Jimmy Smith is no longer with World Wrestling Entertainment confirmed the long-time Bellator MMA analyst.
First reported by Variety, WWE is shaking up the commentary teams on all three of the promotion’s brands, Raw, Smackdown, and NXT. Smith was a commentator for the WWE’s Monday night offering which has been a part of cable TV programming since 1993. Jimmy Smith confirmed his exit following Variety’s report on Twitter.
“Just wanted to say, now that the story is officially out, that my time with the WWE is officially done. Had a lot of fun and met some great people. Really and truly blown away by the acceptance from the WWE fans! You folks make it work every week and your enthusiasm was amazing!”
Just wanted to say, now that the story is officially out, that my time with the WWE is officially done. Had a lot of fun and met some great people. Really and truly blown away by the acceptance from the WWE fans! You folks make it work every week and your enthusiasm was amazing!
— Jimmy Smith (@jimmysmithmma) October 6, 2022
In the mix-up, Michael Cole and Wade Barrett will be the main commentators for the Smackdown brand as Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves will take over duties on Raw. Jimmy Smith signed with WWE in May 2021 after nearly a decade working with Bellator and the UFC.
Will We See Jimmy Smith Return to The MMA Commentary Booth?
After his brief tenure in the world of sports entertainment, is a return to MMA next for Jimmy Smith? In all likelihood, yes. Smith served as the color analyst for Bellator from 2010-2017. The promotion opted not to renew Smith’s contract and at that time brought in former UFC referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy who still works with the promotion to this day.
After seven years with Scott Coker and company, Smith joined the UFC. His tenure in Las Vegas was brief with Smith moving on after just one year.
If you’re panicking about missing out on the soothing sound of Jimmy Smith’s voice, worry not. The former fighter turned MMA analyst will continue to host the “Unlocking the Cage” radio show daily on SiriusXM’s Fight Nation.
