Pat McAfee is one of the most dynamic voices in all sports. The pro-bowl punter turned media maven is never not on the camera or the mic. His lust for life and passion for sports have made him one of the most sought-after voices in the game. With that, though, comes the need for balance and sacrifice. He can’t be everywhere at once. This is why Pat decided to take a step back from WWE for the fall as he takes on his new full-time role on ESPN College GameDay.
Itβs an absolute honor 2 have this tweet tweeted about me.
GameDay is a show that Iβve been a fan of FOREVER
So many moving parts including real cool conversations w/ the fine folks from WWE..all moved quickly
Will lead show manana w/ all the deets
π£ DUMBEST LIFE OF ALL TIME https://t.co/wC4vhzUJIv [1]
β Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 7, 2022 [2]
Is Pat McAfee Leaving WWE for good?
It doesn’t appear that way. McAfee seemed to imply [3] that he would be back in WWE after the college football season ends. College football runs through the early part of January.
SmackDAHN will be on hold for a little bit while I do College GameDay.. I’m still VERY much in the WWE family & will still be doing things with WWE#PMSLive [4] pic.twitter.com/bhSpOYg3wW [5]
β Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 7, 2022 [6]
If I had to guess, I would say that he returns to SmackDown in time for the Royal Rumble and is on commentary for the significant early-year events leading up to WrestleMania. I also assume he’ll be filming some unique content and will continue to be involved in a big way.
McAfee just signed a new deal with WWE over the summer, and presumably, he will continue to honor that deal moving forward.
#WWE [7] has signed Pat McAfee to a new deal weeks before his #SummerSlam [8] match@WWEUK [9] @WWEPR [10]https://t.co/Eod3nBUxgO [11]
β Metro Entertainment (@Metro_Ents) July 7, 2022 [12]
Fans React To The News
Pat McAfee juggling his own talk show, WWE Smackdown, and College GameDay from three different cities in a 24-hour spanpic.twitter.com/y0uN0KCTqJ [13]
β Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 7, 2022 [14]
Who will replace him? Some fans want NXT’s Wade Barrett or Nigel McGuiness to step up.
Would love to see Nigel or Barrett fill in on #SmackDown [15] for McAfee. #WWE [7]
β Bryan | Pardon the Wrestling (@PTW_TV) September 7, 2022 [16]
This would be a great time to bring up someone new and exciting. With Cole’s calm and steady presence, there needs to be a firework next to him. Might I suggest…Bayley?
BAYLEY BEING BACK IS LITERALLY
MICHAEL COLE’S NIGHTMARE π€£ pic.twitter.com/knOx5EMS8v [17]β Daphne ξ¨ (@The_Starstruck) August 23, 2022 [18]
I hereby nominate Bayley to be Michael Cole’s Smackdown broadcast partner when Pat McAfee is off for college football. I’m sure he’d love it π€ͺ https://t.co/Jtnu5lmur1 [19]
β Chris The Twin Dad (@ChrisTheTwinDad) September 7, 2022 [20]
The Heat is real between the two.
What’s @itsBayleyWWE [21]‘s issue with @MichaelCole [22]?
Bayley explains why she can’t stand him on #WWETheBump [23]: pic.twitter.com/74hCAM8yDf [24]
β WWE (@WWE) September 7, 2022 [25]
Nice try, @MichaelCole [22]…#SmackDown [15] @itsBayleyWWE [21] @SashaBanksWWE [26] pic.twitter.com/pS00NqbeyN [27]
β WWE (@WWE) June 13, 2020 [28]
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