WWE Reshuffles Commentary Teams Ahead Of TV Relaunch (WWE News)
Triple H will shift announce teams for Raw and SmackDown again in early-2026.
PWInsider has dropped news on WWE's latest commentary team change. It affects Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett, but not NXT duo Vic Joseph and Booker T. The developmental show pair will stay exactly where they are right now and continue working under Shawn Michaels.
Recently, Cole and Graves have been calling action on SmackDown and the newer Tessitore and Barrett combo has been handling things on flagship show Raw. That'll switch early in the new year. Now, Cole and Graves will head to Mondays, and the pairing of Tessitore and Barrett will revert back to old stomping ground SmackDown.
The latter will begin presenting team blue broadcasts on 2 January 2026, which is slated to be a 3-hour show. There's no word yet on just how long Triple H/WWE will persist with 3 hour long SmackDowns, but it could last up until summer like in 2025.
Meanwhile, Cole and Graves will settle back into the Raw chairs on the 5 January episode. That edition includes a bumper World Heavyweight Title showdown between reigning champ CM Punk and rising star Bron Breakker. Having Cole on the call for that one makes sense.
It's worth noting that Pat McAfee isn't included in this shake up. He's been making sporadic appearances in WWE for a few years now, but hasn't been a regular member of the announce team for a while. Many had expected McAfee to link back up with Cole on Raw in the new year, or something like that.
WWE's commentary team merry-go-round continues in 2026 then.