WWE broadcaster Wade Barrett has been absent from his duties on WWE programming recently. "WWE NXT" broadcaster Corey Graves has been on "Raw" and "SmackDown," taking over for Pat McAfee and Barrett, respectively. Barrett recently said he'd taken time off from WWE, though he was vague about the nature of the hiatus.
According to PWInsider Elite, the former WWE Intercontinental Champion is, in fact, away from WWE on his own request. There is no word on how long, other than that Barrett will be gone for "several weeks," but he is listed on the commentary team for the upcoming WrestlePalooza.
The announcement that Graves would be replacing Barrett for the foreseeable future was made on the September 8 "Raw," where Graves joined "Raw" announcer Joe Tessitore. Barrett had recently made comments about Nikki Bella, following Bella's unsuccessful challenge against WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch at Clash In Paris. Barrett suggested that wrestling had moved on from stars like Nikki Bella, in comments that some found disparaging. Barrett's absence had many wondering if it had anything to do with his comments. The news of his being on personal leave suggests that it is not the case.
Barrett's replacement, Graves, had initially been demoted to "NXT," but Barrett's leave, as well as the hiatus of Pat McAfee, led to Graves being called up to the two main roster shows. McAfee was beginning to experience burnout after traveling for "Raw," PLEs, as well as his duties at ESPN and his own "The Pat McAfee Show." There is no word on when McAfee will return either.
