WWE’s Plans for the SmackDown Announce Team This Week

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WWE is moving ahead following the decision to remove Kevin Patrick from his duties as SmackDown play-by-play commentator.

Lead up

As previously reported, some people within WWE were watching to see how Patrick did on SmackDown without Michael Cole steering the ship as the lead play-by-play guy, as the feeling was he needed to step up if he wanted to keep the spot. WWE decided Monday night to remove him from the role.

Before the decision, WWE had high hopes for Patrick and believed working alongside Cole would contribute to his growth as a broadcaster. They gave Patrick a shot on his own without Cole in the weeks before he was removed.

The decision

Pwinsider reports Cole will be the lead announcer for SmackDown on Friday night as Cole will be in town ahead of the Royal Rumble on Saturday night. As of this writing, there’s no word on who will be the permanent replacement for Patrick or whether Patrick will be moving on to a new role in the company.

The report noted that Patrick was believed to be set to travel to Florida for the show before the decision was made. The move was because of a feeling within the company that he wasn’t the right person for the role.