Pat McAfee has confirmed what many WWE fans feared — his days with the company, at least for now, are on hold.
The electric former NFL punter turned podcaster, pundit and part-time WWE commentator hasn’t been seen on Raw for weeks, and now he’s laid bare exactly why.
It’s not a storyline, it’s not contract drama, it’s something many may not associate with the star – exhaustion.
Speaking candidly his Pat McAfee Show, he explained that the relentless schedule of juggling WWE with ESPN GameDay, his podcast, and being a new dad finally took its toll.
McAfee had, in typical fashion, been giving everything to every gig.
One moment he was filming TV content on the East Coast, then heading to Paris Island, before jetting straight to Los Angeles for Money in the Bank. But his body and mind finally said no.
“I got real tired, man,” he admitted. “I crashed. You hit a wall. Yeah, I hit one. I’ve been going since Dublin… and they started RAW early, and I’m like an energy guy, and I don’t need a lot of sleep to operate. Like I’ve always been that way.
“I could just feel it. “I’m like: ‘Oh my god, my brain is not like operating right now.’”
He went on to say he’d even consulted friends who’d previously gone through mental exhaustion, noting that Money in the Bank was his breaking point. “I knew this moment was coming,” he explained.
“It happens to people… and like as Money in the Bank was happening, I was like, ‘Oh my god. This is it. I’ve finally hit it.’”
McAfee hasn’t just been a desk guy. Since arriving in WWE in 2021, he’s proved himself a natural performer — mixing sharp commentary with the surprising ability to wrestle at a high level.
His bouts against the likes of Austin Theory and Baron Corbin, not to mention a cameo scrap with Vince McMahon himself at WrestleMania 38, made him a rare hybrid: someone the wrestling world respected both inside the ring and on the mic.
Most recently, he even defended his commentary colleague, Michael Cole, in a match after World Heavyweight Champion Gunther took issue with the broadcaster.
But while McAfee’s enthusiasm for the business has never been in question, his stamina reached a limit.
Behind the scenes, he has also been navigating fatherhood. That, combined with 2–3am travel turnarounds every week, eventually became unsustainable.
“Wanting to be around [my daughter] daily, the show, the travel… and then also trying my best — and I know wrestling fans don’t think this… but like, I was trying to put everybody over like maximum effort, full every time,” he said.
“And it’s like, I think that with the travel… it takes a toll.”
He was quick to praise WWE for their understanding, acknowledging the company’s mindset when it comes to physical and mental grind, and crediting President Nick Khan with helping him transition away.
“The show moves on regardless,” McAfee reflected. “So, like the ability to not feel absolutely f terrible for having to take a step back because I’m tired… WWE has on the other side… they understand…”
“So, they’ve been great. They’ve been great.”
His words suggest no animosity, and it’s unlikely the charismatic chatterbox is gone for good. The door, it seems has been left wide open for future ventures at the commentary desk and beyond.
For now, though, McAfee is enjoying a rest – or part of one at least.
“I will always love the WWE,” he went on to admit. “I miss it.”
Pat McAfee is still the same whirlwind of energy. He now just knows, finally, when to tap out.