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The WWE commentary shakeup that began with the release of Kevin Patrick last week has apparently established new announce teams for Raw and SmackDown that include at least one surprising role change.
Fans learned the change for Raw Monday night in the opening minutes of the show. Michael Cole, who will remain on play-by-play duties, was joined by Pat McAfee, who provided guest commentary Saturday night at Royal Rumble. Cole said that McAfee would be his new partner on color commentary “going forward.”
McAfee served as color commentator on SmackDown from the spring of 2021 until fall 2022, when his role on ESPN’s “College GameDay” became too difficult to balance with WWE. While there has been speculation about him leaving that show, he’s said publicly that he’ll return to “GameDay” for the 2024 college football season, meaning he might only be on Raw through the summer.
What about Wade Barrett, who was Cole’s partner on Raw? PWInsider (subscription required) says he’s moving to SmackDown to join Corey Graves, who will slide from color commentator to the lead role. Graves had been working as part of a three-person booth with Patrick and Cole on Friday nights.
Graves seems well-suited to take on play-by-play. But the one aspect that might raise a Dwayne Johnson-style eyebrow is that both Graves and Barrett both favored heel wrestlers in their commentary. It would be wild indeed to have an all-heel commentary team, so it will be worth watching to see if Graves perhaps calls things more down the middle as the lead voice.
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