Highlights

• WWE announcer Kevin Patrick has been officially released by WWE, ending his role as the lead commentator on Friday Night SmackDown.
• Patrick joined WWE in 2021 and had previously worked for CNN and Apple TV+.
• WWE will now be searching for a new commentator for SmackDown, with NXT's Vic Joseph being a strong candidate.

It has been a big week for WWE with the Raw to Netflix deal, The Rock joining the TKO Board, and the incessant speculation about who is going to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 41. Lost in that was a big change WWE made to their current TV presentation when it was revealed that Kevin Patrick had been removed from the SmackDown commentary desk. Today comes the news that not only is Patrick out at SmackDown, but he is out at WWE altogether.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that Kevin Patrick was released by WWE. Johnson said:

"WWE announcer Kevin Patrick has been officially released by WWE, PWInsider.com can confirm. As we reported earlier this week, Patrick was removed from his role as the lead announcer on Friday Night Smackdown.... PWInsider.com is told that Patrick had been set to travel to Smackdown this week in Florida, so it was obviously a last minute decision."

Kevin Patrick had been the lead commentator on Raw before being sent to SmackDown a few months ago, where he sat alongside Michael Cole in a three-man booth. Cole was brought in to teach Patrick on the job, with the goal being that he would improve and Cole would leave SmackDown. It seemed WWE was happy with Patrick's progress as only a few weeks ago Cole had resumed being a Raw only commentator.

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Why Didn't Kevin Patrick Work In WWE?

Kevin Patrick, real name Kevin Patrick Egan, joined WWE in 2021. The Irishman had previously worked for CNN and Apple TV+. At first, Patrick was a backstage interviewer and pre-show host. With his excitement and charisma, he was great in the role, but many fans turned on him when he became Raw's lead commentator in October 2022. He may have been a nice guy, but he felt like an outsider and didn't have the knowledge and talent that other WWE commentators had. A move back to interviewing and hosting could have been best for Kevin Patrick, but instead, WWE decided to let him go entirely.

Michael Cole will fill in on SmackDown temporarily while WWE looks to bring in yet another commentator. There has been a lot of shifts in WWE in the last few years on commentary. Renee Paquette, formerly Renee Young, called action on Raw. Jerry Lawler was temporarily brought back. Jimmy Smith called Raw matches for a while. Even former WWE wrestler Mace was bizarrely a Raw commentator for a time as Dio Maddin. WWE now seeks another new voice. Hopefully the lesson has been learned about bringing in outsiders with no previous wrestling experience. The best option lies in NXT where Vic Joseph, who once commentated on Raw and lost his position, now shines alongside Booker T. Joseph is more than ready to be the new voice of SmackDown.