Report: Update on WWE Raw and SmackDown commentary shakeup
Update:
Wade Barrett has issued a statement that he has been given a couple of weeks off from his commentary role and will return after that:
“I usually ignore BS reports like this, but it’s causing needless hate to be spewed towards people I work with. WWE have kindly given me a couple of weeks off for personal time (booked nine months ago), and then I’m back to business as usual. A complete non-story. The end.”
Original:
According to a recent report, Wade Barrett is no longer part of the WWE SmackDown commentary team and is not currently part of the WWE Raw team either.
On Friday, WWE revealed that Michael Cole and Corey Graves will handle the SmackDown broadcasting duties for the coming months as Joe Tessitore leaves to cover college football. PWInsider is reporting that Graves and Cole will be the commentary team for Raw as well, leaving Barrett without a role. The report states that it’s not clear if Barrett’s recent comments regarding Nikki Bella played a role in this decision.
Earlier this year, it was Graves who was left without a main roster commentary role after a commentary shakeup. Upon Pat McAfee’s return to the company for the Netflix debut, Graves was moved to NXT while Barrett remained in his role on SmackDown. Graves returned to Raw broadcasting duties after McAfee left this summer.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.