Sophia Michaels
It’s been kind of an up-and-down six months for Vic Joseph. Last October, the WWE commentator was moved from relative obscurity (read: 205 Live) to the play-by-play position on Monday Night Raw, the longest-running episodic yadda yadda yadda, replacing Michael Cole, who was moved to Smackdown on Fox. This resulted in Tom Phillips, who many had pegged as Cole’s eventual successor and who had been calling Smackdown for years, getting bumped off TV and onto the WWE Network, where he became the lead announcer for NXT UK.
Joseph’s run on Raw came to an abrupt end a few weeks ago when Phillips was put back behind the desk on Monday nights, leaving him out in the cold. He has remained mum on social media regarding the switch, but returned to the airwaves this past weekend in Chicago as part of the team covering NBA All-Star Weekend for NBA TV. Now, it’s official: Joseph (real name Vic Travagliante) will remain a part of NBA TV for the rest of the 2019-2020 season, working with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Joseph comments:
Thanks to the @NBA, @Cavs, @thespencermiller and @dramakingwwe for the Chicago hospitality! Was nice to be back around the game that helped my career grow. Looking forward to being a small part of @NBATV in the 2nd half of the season! #DefendTheLand #Cavs
Joseph is a Cleveland native and previously worked in Cleveland sports talk radio, so this isn’t a huge shock; what is surprising, however, that according to Wrestling Inc., Joseph is still a WWE employee. The Cavs’ schedule runs until April 15, though, so it’s unlikely we’ll see him on WWE programming until the post-season begins (because the Cavs aren’t even sniffing the playoffs for the next three or four years — and I can say that as a recently lapsed multi-season season ticket holder).
Written by: Uproxx
