success and trajectory are undeniable,” Tessitore said. “Being there at WrestleMania XL, one could feel it – from Cody, Seth, Roman and The Rock, to creative and production, these are some of the very best storytellers in TV.  Corey and Wade are absolute stars and it is my privilege to join their team. Pat and Cole are just magical together and Cole is the greatest to ever sit in that chair. As a lifelong viewer, I’m humbled to join this team and to serve our fans.”