Previously, it was reported that Tom Phillips was released by WWE after 9 years with the company working in various broadcasting and backstage roles between 2012 and 2021. Now, he opened up about his unexpected release.
While speaking on the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch, Tom Phillips stated that he was surprised by his release and also understands why WWE replaced him with Adnan Virk. He also stated that he had huge respect for Adnan Virk.
“I can honestly say I was surprised,” Phillips said. “Adnan Virk was somebody that I had known, not to date him in any way, but he had a run on [ESPN show] SportsCenter when I was in college and then just right out of college, so I watched him for years. So when I hear, ‘Hey, Adnan Virk’s coming in to be lead announcer for Monday Night RAW,’ I was like, ‘Woah, that is a shift.’”
“But at the same time, I was like, ‘Man, I have all the respect in the world for this guy’s [Adnan Virk’s] ability,’” Phillips added.
“In terms of what the job for RAW and SmackDown requires, what everybody refers to commonly in play-by-play as traffic, getting from graphics to B-roll to an interview, etcetera, I was like, ‘Well, this guy did SportsCenter,’ which is just one-way traffic, and then he did college football half-time shows, so it’s like, ‘Yeah, this guy’s probably got the skill set to do this.’
“So I was definitely surprised [to be released] but, at the same time, to hear the name of somebody like Adnan Virk, I was like, ‘Okay, I get it.’” (H/T: Sportskeeda)
— Tom (@TomHannifan) April 15, 2021
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