A big move was quietly announced before SummerSlam…so why is WWE making announce team changes?
I mean, I don’t think those of us who watch RAW will be terribly devastated by the decision, but we do have to ask.
Let’s recap these changes in case you missed the news.
For me, while it was revealed before Saturday’s big show, I did not learn of it until Graves made mention of it during the broadcast.
The new announce teams, beginning with the August 7th RAW:
At the RAW broadcast desk will be Michael Cole and Wade Barrett.
For SmackDown, Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick.
Pretty significant shift, but no new faces or voices being brought in. Maybe eventually, but not yet.
As much as we could see someone like Big E shift to announcing, if his in-ring career is indeed finished…NXT has given us some good commentators before…and Vic Joseph is beyond solid.
But…I digress.
Why Is WWE Making Announce Team Changes?
More specifically, why is Michael Cole, who has previously said he was winding down his broadcast career, now working Mondays and Fridays.
According to PWInsider, it’s a move that should be good for business.
Endeavor, the new parent company of WWE, requested that Cole be positioned as the lead for both shows. Perhaps you’d call him the face of the product, but I would argue for it to be deemed the voice of the product.
Between Endeavor and other WWE broadcast partners, the ask was for Cole and Barrett to get the three hour RAW slot, and for Cole to be put front and center.
For Graves, he has been moved before, and I am sure he will be moved around again. Plus, going to a show with a now 3-man crew, ahead of his likely paternity leave?
Not the worst idea in the world either, even if that had nothing to do with things.
The awkward bit in all the shuffling, is what does this mean for Kevin Patrick.
Per the report, those in the back recognized that Patrick needs more polish, but the company remains high on him.
Sitting him alongside Graves and Cole on Fridays might seem like a demotion, but the report indicated it was not.
