SUMMARY
- Kevin Patrick serves as the play-by-play commentator on Friday Night SmackDown, along with Corey Graves.
- Before this, Michael Cole was removed from the three-member commentary panel on the blue brand, leaving Patrick and Graves in charge.
Kevin Patrick Egan is a well-known figure in the sports broadcasting industry. He is an Irish professional wrestling commentator and is signed to WWE. Patrick serves as the play-by-play commentator on Friday Night SmackDown, along with Corey Graves.
Earlier in January 2024, it was reported that Patrick needed to showcase his abilities and make a strong case for himself to secure his position on SmackDown. Before this, Michael Cole was removed from the three-member commentary panel on the blue brand, leaving Kevin and Corey Graves in charge.
Recently, it was reported by an X handle, ‘@AaronVarble’, that Kevin Patrick is about to be removed from the commentary panel on SmackDown, and the Stamford-based program has stated the reason: “It just wasn’t working out.” Also, the WWE hasn’t named his replacement yet.
Kevin Patrick’s early life and previous work experience
Kevin Patrick was in Raheny, Dublin, Ireland. His father, Liam Patrick, was an All-Ireland-winning Gaelic football player. Kevin also started his career as a sportsman and was a member of the Raheny GAA club, but it could not prosper. He was seriously injured while playing for Rahney under 21, which curtailed his sporting career.
Patrick then focused on new ventures and completed his study in journalism at Griffith College Dublin. He started working with RTE, Ireland’s National Broadcaster, where he worked on big events like the 2004 Olympics and world-class soccer events. He moved to the United States in 2009 and got an opportunity to work for big companies like Big Ten Networks, beIN SPORTS, CNN International, and others.
How did Kevin Patrick join WWE?
Kevin Patrick joined WWE in March 2021 for the backstage interviewer role and slowly made his way to the commentary table as Jimmy Smith left. He was previously a commentator on RAW in 2022 and was moved to SmackDown in 2023.
In an interview with Ryan Satin on the ‘Out of Character‘ show, the Irish commentator revealed how he got into WWE. It was when he was shaving that he received a phone call from the Triple-H-led promotion to inquire about his interest in auditioning for a broadcast position.
🎙 @kev_egan talks about the influence @MichaelCole & @WWEGraves had on his live broadcasting style @RyanSatin #OutOfCharacter pic.twitter.com/18t8z1wmW5
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) June 21, 2023
He explained that he went for an audition and showed his abilities alongside other 10-12 people. Patrick said, “I did some play-by-play. I did some walk and talks. I did some interviews with some superstars. It was Liv Morgan at the time, back then.” This is what he says about interviewing some superstars.
Patrick further added, “Again, eternally grateful for Liv, who just played along with everything I was doing in those moments and was so cool.” He expressed his gratitude to Liv Morgan. After his audition, Kevin said he was very hopeful for a callback and wanted to work with WWE. Fortunately, he received a call back from Michael Cole two weeks later, who offered him the position of backstage reporter.