WWE releases Tom Phillips weeks after removing commentator from Raw announce team

WWE has released Tom Phillips weeks after he was removed from Monday Night Raw.

The 32-year-old broadcaster – who most recently joined Nigel McGuinness on commentary for NXT UK – has left the company after 9 years, with plenty of wrestlers and colleagues tweeting their support.

The news was first reported by Fightful, who noted there are no further details on the reason for his departure just yet.

AEW wrestler Dax Harwood – who worked with Tom during their time in WWE – was full of praise and hailed him as the ‘best commentator’ he crossed passed with in the company.

He tweeted: ‘For my money, @TomHannifan was the best commentator I had the pleasure of working with. He worked so hard w/ us to get our story across.

‘He put the words to our music. Maybe his biggest “downfall” was he enjoyed calling actual professional wrestling… I’m sure I’ll see you soon.’

NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed also paid tribute as he shared a photo of Phillips alongside heart and crown emojis.

The departure – which comes as WWE president Nick Khan has been making cuts across the company – is a shock to many, as he seemed well respected among peers and fans alike.

After he and Samoa Joe were taken off the Raw commentary team after WrestleMania 37 last month with Corey Graves and Adnan Virk joining Byron Saxton, he seemed to have a key role still to play.

WWE said at the time that he would be overseeing ‘special projects for WWE’s programming on Peacock’ and continue his role as Senior Manager, On Air Talent.

There have been some big changes across the announce team recently, with Michael Cole now joined by Pat McAfee on SmackDown.

On the red brand, Virk left the company weeks after joining, with former UFC and Ninja Warrior star Jimmy Smith revealed as his replacement.

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