Reports earlier stated that Wade Barrett is no longer on the WWE main roster as a commentator. Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that his contract with WWE expired and that the company had no intention to renew his contract (via Sports Illustrated). However, Barrett dismissed the rumors that he was no longer part of SmackDown‘s commentary.
Barrett had been on call for SmackDown alongside Joe Tessitore for months now, but fans saw Michael Cole and Corey Graves fill their positions on SmackDown on Friday. Earlier, Pat McAfee also stepped away from his duties in the commentary box.
Fans speculated that his ongoing issue with Nikki Bella has something to do with his reported exit. The PWInsider report said that those claims were unverified at the time. However, Barrett cleared the air on his exit rumors, sharing that the company had given him a couple of weeks off for personal time. He shared on X:
I usually ignore BS reports like this, but it’s causing needless hate to be spewed towards people I work with.
WWE have kindly given me a couple of weeks off for personal time (booked nine months ago), and then I’m back to business as usual. A complete non-story. The end. https://t.co/ZPcBQatnCK
— Stu Bennett 🏴🇺🇸 (@StuBennett) September 6, 2025
Barrett also attached the now-deleted story from WrestleOps. He slammed the report and condemned the targeted attacks against Bella for his alleged removal from the roster. Some fans speculated that he is on paternity leave; however, Barrett hasn’t confirmed these rumors.
Wade Barrett and Nikki Bella Rumored Beef: Why Did Fans Target Bella After Reports of His Removal?
If you are a long-time wrestling fan, you should probably know that Wade Barrett is a heel commentator and that he isn’t nice with the mic. He said some not-so-nice things about Nikki Bella during the pre-show before her Clash in Paris match with Becky Lynch.
Bella went against Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship in her first title match in seven years. He shared that Bella was “desperate” and went on to suggest that she was the best in wrestling during a different time, a much more inferior one, for women in wrestling. He shared (via SE Scoops),
[Bella is] desperate to prove she still has it against this new generation that has changed the game.
Barrett’s comments apparently hit a chord with Bella, who addressed them on her podcast. She shared that Barrett avoided her during her Monday Night Raw appearance. She shared that she loved to have a conversation with Barrett, while also suggesting that Michael Cole did the job of a heel commentator beautifully, unlike Barrett. Her full comments read:
Nikki Bella addresses comments made by Wade Barrett ahead of WWE Clash In Paris:
"I would love to have a conversation with Wade Barrett. He avoided me on Monday, which was shocking because he always comes up and says hi to me. He tried to avoid making eye contact with me in the… pic.twitter.com/cJX1DPl39r
— WrestleTalk (@WrestleTalk_TV) September 4, 2025
However, Barrett later took to X to share that he and Bella had a conversation and that they had smoothed things over. He also shared that he was graciously allowed back into the Bella Army. He shared on the platform:
Great news, fight fans.. @NikkiAndBrie and I have spoken, we’ve smoothed things over, and I’ve graciously been allowed back into the Bella Army. Fully paid-up member since FCW 2008 🤝🏻🍷
A difference of perspective – to which we are all entitled – but to be clear, some of the…
— Stu Bennett 🏴🇺🇸 (@StuBennett) September 5, 2025
He also bashed the personal abuse that was directed at Bella, following the rumors about this alleged feud. He shared that those actions were reprehensible and completely out of line.
Michael Cole and Corey Graves Have Replaced Wade Barrett and Joe Tessitore on SmackDown
Michael Cole and Corey Graves came in as commentators on Friday Night SmackDown on September 5 instead of Wade Barrett and Joe Tessitore. Graves returned to SmackDown from NXT, which meant that this move was probably an upgrade for him. Cole announced that he would be in the commentary box for the coming months.
The new announcers did not mention either Barrett or Tessitore during their time in the box. While Barrett has cleared things up about his absence, it appears that Tessitore is busy with the college football season. He is on call for the games and will not be available to travel around the country for SmackDown.
Tessitore and Barrett had amazing chemistry in the box, which fans might miss for the next few matches. WhatCulture earlier shared rumors of Tessitore and Barrett being moved to WWE Raw, where the former can have an easier schedule.
What do you think of Wade Barrett’s future in WWE? Let us know in the comments below!
