Tom Hannifan knows a thing or two about being a WWE commentator, and he believes Wade Barrett is going to shine on SmackDown.
IMPACT Wrestling‘s Tom Hannifan was a guest on Friday’s episode of Busted Open Radio with Dave LaGreca and Thunder Rosa to discuss a wide variety of subjects. When asked about the recent commentary changes at WWE, Hannifan believes the current shakeup has to do with Pat McAfee currently doing work with ESPN College GameDay.
“Yeah, I did see the news yesterday. I think it’s a byproduct I imagine of Pat McAfee’s obligations with ESPN’s College Game Day, I assume through January. So kind of reshuffling it from what I understood,” Tom Hannifan said. “So congratulations to everybody that is getting a new opportunity. Some people are in the same place as some people moved around it looks like. I did read something before we came on the air here, potentially that Nigel McGuinness is no longer with WWE, which my best goes to Nigel. I don’t know if that’s accurate or not. Hopefully, he’s still with them. But hopefully in the end, whatever he’s doing is great.”
This news was initially reported by PWInsider and confirmed by Fightful that Nigel is no longer with the company. But as far as the new commentary teams go, Hannifan gave heavy praise for Wade Barrett who will be joining the SmackDown commentary team tonight alongside Michael Cole. Referring to him as one of the best professional wrestling commentators alive.
“Really happy for Wade Barrett, especially. Wade Barrett is somebody who, in my opinion, can call any show WWE has to offer, period,” Tom Hannifan said. “So this opportunity on SmackDown makes a ton of sense in my mind. I remember working with Wade when he was a wrestler, and I remember talking to JBL a bunch and being like, yeah, he could definitely be a commentator at some point. He can talk anytime he was a guest on commentary. He was outstanding. I remember watching when he was an NWA. He was outstanding. And then, sure enough, an opportunity popped up in 2020. And he came aboard on NXT.
“So I think Wade Barrett is going to show the world that he’s one of the best professional wrestling commentators alive. And not that he wasn’t already doing that on NXT. And I think a bigger change is Kevin Patrick being the lead on Monday Night RAW. Congratulations to him. I texted with him yesterday. I got to catch up with him next week once he gets through kind of everything that’s going on between now and Monday. So Kevin’s a wonderful human being, a great man. Great Father; great husband. I think the world of him; he knows what I think of him. And he’s in very good hands with Corey Graves. So best of luck to everybody in their new opportunities. So hopefully, they make the most of it.”
READ MORE: Tom Hannifan Reveals The Best Thing He Learned From Michael Cole, His Biggest On-Air Mistake
What do you make of Tom Hannifan’s comments? Do you think Wade Barrett is going to shine on commentary alongside Michael Cole? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
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