News

Pat McAfee Leaving WWE? See Why He Won’t Be on RAW Tonight

WWE commentator Pat McAfee’s absence from RAW explained by ESPN College Football Championship commitment, Wade Barrett named as replacement.

Published

2 months ago

January 20, 2025

Patricki Chites

Pat McAfee will not appear on RAW on Netflix this week due to his commitment to ESPN’s College Football Playoff National Championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame in Atlanta, Georgia. WWE has announced Wade Barrett as McAfee’s replacement alongside Michael Cole for the commentary duties.

Barrett returns to RAW after serving as commentator with Joe Tessitore for nearly four months. Barrett and Tessitore transitioned to SmackDown following RAW’s move to Netflix on January 6.

WWE Hall of Famer Addresses Corey Graves Controversy

John Bradshaw Layfield addressed Corey Graves’ recent social media post during an episode of Something to Wrestle. The discussion followed Graves’ January 13 statement regarding his current position.

I can understand. There’s only three commentary spots unless you have two color commentators on a certain show like you’ve had before, with a three-man booth, there’s only three color commentator spots. So you’ve got to move guys around, and that happens. I can certainly understand Corey’s angst in this. I know only what was read, and certainly, text does not denote tone, so you don’t know what tone this was written in. I think Corey has done an incredible job. I think Corey is an incredible commentator. I think Pat McAfee is, too. I think, look, Pat adds so much to WWE. It’s wonderful that he comes in, and it’s wonderful he has this huge following. He does such an incredible job. They’re completely different. To me, I think there’s room for both, and I certainly hope they find room for both.

This commentary followed Graves’ announcement that he would address the situation on the January 14 NXT broadcast, though he ultimately did not appear on the show.

News

Steve Austin Confirmed for WrestleMania 41 Weekend

WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin will appear at WWE World fan experience in Las Vegas Convention Center on April 19-20, with autograph and photo opportunity tickets available starting Tuesday.

Published

1 day ago

March 16, 2025

Patricki Chites

WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has been confirmed for WWE World during WrestleMania 41 weekend in Las Vegas. The Texas Rattlesnake will appear at the fan experience on April 19 and 20.

The Fanatics Event Twitter account announced the news, revealing that Austin will be at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the two-day event. Fans will have opportunities to purchase tickets for autographs and photo ops.

OH HELL YEAH! 🔥 It’s only fitting we drop this announcement today. “STONE COLD” STEVE AUSTIN 🍺 is headed to WWE World this April 19 & 20. Tickets to purchase autographs and photo ops will be on sale Tuesday at 11AM ET.

Ticket sales for the Austin meet-and-greet will begin Tuesday at 11 AM ET.

WWE attempted to involve Austin in WrestleMania 40 weekend last year, but he did not appear at the premium live event.

Cody Rhodes previously extended an invitation to Austin for WrestleMania 41. However, Austin himself stated he has not discussed any appearance at the Showcase of the Immortals with WWE officials.

Austin’s current confirmation only covers the WWE World fan experience event. There has been no announcement regarding any potential role for him at WrestleMania 41 itself.

DIY

Montez Ford Breaks Silence on WWE Tag Team Championship Win

Following their WWE Tag Team Championship victory on the March 14 SmackDown in a match against Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, Montez Ford thanks fans for their support.

Published

2 days ago

March 15, 2025

Leonardo Cunha

Montez Ford has responded to the outpouring of support following the Street Profits’ WWE Tag Team Championship victory on SmackDown. Ford and Angelo Dawkins defeated Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa on the March 14 episode to claim the titles.

The championship victory marks the first time in four years that the Street Profits have held gold in WWE. Their win has generated significant positive reaction across social media.

Ford shared his appreciation through a message on Twitter, expressing gratitude to fans for supporting their journey back to championship status.

Very overwhelmed by the love, appreciation, text messages, calls, videos from everyone. It means a lot to mean so much to many people.

Thanks for being with us for the entire 4+year journey of getting our titles back. We celebrating all week till the wheels fall off.

Thank you GOD & thank you to the entire fanbase. God Bless yall & job’s just starting. -Tez.

The Street Profits defeated Gargano and Ciampa in a hard-fought contest on SmackDown, ending their opponents’ championship reign. With this victory, Ford and Dawkins add another title run to their WWE resume.

WWE has not yet announced which teams might step up to challenge the new champions for their first title defense.

Featured

Major WWE Star Announces Hiatus After SmackDown

Following the March 14 edition of SmackDown in Barcelona, Lilian Garcia announced her departure as full-time announcer while transitioning to Saturday Night’s Main Event specials and other WWE projects.

Published

2 days ago

March 15, 2025

Leonardo Cunha

Lilian Garcia announced she will no longer serve as the ring announcer for Friday Night SmackDown. She shared the news through her Instagram following the conclusion of the March 14 broadcast from Barcelona, Spain.

Garcia revealed that while stepping away from weekly SmackDown duties, she will remain with WWE in multiple capacities. Her new role includes handling ring announcing for all Saturday Night’s Main Event specials, which occur quarterly on NBC and Peacock.

The veteran announcer shared details about her transition in an Instagram post after her final SmackDown appearance.

Just finished announcing SmackDown in Barcelona, Spain and it was absolutely incredible!! Gracias por todo el amor España! ❤️ But now I have some news that this was my last show as the full-time SmackDown announcer. A new era is upon us BUT I will still be with the company as I will be announcing for all @wwe Saturday Night’s Main Event shows on @nbc & @peacock , singing at certain special events, AND currently working on other show ideas with WWE! 😉 WWE is my home so stay tuned as a new chapter begins… I invite all of you to continue this journey with me as we share it together!! 📖🤸🏼‍♀️ Bottom line, thank you and I love you dearly!!!! 💙🥰

Garcia originally returned to WWE on the October 21 episode of Raw, resuming her role as a ring announcer. She subsequently moved to the SmackDown brand earlier this year before this recent change in responsibilities.

WWE has yet to announce who will replace Garcia on the Friday night program. Alicia Taylor currently serves as Raw’s ring announcer, while Mike Rome handles announcing duties for NXT.

The announcing roles have been fluid recently, with Garcia filling in for Rome on NXT and Rome appearing on Raw before returning to NXT the following night.

This change represents another adjustment to WWE’s broadcast team, though Garcia will continue to maintain a presence with the company through her new specialized role.