Pat McAfee makes PERMANENT return to WWE! Ex-NFL punter surprises fans to announce he is joining Monday Night Raw commentary team alongside Michael Cole

Pat McAfee is piling more onto his already full plate of commitments and shows by making a shocking return to the ringside table on WWE’s Monday Night Raw.

After being the first person bounced from Saturday night’s Royal Rumble (where he then commentated after his elimination), McAfee made the trip to Tampa, Florida for Monday’s weekly episode of Raw.

McAfee came out to the theme music that plays before his occasional in-ring appearances. But this time, he donned the headset and sat beside longtime commentator Michael Cole.

Cole then explained that McAfee was going to be on the full-time broadcasting team for Raw.

McAfee previously spent time as a color commentator for WWE’s Friday night show, Smackdown.

Just a few days before, McAfee participated in and commentated the Royal Rumble

McAfee has a heavy workload already – with a daily show and a spot on College GameDay

But McAfee eventually left that role as he turned to focus on his new role at ESPN – with The Pat McAfee Show moving to ‘The Worldwide Leader’ and Pat jumping onto the desk for College GameDay.

The Pat McAfee Show airs every week day and GameDay travels every Saturday to a new location in the American college football landscape.

So for McAfee to willingly add on another responsibility – one that will also see him traveling at least once a week is a surprise. 

McAfee’s addition to the team comes less than a week after WWE agreed to a new rights deal with Netflix that begins in 2025.

It’s unclear if McAfee will continue in this role during the college football season, but he has publicly committed to staying on College GameDay for 2024.