Commentary plays an important role in the presentation of professional wrestling and sports entertainment. Throughout the years, names like Jim Ross, Mike Tenay, and Michael Cole have shown that they can be as vital to a successful show as the performers in the ring. Pat McAfee has become a name that fans know on the WWE commentary booth. But his time away in recent weeks shines a light on the idea that the company does not need him in this position any longer.
Pat McAfee’s absence slowly became a major story for those who follow WWE. Fans wondered why he suddenly disappeared without an explanation. That explanation came and sounded much like a man who had hit a point of burnout.
“I got real tired, man,” McAfee said during his hit program The Pat McAfee Show. “I could just feel it. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, my brain is not operating right now. I knew this moment was coming, like I knew it was gonna happen at some point.”
That’s quite an understandable statement. Burnout is a real challenge for millions of professionals around the world. It is what makes Michael Cole’s streak on WWE or Jim Ross’s tenure in the business so amazing. As Triple H once alluded to about performers who didn’t sign with WWE, it seems like McAfee could not endure the “grind.”
Corey Graves and Wade Barrett can replace Pat McAfee
Others have stepped up in McAfee’s absence. Corey Graves is back on WWE Monday Night Raw, and Wade Barrett is in the seat for PLEs. It is important to highlight Graves, who received a lot of praise for his work during WWE x AAA Worlds Collide, and who was reportedly upset about being moved to make room for McAfee to begin with.
WWE wants McAfee in a position for his ability to generate headlines. Not because of his skill as a commentator or his love of wrestling. This has to do everything with WWE’s drive to be as “mainstream” as possible, measured by social media engagement, website clicks, headlines, and other vanity metrics. McAfee certainly brings that to the table. But what he doesn’t bring is the same level of quality that others are showing to have.
This is an opportunity for WWE to put its faith in someone like Graves or Barrett, giving them the role full-time. Perhaps the company could even go in another direction, opening the door to a woman to be a full-time member of the commentary booth. There have been times when women had a spot on the chair, but hearing a woman’s voice on every episode of Raw or SmackDown would be huge.
Either way, Pat McAfee’s absence is understandable. If he needed to step away, that is his right to do so. But WWE does not need him in that chair. There are already talented professionals in place, ready to step up.