Former WWE Personality Slams Company for ‘Lack of Trust’ in Announcers

Former WWE host Matt Camp isn’t holding back when it comes to his thoughts on WWE’s handling of its announce team.

Since his release from the company earlier this year, Camp has been vocal about his frustrations, and on the latest episode of The Wrestling Matt podcast, he took aim at what he sees as a significant issue within WWE: a “lack of depth and trust” in their announcers.

“How short is their bench? I know the answer already,” Camp remarked, criticizing WWE’s reliance on the same announcers across their programming. He continued, “You can make the argument, and I won’t push back against it, ‘we only have two main shows, put the same guys on them’. Well, okay.”

Camp also pointed to the recent addition of Joe Tessitore to the WWE announce team, highlighting the company’s ongoing struggles to diversify its commentary lineup.

“I guess Joe Tessitore’s showing up soon, I don’t know if he’s working with Wade or what they’re doing. But it’s a short bench when it comes to play-by-play guys, that’s all I’m saying.”

One of Camp’s primary concerns is WWE’s reluctance to trust and develop new voices for their shows. “A short bench because of who is trusted to call the shows. Think about it. Really think about it. It’s JR and Michael Cole. Tom (Phillips) got his shot a couple of times, Tom should have been the successor to Michael Cole, didn’t happen.”

Camp expressed his belief that WWE’s heavy reliance on veteran announcers like Michael Cole exposes the lack of depth in their talent pool. He questioned the logic of giving Cole, who has been with the company for decades, even more responsibilities at this stage in his career.

“The fact that Michael Cole’s got more responsibility at this point in his career to do Countdowns and stuff like that is wild to me. To host the first hour of Countdown, to do the Kickoff, like, you’ve got a lot of people that can handle that stuff. He’s not gonna be around forever. I don’t think he wants to be around forever.”

Camp concluded by urging WWE to focus on building the future of their commentary team, noting that they can’t rely on the same voices forever.

Maybe he’s happier now that he doesn’t have the same (backstage) responsibilities that he did and he can focus on being a talent, but man… you’ve gotta build the future at some point.”

As WWE continues to evolve and expand, Camp’s criticism shines a light on the importance of investing in and trusting new talent behind the microphone, ensuring that the next generation of announcers is ready to take the reins.

What are your thoughts on WWE’s approach to managing its announce team, and how might they better prepare for a smooth transition in the future? Share your views in the comments below!