Jimmy Smith enjoyed working for WWE, but his job has come to an end.
Variety reported Thursday that Smith’s time as the Raw play-by-play announcer is over, and his exit from WWE comes as part of an overall shakeup to the Raw, Smackdown and NXT commentary teams.
Smith later confirmed the news on Twitter.
“Just wanted to say, now that the story is officially out, that my time with the WWE is officially done,” Smith tweeted. “Had a lot of fun and met some great people. Really and truly blown away by the acceptance from the WWE fans! You folks make it work every week and your enthusiasm was amazing!”
Smith, 45, landed the job as the Raw play-by-play announcer in May 2021 after serving as a longtime MMA analyst.
Just wanted to say, now that the story is officially out, that my time with the WWE is officially done. Had a lot of fun and met some great people. Really and truly blown away by the acceptance from the WWE fans! You folks make it work every week and your enthusiasm was amazing!
— Jimmy Smith (@jimmysmithmma) October 6, 2022
A former fighter, Smith was Bellator’s primary broadcast analyst from 2010-2017. It was somewhat of a surprise when Bellator chose to pass on re-upping his contract and instead brought in former referee John McCarthy as lead analyst. After leaving Bellator, Smith signed with the UFC in January 2018. But that commentating role lasted only that year.
Smith continues to host his “Unlocking the Cage” radio show, which airs weekdays on SiriusXM’s Fight Nation.
Like pro wrestling? Be sure to visit Wrestling Junkie for all your coverage of WWE, AEW and more, and follow @WrestleJunkie on Twitter.