Michael Cole speaks on Pat McAfee's WWE plans
One big question coming out of the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble is whether Pat McAfee is going to be returning to the company full-time. The former football kicker was an announcer on SmackDown before becoming part of ESPN's College Gameday crew.
On the most recent edition of his self-titled The Pat McAfee Show, McAfee had commentator Michael Cole as a guest. He discussed McAfee's return to the company after being away during the College Football season:
"I can promise you one thing though, no matter what Pat does he will have a role in our company [WWE]. He will always be welcomed in our company for the rest of his career, whatever it is. Whether it's doing a match, on commentary, selling merchandise. Pat will be a part of this." [0:39 - o:59]
They also mentioned during the interview that there have been no plans as of yet for McAfee to make a full-fledged return to WWE. However, as the saying goes, anything can happen in wrestling.
For the full interview, check out the Pat McAfee Show's YouTube channel here.
What has Pat McAfee done in WWE?
Pat McAfee is no stranger to professional wrestling as the Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist made his in-ring debut against Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver: XXX. He went on to compete in WarGames later that year with Danny Burch, Oney Lorcan, and Pete Dunne against the Undisputed Era.
He later became an announcer on the SmackDown brand alongside Michael Cole and made his main roster in-ring debut as he defeated Austin Theory at WrestleMania 38 Night 2. However, it was not his only WrestleMania match as he would go on to lose to Vince McMahon immediately after in an impromptu matchup.
McAfee then wrestled Happy Corbin at Summerslam 2022 and walked out victorious but has not entered the ring since. He returned as a surprise to everyone as he commentated the 2023 Royal Rumble premium live event alongside Michael Cole and Corey Graves.
A look back into the crazy unforgettable year of 2022 (a new series i’ll be doing for the final month of 2022):
As @PatMcAfeeShow makes his electric entrance at @WWE WrestleMania 38 to The White Stripes’ ‘Seven Nation Army’.
Unforgettable.
https://t.co/1ie6aahwch
What would you like to see Pat McAfee do heading into Wrestlemania 39? Let us know in the comments section below.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit The Pat McAfee Show and give a h/t to Sportskeeda for the quotes.