Kevin Patrick finally goes in-depth on his WWE release from earlier this year.
Former WWE commentator Kevin Patrick was a recent guest on Sports Media with Richard Deitsch. When asked about his release from WWE, which took place back in January, Patrick admitted he knew in his heart that football (soccer) would always win out for him.
“Football was always gonna win,” Kevin Patrick admitted. “If there was ever a collision and there was one on the horizon, very clearly on the horizon. If I’m in Boise, Idaho, on a Friday night, for example, doing SmackDown, how am I gonna be in a studio in New York at 1 o’clock on a Saturday? And this was coming. I also wasn’t their long-term guy.
“They need someone who’s all in. Michael Cole has missed two shows in 27 years. And they (the fans) deserve more. That chair deserves more. So for me, it was time. I wanted to leave. I got to a place where, like, I had a chat with Michael Cole weeks before, and I said, ‘Look, if there’s a thinking here that I move on, fine, I’m good. Let’s hug it out; let’s be on our way.’
“I still talk to Michael Cole on the phone. When we went through with the release and everything else, I told him he’s the best boss I ever had and I stand by that. He’s a tremendous guy and everyone I worked with was great. It’s a chapter in your life. I wasn’t overly upset about it at all; I don’t think they were. I think it worked out best for the product on TV and for me. I’m all in on what I’m doing now, and I love it, but when WWE’s in Atlanta, I’ll pop down, and I’ll say hello to some friends.”
Kevin Patrick preferred his role as a backstage reporter
Patrick would later reveal in the interview that he never wanted to be a commentator in WWE and preferred the job he was hired for as a backstage reporter.
“I wanted the job they (WWE) offered me. The job they offered me was a backstage reporter,” Kevin Patrick said. “You’re kind of an actor, in a way, with some hosting duties as well. That was very manageable. If they had offered me play-by-play at the time, no chance.
“I don’t think I would have taken it, because I wasn’t ready in any way, and not to suggest I was fully ready when I did take it, but I wasn’t in any place close to being ready at the time, whereas backstage reporter, I could really get to know everybody. I could really study the industry, and I love television anyway; I love entertainment.
“[And] I love studying the industry like you do and to be there and to just study, you know, how impressive quite honestly the production is, the producers, the directors, how everything is put together in a way last-minute and yet, expertly delivered. It was cool to be part of, so to go in at that level was perfect for me at the time.” [H/T: POST Wrestling]
READ MORE: Becky Lynch: Losing Kevin Patrick Is ‘Heartbreaking’
What do you make of Kevin Patrick’s comments? Has WWE commentary improved since his departure? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
