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Pat McAfee Reveals Why He Stepped Away From WWE Raw Commentary

The always high energy Pat McAfee finally hit a wall back in June and had to step away for a while.
Rick Ucchino|
Pat McAfee
Pat McAfee | WWE.com

Pat McAfee hit a wall.

The popular ESPN host, college football analyst and WWE commentator, who has thrived off his natural high energy for most of his adult life, finally ran out of gas in June.

During Wednesday's episode of the Pat McAfee Show the former All-Pro Punter told Kirk Herbstreit that his grueling travel schedule, coupled with his career and family commitments, all came crashing down on him as WWE was barreling toward Money in the Bank earlier this summer.

McAfee said he found it incredibly difficult to even think, describing it as a battle with severe brain fog.

“I talked to others that have maybe experienced like, mental exhaustion before… I'm staring down what you went through here," McAfee said, knowing his breaking point was coming. "As Money in the Bank was happening, I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is it.’ This is, I finally hit it. And I never thought it was going to happen.”

He held on for as long as he could, but McAfee finally approached WWE about taking a break shortly after Money in the Bank, knowing full well that the company's stable of broadcasters would be able to carry on without him.

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“Corey Graves, so good. Wade Barrett, so good,” McAfee said. “Whatever happened to Seth Freaking Rollins, that's a massive ordeal for the WWE. Because everything that's going on right now. For me at the commentator position, it’s like, the show moves on regardless. So like, the ability to not feel absolutely f---ing terrible for having to take a step back because I’m tired... [WWE has been great about it]."

McAfee says he still loves the WWE and misses being there every week, but with college football commitments right around the corner, it was the right decision for him to step away. His hiatus came just a month after he wrestled against Gunther at WWE Backlash.

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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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