TLC featured New York disc jockey and ESPN podcaster Peter Rosenburg on its pre-show, and reports indicated he would be the first of what WWE hoped would be many celebrity guest stars.
So far, so good for that effort. As he announced on his Sirius XM show with Jim Norton this morning (Dec. 14), Sam Roberts will be the next big name wrestling fan to sit at the Kickoff desk:
Roberts’ radio career began as an intern on Opie & Anthony (and his early career got another few seconds in the limelight this week when an old interview with Triple H about Donald Trump resurfaced), and he’s turned that start into his own 21st century media franchise. Sam is not shy about his wrestling fandom, and hosts his own podcast dedicated to the form, The Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast.
The last Raw brand Kickoff featured Renee Young, Booker T, Lita and Jerry Lawler. Those last two are confirmed to no longer be doing pre-shows, so it’s likely Sam will make up a three-person team with Renee and Booker, as Rosenburg did a couple weeks back.
Good luck to Roberts, and place your bets to who gets the Royal Rumble spot! Michelle Beadle? Bill Simmons? Jonathan Coachman?