Could Pat McAfee be returning to WWE full-time in the near future?
The former NFL star was highly praised for his enthusiastic performance behind the SmackDown announce table, most notably re-energising Michael Cole and playing air guitar on top of the desk as Shinsuke Nakamura made his entrance.
However, Pat McAfee would step away from announcing in September 2022 after landing a job at ESPN to present College Gameday, only occasionally making sporadic appearances on WWE programming when there has been no schedule clash. In what may come as a surprise, the new role is set to expire.
Results from a reader survey in The Athletic showed that almost half of the viewers did not like McAfee as a host of the show. Taking to social media, McAfee has acknowledged that he is not the right fit for the show and will not be re-signing with ESPN:
This has been brought to my attention more than a few times over the last few days.. I’ve never been friends with a human that reads The Athletic so I’m not 100% sure what style of human these 3100 folks are but.. HUGE Shahtaht to the 30%.. hell yeah.
To the 49%, I have some great news.. I have heard you all very loud and clear since the beginning of my stint with GameDay. It’s one of the biggest reasons why I have not resigned a contract with the legendary show. I’m not right for some crowds and the “distinguished” College Football folks are definitely one of those. Excited to enjoy the rest of this year, that’s shaping up to be a GREAT one, and then see what the future holds.
It’s been an absolute blast and an honor to be at that desk and to work with the fine folks of that family… it’s also been really fun to work 7 days a week for the last 2 football seasons. Nice reminder that I’m still a fucking DAWG. The dumbest life of all time shall roll on.. Let’s have a great NFL Sunday. Cheers
With the announcer’s schedule wide open once again, there is a possibility that McAfee may return to WWE.
When Was Pat McAfee Last On WWE TV?
The former punter for the Indianapolis Colts narrated the opening video package for Fastlane, which also took place in the state of Indiana. During the main show, McAfee made a surprise appearance to introduce John Cena to the Indianapolis crowd and commentate on the 16-time World Champion’s match.