On Monday, WWE announced that former ESPN on-air talent and current MLB Network host Adnan Virk will become the new voice of Monday Night Raw as their lead commentator. He replaces Tom Phillips, who had been in the position for over the past year. Virk will be joined on Raw by Byron Saxton and former SmackDown color commentator, Corey Graves.
Richard Deitsch of The Athletic was among the first to report on the announcement, getting an interview with Virk about his upcoming position.
“Matt called me and said, ‘Do you know who Michael Cole is?’” Virk said in the interview. “I said, ‘Of course, voice of SmackDown.’ I was like, ‘These guys actually know my work?’ I was very intrigued by what they saw in me. I mean, if I could relate this conversation to a 10-year-old Adnan Virk, he would be screaming with glee.”
It’s also noted in the interview that WWE’s president Nick Khan was Virk’s long-time agent before current agent Matt Olson.
When it comes to the rest of the original Raw team, Saxton will clearly be staying on Monday nights. WWE adds that Phillips will be the new host of 205 Live and oversee “special projects” as part of WWE on Peacock, as well as keeping his senior position for on-air talent. The most interesting part of all this for fans is that WWE announced that Samoa Joe will remain part of the WWE talent roster, meaning that he could be returning to the wrestling side sooner rather than later.
The new team will debut on the first Raw following WrestleMania 37.
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