WWE Forced Into SmackDown Announcer Change

WWE has been forced into a change to the announce team on SmackDown just weeks after the duo of Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett arrived on the show.

When Raw debuted on Netflix at the start of 2025, Michael Cole and Pat McAfee took over as the announce team for that show with Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett taking charge on SmackDown.

These new announce teams left an odd man out, however. Corey Graves went public with his anger at being removed from the main roster and returning to NXT to join Vic Joseph and Booker T on commentary there.

But now WWE is going to have a make a change, for one week at least, thanks to a boxing fight going head-to-head with SmackDown on Valentine’s Day.

Joe Tessitore To Miss WWE SmackDown

ESPN has confirmed Joe Tessitore will be calling the action for a night of boxing headlined by Denys Berinchyk defending his WBO lightweight world championship against Keyshawn Davis. That fight is set to go to the ring at 9 pm ET on February 14 on ESPN live from The Theater at Madison Square Garden while SmackDown will air at its usual time of 8 pm ET from Washington D.C.

There has been no word from WWE on who will take Tessitore’s place on the show. SmackDown will see two Elimination Chamber qualifying matches take place as Braun Strowman, Damian Priest, and Jacob Fatu clash in a huge triple threat match. Naomi will also face Chelsea Green in a battle of two champions to book their place in the Chamber.