WWE has officially announced Jimmy Smith as the new member of the RAW announce team.
Smith will debut as the play-by-play voice of RAW beginning this Monday, May 31. He will call the action every Monday night with Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.
WWE acknowledged in their announcement issued to us this evening that Smith worked as an analyst for WWE NXT, serving on the “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” pre-show panels, and working on special projects for the black & gold brand, which included the video package for Finn Balor vs. NXT Champion Karrion Kross. WWE also pointed to how Smith is the host of SiriusXM’s Unlocking The Cage, and previously hosted American Ninja Warrior.
As reported earlier, Smith has been working with Michael Cole and other WWE staffers as of late to train for a potential announcing role. Cole has reportedly praised Smith heavily, and found him to be very versatile. It was reported back in early March that Smith was backstage for a tryout at a live SmackDown taping.
The 43 year old Smith is best known for his run with Bellator MMA from 2010 – 2017. He worked as an analyst with Bellator and UFC. In addition to Unlocking The Cage, Smith also hosts ESPN International’s UFC Fight Camp show. He retired from MMA fighting in 2007, with a 5-1 record, and has also done commentary for pro boxing, and other combat sports leagues.
Smith will be replacing Adnan Virk, who parted ways with WWE on Tuesday after less than two months on the job. You can click here
for Virk’s post-departure statement, and you can click here for reactions from other WWE announcers.Stay tuned for more on Smith.
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