WWE Releases SmackDown Commentator Kevin Patrick

WWE has released lead SmackDown announcer Kevin Patrick according to a report from PWInsider, and the report indicates it was a bit of a last-minute decision, as Patrick was set to travel to SmackDown this week in Florida. Patrick has been with WWE since March of 2021, and he eventually took on the lead announcer role on Monday Night Raw in 2022. That was followed by a major shakeup of the announce teams once again, which had Michael Cole, Patrick, and Corey Graves on SmackDown, while Cole pulled double duty on Raw with Wade Barrett. Cole is likely to be brought in as a temporary fill-in for Patrick until WWE can announce a new lead announcer, but that's not been confirmed. We wish Patrick all the best and hope to see him land somewhere else soon.

PWInsider's previous report indicated that WWE hoped Cole could help get Patrick moving in the right direction, as some reportedly felt he wasn't the right fit for the job. The report stated "There are some in the company watching to see how Kevin Patrick does on Smackdown without Michael Cole steering the ship. There's a feeling in some circles that Patrick really needs to step up as an announcer in the months ahead if he wants to maintain that position."

In a previous interview with Chris Van Vliet, Patrick spoke of his respect for Cole's storytelling ability. "If you're not bowing down to Michael Cole right now and everything he's done throughout the bloodline storyline over the past three-plus years, you should be because the level of storytelling and the depth of it -- that's the key here is peeling back that onion and going those extra layers," Patrick said. (H/T Fightful).

"Cole is just so stupidly special at it. He is. He had Pat McAfee, a totally different personality [from] Wade Barrett. [They are] both incredible at what they do, yet Michael Cole has still managed to get the best out of everyone he sits next to," Patrick said.

Up next for WWE is the Royal Rumble, where Cole will be lead announcer. We'll keep you posted on who steps in for Patrick on SmackDown, but in the meantime you can find the full Rumble card below.

Royal Rumble 2024

• Men's Royal Rumble Match: Cody Rhodes vs CM Punk vs Shinsuke Nakamura vs Bobby Lashley vs Drew McIntyre vs TBD.
• Women's Royal Rumble Match: Bayley vs Becky Lynch vs Nia Jax vs Bianca Belair vs TBD.
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Fatal 4-Way Match: Roman Reigns (C) vs AJ Styles vs Randy Orton vs LA Knight
• United States Championship Match: Logan Paul (C) vs Kevin Owens