5 Things you should know about WWE RAW commentator Adnan Virk

WWE RAW has seen a new personality arrive at the commentary desk in the form of Adnan Virk. The red brand's broadcast team went through an overhaul after WrestleMania 37.

Corey Graves headed over to RAW and Samoa Joe was released from the company. Instead of the former US Champion, WWE introduced Adnan Virk to the commentary table. Only Byron Saxton remains from the old team.

With Graves heading over to RAW, Pat McAfee joined the broadcast team on SmackDown alongside Michael Cole.

At the moment, Adnan Virk remains a personality that the WWE Universe is not fully acquainted with. With that being the case, here are five things you should know about Adnan Virk.

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#5 Adnan Virk is a wrestling fan

Adnan Virk made his debut as a play-by-play commentator for WWE on the RAW after WrestleMania 37. But long before he became the official commentator on the red brand, Virk was already a part of the WWE Universe.

As Virk himself said, he was a fan of WWE wrestlers like Bret Hart and Ric Flair during his childhood. Growing up, he followed WWE programming closely and supported many wrestlers who are now Hall of Famers. Virk said:

“I'm elated to be joining the premier sports entertainment company in my new role with WWE. As a kid who grew up idolizing WWE Hall of Famers like Bret Hart and Ric Flair, the opportunity to call modern legends like Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton, Charlotte Flair and so many others alongside Corey Graves and Byron Saxton is truly humbling."

Virk's prior knowledge of the WWE product will certainly help him in his weekly duties for the company.

Hopefully he can carry himself well in a role that is usually extremely high-pressure.

#4 Adnan Virk previously worked for ESPN and TSN; controversy surrounds his time in the former

Adnan Virk was released by ESPN

Adnan Virk started his career hosting programs on The Score. He also worked on Sportscentre for TSN.

Virk also spent some time with ESPN. He worked for the company as an anchor for Baseball Tonight. Virk gathered experience as an analyst and host, as he was one of the three major anchors on the show.

He finally got to call play-by-play action for the first time for an ESPN affiliate in 2014.

His duties varied and saw him take on multiple responsibilities. During the baseball off-season, he worked with Outside the Lines and Sportscenter. He worked with multiple outlets at the time covering football and baseball.

He was also a part of the Olbermann talk show, filling in for Keith Olbermann himself.

Unfortunately for Virk, he was released from ESPN due to there being some controversy surrounding him.

ESPN was investigating leaks of information to the media. He was released as a result of the enquiry, but both agreed not to pursue litigation against each other.

#3 Adnan Virk had to start over after ESPN release

In an interview after his release from ESPN, Adnan Virk confessed that he felt helpless about his position. He thought about his family and how he would handle being unemployed. Virk said:

"You’re driving home and you think there must be people in my position who just drive straight off the road. It’s intense. Married, four kids, it’s like, ‘My god, what am I going to do?’"

Virk revealed that the reports all seemed to imply that he had leaked information multiple times when that was not the case. He was worried about the implication that he was not to be trusted, but was still thankful that the reason for his release was made clear.

The current RAW commentator didn't want people to speculate on his release from the company at the time.

Adnan Virk decided to put his foot down and start over. He finished off his issues with ESPN without taking legal action against them.

Instead, he prayed, consulted his therapist, and then joined DAZN — a new streaming service. He also appeared on the MLB Network and has even hosted boxing events.

#2 Adnan Virk's background

Adnan Virk comes from a Pakistani-Canadian Muslim family. He is married to Eamon. The two tied the knot in 2007 and have four sons together.

His parents immigrated to Canada in 1972. His humble beginnings saw his father work as a computer programmer. From a very young age, Adnan Virk worked in their family-run convenience store.

He played basketball and soccer at the Ernestown Secondary School. It was only following his graduation that Virk studied Radio and Television Arts, which set him up for his future work.

While he has been majorly involved in sports media for many years, Adnan Verk is an avid follower of film as well. During his time at ESPN, he was the host of a movie podcast — Cinephile.

Growing up, he wanted to be a film director. Virk felt that he could be the next Martin Scorsese and was heavily immersed in the world of cinema. Since then, the focus of his career has shifted to the sports industry instead.

#1 Michael Cole has helped Adnan Virk since the start of his time on WWE RAW

Entering WWE as part of the RAW commentary team, Adnan Virk has been tossed into the deep end of the pool. Previously, Virk had no prior experience of calling wrestling matches.

For any commentator, entering this new world can be difficult. Thankfully for him, he revealed Michael Cole helped advise him about his time at the commentary desk. Virk said:

“I met him after the second show, and he was great. He was really supportive. He gave good feedback. I would say he’s giving real-time feedback. I definitely know what he’s feeling.”

The support Adnan Virk has received from Cole could help him develop in the future. The job of a WWE commentator can be highly stressful. Not only do commentators in WWE play a huge role in selling each match and segment for the fans, but they also have to contend with Vince McMahon. The WWE Chairman's interest in controlling commentators is well known.

Corey Graves once described what it was like having Vince McMahon make comments while they were on the air. Graves said:

"But when you’re staring at the lights, and all of a sudden Vince is yelling at you in your ear, it’s like really hard to keep your composure and keep your train of thought, and I’m pretty sure when it happened, I just locked up in the middle of a sentence, because it was like ‘oh no, I’m dead! What’s happening?’”

Virk has attracted criticism from WWE fans already, but he has also shown the potential to be a fresh voice in the wrestling broadcast scene. Adnan Virk could become a valuable asset for WWE if he is given the proper time to develop.