This past Sunday in my Week In Review article (click here to catch up) I wrote that there were rumors that the announce teams for WWE’s RAW and SmackDown will be getting some significant changes.
With the upcoming WWE Draft just a few weeks away, top officials want brand exclusivity on RAW and SmackDown. Each show/brand will have its own roster of wrestlers and exclusive announce teams. Michael Cole and Corey Graves are rumored to be heading to SmackDown as FOX wants a more established voice for their show. Which leaves a gap over on RAW…
Twitter user @Wrestlevotes tweeted earlier today that 205 Live/NXT UK lead commentator Vic Joseph will become the lead announcer for RAW, while relative newcomer Dio Maddin (you may know him as NXT’s Brennan Williams) will be joining Vic at the RAW announce desk.
https://twitter.com/WrestleVotes/status/1174341559992688641
No word yet on the future of Renne Young, but again rumor has it that she is being headhunted by FOX to host their weekly WWE FS1 studio show on Tuesday nights.
Again there’s no word about the futures of Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton, who currently call SmackDown. With the announce desk hot potato happening in the next few weeks, who knows where they could end up!
Vic Joseph and Dio Maddin call 205 Live for the WWE Network. Dio has only been in the job for over a week after making his announcing debut on last week’s 205 Live broadcast.
Maddin took the place of Nigel McGuinness, who with NXT now going live every Wednesday night, will now be NXT exclusive along with Beth Phoenix and Mauro Ranallo.
Blake’s Take – Get the music ready as it’s musical chairs over at WWE! It makes sense that Cole and Graves will head over to FOX and SmackDown. What doesn’t make sense is to give a chair to a guy that’s only been broadcasting for such a short space of time. Dio Maddin, who I like to add did a good job on last week’s 205 Live, has not announced a live show. To millions and millions of viewers. With Uncle Vince in his ear. That’s enough to break a guy. If this is true, and I stress the IF, then WWE sees something in him and has the greatest confidence in him.
