Pat McAfee Returns To WWE, Resumes Commentary Duties At Saturday Night's Main Event

Long Island filed into the inaugural revival of WWE's historic Saturday Night's Main Event believing that Jesse Ventura would be the only special guest in attendance. "Let's go!" reverberated through the Nassau Coliseum, and to the shock of everyone, Pat McAfee appeared to lend his voice to what was now-guaranteed to be an electrifying NBC special.

McAfee was welcomed back from his months-long hiatus after Joe Tessitore and Ventura turned to welcome Michael Cole as the night's primary commentator. New York exploded into cheers as McAfee marched down the vintage catwalk to resume his commentary duties alongside his long-time commentary partner. McAfee was introduced as a "special guest commentator," implying that he is only back in WWE for this special event.

McAfee has been largely absent from WWE programming since the August 19 episode of "WWE Raw," having only reappeared in the company for special occasions such as WrestleMania 40 and SummerSlam 2024. While McAfee is on good terms with the company, he has been largely occupied with other projects, including ESPN's "College GameDay" and his own podcast, "The Pat McAfee Show." McAfee's surprise return to WWE and presence at Saturday Night's Main Event may be due to the absence of "College GameDay" Saturday morning, which would open his schedule. 

McAfee called the opening match of the night, which saw Drew McIntyre dominate Sami Zayn in a violent match. It is presumed that he will be offering his voice on commentary for the rest of the event. As of writing, there has been no further word on a full-time WWE return for the iconic sports analyst.