Kevin Patrick says that his WWE release was coming.
Kevin Egan, formerly known as Kevin Patrick in WWE, joined WWE in 2021 and worked in multiple roles. He had a run on the WWE Raw commentary team before he moved to SmackDown in 2023. Patrick was released in January 2023. He put out a statement and said that it was time to turn the page.
Speaking on The Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch, Kevin Patrick was asked to comment on why his time in WWE ended.
“Football was always gonna win, if there was ever a collision, and there was one on the horizon, very clearly on the horizon. If I’m in Boise, Idaho, on a Friday night, for example, doing SmackDown, how am I gonna be in the studio in New York at one o’clock on a Saturday? This was coming. I also wasn’t their long-term guy. They need someone who’s all in. Michael Cole has missed two shows in 27 years," Patrick said.
Deitsch brought up Adnan Virk as a comparison and noted that wrestling fans can tell when someone did not have the passion that comes with being a lifelong fan. Patrick agreed and stated that, for him, it was time to leave.
“They deserve more. That chair deserves more. For me, it was time. I wanted to leave. It got to a place where I had a chat with Michael Cole weeks before and I said, look, if there’s a thinking here that I move on, I’m good. Let’s hug it out, let’s be on our way. I still talk to Michael Cole. On the phone, when we went through with the release and everything else, I told him he’s the best boss I ever had, and I stand by that. He’s a tremendous guy. Everyone worked with was great. It’s a chapter in your life. I wasn’t overly upset about it at all. I don’t think they were. I think it worked out for the best, for the product on TV and for me. I’m all in on what I’m doing now, and I love it. When WWE’s in Atlanta, I’ll pop down, I’ll say hello to some friends," Patrick said.
Later in the interview, Patrick recalled how some of his friends in WWE, including Becky Lynch, reached out after his release. He reiterated that it was a good thing for him and WWE. Patrick stated that it was a beautiful chapter in his life, but he was better for not being there now.
“[People in WWE] reached out after I left the company. I think a lot of them were relieved, Becky [Lynch] certainly was, when I said, no, this is a good thing. It’s a good thing for me, it’s a good thing for WWE. This is just a smart move all around. For me, it was a relief. When I was back in Ireland, over Christmas, my mother sat me down and she said, ‘Kevin, this doesn’t make sense. How are you going to be in the middle of somewhere on a Friday night, and what if there’s no red-eye? Then you’re gonna kill yourself physically. Then you’ve got to prep for 14 MLS games. It doesn’t add up.’ So, beautiful chapter in my life. I’ve become a better person for it and a better broadcaster for it. But I’m also better for not being there right now as well," Patrick said.
Patrick previously said that he loved his time in WWE, and he left amicably. Check out his comments here.
Click here to see what Becky Lynch had to say about Kevin Patrick's WWE departure.
Patrick is now the lead host for MLS 360 on Apple TV+.
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