Exciting news this morning, as WWE has announced that beginning tonight Renee Young will be joining the Monday Night Raw commentary desk on an ongoing basis, alongside Michael Cole and Corey Graves. This is great news for everyone who enjoys enthusiasm and engagement in their commentary, or was just tired of Jonathan Coachman making fun of Corey Graves for saying things that sound perfectly normal to anyone in their 30s or younger.
.@ReneeYoungWWE joins the Monday Night #Raw announce team! @WWE today announced changes to its broadcasting team, naming Renee Young as the first woman to join the Monday Night Raw broadcast booth full time. https://t.co/iQUa1kjpF3 pic.twitter.com/sOQhlkvDzZ
— WWE Public Relations (@WWEPR) September 10, 2018
As for Coachman, he’s taking over Renee’s post as host of the pay-per-view kickoff shows. This may be a better fit with the other obligations that have led to him missing some episodes of Raw, not to mention he’ll probably mesh better with a pre-show panel of WWE Legends and guys with podcasts than at a table where he’s expected to talk about wrestling that’s going on right at that moment.
It’s become a cliché to talk about WWE “making history” with regards to women in wrestling, but honestly this feels huge. Even as women’s wrestling becomes more respected and a more common sight, the voices surrounding it are still overwhelmingly male. Turning on Raw on any given Monday and hearing a woman’s voice talking about the in-ring action as it happens will make the whole show feel different and more welcoming. This is both a big step forward for WWE, and an exciting step for Renee Young’s career.
