Pat McAfee recently addressed his extended, unexplained leave from his position as colour commentator for WWE Monday Night Raw on Netflix.
For several weeks, the former NFL player, now a prominent ESPN personality, has been absent from the commentary booth alongside Michael Cole during Monday night broadcasts. After contributing to the initial WWE Raw shows on Netflix, his disappearance sparked speculation among fans.During today’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, McAfee finally revealed the reason for his departure and expressed his confidence in the WWE product’s continued success in his absence.
Here are key takeaways from the discussion, along with a video archive of the segment where McAfee detailed his reasons.
McAfee explained his decision stemmed from a period of intense exhaustion. “I really hit a wall,” he stated. “I’ve been running on fumes since Dublin. Raw started up early, and I thrive on energy – I don’t require much sleep. But the constant travel – from Money in the Bank in LA, to TST on the East Coast, then Paris Island, back to LA for Money in the Bank – it all caught up to me. I realized I was experiencing the mental fatigue others had described to me. I knew this moment would come eventually.” He noted the demanding schedule, compounded by his desire to spend more time with his daughter, proved unsustainable.McAfee also emphasized his commitment to elevating other performers during his commentary, a practice he believes contributed to his burnout. “I was trying my best, and I know some wrestling fans might not see it, but I was focused on putting everyone over, giving maximum effort every time. That, combined with the travel and consistently arriving home at 2-3 AM on Mondays, left me with very little time before starting our tuesday-Friday work week.”
To address the exhaustion, McAfee made the challenging decision to step away from his Monday Night Raw duties. “stopping the Monday Night Raw appearances eliminated two plane trips and two hours of lost sleep each week. I stacked a couple of those weeks together.” This allowed him to prioritize recovery and regain a healthier work-life balance.
McAfee was quick to praise the current commentary team, highlighting the strengths of Corey Graves and Wade Barrett. “Corey Graves is fantastic, and Wade Barrett is so good. The show goes on, regardless of who’s in the commentator’s chair.” he also expressed gratitude for WWE’s understanding and support.”WWE has a strong work ethic and understands the demands of travel. They’ve been incredibly supportive. I’ll always love WWE. I miss it, but I don’t think I could have continued at that pace.”
This isn’t the first time the wrestling world has seen commentators step back due to the grueling schedule. Jim Ross, a legendary voice in wrestling, previously spoke about the toll constant travel and the pressure to deliver energetic performances took on his health. McAfee’s situation underscores the challenges faced by those working in the industry, even in seemingly glamorous roles.
(Source: Fightful.com for quote transcription.)