Change can be a good thing, especially when the fans have been calling for it for some time. That doesn’t mean we’re right, just that something didn’t work like they expected it to.
In this case, the commentary teams have taken a beating from fans, so they’ve been added into the mix to be reworked as well. Of course, the three person commentary system remains for the most part. We can’t have everything, right?
The Raw Team
The WWE corrected one of their biggest mistakes in fans’ eyes by bringing back Jerry “The King” Lawler for color commentary. It’s also a possible move to keep the AEW from snapping him up to go with Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone, but that’s another topic. Lawler brings a quirkiness and comedy aspect that’s been missing from the broadcasts, and teaming him with Dio Maddin as analysts with Vic Joseph as play-by-play looks like a winning team.
The Smackdown Team
Smackdown gets the Raw team of Michael Cole as play-by-play and Corey Graves and Renee Young as analysts. There is one change here, though, as Renee Young is listed as a special analyst, meaning she will have a smaller role. While that’ll please some fans, she’s greatly improved and her and Grave’s back and forth is often more fun than some of the matches.
Renee Young’s New Role
Of course, Renee Young’s role has been reduced most likely because she is going to host a talk show with Booker T on FS1 called WWE Backstage on Tuesday nights at 10 PM.
In preparation for the premiere on November 5 with a special preview on October 15 at the conclusion of the ALCS Fame 3, FOX Sports released a press conference:
“SmackDown moves from Tuesdays to Fridays beginning Friday, Oct. 4 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on FOX, but WWE fans can still get their Tuesday night fix with FS1’s WWE BACKSTAGE, television’s only studio show devoted to all things WWE.
The hour-long weekly show offers viewers the latest WWE news every Tuesday at 11:00 PM ET/8:00 PM PT, beginning Tuesday, Nov. 5 on FS1.
Longtime WWE broadcaster Renee Young and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T weigh in on the biggest stories in WWE, and are joined by a rotating cast of guests and personalities, including current and former WWE Superstars.”
Renee Young added, “WWE BACKSTAGE is a wrestling show for wrestling fans. From hardcore fans to people new to wrestling, we’ll give them a little bit of everything. It’s going to be fun; it’s going to be loud; we’re going to give them a ton of opinions and I can’t wait to help spread the word about SmackDown coming to FOX.”
Looks like WWE is doing the full court press on AEW. This is going to be a fun ride.
