Relatively speaking, Adnan Virk only just began his tenure on Monday Night Raw, and now he's already parting ways with the WWE. The former ESPN and TSN commentator had only been serving as a ringside analyst for the company for seven weeks, but his exit was announced by the WWE in what is being described as a mutual agreement.
The shocking news was confirmed via a two-sentence statement by the WWE, which also contained a small thank-you to Adnan Virk for his work. Virk acknowledged the news on his own Twitter account and explained a bit more to fans why he left the organization.
Thanks to @WWE for a wonderful opportunity. The weekly travel along with my other jobs was a grind for me and my family. Am grateful to everyone with the company especially @WWEGraves [Corey Graves] and @ByronSaxton [Byron Saxton] for being such fantastic teammates.
Adnan Virk did have a contract with the WWE, but it was not the only job he was maintaining throughout the process. Virk is also a podcaster for the Meadowlark network, and also works events and coverage for DAZN, MLB Network, and the NHL Network. With the WWE set to return to its regular touring schedule in July, perhaps the impending travel workload, paired with his current slate of gigs, was too much for the on-air personality to keep together.
That would make sense, but even with that said, Adnan Virk had to know the WWE wouldn't remain at the Thunderdome indefinitely. So even though his schedule is loaded, and there's definitely no reason to doubt the circumstances going into his exit, it's also noteworthy that Virk faced almost instant scrutiny with wrestling fans ever since he joined Monday Night Raw in early April 2021 and replaced Tom Phillips. Fans believed that Virk wasn't ready to handle play-by-play in professional wrestling, which is obviously quite different from most other sports, and his greenness was apparent from his delivery.
One notable moment from Adnan Virk's brief tenure in WWE came in the third week of his employment when he became a trending topic (via Wrestlinginc.com) on Twitter during Monday Night Raw. The analyst was dragged by fans throughout the episode, with arguably his biggest snafu of the night coming when he bizarrely mashed together a train analogy with the classic Jaws quote, "We're gonna need a bigger boat," when referring to WWE superstar Braun Strowman. Virk was immediately roasted for the mistake on-air by co-commentator Corey Graves, which led some to wonder if there was bad blood between the two. With that said, Graves responded to Virk's tweet with a message that indicated he was grateful for the friendship gained with Virk in his brief tenure, even if it wasn't so clear he was talking about a shared friendship.
I appreciate your time and effort in this crazy world. If nothing else, we made some new friends in the process. Best of luck, man.
Byron Saxon also responded to the tweet and referred to Virk as an "exceptional human being." While Adnan Virk is no longer with the WWE, it's a strong likelihood sports fans will continue to see and hear him elsewhere, probably making more sensible references. Meanwhile, there's a new opening for commentary on Monday Night Raw, which could present a golden opportunity for the brand to bring back Tom Phillips, or potentially Samoa Joe?
With purges also happening on the digital side of the WWE, Monday Night Raw airs on USA on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. For more on the brand and its return to a live schedule, be sure to read up on Drew McIntyre's comments on the return of live shows and what he's most eager to do once they resume.
