If there is somebody who symbolizes the upcoming rights deal between WWE and ESPN, it’s Pat McAfee.
So it’s only fitting that the former All-Pro punter will be present when the pro wrestling giant makes its debut on the Worldwide Leader next month, with WWE chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque revealing on SportsCenter that McAfee will appear at the recently announced Wrestlepalooza event in Indianapolis on Sept. 20.
“September 20th, Wrestlepalooza, in the home of the one and the only Pat McAfee, who’s like family to us. Pat will be there,” Levesque said. “He’s going to light the place up. It’s going to be exciting. Indianapolis, we were just there for the Royal Rumble — 70,000 fans there. It was incredible. So we’re looking forward to being back there.”
McAfee’s return will mark his first appearance on WWE television since the Money in the Bank event on June 7. While it was previously expected that the ESPN College GameDay star would remain a color commentator on WWE Raw until the start of football season, he began his annual pro wrestling hiatus early, publicly citing exhaustion.
“I was getting pretty exhausted there,” McAfee said on his eponymous daily show while explaining his absence in June. “So shoutout to everybody at the WWE looking out for me, too. Very, very thankful.”
Although some interpreted a recent John Cena promo as a jab at McAfee’s hiatus, it appears that any issues between the two sides (if there ever were any) have since been smoothed over. It’s also worth noting that the 38-year-old was quick to publicly celebrate the new partnership between WWE and ESPN, while also using it as an opportunity to take a jab at network executives.
Between $1.6 billion in rights fees and the exposure ESPN can offer, the deal promises to be a transformative one for WWE. And even if he’s not around on a full-time basis, it’s hardly a surprise that Pat McAfee will remain plenty involved.
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