The official WWE website is reporting that the company has decided to release longtime ring announcer Justin Roberts "effectively immediately" - Below is the WWE.com statement on Justin Robert's release:

WWE has chosen to not exercise its option to renew ring announcer Justin Roberts' contract. Effective immediately, Roberts is released from WWE.

WWE wishes him the best in all his future endeavors.

Roberts last appearance was on Monday's Raw from Atlanta, Georgia and there was no indication prior to the event that he would be leaving the company. Roberts was seen as a company man having served as a ring announcer for all of WWE's major programming since 2002.

This release will certainly come as a shock to many.