This is a list of on-air personalities from the professional wrestling television series WWE's SmackDown. On-air personalities include the wrestlers themselves, ring announcers, commentators, and on-screen authority figures. The show also features recurring on-air segments hosted by various personalities.
Authority figures | Position | Date started | Date finished | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mr. McMahon | Owner, chairman, and CEO | August 26, 1999 | July 22, 2022 | McMahon assigned new general managers to Raw and to SmackDown after Ric Flair lost his position on Raw. Stacy Keibler served as "personal assistant" through McMahon's term. |
Shawn Michaels | Commissioner | August 26, 1999 | June 26, 2000 | Relinquished role to Mick Foley |
Mick Foley | Commissioner | June 26, 2000 | December 18, 2000 | Fired by Mr. McMahon |
Debra | Lt. Commissioner | October 30, 2000 | March 5, 2001 | Resigned as Lieutenant Commissioner to pursue managing again. |
William Regal | Commissioner | March 8, 2001 | October 11, 2001 | Fired by Linda McMahon for joining The Alliance |
Mick Foley | Commissioner | October 11, 2001 | November 19, 2001 | Decided to leave the company |
Ric Flair | On-screen co-owner of the company | November 19, 2001 | April 2, 2002 | Upon the beginning of the brand extension, McMahon was given sole control of SmackDown, while Flair was given control of Raw. Between November 2001 and the brand extension, Flair had as much power over all shows as McMahon. |
Stephanie McMahon | General manager | July 18, 2002 | October 19, 2003 | Lost her position as per an "I Quit" match stipulation against Mr. McMahon at No Mercy. |
Paul Heyman | General manager | October 23, 2003 | March 22, 2004 | Resigned after being drafted to Raw, he didn't want to work for Eric Bischoff and quit WWE, he was interim general manager on the April 22, 2004 edition of WWE SmackDown. |
Kurt Angle | General manager | March 25, 2004 April 29, 2004 |
April 15, 2004 July 22, 2004 |
Returned to the active roster when no longer confined to a wheelchair. |
Theodore Long | General manager | July 29, 2004 April 10, 2009 |
September 21, 2007 April 1, 2012 |
Left position due to health complications. Served as "Assistant General Manager" from November 2007 to May 2008. Long was reassigned from ECW to SmackDown. Lost the position to John Laurinaitis as a result of the Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy match at Wrestlemania XXVIII. |
Vickie Guerrero | General manager | September 28, 2007 October 10, 2008 January 21, 2011 July 19, 2013 |
September 26, 2008 April 6, 2009 February 18, 2011 June 23, 2014 |
Served as assistant general manager from May to September 2007. Opted to fully take over the position on Raw and resigned as general manager of SmackDown. Took over in place of the injured Teddy Long. Announced new general manager of SmackDown on July 19, 2013 by Mr. McMahon; lost position on June 23, 2014 edition of Raw in a match against Stephanie McMahon. |
Big Show | Temporary General Manager | October 3, 2008 | Big Show filled in for Vickie Guerrero while she recovered from being tombstoned by The Undertaker. | |
Triple H | Chief Operating Officer (Storyline) | July 18, 2011 | November 23, 2014 | The board of directors removed Vince McMahon from day-to-day power and handed the duties to his son-in-law. However, his authoritative control powers as general manager of running SmackDown are no longer needed and still remained as COO (see below). Lost position in November 2014 after The Authority lost at Survivor Series. Triple H also served as executive vice-president of Talent, Live Events and Creative. |
John Laurinaitis | General manager | April 2, 2012 | June 17, 2012 | Won position, Team Johnny vs Team Teddy at Wrestlemania XXVIII. Fired at No Way Out by Mr. McMahon as per pre-match stipulation when John Cena defeated Big Show in a Steel cage match. |
Interim General Managers | Guest GM | June 22, 2012 | July 20, 2012 | Following Laurinaitis' firing, the board of directors invited past GMs and commissioners to run SmackDown on a weekly basis until a new full-time GM was named, such as Mick Foley, Vickie Guerrero and Zack Ryder. |
Booker T | General manager | August 3, 2012 | July 12, 2013 | Mr. McMahon announced Booker T as the new general manager of SmackDown. |
Theodore Long | Senior Advisor | August 3, 2012 | July 12, 2013 | Was named Booker's advisor after he asked for his help. Served as general manager during Booker's injury. |
Eve Torres | Assistant to general manager | August 17, 2012 | January 14, 2013 | Won the position in a match against Kaitlyn. Left position after she quit WWE. |
Kane | Director of operations | November 4, 2013 | November 23, 2014 | Lost position after The Authority lost at Survivor Series. |
Triple H | Chief Operating Officer (Storyline) | December 29, 2014 | 2019 | Stephanie McMahon announced that Triple H would return to the WWE as the COO. |
Shane McMahon | Commissioner | July 11, 2016 | October 4, 2019 | Lost a Loser Leaves WWE Ladder match to Kevin Owens. |
Daniel Bryan | General manager | July 18, 2016 | April 10, 2018 | Shane assigned Bryan as his general manager. |
Paige | General manager | April 10, 2018 | December 18, 2018 | Shane assigned Paige as general manager after Bryan resigned from the position to return to in-ring action. After the announcement on the December 17, 2018 edition of Raw that the McMahons (Vince, Stephanie, Shane, and Triple H) were, as a united group, taking over both Raw and SmackDown, Paige was effectively removed as general manager. |
Sonya Deville | WWE Official | January 1, 2021 | May 9, 2022 | Began appearing as the assistant to on-screen authority figure Adam Pearce on the January 1, 2021 edition of SmackDown, later appearing on the Raw brand in the same role. Deville eventually began making questionable and blatantly self-serving decisions which led to Pearce terminating her contract as a WWE Official on the May 9, 2022 edition of Raw.[1] |
Adam Pearce | WWE Official | January 17, 2020 | October 13, 2023 | From January 2020 through October 2023, Pearce served as the main on-screen WWE Authority Figure for Raw and Smackdown, making the vast majority of the matches and presiding over issues needing resolution from management. In October 2023, he was appointed General Manager of Raw. |
Nick Aldis | General manager | October 13, 2023 | Present | On the season premiere of WWE SmackDown, Triple H presented Aldis as the general manager of WWE SmackDown. |
Commentators | Dates |
---|---|
Michael Cole and Jim Cornette | April 29, 1999 | (Pilot)
Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler | August 26, 1999 January 10, 2002 | (Network Premiere)
Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler | September 2, 1999 September 30, 1999 – February 22, 2001 November 22, 2001 – March 28, 2002 March 31, 2005[1] October 23, 2009 March 26, 2015[2] | – September 16, 1999
Michael Cole and Michael Hayes[3] | September 23, 1999 |
Michael Cole and Tazz | February 22, 2001 March 8, 2001 – May 3, 2001 May 17, 2001 – June 14, 2001 June 28, 2001 – July 5, 2001 August 2, 2001 – August 9, 2001 August 23, 2001 – September 4, 2001 September 20, 2001 October 11, 2001 November 1, 2001 November 15, 2001 April 4, 2002 – November 21, 2002 December 5, 2002 – March 24, 2005 April 7, 2005 – June 9, 2006 |
Michael Cole and Jim Ross | September 21, 2000 March 1, 2001 July 12, 2001 – July 26, 2001 September 20, 2001 November 8, 2001 – November 15, 2001 |
Scott Hudson and Arn Anderson | July 5, 2001 |
Jim Ross and Paul Heyman | June 21, 2001 September 13, 2001 (Live 9/11 Tribute Show) October 4, 2001 |
Michael Cole and Paul Heyman | May 10, 2001 June 21, 2001 August 16, 2001 September 27, 2001 October 18, 2001 – October 25, 2001 |
Michael Cole and Ernest Miller[4] | November 28, 2002 |
Michael Cole and John "Bradshaw" Layfield | June 16, 2006 May 31, 2013 – July 26, 2013 August 9, 2013 – January 10, 2014 January 31, 2014 – August 15, 2014 | – December 21, 2007
Michael Cole and Jonathan Coachman | January 4, 2008 | – April 25, 2008
Michael Cole and Mick Foley | May 2, 2008 | – June 20, 2008
Jim Ross and Mick Foley | June 27, 2008 | – August 1, 2008
Jim Ross and Tazz | August 8, 2008 | – April 3, 2009
Jim Ross and Todd Grisham | April 10, 2009 | – October 9, 2009
Todd Grisham and Michael Cole | October 16, 2009 |
Todd Grisham and Matt Striker | October 30, 2009 | – September 24, 2010
Todd Grisham, Michael Cole, and Matt Striker | October 1, 2010 | – December 3, 2010
Josh Mathews, Michael Cole, and Matt Striker | December 10, 2010 | – January 28, 2011
Josh Mathews and Matt Striker[5] | March 30, 2012 |
Michael Cole and Booker T[6] | April 27, 2012 |
Josh Mathews, Michael Cole, and Booker T | February 4, 2011 December 16, 2011 – December 30, 2011 January 13, 2012 – April 20, 2012 May 4, 2012 – July 27, 2012 | – November 25, 2011
Michael Cole and various guest commentators[7] | August 24, 2012 |
Josh Mathews and Michael Cole | November 29, 2011[8] January 6, 2012[9] August 3, 2012 – August 17, 2012 August 31, 2012 – October 5, 2012 | – December 9, 2011
Michael Cole, Josh Mathews, and Jerry Lawler | March 1, 2013 |
Michael Cole, Josh Mathews, and Brad Maddox | March 8, 2013 | – March 15, 2013
Josh Mathews and Jerry Lawler[10] | April 5, 2013 |
Michael Cole, Josh Mathews, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield | December 21, 2012 March 22, 2013 – March 29, 2013 April 12, 2013 – May 24, 2013 |
Michael Cole and Alex Riley[11] | August 2, 2013 |
Michael Cole, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and The Miz | January 17, 2014 |
Josh Mathews and John "Bradshaw" Layfield | October 12, 2012 January 24, 2014 | – February 22, 2013
Tom Phillips and Michael Cole[12] | October 31, 2014 |
Tom Phillips, Michael Cole, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield[2] | August 22, 2014 November 7, 2014 – January 9, 2015 | – October 24, 2014
Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Byron Saxton[3] | January 15, 2015 April 16, 2015 February 18, 2016[13] | – March 19, 2015
Tom Phillips, Jerry Lawler, and Byron Saxton | April 2, 2015[14] April 23, 2015 – June 18, 2015 | – April 9, 2015
Tom Phillips, Jerry Lawler, and Jimmy Uso | June 25, 2015[15] July 30, 2015 – August 20, 2015 | – July 16, 2015
Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, and Jimmy Uso[16] | July 23, 2015 |
Rich Brennan, Jerry Lawler, and Jimmy Uso | August 27, 2015 | – September 3, 2015
Rich Brennan, Jerry Lawler, and Booker T | September 10, 2015 December 31, 2015 | – December 17, 2015
Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Booker T | December 22, 2015 |
Mauro Ranallo and Jerry Lawler[17] | March 31, 2016 |
Mauro Ranallo, Jerry Lawler, and Byron Saxton[18] | January 7, 2016 February 25, 2016 – June 16, 2016 July 7, 2016 – July 12, 2016 | – February 11, 2016
Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton, and David Otunga[19] | June 23, 2016 | – June 30, 2016
Mauro Ranallo, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Byron Saxton[20] | July 19, 2016 |
Mauro Ranallo, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and David Otunga[21] | July 26, 2016 | – November 1, 2016
Mauro Ranallo, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, David Otunga, and Tom Phillips | November 8, 2016 | – March 7, 2017
Tom Phillips and John "Bradshaw" Layfield[22] | March 14, 2017 |
Tom Phillips, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and David Otunga[23] | March 21, 2017 | – April 4, 2017
Tom Phillips, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and Byron Saxton[24] | April 11, 2017 | – August 29, 2017
Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton | September 5, 2017 October 31, 2017 – December 11, 2018 December 25, 2018 – July 16, 2019 July 30, 2019 – August 13, 2019 August 27, 2019 – September 24, 2019 | – October 10, 2017
Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton[25] | October 17, 2017 | – October 24, 2017
Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, and David Otunga[26] | December 18, 2018 |
Tom Phillips, David Otunga, Big E, and Xavier Woods | July 23, 2019 |
Tom Phillips, Michael Cole, and David Otunga | |
Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, and David Otunga | August 20, 2019 |
Michael Cole and Corey Graves | October 4, 2019 April 10, 2020 – April 9, 2021 September 3, 2021[27] February 11, 2022 – February 18, 2022 July 8, 2022 September 9, 2022 – September 30, 2022 January 26, 2024 | – March 6, 2020
Tom Phillips, Renee Young, and Aiden English | November 1, 2019[28] |
Tom Phillips, Renee Young, and Pat McAfee | |
Michael Cole and Triple H | March 13, 2020 |
Michael Cole | March 20, 2020 | – April 3, 2020
Michael Cole and Pat McAfee | April 16, 2021 September 10, 2021 – February 4, 2022 February 25, 2022 – July 1, 2022 July 15, 2022 – September 2, 2022[29] | – August 20, 2021
Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Kevin Owens | August 27, 2021[30] |
Michael Cole and Wade Barrett | October 6, 2022 | – August 4, 2023
Kevin Patrick, Michael Cole, and Corey Graves | August 11, 2023 November 24, 2023 – December 1, 2023 December 15, 2023 – December 22, 2023 | – November 3, 2023
Kevin Patrick, Michael Cole, and Kevin Owens | November 10, 2023[31] |
Kevin Patrick, Michael Cole, and Road Dogg | November 17, 2023[32] |
Kevin Patrick, Michael Cole, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield | December 8, 2023[33] |
Kevin Patrick and Corey Graves | January 5, 2024 | – January 19, 2024
Corey Graves and Wade Barrett | February 2, 2024 | – present
Commentator |
---|
Theodore Long |
Kaitlyn |
Cody Rhodes |
The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O'Neil) |
Sheamus |
Ring announcers | Dates | Notes |
---|---|---|
Tony Chimel | April 1999 October 21, 1999 – December 23, 1999 January 2000 – April 20, 2000 May 4, 2000 – December 21, 2000 January 4, 2001 – June 28, 2001 July 12, 2001 – September 13, 2001 September 27, 2001 – February 21, 2002 March 2002 – June 13, 2002 June 27, 2002 – August 2007 October 2009 – December 2, 2011 November 2, 2012 – November 30, 2012 April 5, 2013 September 13, 2013 November 15, 2013 November 15, 2016 |
– October 7, 1999Transferred to the ECW brand in August 2007. Transferred back to Smackdown following Lilian Garcia's first retirement from WWE. Removed on December 2, 2011. Filled in from November 2, 2012 to November 30, 2012 while Garcia was on medical leave after a car accident. Was ring announcer for one night as Garcia had gone to WrestleMania Axxess, with various other SmackDown workers. Continued to make occasional appearances as Edge's personal ring announcer. Made a one-night return on November 15, 2013 to fill in for Garcia, who was unavailable at the time. |
Lilian Garcia | October 14, 1999 December 30, 1999 April 27, 2000 March 15, 2001 February 28, 2002 December 23, 2004 December 9, 2011 – October 26, 2012 December 7, 2012 – March 29, 2013 April 12, 2013 – November 8, 2013 November 22, 2013 – October 17, 2014 November 5, 2015 |
Returned to WWE to take over for Tony Chimel. Made a one-night appearance on November 5, 2015. Substituted for Chimel on certain nights between 1999 and 2004. |
Howard Finkel | December 28, 2000 July 5, 2001 September 20, 2001 December 27, 2001 June 20, 2002 |
Filled in for Chimel except December 27, 2001, when Finkel and Chimel served as co-announcers. |
Justin Roberts | September 19, 2002 April 24, 2003 December 4, 2003 September 15, 2006 April 6, 2007 September 2007 – October 2009 |
Transferred to the Raw brand following Lilian Garcia's retirement from WWE. Made one-night appearances on December 10, 2010, March 11 and September 16, 2011. |
Josh Mathews | January 2, 2003 | One night only. |
Eden Stiles | July 15, 2011 November 11, 2011 October 24, 2014 – May 26, 2016 |
Stiles served as the dual-branded ring announcer for WWE Superstars and substitute ring announcer for both shows until December 22, 2011 when she left WWE. Stiles became the permanent ring announcer after Lilian Garcia returned to Raw on October 20, 2014. On May 24, 2016 during SmackDown tapings, Stiles was released by WWE after she requested for her release. |
JoJo | April 9, 2015 June 18, 2015 July 2, 2015 – October 15, 2015 June 2, 2016 – June 23, 2016 July 7, 2016 – July 19, 2016 |
– May 28, 2015Served as interim ring announcer while continuing her role as a dual-branded backstage interviewer, but did not do the latter on the selected dates she does ring announcing for SmackDown. Replaced Eden Stiles who was released by WWE. Moved to Raw following Lilian Garcia's second departure due to family emergency. |
Greg Hamilton | June 30, 2016 July 26, 2016 – October 25, 2019 November 8, 2019 – October 22, 2021 |
Filled in for JoJo when she worked WWE's tour in Hawaii and when she filled in for Lilian Garcia on Raw during that same week. Promoted to full-time announcer when JoJo was moved to Raw. Hamilton was released in late October 2021. |
Kayla Braxton | November 1, 2019 | One night only. |
Mike Rome | November 6, 2020 June 26, 2021 October 29, 2021 – January 7, 2022 May 12, 2023 – October 13, 2023 November 10, 2023 – April 26, 2024 May 24, 2024 July 5, 2024 |
– November 13, 2020Substitute for Greg Hamilton. Following Hamilton's release in October 2021, Rome became the interim ring announcer for SmackDown and became dual-branded as a result. Became SmackDown ring announcer in May 2023 as part of the WWE Draft, switching roles with Samantha Irvin. Switched to NXT in May 2024, though filled in for Alicia Taylor on May 24 and July 5. |
Samantha Irvin | January 14, 2022 May 3, 2024 June 14, 2024 |
– May 5, 2023Promoted to the SmackDown brand on January 14, 2022 from 205 Live. Switched to Raw in May 2023 as part of the WWE Draft. Filled in for shows when Rome and Taylor were unavailable. |
Alicia Taylor | October 20, 2023 May 10, 2024 – Present |
– November 3, 2023Filled in for Rome for three episodes in 2023, two of which were taped together due to WWE traveling to Saudi Arabia. NXT Senior Vice President Shawn Michaels announced on X after NXT aired on May 7, 2024 that Alicia Taylor had joined SmackDown brand. |
Segments | Hosts | Years | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Piper's Pit | Roddy Piper | 2003 2005 – 2006 2010 2012 2014 |
In-ring interview segment.[9] Discontinued after Piper's death in 2015. |
$1,000,000 Tough Enough | Al Snow | 2004 | WWE Tough Enough competition segment. |
Kurt Angle Invitational | Kurt Angle | 2004 – 2005 | Three-minute match challenge for Angle's gold medal. Discontinued after Angle was drafted to Raw. |
Cafe de René | René Duprée | 2004 | In-ring interview segment. |
Carlito's Cabana | Carlito | 2005 2008 – 2009 |
In-ring interview segment. Discontinued after Carlito was drafted to Raw. |
Peep Show | Christian | 2005 2010 – 2014 |
In ring interview segment. |
Diva Search | The Miz | 2006 | Diva Search competition segment. |
Miz TV | The Miz | 2007 2012 – 2017 2018 – 2019 2019 – 2020 |
In-ring interview segment. |
Masterlock Challenge | Chris Masters | 2007 2010 – 2011 |
Submission challenge to break Masters' Masterlock hold. Discontinued after being drafted to Raw. |
The Cutting Edge | Edge | 2007 – 2011 2013 2016 |
In-ring interview segment. Discontinued after Edge was forced to retire from professional wrestling. Occasionally makes a couple appearances. |
VIP Lounge | Montel Vontavious Porter | 2007 – 2010
2020 |
In-ring interview segment. Discontinued following MVP's release from WWE. Restarted during build to WrestleMania 36 |
Khali Kiss Cam | The Great Khali Ranjin Singh |
2011 | In-ring fan interaction segment. Khali kisses a female member of the audience. First person to keep show after changing brands.[10] |
Highlight Reel | Chris Jericho Kevin Owens |
2010 2012 2013 2016 2017 – 2018 |
In-ring interview segment. Discontinued after Jericho was drafted to Raw. Began again when Jericho returned in 2013. Discontinued again when Jericho was drafted to the Raw brand when WWE re-introduced the brand extension in 2016. Re-introduced by Kevin Owens in 2017 without Chris Jericho. Discontinued after Owens was fired and drafted to Raw. |
Grooming Tips | Cody Rhodes | 2010 – 2011 | Cody Rhodes gives some vanity tips. Discontinued after Rhodes' facial injury (*caused by the exposed metal brace of Rey Mysterio). |
Str8 Outta Brooklyn With JTG | JTG | 2010 – 2011 | Backstage shoot segment. Discontinued after JTG was drafted to Raw. |
The Ambrose Asylum | Dean Ambrose | 2016 – 2017 | In-ring interview segment. Discontinued after being drafted to Raw. |
King's Court | Jerry Lawler | 2017 | In-ring interview segment. |
The Fashion Files (later The Fashion X Files, then Fashion Peaks) | Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango) |
2017 – 2018 | Video segment. Discontinued after Breezeango was drafted to Raw. |
U. S. Open Challenge | Kevin Owens A.J. Styles Bobby Roode Jeff Hardy R-Truth |
2017-2018, 2019 | A United States Championship match challenge pitting anyone on the roster against the incumbent champion of the time. Originally called the Face of America challenge under Kevin Owens, it has been held under four different champions. After A.J. Styles won, it was renamed the U.S. Open Challenge, but was discontinued after Hell in a Cell after Baron Corbin won the championship. It was revived in 2018 after Bobby Roode won the aforementioned championship. It was revived in 2019 after R-Truth won the aforementioned championship. Under Styles, Roode and Truth's reigns, their names were included in the official title of the U.S. Open Challenge title. Discontinued after then-United States Champion Samoa Joe was drafted to Raw. |
Truth TV | R-Truth Carmella |
2018–2019 | In-ring interview segment. Discontinued after R-Truth was drafted to Raw. |
The Kevin Owens Show | Kevin Owens | 2019 2020 – 2021 2023 – present |
In-ring interview segment. Discontinued after Owens was drafted to Raw. Returned after Owens was drafted to SmackDown. |
Firefly Fun House | Bray Wyatt | 2019 – 2020 | Video segment. Discontinued after Wyatt was drafted to Raw. |
A Moment of Bliss | Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross | 2019 – 2020 | On-stage interview segment. Discontinued after Bliss and Cross were drafted to Raw. |
The Dirt Sheet | John Morrison and The Miz | 2020 | In-ring interview segment. Discontinued after Morrison and Miz were drafted to Raw. |
Ding Dong, Hello! | Bayley | 2021 | In-ring interview segment. Discontinued after Bayley was injured and taking time off. |
Happy Talk | Happy Corbin and formerly Madcap Moss | 2021 – 2022 | In-ring interview segment. |
InZayn | Sami Zayn | 2022 | In-ring stunt challenge segment. Later became an in-ring interview segment. |
Tribal Court | The Usos | 2023 | In-ring courtroom segment. |
The Grayson Waller Effect | Grayson Waller | 2023 – present | In-ring interview segment. |
R-KO Show | Randy Orton and Kevin Owens | 2024 - present | In-ring interview segment. |