The WWE parted ways with ring announcer Justin Roberts following Monday Night RAW and more details have surfaced as to the reasons behind his departure while many have reacted to it backstage.
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Wrestlingheadlines.com reports that Roberts was informed the WWE wasn't renewing his contract from his superior Kevin Dunn and that there is a feeling now that Lilian Garcia will handle announcing duties for RAW while Eden may get the nod on SmackDown and Byron Saxon's name has also been floated around.
Regarding whether or not there were actually any issues that led to the WWE getting rid of Roberts, the report indicates that fans in attendance during RAW last night gave the impression on social media that at one point during the telecast Roberts was seen yelling at WWE announcer Michael Cole and that he also gave him the middle finger.
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The WWE opted not to renew Roberts' contract, and it's unknown at this time if the incident played any role in that decision.
The site also reports that Roberts' departure came as a shock to a lot of people backstage in the WWE as the ring announcer was said to be well-liked within the company and many people thought the report was mistaken, even though the news broke on WWE.com in the following statement:
"WWE has chosen to not exercise its option to renew ring announcer Justin Roberts' contract. Effective immediately, Roberts is released from WWE," the statement read. "WWE wishes him the best in all his future endeavors."
While the issue of budget cuts has been a hot topic in the WWE this year, it appears as though Roberts being let go was due to something else -- possibly the alleged incident with Cole at ringside.
Monday's RAW was the last telecast that Roberts will be a part of and he was informed of the news sometime after the WWE's flagship show went off the air.
Roberts, 34, had been with the WWE since 2002 and took over the RAW announcing role in 2009.
An avid tweeter, Roberts has been silent on his Twitter account since news broke of his WWE release.
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