The WWE has been shaking things up as they prepare to hold live shows again in July, and some of those shakeups came from the commentary team with Jimmy Smith joining the company.
On Tuesday, they Adnan Virk go from the Raw announce team after only seven weeks, and they have announced his replacement.
Former UFC and Bellator commentator Jimmy Smith will be joining the Raw team beginning with the next broadcast on May 31 on the USA network.
Hey guys, well it’s been a busy day😳. Apparently @WWE liked my work so far. I know I’m stepping into a new world (I WAS a Mr. Perfect and Bruiser Brody fanatic however) but know I’ll do everything I can to honor the athletes and fans. Watch Monday and judge my work for yourself
— Jimmy Smith (@jimmysmithmma) May 26, 2021
Not his first rodeo
Smith has worked with the WWE previously as an analyst for NXT Takeover preshow shows, and he helped to set the stage with his insights into what we could expect in that night’s matches.
It was rumored that either he or Tom Phillips would be taking the vacated spot on the Raw commentary team.
WWE today announced that @jimmysmithmma will debut as the play-by-play voice for #WWERaw starting this Monday, May 31 at 8/7c on @USA_Network.https://t.co/8mUWqEkv4X
— WWE (@WWE) May 26, 2021
He’ll be joining Bryan Saxton and Corey Graves to form what could be the company’s top broadcasting team if things work out.
The WWE commentary teams have been in flux for a while now as they’ve been trying different combinations to find what works.
The Raw team seemed set until they released Samoa Joe as he was rumored to be getting ready to return to the ring. The reason for his release, as many speculated on, was his history with concussions.
Joe was a fan favorite on the announce team and Virk was meant to take over. After fans decried Virk’s seeming lack of passion during his broadcasts, he and the company came to an understanding.
Solid background
Jimmy Smith brings a good pedigree of commentating history to his new position as he commentated for Bellator and UFC as we mentioned above.
He’s also an accomplished mixed martial artist as he started his fighting career in the 2000s where he amassed a five and one record with a majority of his wins being by submission.
After news of him joining the WWE broke, he tweeted that he’s staying with the podcast “MMA on Sirius XM”
“Oh, and since so many people are asking: I WILL be continuing my show for @MMAonSiriusXM!! @KMurphy25 and @MRussoKOB literally begged me to stay”
Oh, and since so many people are asking: I WILL be continuing my show for @MMAonSiriusXM!! @KMurphy25 and @MRussoKOB literally begged me to stay
— Jimmy Smith (@jimmysmithmma) May 27, 2021
In many ways, it feels like the WWE listened to fans and brought in someone with a submission knowledge like Samoa Joe but with the ability to run the commentary team is tabbed to do so.
It’ll be interesting to see how it works our and we’re excited to see him on Raw.
What do you think of him joining the Raw commentary team? Let us know in the comments below.
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