Report: WWE considers Samoa Joe a ‘permanent replacement’ for Jerry Lawler in Raw booth

Earlier this week, Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that while Samoa Joe still isn’t medically cleared to wrestle, WWE hopes to get him back in the ring.

That’s still the goal, but in an update in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer writes that the company does consider Joe a permanent fixture in his current position on the Raw announce team.

And that’s good news for fans who don’t enjoy the vocal stylings of Jerry Lawler:

“Samoa Joe is still not cleared to return, however he is also now considered the permanent replacement for Lawler as an announcer. What that means if/when he is cleared is that he may have the role where he announces and they can shoot angles for him to wrestle using that (since those kind of angles usually do well).”

Lawler worked as a commentator who got involved in feuds that led to matches in the 1990s, and it sounds like the plan for Joe might be similar.

When Joe was coming back from injury last year, his angle with Seth Rollins’ group started when AOP attacked him while he was announcing. If Meltzer’s latest report is correct, the difference this time would be that Joe’d continue in the booth while feuding with someone.

Sound like a plan?