Jimmy Smith Reportedly Done With WWE And More On Commentary Shake-Up

Big news hit the wrestling world this morning when Variety reported that WWE is shaking up its announce teams, with Michael Cole and Wade Barrett manning the "WWE SmackDown" booth, Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves calling the action on "WWE Raw", and Vic Joseph and Booker T holding court in "WWE NXT."

Curiously, one name not mentioned in the news was Jimmy Smith, who has been serving as lead play-by-play announcer on "Raw" for over a year. As it turns out, there's a reason for that. According to Fightful Select, Smith will not be part of any of the WWE broadcast teams going forward, and is leaving the company. No reason was given regarding his removal.

Smith joined WWE in May 2021 as "Raw's" lead announcer, replacing former "SportsCenter" anchor Adnan Virk. Virk had joined WWE only six weeks earlier, replacing current Impact announcer Tom Hannifan (fka Tom Phillips), but was quickly removed from the position following negative feedback from fans. Prior to his WWE tenure, Smith had served as an MMA commentator, working for promotions such as Bellator and UFC. His next move is unknown.

In addition to Smith's departure and the new announce teams, the WWE commentary shakeup will see Cathy Kelley, who worked for WWE from 2016 to 2022, and former commentator Byron Saxton, serve as backstage interviewers on "Raw", while Kayla Braxton and Megan Morant will serve the same roles on "SmackDown." Samantha Irvin will also serve as "SmackDown" ring announcer. The new teams will start effective immediately, beginning with tomorrow's broadcast of "SmackDown" on Fox.