At the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event, Pat McAfee made his return to call the action with Michael Cole.
As we previously reported here on eWn, McAfee took some time away from WWE to join ESPN’s College Gameday.
Speaking with The Daily Star, Wade Barrett revealed that he’ll be remaining on the SmackDown commentary team for the foreseeable future. He said,
“It’s as permanent as you can ever be in a role in WWE! Historically things have always been switched around and teams have been moved from here to there, and I’m not saying I’m going to be in the SmackDown hot seat for the next ten years or anything like that. But in terms of the foreseeable, it’s going to be me and Cole going forward. Pat McAfee is always going to be a friend of WWE. He’s an incredibly talented guy and we’re all fans of his, too, but he has a lot on his plate. I am sure he’ll come in and out from time to time and be involved in various roles but, as far as I’m aware, he’s not going to be sat in the SmackDown hot seat for now at least.”
He continued, “I’m incredibly lucky to have the spot. It’s a spot I love. My addiction to WWE has come back, a hundred percent. I left in 2016 and was kind of down about the industry in general and walked away for a while. That love and passion for it has really come back so I see myself as a hundred percent full time back in WWE. I do have a couple of things bubbling over in terms of outside projects, but in terms of [being] focused, careerwise on WWE, that’s where I’m at right now.”
