Major WWE Name Could Miss Upcoming Shows

A major WWE name may have to miss some of the company’s upcoming shows. The promotion is on its way to the 2026 Royal Rumble next month in Saudi Arabia.

According to a new report from Combative selectionWWE commentator Joe Tessitore may soon be unavailable due to his commitments outside the company. Tessitore also works as a college football broadcaster, which may require adjustments to the commentary team while he is away.

It was reported earlier this week that Michael Cole and Corey Graves will call RAW starting January 5, 2026, and Tessitore will also work with Wade Barrett on SmackDown starting next month.

Pat McAfee used to call action alongside Michael Cole, but the former NFL punter stepped away from the promotion earlier this year due to exhaustion. Corey Graves Apparently I had a problem with not working in NXT in 2025but it appears that the situation has been resolved. Graves is married to former WWE superstar Carmella in real life, and the happy couple have two children together.

Former WWE writer criticizes Joe Tessitore

Wrestling legend Vince Russo criticized Joe Tessitore’s comment and suggested it insulted the intelligence of WWE fans.

Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling’s BroDown show earlier this year, Russo questioned Tessitore’s comment following an episode of SmackDown. He suggested he had insulted the fan’s intelligence and noted that this was a trend of the broadcast team.

“You look at that first segment. They’re clearly putting on a tag match. So here’s Aldis, he’s putting on a tag match. This damn guy, Joe Tessitore, has the guts to say, ‘Who saw that coming?’ And I’m like, ‘Brother, what about Stevie Wonder?’ That’s what I mean. Don’t insult my intelligence. They do this every week and you have the guts to stand there and say who saw this coming,” Vince Russo said.

It will be interesting to see if the company ends up making more changes to its commentary teams in 2026.