WWE News: New commentary teams officially announced; Hall of Famer returning
New WWE announce teams revealed
With SmackDown Live preparing itself for the big move to FOX Sports next week, and the next roster draft taking place on October 11th, speculation has been that the RAW, NXT and SmackDown announce teams will undergo changes to coincide with the changing tones of all three WWE brands.
WWE has officially announced today that the brand announce teams will undergo significant changes, with Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler returning to RAW, and names like Michael Cole and Renee Young moving brands. Below is an excerpt from WWE.com's official announcement.
"As part of WWE Premiere Week, new voices will be brought to the Raw, NXT and SmackDown broadcasts. RAW’s new announce team will include play-by-play from Vic Joseph with Dio Maddin and WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler serving as analysts; NXT play-by-play will be called by Mauro Ranallo with Beth Phoenix and Nigel McGuiness as analysts; and SmackDown will feature Michael Cole handling play-by-play, Corey Graves serving as analyst and Renee Young as a Special Contributor."
Two key names off WWE commentary
The above announcement confirms that the announce team for WWE NXT will remain unchanged, however, with the new lineups for RAW and SmackDown Live, two key names appear to be leaving the WWE commentary teams.
Tom Phillips, who has been the longtime play-by-play man for WWE SmackDown Live is no longer listed as an announcer for any brand following WWE Premiere Week, and Phillips' SmackDown Live announce team partner Byron Saxton appears to be gone from the commentary table as well.
As of this writing, the WWE futures of Phillips and Saxton remain unknown, as WWE has made no official announcement regarding their roles on TV.
How do you feel about the new WWE commentary teams for RAW and SmackDown? Let us know in the comment section.
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