Former WWE announcer Kevin Patrick has admitted that he never was going to be all in with professional wrestling.
Starting out as a backstage announcer in 2021, Kevin Patrick [real name Kevin Egan] was eventually moved to commentary and served as the play-by-play announcer for main roster programming. Shortly before the Royal Rumble, Patrick was released from his contract.
Discussing his time in WWE on the Sports Media podcast, Egan admitted that football was always going to take priority and that the company needed someone with the dedication similar to veteran announcer Michael Cole:
Football was always going to win. If there was ever a collision — and there was one on the horizon, very clearly on the horizon. You know, if I’m in Boise, Idaho on a Friday night, for example, doing SmackDown, how am I going to be in the studio in New York at 1 p.m. on a Saturday? And this was coming. I also wasn’t their long-term guy. They need someone who’s all in. Michael Cole has missed two shows in 27 years.
Continuing, Egan revealed the conversation he had with Cole prior to his release and that he still remains on good terms:
And they deserve more. That chair deserves more, you know? So for me, it was time. I wanted to leave. It got to a place where — I had a chat with Michael Cole weeks before and I said, ‘Look, if there’s a thinking here that I move on, fine. I’m good. Let’s hug it out. Let’s be on our way.’
I still talk to Michael Cole on the phone. When we went through with the release and everything else, I told him he’s the best boss I ever had. And I stand by that. He’s a tremendous guy and everyone I worked with was great. It’s a chapter in your life. I wasn’t overly upset about it at all, I don’t think they were. I think it worked out for the best for the product on TV and for me. I’m all in on what I’m doing now, and I love it. But when WWE’s in Atlanta, I’ll pop down and I’ll say hello to some friends.
Kevin Patrick Delighted For “Dream Job”
Now the presenter of MLS 360, Patrick will provide coverage for football in America, which he had prior experience in before joining WWE. Looking back on his time behind the desk and what the future holds, Kevin Patrick stated that he loved his time in WWE and that the next stage of his career is his dream job.
H/t to F4WOnline.