WWE Reveals Pat McAfee Is Back Full Time on Commentary

Pat McAfee is back in WWE for the foreseeable future. The beloved podcast host, who recently moved his online series to ESPN, has spent quite a bit of time working commentary for WWE alongside Michael Cole over the last couple of years. His most recent full-time run at the desk ended when he became a mainstay on ESPN’s College Gameday team. With the football season over, however, McAfee is back, this time on Monday Night Raw.

McAfee returned to WWE over the weekend, reuniting with Michael Cole and Corey Graves at the WWE Royal Rumble. He not only called matches throughout the card, but he also took part in the Men’s Royal Rumble match, though he eliminated himself less than a minute after entering the ring.

Monday night’s new episode of Raw kicked off with McAfee’s music as the popular commentator returned to ringside. He and Michael Cole announced that they’re reuniting for another run on Raw as co-commentators. 

Royal Rumble 2024

Pat McAfee’s return wasn’t the only big surprise at the Rumble this weekend. Naomi and Andrade El Idolo both made their returns to WWE on Saturday night, after both spent some time in other companies. Jade Cargill also made her highly anticipated WWE TV debut, singlehandedly eliminating Nia Jax in the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Bayley won that match and will head to WrestleMania to challenge for one of the two women’s titles in WWE.

The biggest story coming out of the Royal Rumble, however, was the victory of Cody Rhodes. The American Nightmare entered the Rumble in the 15th spot and lasted over 40 minutes before throwing CM Punk over the top rope. This makes Rhode the first back-to-back Royal Rumble winner since Stone Cold Steve Austin.

CM Punk Injury

The Royal Rumble also knocked out one of the most popular Superstars in the company. CM Punk, wrestling in his first televised match since returning to WWE, tore his tricep and will require surgery. That will keep him from competing in WrestleMania this year, where many expected him to challenge Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Punk confirmed his injury at the start of the show on Monday night, announcing that he’d be out for a significant amount of time.