WWE has officially announced changes to all three brands’ commentary teams. WWE announced today via Variety that the changes will take effect with this week’s SmackDown season premiere.
Following Barrett’s use in NXT, Michael Cole and Wade Barrett will be the main commentators for SmackDown in the future. The ring announcer will be Samantha Irvin, with backstage interviewers Kayla Braxton and Megan Morant.
Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves will join the Raw commentary team. Patrick has worked as a backstage correspondent, a Main Event play-by-play commentator, and the host of Raw Talk.
The ring announcer will be Mike Rome, and onscreen interviews will be conducted by Cathy Kelley and Byron Saxton. Kelley is returning to WWE after leaving in 2020, while Saxton has been on the Raw commentary team since May, alongside Graves and Jimmy Smith.
Vic Joseph and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T will serve as commentators for NXT. The ring announcer is Alicia Tyler, and the backstage interviewer is McKenzie Mitchell.
Cole and Graves will be the premium live event commentary team. Changing the commentary teams is just one of the many changes Triple H has implemented since taking over creative in July.
The changes follow Pat McAfee’s announcement in early September that he would leave WWE to work as an analyst on ESPN’s “College Gameday.” He is expected to return to NXT after the college football season concludes.
