Pat McAfee has not appeared on a WWE broadcast since September.
In the past, McAfee has taken breaks from his pro wrestling commentating duties during football season. But this time, it might be more than a break.
As we near nine months since McAfee officially went on hiatus from WWE and six months since the September run for Wrestlepalooza in his home city of Indianapolis, McAfee took to his Instagram story on Sunday to answer a fan wondering when McAfee might be back ringside.
In a short video, McAfee stated he does not expect to return any time soon and said pro wrestling had passed him by.
“I don’t think you ever say never, you know, especially with the WWE,” McAfee said. “But right now, it does not feel like it is something that’s supposed to happen. It feels like that business has kind of passed me by a little bit.”
“It feels like that business has kind of passed me by a little bit … I feel like the biz is in a good spot without me.”
Pat McAfee says he doesn’t expect to return to his role as WWE commentator any time soon pic.twitter.com/dQrbaeEzaV
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 9, 2026
McAfee thanked the company for the “honor” of calling matches, but said he’s better as a fan for now.
“I grew up loving it, dream to work in it, feel honored that I had the opportunity to work alongside the GOAT Michael Cole, but I feel like the biz in a good spot without me,” McAfee said. “I’ll continue to watch.”
The usual WWE Raw commentary team these days is Michael Cole and Corey Graves. Smackdown is called by Joe Tessitore and Wade Barrett.
As we saw last fall, there’s no guessing when McAfee might pop up for a guest spot. The WWE world is notoriously welcoming of old fan favorites.
However, McAfee, one of the busiest people in media, appears to be saying goodbye to his regular role.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.