WWE Raw received a fresh voice in former UFC analyst Jimmy Smith. He brought his experience calling UFC fights in 2018 to WWE Raw and did a fantastic job on his first night. Not only did he not make mistakes and call the action well, but he also won the approval of the WWE Universe.
WWE Universe approves of Jimmy Smith
When ESPN’s Adnan Virk walked into WWE and fans heard him call the action on his first night, a large section of fans felt something was off. Although he showed promise, the beginning of his WWE career was rough. Within a month, WWE and Virk parted ways, and Jimmy Smith came on board.
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I'm sold on Jimmy Smith already. He is doing really good on commentary.
Great upgrade.#WWERaw
— IBeast (@x_Beast17_x) June 1, 2021
He's commentated 2 minutes worth of match and already I think Jimmy Smith > Adnan Virk #WWERaw
— Dick Van Klondike (@DickVanKlondike) June 1, 2021
From the opening segment with Miz TV to the night’s main event between Kofi Kingston and Drew McIntyre, Smith’s commentary remained consistent; consistently good. Unlike Virk, the fans didn’t ridicule him, nor did wrestlers.
In his first few weeks as commentator, Adnan Virk got chewed and spat out by Sheamus, who claimed he was out of depth.
Going into commercial, we see Orton do his patented back drop on the table to Woods. Side note: Jimmy Smith called that move with awesome energy. Because of his combat sports background, I think he’ll be great. #WWERAW https://t.co/NDLnhp1kpB
— Yell In A Cell: A Pro Wrestling Podcast (@yell_cell) June 1, 2021
My official ruling:
Adnan Virk should've NEVER been placed as the lead commentator! Jimmy Smith did a great job on his first night! #WWERAW pic.twitter.com/uTQtlHzeyz
— DJ Pac Man© 🍥 (@DJPacMan25) June 1, 2021
Jimmy Smith also took to Twitter and reacted to his first successful night on Raw. He wrote, “Had a blast at WWE Raw tonight! Amazing match between Drew McIntyre and Kofi Kingston! Tried my best to give it the energy it deserved.”
Had a blast at #WWERaw tonight! Amazing match between @DMcIntyreWWE and @TrueKofi! Tried my best to give it the energy it deserved
— Jimmy Smith (@jimmysmithmma) June 1, 2021
We only hope the future is bright for Smith who worked a wonderful dynamic with Corey Graves and Byron Saxton. His run should obviously last longer than Virk’s, and he’s on his way to being a fitting replacement for Samoa Joe, Jerry Lawler and Tom Phillips.
Watch This Story: WWE Records That will Never be Broken
Brief results from Monday Night Raw
WWE Raw kicked off with an electric Miz TV segment with special guests Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley. Flair then faced Nikki Cross, who dealt the Queen a rare loss in a Beat the Clock challenge.
The next match was Randy Orton vs Xavier Woods, which saw Randy steal the Bro-Derek from Riddle to beat Woods.
Shayna Baszler’s run of bad luck continued as she lost to Reginald. T-Bar and Mace picked up a win and registered themselves as threats to the Raw Tag Team division.
Sheamus suffered a broken nose and two losses on a troubling night for him. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin faced off for the third consecutive time on Raw, with Alexander picking up another win.
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The women’s tag team division sputtered along as Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose beat Naomi and Lana, but the men’s division chugged along smoothly as AJ Styles and Omos put down another set of challengers. The episode ended with Drew McIntyre and Kofi Kingston wrestling a wonderful match with the Scottish Warrior becoming #1 contender once again.
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