On Saturday, it was reported that WWE had made changes to the announce teams of Raw and SmackDown starting tonight on Raw.
Michael Cole and Wade Barrett will serve as the commentators for Raw. Cole will remain on SmackDown while being joined by Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves beginning August 11th.
Patrick and Graves had been the announce team for Raw before the change.
Pwinsider Elite reports Endeavor and the broadcast partners of WWE pushed for WWE to have Cole be the primary lead announcer for the product as he is the company’s most experienced announcer.
The report noted that WWE has confidence in Cole and Graves as they feel they can help Patrick, who the company is still high on. Regarding Patrick, the move was not indicative of a demotion to Patrick. Instead, they view it as an opportunity for him to “gain some more experience and find the voice and vibe the company wants out of their lead announcers.”
The report noted that they kept Cole and Barrett together on Raw due to their on-screen chemistry.