WWE is reportedly set to shake things up with the RAW and SmackDown commentary teams at the start of 2026.
Wade Barrett and Joe Tessitore are currently the commentators for WWE RAW, while Michael Cole and Corey Graves are on SmackDown. According to a new report from PWInsider (via PWInsider Elite), the two commentary teams are set to switch brands in 2026.
Michael Cole and Corey Graves will take over the commentary desk on the January 5, 2026, episode of WWE RAW, which will also be the first anniversary episode of the show on Netflix. Wade Barrett and Joe Tesstitore will move to SmackDown, which is set to return to a three-hour format, starting from the January 2 edition.
WWE had moved Wade Barrett and Joe Tessitore to RAW in September to accommodate the latter’s college football schedule, and now that the season is wrapping up, it appears they are set to move back to Fridays.
Michael Cole Reveals His Favorite WWE Commentator Partner Of All Time
Speaking with WFAN earlier this year, veteran WWE commentator Michael Cole named AEW’s Taz as his favorite commentary partner of all time.
“For me, I’ve had a lot of great partners over the years,” Michael Cole began. “JBL was a great one, Corey Graves, Pat McAfee, but to me, my favorite partner of all time was Taz. Taz and I really took over SmackDown under the tutelage of Paul Heyman and to me, we became the best announce team in the business there for a few years so Taz has always been my number one favorite.” [H/T: Fightful]
Michael Cole also gave a shout-out to Taz, along with his other colleagues, who have called many iconic moments of John Cena’s career, at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event earlier this month.
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