Pat McAfee Reacts To His WWE Royal Rumble Return

The Royal Rumble is a night that's known for surprises, and the 2023 premium live event was no different, with the likes of Edge, Logan Paul, Nia Jax, and Chelsea Green all appearing in the men's and women's Rumble matches. However, the shocks took place before any matches even happened as Pat McAfee returned to the WWE to join Michael Cole and Corey Graves to call all of the action, and the former NFL star has commented on what the return meant to him. 

"That was awesome. Massive thank you to the folks of the WWE Universe that were in that AlamoDome.. I'll remember that "hello" forever," McAfee said on Twitter. "So grateful to be back tonight..shahtaht @MichaelCole & @WWEGraves. GREAT to see the WWE family backstage again. I've missed everyone."

McAfee hasn't been seen in WWE since September of last year after he signed a deal with ESPN to work as an analyst for "College GameDay." This led to WWE switching up its broadcast team, with Wade Barrett joining Cole on the blue brand while Booker T took his spot on "WWE NXT." While McAfee wanted to do both jobs, the decision was made for him to take a break until the season had finished so he didn't have to travel as much. 

The return was something that was kept a complete surprise from the majority of people in the company, and that included Graves and Cole themselves. While McAfee was back on Saturday night, it remains to be seen whether he will return to "WWE SmackDown" full-time.