Changes are being made to WWE’s announce teams.

Michael Cole and Corey Graves opened Friday’s WWE SmackDown and welcomed the audience to the show. Cole confirmed that they will now be the permanent commentary team moving forward as Joe Tessitore shifts his focus to college football season.

Over the past year, WWE’s announce teams for Raw and SmackDown have seen several adjustments. When Tessitore first joined the company, he was paired with Wade Barrett on SmackDown while Michael Cole and Pat McAfee handled Raw. However, earlier this summer McAfee revealed he would be stepping away from WWE commentary, which led to Corey Graves being brought back from NXT as a replacement.

Graves had originally been moved off the main roster broadcast to NXT when Tessitore was added last year. He made his frustrations known on social media at the time and was briefly taken off NXT duties before eventually returning to the booth.

In recent weeks, Wade Barrett has continued to stay involved, calling matches alongside Cole at the Clash in Paris premium live event and on this past Monday’s Raw in Lyon, France.

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