Backstage News On Why WWE Made Changes To Raw And SmackDown Announce Teams

A new report has shed more light on the reasoning for WWE's recent commentary changes.

Prior to SummerSlam yesterday, Variety revealed that WWE would be shaking up its commentary teams. As a part of the changes, Michael Cole and Wade Barrett, who were formerly the announcers of "WWE SmackDown," will now be lending their voices to "WWE Raw" starting tomorrow. Subsequently, Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick, the former announcers of "Raw," will move over to "SmackDown." There is one additional detail though — Cole will be pulling double duty, broadcasting on both "Raw" and "SmackDown" moving forward.

According to PWI Elite, both Endeavor and the broadcast partners of WWE made pushes for Michael Cole to be the primary face of the product. As a result, Cole will now be placed on both of the company's main roster shows. With Cole's extensive background in commentating, WWE is confident that he, along with Graves, can sharpen up the less-experienced Kevin Patrick, who joined the WWE broadcast team in 2021. The report emphasized that WWE is fond of Patrick, and the shake-up was not indicative of a demotion to Patrick, but rather an opportunity for him to "gain some more experience and find the voice and vibe the company wants out of their lead announcers."

In regard to Barrett and Cole jumping over to "Raw," PWI Elite noted the executives were keen on keeping the duo together due to their on-screen chemistry. This highly-praised chemistry prompted WWE to relocate Barrett and Cole to their flagship show.