Huge Update On Pat McAfee’s Longterm Future With WWE

Pat McAfee is hanging around a bit longer.

WWE has announced that the color commentator for "WWE SmackDown" has signed a multiyear extension with the company. McAfee has been on the call since April 2021, when the former Indianapolis Colts punter joined the "SmackDown" brand after a brief stint as an PPV analyst and occasional wrestler and manager for "NXT." No stranger to participating in storylines, McAfee is currently embroiled in a bitter rivalry with Happy Corbin, who attacked McAfee as WWE Money In The Bank came to a close, leading to McAfee attending UFC 276 in a neck brace. The two men will face each other at WWE SummerSlam on July 30th.

McAfee recently wrestled at WWE WrestleMania 38, first winning a match against Theory, and then taking a loss to WWE chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. The match was McMahon's first wrestling match since losing to Bret Hart in a No Holds Barred Match at WrestleMania 26 in 2010.

McAfee has been a popular presence on WWE television, with his emotional delivery bringing a refreshing change of tone to WWE commentary. McAfee even brings his own stylistic flair to the show, shirking WWE's long-standing sartorial traditions by wearing shorts at the commentary table, and even at WrestleMania. Meanwhile, his schedule has been getting busier and busier, as he also hosts a regularly broadcast YouTube show called "The Pat McAfee Show" and takes part in numerous live events.

McAfee's outside commitments recently ran in opposition to WWE's own plans, as McAfee accepted an invitation by UFC President Dana White to host a UFC event in Paris, France, on September 3, the same day that WWE will be presenting Clash at the Castle, their first PPV in the United Kingdom since 2003.