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Pat McAfee's status as a commentator continues to be up in the air amid his ongoing absence from WWE TV. Former wrestling manager and expert Dutch Mantell recently made a bold claim about the NFL veteran's future.
McAfee hasn't returned to his commentary duties since the Money in the Bank Premium Live Event last month. He has missed Monday Night RAW for four straight weeks. The former NFL punter recently addressed his absence, saying he was getting "pretty exhausted" due to his tiring schedule and decided to take some time off.
On a recent episode of the Story Time with Dutch Mantell podcast, the wrestling veteran said Pat McAfee's absence wasn't going to hurt the weekly show.
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"That is a lot, and he's tired, so I don't blame him for taking the time off, but it's not going to help his show. It's not going to help, I mean, the RAW show. But I don't think it hurts it either because nobody tunes in for an announcer unless it's Bobby Heenan." (From 1:38 to 1:58)
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Mantell felt McAfee's time as a full-time commentator might be over, and he could transition into a part-timer, making guest appearances at premium live events.
"He may do a pay-per-view. He may do that. He could be a guest appearance, or you could have a three-man [commentary] booth, because he is a very, very good color commentator, and it is something that to advertise, because he does have his fans, and see 'Pat McAfee is going to be joining us on this one.' And I think you have, I actually think you have some people tuning in just to hear Pat." (From 5:56 to 6:20)
You can check out the full video below.
Has WWE found Pat McAfee's replacement on RAW?
Corey Graves has been pulling double duty to fill in for Pat McAfee on Monday Night RAW. According to WrestleVotes, several people within WWE have been pushing for the NXT commentator to be on the main roster permanently.
Will WWE return to its three-man commentary team? Only time will tell.
If you use quotes from this article, please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
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