Pat McAfee is absolutely honored to do WWE "job"
The WWE broadcast team features several key talents, from Michael Cole to Pat McAfee and Wade Barrett. Pat has found major crossover success in the pro wrestling industry, and now he's made it clear how he is honored to do what he doesn't really see as a "job" in the traditional sense.
McAfee is a former NFL player, widely regarded as one of the best punters ever. He has been described as a performer of the highest level possible, whether he's playing college or pro football, doing WWE commentary, wrestling in the ring, or dominating sports media. The father-of-one began doing main roster commentary on SmackDown in April 2021 and has been a full-time member of the RAW team with Michael Cole since this past January.
The latest episode of WWE Top 10 features the craziest announcer reactions of 2024 so far. McAfee responded with remarks on being honored to do this so-called job while praising Cole and Corey Graves. He also mentioned working with Celebrity Wing Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg at WrestleMania and ended the post with a hashtag representing the slang version of dumb – or the good-dumb.
"An absolute honor to be allowed to do this as a 'job' @MichaelCole & @WWEGraves are staples of a global entertainment company.. and every once in a while (in the grand scheme of WWE) I get to wear a headset next to them… & then you add in @SnoopDogg at Mania?? #DumbestLifeOfAllTime," Pat McAfee wrote.
McAfee focused on his sports media career after retiring from football in 2016, and now The Pat McAfee Show, launched in September 2019, is viewed as a massive success. He signed a four-year FanDuel deal worth $120 million in 2021, then a five-year ESPN deal worth $85 million in September 2023.
A look at Pat McAfee's WWE in-ring career
Pat McAfee made his pro wrestling in-ring debut in March 2009 as he defeated The WarPig in a gimmick match for IWA in West Virginia. He then trained briefly under the legendary Rip Rogers in June 2017 for a Barstool Sports spot.
McAfee's WWE career began at NXT in 2018, which led to a feud with Adam Cole. Cole defeated McAfee in a 16-minute match at TakeOver XXX in August 2020. Three months later, Pat teamed with Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan, and Danny Burch for a WarGames loss to Cole, Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O'Reilly.
Cole and McAfee won the 2020 NXT Year-End Award for Rivalry of the Year. The YouTube giant did not wrestle again until defeating Austin Theory in just over nine minutes at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, which came right before an impromptu four-minute loss to Vince McMahon.
McAfee defeated longtime friend and rival Baron Corbin at SummerSlam 2022 in just under 11 minutes, then beat The Miz in just over three minutes at WrestleMania 39.
Pat's last match was the 2024 Royal Rumble. His surprise return came as the #22 entrant, and he lasted just 38 seconds before eliminating himself as the 16th elimination instead of battling Omos. McAfee also made his surprise return to the commentary table that night.