Nic Nemeth & Bully Ray Critique Joe Tessitore's WWE Raw Debut

On this week's episode of "WWE Raw," veteran broadcaster Joe Tessitore marked his red brand debut as the new play-by-play commentator, while Wade Barrett accompanied him on color. This move comes on the heels of the hiatus taken by Pat McAfee, who has since returned to ESPN's "College GameDay" for the remainder of 2024. With Tessitore's "Raw" debut officially in the books, former WWE stars Nic Nemeth (also known as Dolph Ziggler) and Bully Ray have weighed in with their thoughts on his commentary performance.

"I don't know how much of the wrestling fan audience actually follows sports, because if you do, it really sounded like there was something in his voice that made you feel like I was watching 'Sunday Night Baseball' or a playoff game," Nemeth said on "Busted Open Radio." "To me, hearing that, it always makes me subconsciously feel like we're watching a legitimate sport, plus all of the story that goes into it, plus all the feeling that comes out when not just giving the play-by-play. So someone like me who used to watch 'Sunday Night Baseball,' watches football, hockey, baseball, you name it, I really, really liked his voice. I like how it went. I like the emotion that he had with it."

While Nemeth raised an overall positive review of Tessitore's premiere performance, he did point out some of the unorthodox actions taken by Tessitore. One of the anomalous moments arose when a hooded figure emerged in front of the announce table and attacked CM Punk. Rather than acting unsure of who it was, like WWE commentators typically do, Tessitore immediately identified the assailant as Drew McIntyre. Personally, Nemeth preferred the latter reaction, as it deviated from the "old fake rules" of professional wrestling. At the same time, though, Nemeth recognized that others may view it in a more critical light.

"You shouldn't just slide in here and know everything that's ever happened and know our special rules and what we normally see it as. I loved it," Nemeth said. 

According to WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray, Tessitore came face-to-face with a number of tests in his debut "Raw" appearance, including the physicality on and around the commentary desk. Overall, though, Ray believes Tessitore, a college football analyst for ESPN and ABC, passed many of those tests with grace, and with a slight resemblance to one of WWE's most iconic broadcasters.

"I thought Joe Tessitore did a good job last night," Ray said. "Did he blow me away? Absolutely not. What I did say to myself is when I was listening to his voice, when I wasn't watching him on camera, when I was just listening to his voice, [and him doing] his thing, he almost sounded like Michael Cole to me, at least. And Cole to me is a friendly voice, a recognizable voice. So it wasn't very abrupt. I thought for a night one, he did a fine job."

With Tessitore joining Wade Barrett on "Raw," Michael Cole is slated to move to the "SmackDown" brand next week, where he will reunite with his former broadcast partner Corey Graves. Prior to his WWE arrival earlier this summer, Tessitore has also notably called NFL games on "Monday Night Football," boxing contests for ESPN, and served as play-by-play for a competitive golf reality show titled "Holey Moley." Tessitore is expected to continue his current college football calling duties while he acclimates to the "Raw" brand.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.