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Pat McAfee Comments On WWE Raw Return & Upcoming Netflix Debut

The return of Pat McAfee means another shake up for the WWE commentary teams.
Rick Ucchino|
ESPN College Game Day's Pat McAfee high-fives fans as he takes the field before the game between Michigan and Texas at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, September 7, 2024.
ESPN College Game Day's Pat McAfee high-fives fans as he takes the field before the game between Michigan and Texas at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, September 7, 2024. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The WWE main roster commentary team is set for yet another shake-up.

Longtime ESPN sportscaster and play-by-plan man Joe Tessitore took over as the lead announcer on Monday Night Raw back in September, with color analyst Wade Barrett by his side. Michael Cole and Corey Graves have served as the broadcast team for SmackDown ever since, but changes are coming soon.

During a Netflix media event this week, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple H' Levesque let it be known that former NFL star and media darling Pat McAfee will be making his return to WWE when Raw makes the switch to the streaming giant in January. Reaffirming a previous announcement from August that he would be coming back.

McAfee took to social media Wednesday night to express his excitement for getting to saddle up for another ride alongside Michael Cole, who will be resuming his lead commentary duties on Monday nights.

"An absolute honor to be asked back. A Childhood dream realized every single time I’m lucky enough to be in an arena with the WWE Universe.

Can’t wait to be talking into a microphone next to again. He’s the GOAT.

I’m excited to tell the worldwide audience on Netflix how great the WWE Superstars are…. and how big of scumbags some of ‘em are too.

Let’s go."
Pat McAfee on X

Cole and McAfee have been WWE's preferred pairing ever since the former Indianapolis Colts Punter burst onto the commentary scene following WrestleMania 37. That is when his incredibly busy schedule allows him the freedom to work WWE tapings.

McAfee has been on hiatus from WWE since the fall, due primarily to his role on ESPN College Gameday. With the college football season winding down, his schedule is once again opening up to allow his return to WWE.

What's currently unknown is what the SmackDown commentary team will look like come January.

There's been no official announcement at this time but in WWE's initial press release that announced the hiring of Tessitore, the company stated that he would be joined by both Corey Graves and Wade Barrett on SmackDown. That may be the play now with Cole and McAfee heading to Raw.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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