Wade Barrett has addressed the recent speculation surrounding his WWE commentary role after the company confirmed changes to its announce teams.

In a post shared on X, Barrett clarified that he is simply taking scheduled personal time and dismissed the idea that he has been removed from commentary. He wrote, “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.”

The clarification came after PWInsider reported that Barrett was “off the road going forward” following Friday’s SmackDown announcement that Michael Cole and Corey Graves would be handling commentary for the blue brand. The report was widely circulated online and later linked to speculation that Barrett’s absence may have been related to comments he made about Nikki Bella during the Clash in Paris pre-show. Bella had admitted on her podcast that she was not happy with the remarks, but Barrett later said they had spoken and “squashed” the issue.

Friday’s SmackDown saw Cole confirm on air that he and Graves will now be calling the action on the show, leaving Barrett’s role unclear at the time. PWInsider added that WWE currently intends for Cole and Graves to work both Raw and SmackDown. Barrett’s response indicates he will be returning to commentary soon.

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