WWE has once again made alterations to the commentary teams for weekly TV.
January 19th would see Kevin Patrick announce his final episode of SmackDown, as it was later confirmed that Patrick had been removed from his position as lead commentator for the Friday night show and later released from the company. In the week leading up to the Royal Rumble, Michael Cole would pull double duty to call the action on Raw and SmackDown alongside Wade Barrett and Corey Graves respectively.
At the Royal Rumble, the surprise appearances would begin right from the opening segment as Pat McAfee made his entrance at Tropicana Field. Much like the 2023 event, McAfee remained at the desk throughout the night, with Cole being informed in advance of the recent appearance. Additionally, Pat McAfee would find himself entering the Royal Rumble match in the main event.
Focusing on the Premium Live Event that took place 2 days prior, a video package recapped the major events that took place at the Rumble on the January 29th episode of Raw. Once again, Pat McAfee would make his entrance at the top of the broadcast. As McAfee made his way to the desk, Cole confirmed that he and McAfee would be back together again for the foreseeable future as McAfee would be the new colour commentator for Raw full-time, replacing Barrett. McAfee called the action alongside Cole from April 2021 to September 2022.
A new update on what the future holds for SmackDown has been provided courtesy of PWInsider. According to internal sources, moving forward the new line-up for SmackDown will be Corey Graves and Wade Barrett.
Major Announcement Followed WWE Commentary Changes
Shortly after McAfee made his way to the desk, the music of CM Punk rang throughout the arena. With it being reported just hours before the show that the former World Champion was injured at the Royal Rumble, CM Punk provided an update on the injury and his WrestleMania status.
According to a new report, the reason behind the WWE commentary change has been revealed.