Backstage News On Pat McAfee's WWE Return

Pat McAfee made his WWE return to be part of the commentary team for last night's Royal Rumble premium live event, but the WWE Universe weren't the only people surprised to see the former NFL star. According to PWInsider, McAfee's return to WWE was kept as a legitimate surprise by everyone in the company.

The situation was kept close to the vest to prevent any information from leaking out, and not even the production team was made aware of the situation until he made his entrance. This is why there was a scramble to put together a chair and headset, which fans could see taking place as he got to the ringside area. Michael Cole appeared to be stunned by McAfee's presence, and that is because neither he nor Corey Graves was told about his comeback. The responses from both men on commentary were how they legitimately felt at that moment. 

While McAfee was involved in the rest of the show, there is currently no word if this means he will be resuming his "WWE SmackDown" commentary responsibilities. McAfee has been gone from WWE since September 2022, after he signed a deal with ESPN to serve as an analyst for "College GameDay." He was replaced by Wade Barrett after the company made a shake-up of its broadcasting teams across the brands. Originally, McAfee wanted to work both jobs but WWE stressed the travel would be too much for him, but the company left the position open for him when the season ended.