Backstage Update on WWE’s Latest Shakeup To RAW and SmackDown Commentary Teams & Wade Barrett’s Main Roster Commentary Tenure Ends, Potential Reason for Barrett’s Removal [Update: Barrett Denies Being Removed From Commentary] [Correction]

Sep 6, 2025

Correction:

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson’s had originally reported that Barrett’s removal from SmackDown’s commentary team is not due to him being gone from the company. Barrett reportedly is currently expected to return but not in the next few weeks.

Johnson had only reported that speculation of Barrett being removed from commentary due to his recent comments about Nikki Bella was something he was not at able to confirm if it was true from his sources at the time of his report.

Update:

Wade Barrett responded earlier today on Twitter denying the report from PWInsider about his removal from WWE’s main roster commentary and rumors of backstage issues over his recent comments towards Nikki Bella.

“I usually ignore BS reports like this, but it’s causing needless hate to be spewed towards people I work with.
WWE have kindly given me a couple of weeks off for personal time (booked nine months ago), and then I’m back to business as usual. A complete non-story. The end.”

I usually ignore BS reports like this, but it’s causing needless hate to be spewed towards people I work with.

WWE have kindly given me a couple of weeks off for personal time (booked nine months ago), and then I’m back to business as usual. A complete non-story. The end. https://t.co/ZPcBQatnCK
— Stu Bennett 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇸 (@StuBennett) September 6, 2025

As noted before, Friday’s WWE SmackDown show at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois featured the announcement of RAW commentary team Michael Cole and Corey Graves to be the new commentary team for the SmackDown brand. Cole had stated that him and Graves would be the new team for the next several months due to Joe Tessitore being away for his current commitments with ESPN for the college football season.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that Cole and Graves will continue as the commentary team for WWEs RAW brand.

In regards to NXT, Johnson reported that Graves will no longer be on commentary for WWE’s NXT brand and instead the commentary team will return as a two-man booth with Vic Joseph and Booker T.

In regards to Wade Barrett’s status, Johnson reported that those spoken to stated that Barrett has been taking off the road and will not be returning to WWE’s main roster commentary. Johnson reported that it is currently not known if Barrett’s recent comments he made about Nikki Bella at Clash In Paris played a role in his removal from commentary.

In regards to Barrett’s comments, Barrett had stated on commentary during WWE’s Clash in Paris pre-show that WWE’s Women’s division may have passed Bella by in the years since she last regularly competed in the ring.

Bella responded to Barrett’s comments in a recent episode of The Nikki and Brie Show podcast stating that when she tried to have a conversation backstage over his comments at this past Monday’s RAW show, Barrett kept avoiding her over the matter.

“I would love to have a conversation with Wade Barrett, and he avoided me on Monday [at WWE Raw] which was shocking because he always comes up and says hi to me, and he tried to avoid making eye contact with me in the hallway.
I understand when you want to be a heel commentator and stuff, but then there’s one thing of like… Michael Cole does this beautifully, and this is why Michael Cole is one of the greatest commentators. He knows how to take a life story and put it into what we do, because that is real. We don’t go out there as robots or superheroes. We’re actually professional athletes and we go through real things and we have to make that part of it.
Honestly, that stuff doesn’t bother me because I get it. Like, I was watching the pre-show and I saw what Wade was saying about me in the pre-show, and I was sitting there getting ready in the locker room like, oh, okay. That’s fine.”

Barrett responded on Twitter denying the claims about him purposely avoiding her and had wished she talked to him privately instead of publicly on her show.

“I had no idea Nicole felt this way, and I’m happy to have this ‘conversation’ any time she likes. I wish she’d brought it up when we said hello to each other at Raw, rather than via her podcast. I don’t understand the avoiding claim at all, simply not true.”

In a recent follow-up tweet, Barrett stated that he had spoken to Bella and they smoothed the things over between them.

“Great news, fight fans.. @NikkiAndBrie and I have spoken, we’ve smoothed things over, and I’ve graciously been allowed back into the Bella Army. Fully paid-up member since FCW 2008 🤝🏻🍷
A difference of perspective – to which we are all entitled – but to be clear, some of the personal abuse that gets sent to Nikki on here is reprehensible and completely out of line, so let’s cut that out immediately.”

Transcript: F4WOnline.com