Former football punter Pat McAfee began working with WWE on their NXT brand in 2018, initially as a pre-show analyst and then a wrestler. He’d first face off against Adam Cole in a singles match at a TakeOver event and then compete in a WarGames match alongside Danny Burch, Oney Lorcan, and Pete Dunne against Undisputed Era.
With WWE revamping their announce teams and Corey Graves moved to Raw, this left a chair next to Michael Cole on SmackDown free. WWE has now announced that McAfee will be taking that seat as an analyst. With the news public, McAfee has taken to Twitter, declaring that being a commentator on SmackDown is a dream come true.
Be a friend, tell a friend #PatsUpToSomethin Pat McAfee
WWE’s announce team changes came from bringing in former ESPN host Adnan Virk as the new play-by-play announcer for WWE RAW at the request of Nick Khan. Due to his lack of experience, it was decided to put Corey Graves with him, and thus presenting McAfee a dream opportunity.
- Paige Makes Shocking Claim About Her AEW Tenure Amid Deep-Rooted WWE Loyalty - July 20, 2026
- Paige Opens Up About Her WrestleMania 42 Surprise Return Being Leaked - July 20, 2026
- WWE Star Penta Unmasked In Shocking Livestream Blunder - July 20, 2026