WWE is switching up its commentary teams once again.
The previous change occurred in August, when it was announced that Michael Cole and Wade Barrett would serve as RAW commentators. Cole stayed on SmackDown, joined by Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves.
Prior to the change, the RAW brand’s teams were Patrick and Graves, and SmackDown’s teams were Cole and Barrett. It was reported at the time that the change was made because WWE, which is big on Patrick, thought having him work with Cole would help his career as a broadcaster.
Cole had been SmackDown’s lead play-by-play announcer for many years before moving to RAW. Barrett worked as a commentator for NXT before joining SmackDown in late 2022.
According to PWInsider, the word in WWE is that the commentary teams will all be two-man booths going forward, effectively ending Cole’s tenure on SmackDown.
Cole and Barrett will be on RAW tonight for the Day 1 edition, while Patrick and Graves will be on SmackDown this Friday for the New Year’s Resolution episode.
