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WWE has reportedly made a major change behind the scenes ahead of Backlash 2024 tomorrow in France. Cody Rhodes is scheduled to defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against AJ Styles at the premium live event.
Michael Cole has been with WWE since 1997 as a commentator. He worked with Corey Graves on SmackDown for years before making the jump to RAW to call the action alongside media star Pat McAfee. Cole has previously stated that he plans on retiring when he turns 60 and has reportedly unloaded some of his responsibilities behind the scenes.
According to a report from Mike Johnson of PWInsider, Michael Cole is no longer managing the announcement team behind the scenes. Cole has been in that position for a long time and will be focusing fully on his on-air work moving forward on WWE RAW and premium live events.
Michael Cole predicts who will be his replacement in WWE
Veteran announcer Michael Cole has recently shared which talent he ultimately believes will become his replacement in the company.
Corey Graves worked alongside Cole for several years and learned a lot from him. Graves now serves as the lead announcer on SmackDown and is partnered with Wade Barrett on Friday nights.
Speaking with Awful Announcing earlier this year, Michael Cole praised Corey Graves and said that he has been "killing it" on SmackDown. Cole then added that he believes Graves will be the one to take his place once he officially retires:
"Corey now has a Corey Graves Voice. A lot of the issues we had were that we tried to develop commentators to be Michael Cole. Now, we have a chance to develop Corey Graves. I truly, honestly believe he's going to be the one to replace me. He's an incredible human being. He has a great opportunity," said Cole. [H/T: WrestleZone]
Corey Graves recently discussed what it was like working under Triple H in the promotion and disclosed that he feels like he now has more freedom as a commentator. It will be interesting to see if Graves does eventually become the company's lead announcer following Cole's departure down the line.
