Tom Phillips Admits He Was Surprised Adnan Virk Replaced Him on WWE Raw

WWE announced back on April 12 that MLB Network anchor Adnan Virk had signed a multi-year deal [...]

By Connor Casey

WWE announced back on April 12 that MLB Network anchor Adnan Virk had signed a multi-year deal with the company that would make him the play-by-play commentator for Monday Night Raw. That move also meant Tom Phillips, who had performed admirably in the role since January 2020, was suddenly gone from the Red Brand. Phillips initially stayed with the company in a backstage role, only to be let go during one of WWE's latest waves of talent releases. Phillips (real name Thomas Hannifan) admitted on the latest Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch that he didn't see the Virk news coming.

"I was surprised. I had watched Adnan Virk for years so when I hear, 'Adnan Virk is coming in to be the announcer for Raw,' I was like, 'Woah, that's a shift.' At the same time, I was like, 'I have all the respect in the world for this guy's ability.' What the job requires, what people refer to as traffic, getting from graphics to B-roll to an interview, I thought, 'He did SportsCenter, which is one-way traffic and college football halftime shows, he's probably got the skills to do this.' I was definitely surprised, but to hear it was Adnan Virk, I got it," Phillips said (h/t Fightful).

Virk's tenure with the company wound up being short-lived. He only worked seven episodes of Raw and the WrestleMania Backlash pay-per-view before it was announced that he and WWE had decided to mutually part ways. Former UFC and Bellator commentator Jimmy Smith took over the role on this week's Raw.

"I've seen so many different people come and go at different levels and different spots," Phillips said regarding Virk's departure. "I won't speak to what he was going through because that's his experience and I can't speak to that, but it was fast. He has so many other things that he does in conventional sports where he's so talented and he'll do just fine."

What do you think about WWE's recent decisions when it comes to the commentary teams? Let us know in the comments below!

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