Kevin Patrick Reportedly Out As Lead Commentator On WWE SmackDown

WWE are making a change to their announcing team.

Earlier this month, PWInsider reported that some within WWE were monitoring Kevin Patrick’s progress as lead SmackDown commentator without Michael Cole, with the belief being he needed to step up in order to maintain his position.

It now appears as though WWE have made up their minds, as Aaron Varble broke the news of the change following last night’s RAW.

Both PWInsider and Dave Meltzer have since corroborated the report, with Meltzer noting on the most recent Wrestling Observer Radio that it’s unclear as to who’ll be replacing him at this stage.

“Kevin Patrick’s gone. Yeah, Unless something changes. I don’t know details, I don’t know who’s gonna be replacing him. I’m not surprised. They just did an announcer change the 1st of the year. Like I said, I’m not surprised. Corey Graves has been totally carrying the SmackDown announcing. I don’t know who they’ll bring in, could be Vic Joseph?”

-Dave Meltzer

Patrick joined WWE in March 2021 and has filled a number of roles, including the host of Raw Talk. October 2022 saw him become the lead announcer on Monday Night RAW before both he and Corey Graves swapped shows with Michael Cole and Wade Barrett and landed on SmackDown.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the future of Kevin Patrick and any potential replacements as soon as we hear more.