WWE: Corey Graves gives Samoa Joe a great Tony Romo comparison

Samoa Joe will be on WWE RAW commentary until he recovers from an injury, and experienced announcer Corey Graves gave The Samoan Submission Machine some high praise for his work.

On his most recent “The Satin Sheet” segment on FOX’s “WWE Backstage” show, Ryan Satin reported that Dio Maddin will be resuming his professional wrestling career in NXT with Samoa Joe taking his place full-time at the Raw announce desk.

While Maddin did a solid job, especially for someone new to commentary, Joe has been a revelation in the booth. On the Dec. 2 episode of Raw, Joe stole the show with his insightful comments and vast vocabulary, and I compared him to CBS NFL announcer Tony Romo for being an athlete who brings something extra to the commentary table.

And apparently I’m not the only one who tried to make a little bit of a Romo/Joe link.

Speaking on his “After The Bell” podcast, experienced heel announcer Corey Graves, who also had a successful pro wrestling career with NXT and ROH, had some high praise for Samoa Joe’s commentary.

Here’s the quote, via WrestleTalk’s Liam Winnard:

"“He was awesome. It is surprisingly hard for a lot of superstars to transition into commentary because it goes against what you’re taught.“It’s sort of a selfish business where you’re about promoting yourself and talking everything relating to yourself and your point of view. So to be able to break that in basically two nights on commentary – Samoa Joe could be the WWE’s answer to Tony Romo – everyone is in love with his perspective – I think it’s refreshing.”"

That’s all very well-said by Graves, who later praised Joe’s eloquence and ass-kicking abilities inside the ring.

Joe will be off the Raw commentary table when he returns from his injury, but, until then, fans can enjoy his ability to break down the psychology of matches and provide soundbite-worthy one-liners that do not detract from the show. He does a great job of putting over the heels, as a natural heel knows how, without taking anything away from the babyfaces.

Once Joe’s incredible, Hall-of-Fame-level wrestling career ends, he’d undoubtedly be a great commentator for WWE. Graves knows what it takes to be a great commentator, and his praise for Joe is based on that experience.

And yes, Joe has the know-how, respect with the audience, and natural ability to be WWE’s version of Romo. Except, you know, the slightly masochistic version of Romo.