WWE Reportedly Believe Kevin Patrick Needs To Step Up On SmackDown Commentary Without Michael Cole

Pressure is mounting on WWE commentator Kevin Patrick.

WWE kicked off 2024 with a shake-up to their commentary teams as Michael Cole will no longer be appearing on Friday Night SmackDown, leaving just a two-man booth of Kevin Patrick on play-by-play and Corey Graves as colour. Over on Monday nights, Cole maintains his role as play-by-play alongside Wade Barrett.

PWInsider have now provided an insight into the reasoning behind these changes, with there reportedly being some within the company who believe that Kevin Patrick needs to step up on his own if he’s to maintain his position.

“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.”

-PWInsider

Patrick has been with WWE since 2021 and made his commentary debut in October of 2022 as a part of the RAW brand before moving to SmackDown last summer. Additionally, Patrick works as a commentator for MLS games on Apple TV under his real name, Kevin Egan.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on the changes made to WWE’s commentary teams as soon as we hear more.